Mattel Auto Race
| Mattel Electronics Auto Race | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Manufacturer | Mattel | |
| Type | Handheld console | |
| publication |
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| Storage media | none (fixed game) | |
| Online service | none | |
| Units sold | unknown | |
| info | first handheld console | |
The Mattel Auto Race (also Mattel Electronics Auto Race , or Auto Race for short ) is the first handheld console and was released by Mattel in 1976 under the brand "Mattel Electronics". With the Mattel Auto Race only a pre-installed, non-replaceable video game can be played. A copy of the console was also released in the Soviet Union .
development
George J. Klose, Product Development Engineer at Mattel, came up with the concept of redefining standard calculator hardware to create a handheld electronic game that used individual display segments as blips that would "move" around the display. He designed the gameplay for Mattel Auto Race, inspired by car racing games that were common in video arcades in the 1970s. First, he created a proof-of-concept prototype, demonstrated how a blip on the LED - display moving without a microprocessor , for permission for the development to get Mattel to use. Then he looked for a manufacturer who could provide a circuit board that would fit in a compact housing. Klose and his manager Richard Cheng turned to the Microelectronics Division of Rockwell International , then a leading developer of calculator chips, to provide Mattel with hardware and technical support. Mark Lesser, Circuit Designer for Rockwell International, took the opportunity to write the software for Mattel Auto Race. First, he had to redesign an existing pocket calculator chip to incorporate a multiplexing scheme for display drivers and a special audio driver for a piezoceramic speaker. He then wrote the program in assembly language and challenged it by fitting it into the 512-byte ROM size that the chip allowed. There was no sound processing hardware, so the sounds were created by switching the speaker in embedded timing loops within the program itself.
Gameplay
The game pre-installed in the console is about reaching the finish line as quickly as possible in the role of a racing driver in a total of four laps. Meanwhile, a counter counts the seconds that are required. The player can switch between four gears that determine the speed with the help of a controller that is attached to the housing of the console. The street on which the race takes place has three lanes, between which the player has to switch with the help of another controller in order not to be hit by other vehicles.
Playing field (example)
3 _____ | | 2| | | | |1| 2| | | |2 | | _____
Legend
1 = player's vehicle
2 = other vehicles
3 = elapsed time since the start of the game in seconds (counter stops after reaching the goal)
Results
<30 sec .: World Champion Driver
30-45 seconds: Professional Driver
45-55 seconds: Showing potential
55-65 sec .: quiet to amateur
65-75 sec .: Stick To The Highways
> 75 sec .: Leave Car In Garage
Individual evidence
- ^ Milton Bradley Microvision - Pop Culture Maven. February 19, 2020, accessed July 21, 2020 (American English).
- ↑ Eric Caoili: Feature: A History of Gaming Platforms: Mattel Intellivision. Retrieved February 10, 2019 .
- ↑ DP Interviews ... Accessed August 26, 2019 .
- ↑ According to the points table in the instructions