Tiger handhelds making a comeback - Because '90s nostalgia

[ComeoutandJULAY]

Tiger’s retro LCD handheld games are making a comeback

The ‘90s are still alive.

www.theverge.com

Tiger’s retro LCD handheld games are making a comeback - The Verge

archived 19 Feb 2020 19:25:54 UTC

archive.ph

Tiger’s retro LCD handheld games are making a comeback
Andrew Webster Feb 19, 2020, 12:00pm EST

Hasbro is bringing back another ‘90s classic: the monochrome Tiger Electronics LCD handheld. Today, the company announced that it’ll be releasing four new versions of the iconic handheld, which will launch this fall for $14.99 each.

As with the originals, each device will play a single game. The launch titles include The Little Mermaid, Transformers: Generation 2, X-Men Project X, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (all are available to preorder at Gamestop now). Hasbro says that each game is “inspired” by the original version from the 1990s. They all sport a familiar control setup, with monochromatic graphics displayed on top of a static, colorful backdrop. Each unit is powered by two AA batteries (which, of course, are not included). “The design and technology were created with the original handheld game unit in mind,” the company says.

This isn’t the first such ‘90s LCD revival. Back in 2017, Bandai Namco brought back the classic Tamagotchi, which similarly banked largely on nostalgia. Like that effort, Hasbro’s new gaming devices feature nothing in the way of modern conveniences. Instead, they harken back to a much simpler time for the medium.

 

[I Love Beef]

I'm surprised Tiger hasn't gone full lawcow on James Rolfe and claim some bullshit about how he "slanders our name and product" when in reality his stage character spoke the truth of these things.

 

[Mariposa Colorado]

Oh yeah, I remember those lil' buggers. I don't think that they would entertain me much in 2020.

 

[Bad Gateway]

Disgustang

 

[ScamL Likely]

These things were never good but I guess it's not surprising that bugmen and hipsters would cream themselves over cheap, barely-functional plastic garbage just because it's "retro".

 

[Irwin M. Felcher]

Oh yeah, I remember those lil' buggers. I don't think that they would entertain me much in 2020.

Hell, they didn't entertain me much when I was 10.

 

[NOT Sword Fighter Super]

Look, these were cool in the late 80s and early 90s when it was the cheapest available portable option.
These things suck. They don't even really have a nostalgic value becaue they're so forgettable.
All they are is landfill fuel.

 

[Iron Hamster]

No Harley Quinn? Damn.........beaten again.

 

[Dom Cruise]

Some things are better left in the past.

 

[The 3rd Hooligan]

Does James know?

When I was a lil spud I found this things amazing but never owned one. Instead we had

 

[NOT Sword Fighter Super]

Does James know?

When I was a lil spud I found this things amazing but never owned one. Instead we had
View attachment 1152365

Tetris and card games are just about the only things worth playing on this format.

 

[Lioness]

Hot dang, I still have a King Kong and Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck edition of these but they open like a clam and have two screens. I think they still work - I was hoping perhaps some vintage game sperg might buy 'em. I wonder if this would raise or lower the value of the originals.

 

[Watcher]

I'm surprised Tiger hasn't gone full lawcow on James Rolfe and claim some bullshit about how he "slanders our name and product" when in reality his stage character spoke the truth of these things.

I'm pretty sure James did more good for the company since now most young people only know about Tiger electronics from his video

 

[Exceptionally Exceptional]

Considering the advances in technology I wonder why they wouldn't actually try to improve these rather than make the same boring, lackluster handhelds they used to make. Nostalgia is only a factor when something is good. Nobody gets nostalgic over bad TV shows or games unless they somehow managed to actually like those games or shows

I'm not kidding when I say I owned a few of these things as a kid and none of them were very fun. If I wanted to make a Tiger style handheld I'd probably just try to go for a cheap ass copy of the Gameboy Color with a fuckload of pre-loaded games.
I mean, we've seen how much more affordable technology has become to produce, so I highly doubt things like multicolored LCD displays and slightly bigger microchips to hold a few NES quality games would inflate the price too horribly.
There are enough games out there that do not require licensing (certain board games, card games, puzzle games, etc.) that you can load it with a pretty decent amount of games without having to pay anything for licensing. Heck, you could possibly just license a few of the more well-known titles like Tetris for relatively cheap.

it just boggles the mind anybody would want one of these even for the nostalgia. My only memories of these things was being utterly disappointed whenever I got one for Christmas.

 

[heyilikeyourmom]

I grew up with these and I still think they suck. To me they’re just that thing adults couldn’t understand wasn’t an acceptable substitute for a super nintendo.

 

[Coolio55]

These things were WAAAAY ahead of their time. I can't believe they had smartphone games in the 90's!

 

[Jaimas]

There's actually a lot of really good LCD games.

It just so happens that Tiger Electronics was responsible for none of them.

 

[The 3rd Hooligan]

Considering the advances in technology I wonder why they wouldn't actually try to improve these rather than make the same boring, lackluster handhelds they used to make. Nostalgia is only a factor when something is good. Nobody gets nostalgic over bad TV shows or games unless they somehow managed to actually like those games or shows

I'm not kidding when I say I owned a few of these things as a kid and none of them were very fun. If I wanted to make a Tiger style handheld I'd probably just try to go for a cheap ass copy of the Gameboy Color with a fuckload of pre-loaded games.
I mean, we've seen how much more affordable technology has become to produce, so I highly doubt things like multicolored LCD displays and slightly bigger microchips to hold a few NES quality games would inflate the price too horribly.
There are enough games out there that do not require licensing (certain board games, card games, puzzle games, etc.) that you can load it with a pretty decent amount of games without having to pay anything for licensing. Heck, you could possibly just license a few of the more well-known titles like Tetris for relatively cheap.

it just boggles the mind anybody would want one of these even for the nostalgia. My only memories of these things was being utterly disappointed whenever I got one for Christmas.

Spoiler: Be careful what you wish for

I mean LCD games cant really be super diffrent from each other unless Im missing something, all sprites are pre drawn and just lit up.

Oh yeah they did that too

 

[BrunoMattei]

I had a few of these. The one for Terminator was pretty good at the time.

 

[The 3rd Hooligan]

Also did you know there was one with CUTSCENES?