R-Zone
A head-worn LCD console that became a commercial failure.
The R-Zone is a portable game console made by Tiger Electronics. It was first shown at the American International Toy Fair in February 1995 and went on sale later that year. The original version was worn on the head, but later models were handheld. Critics hated it, and it sold very poorly. Production stopped after just two years, in 1997. While it wasn’t meant to go head-to-head with other handheld consoles, it was Tiger’s first portable system that could play multiple games.
The original R-Zone setup includes a headset and a separate controller that holds the batteries. Each game cartridge has its own clear LCD screen, which is reflected onto a mirrored surface in front of the player’s eye. The red color scheme and head-worn design may have been an attempt to ride on the buzz around the Nintendo Virtual Boy, but Tiger never confirmed this.
Three more versions came out later: the R-Zone SuperScreen, the XPG (Xtreme Pocket Game), and the DataZone. The R-Zone is widely considered one of the worst video game consoles ever made.
Most R-Zone games differ only in name and theme; the actual gameplay is nearly identical across the library. As with other Tiger products, the games are mostly licensed titles. Some examples include *Batman Forever*, *Virtua Fighter*, *Mortal Kombat 3*, *VR Troopers*, *Indy 500*, *Star Wars*, *Men in Black*, and *The Lost World: Jurassic Park*. A partial list of games also includes *A Bug’s Life*, *Alien vs Predator*, *Apollo 13*, *Area 51*, *Batman & Robin*, *Battle Arena Toshinden*, *Daytona USA*, *Football* (France exclusive), *Godzilla*, *Independence Day*, *Judge Dredd*, *Mask of Zorro* (UK exclusive, pack-in only; also sold in the Netherlands), *Mortal Kombat Trilogy*, *Nights into Dreams*, *Panzer Dragoon*, *Primal Rage*, *Road Rash 3*, *Sonic R*, *Star Trek*, *Star Wars: Imperial Assault*, *Star Wars: Jedi Adventure*, *Star Wars: Millennium Falcon Challenge*, *Star Wars: Rebel Forces*, *Virtua Cop*, *Virtua Fighter 2*, and *VR Troopers: When Worlds Collide*.
The R-Zone has ten face buttons. The right-side buttons are labeled A, B, C, and D. Their functions change per game, but usually they map to a four-direction attack scheme: C attacks left, D attacks up, B attacks right, and A attacks down or does nothing. The bottom buttons are labeled ON, START, SELECT, SOUND, PAUSE, and OFF.
Quick Facts
- Manufacturer
- Tiger Electronics
- Generation
- Fifth generation
- Release Date
- 1995
- Discontinued
- 1997
- Media
- ROM cartridges
- Predecessor
- Quiz Wiz
- Successor
- Game.com
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The original R-Zone unit consists of a headset and a separate controller containing batteries. Each game cartridge has its own transparent LCD screen which is projected onto a mirrored surface held in front of the player's eye. It is thought that this original design, including the red color scheme, was designed to capitalize on popular buzz for the Nintendo Virtual Boy at the time, though Tiger has never confirmed this theory. Three additional versions were subsequently released: the R-Zone SuperScreen, the XPG (Xtreme Pocket Game), and the DataZone.
The R-Zone has ten face buttons, with four labeled A, B, C, and D whose functions vary by game, and six labeled ON, START, SELECT, SOUND, PAUSE, and OFF with universal functions. It also features a directional pad. The console has no microprocessor or memory; those components are contained in a microcontroller inside the game cartridge. The console itself acts as a front polarizer for the LCD, a speaker, and a shift register for the controls. The game cartridges are transparent in the center to allow light to pass through and reflect off a specialized mirror. All graphics were pre-drawn and permanently set into the LCD, with different portions darkened to provide animation. The mirror has minor tilt adjustment and can be pushed up for storage. The games only display a dark red color.
R-Zone games mostly vary only in title and subject; gameplay within the library is almost identical from title to title. The software lineup is dominated by licensed titles, including Batman Forever, Virtua Fighter, Mortal Kombat 3, VR Troopers, Indy 500, Star Wars, Men in Black, and The Lost World: Jurassic Park.
Reader's Guide
The R-Zone has been constantly regarded as one of the worst video game consoles ever made. At the time of its release, David Jones of the Chicago Tribune called it 'a waste of time and money,' noting that its screen is hard to see, the controls are very awkward, and wearing the headband for five minutes causes deep lines on the forehead and a headache. Electronic Gaming Monthly remarked that while the display takes time to get used to and is not in the same league as the Virtual Boy's immersive experience, the R-Zone is much less expensive and, unlike the Virtual Boy, is functionally portable. In 2008, Mikel Reparaz of GamesRadar+ included the R-Zone on a list of the 10 worst game consoles, considering it a poor version of Nintendo's Virtual Boy and essentially 'just a gimmicky version of the same awful, clicky-beepy LCD games that Tiger had been dumping on the market since the '80s.' In 2016, Motherboard called the R-Zone 'perhaps the most infamous product ever associated with Tiger,' stating that its games were 'glorified versions' of Tiger's LCD games and that while similar to the Virtual Boy in some ways, the R-Zone was 'much, much worse.'
Did You Know?
- The R-Zone was originally a head-worn device that projected game images onto a mirrored surface in front of the player's eye.
- Each game cartridge contains its own transparent LCD screen and a microcontroller; the console itself has no microprocessor or memory.
- The R-Zone SuperScreen model allowed games to show colors, with game movement appearing black on a colored background.
- The R-Zone DataZone variant included a data organizer and used a backlit flat display instead of a mirror projection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the R-Zone?
The R-Zone is a portable video game console made by Tiger Electronics, first unveiled at the American International Toy Fair in February 1995 and sold later that year. It was designed as a multi-game portable system rather than a direct rival to other handhelds of the era.
What did the original R-Zone look like?
The first model, called the R-Zone Headgear, was a head-worn headset paired with a separate controller that housed the batteries. Subsequent revisions dropped the head-mounted format in favor of a more conventional handheld shape.
Why did the R-Zone fail commercially?
Critics panned the system and sales were extremely weak, prompting Tiger Electronics to end production by 1997, just two years after launch. The unusual head-worn design of the original model likely made it hard for consumers to take seriously.
What variants of the R-Zone were released?
Beyond the original Headgear, Tiger produced the R-Zone SuperScreen, the XPG (Xtreme Pocket Game), and the DataZone as follow-up models. These later versions all moved toward standard handheld form factors rather than the head-mounted setup.
How much did the R-Zone cost at launch?
The original R-Zone Headgear carried a retail price of $29.99 when it hit shelves in 1995. Despite that relatively low price tag, the system still struggled to attract buyers and was discontinued by 1997.
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