LCD game
An LCD game is a small, portable video game system. Control elements, screen, loudspeakers and the game itself are already built into the device and cannot be replaced, as there is no module slot for game modules . LCD games can be seen as the precursors to handheld consoles , although some sources equate them with these.
presentation
Instead of a normal screen with a grid of pixels, there is usually a special display for displaying a game. All "movable" game elements (e.g. game figure, opponent, balls) are not composed of pixels, but are available as finished LCD segments tailored to the respective game. Like a single pixel, the whole game figure is controlled as a graphic in a comparable manner, which requires less technical effort, but also reduces the display options accordingly. Permanent game elements (e.g. background) are static "painted" images that lie behind the "moving" graphics and are also visible when the device is switched off. These simplifications made it possible to produce LCD games the size of a digital wristwatch. Often there is a reset function in the games , which also makes it possible to display all existing graphic segments (figures, moving surroundings, score) at the same time.
The use of fixed images allows a higher level of detail without pixelated graphics as with console screens, but not without its disadvantage. All graphics are fixed at a certain point, so that each position of an object in the game has to be determined beforehand without the individual positions being allowed to overlap. The illusion of movement is created by the objects lighting up in a certain sequence in their various positions.
history
The first LED games were released as early as the 1970s, but they did not enjoy great popularity until the 1980s and 1990s, as the price of LCDs fell significantly and the LED displays consume a relatively large amount of power and thus the battery life was quite short in the LED games. Power adapters were available separately as accessories for some LED games . The best-known LCD games are the games from the Nintendo Game & Watch series, which appeared between 1981 and 1990, but titles from other manufacturers such as Tricotronic , Tomy and Tiger Electronics were also popular. Numerous genres were implemented, with arcade games in particular attracting a great deal of attention. The technology of LCD games was also used in pocket calculators. An example of this is the Casio BG 15 with boxing game from 1981. The first mobile phone games , such as Snake , were also based on black and white LCD technology.
Situation today
Technically, LCD games have been replaced by portable game consoles (handheld consoles). Even so, LCD games are still widely produced as a promotional product today. Also for the implementation of simple games like sinking ships or board, card and puzzle games like z. B. Sudoku they are still used. Technically, these hardly differ from the much older models. For example, only a few games have a memory option.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Handheld consoles reloaded: You should test these LCD games. In: Featured. March 20, 2018, accessed May 8, 2020 .