Handheld video game:Microvision Connect Four

The Microvision game system, designed by Jay Smith and released by Milton Bradley Electronics in 1979, was the first console to combine handheld portability and cartridge-based variety. Earlier handhelds, such as the popular Electronic Football by Mattel, played only one game, whereas the Microvision allowed players to switch between games by simply changing cartridges (similar to the popular cartridge-based Atari VCS home platform). The system has a small black and white LCD screen and game cartridges secure to the front of the unit atop the display. Players control the action with a control knob at the base of the unit and with buttons on the cartridge (aligned to the system's keypad underneath). The system sold relatively well its first year on the market, but its success was ephemeral and production ended in 1981. It wasn't until 1989 with Nintendo's release of the Game Boy that a cartridge-based handheld system proved commercially successful.