 | |
 A Gakken Compact Vision TV Boy | |
| Developer | Gakken |
|---|---|
| Type | Home video game console |
| Generation | Second generation |
| Release date |
|
| Introductory price | ¥8,800 |
| Media | ROM cartridge |
| CPU | Motorola MC6801 (inside cartridge) |
| Memory | 2k RAM |
| Display | 128 × 192 pixels, 4 colors |
| Graphics | Motorola MC6847 video processor |
The Gakken Compact Vision TV Boy (Japanese: TV ボーイ, Hepburn: TV bōi) is a second generation home video game console developed by Gakken and released in Japan in 1983 for a price of ¥8,800.[1]
The system was made to compete with the Epoch Cassette Vision, which had a market dominance of 70% in Japan.
The console was released months after the Nintendo Famicom and Sega SG-1000 which, although more expensive at ¥15,000, were more advanced and had more features as well as bigger games libraries; furthermore, Epoch had just launched the Cassette Vision Jr. revision for ¥5,000. These factors made the system obsolete from the start, with a high price tag, few and comparably rudimentary games, and a strange form factor, leading to poor sales. As a result, it is now a rare collector's item among some retro gamers.
In January 2024, the Gakken Compact Vision TV Boy game console hardware and six games were ROM dumped, scanned and preserved. This console could only be played on the MAME emulator.[2]