VG Pocket

Lore & Background

The VG Pocket line comprises five models: the VG Pocket Mini with 30 built-in games and a 1.5" screen; the VG Pocket 50 with 50 games and a 2" screen; the VG Pocket Max with 75 games and a 2.5" screen; the VG Pocket Caplet with 50 games including licensed versions of Space Invaders, Bust-a-Move, and BurgerTime; and the VG Pocket Tablet with 25 games including a licensed version of Frogger. The VG Pocket Max resembles the Game Boy Advance and contains 75 mostly modified NES games. In the UK, a handheld called the Gamespower 50 was made, containing almost all the same games with renamed titles and a different color. A plug-and-play version by Dream Gear, shaped like a Dreamcast controller, focused on racing games with 30 to 40 games; both the Gamespower 50 and the plug-and-play version lack a game category selection menu.

The VG Pocket Caplet features a 2.5" 320×240 TFT display (packaging claims 960×240 counting RGB triads) and is a 16-bit system using some form of arcade emulation. It comes in four colors (blue, silver, red, orange) and is powered by 3 AAA batteries. Early versions contain 35 games; current versions have 50. The VG Pocket Tablet, released in 2006, has a round tablet-shaped design in four colors (orange, green, red, white), a 2" 640×240 TFT display, and is powered by 3 AAA batteries. Both the Caplet and Tablet models were finalists in the 2008 International Design Excellence Awards, designed by Stuart Karten Design.

Reader's Guide

The VG Pocket series represents a notable intersection of low-cost dedicated handheld gaming and the widespread cloning of classic NES and arcade titles during the 2000s. As the first console of its type to feature a 2" backlit color LCD screen, it marked a step forward in portable dedicated hardware. The line's significance lies in its variety of models, each offering a different game count and screen size, and in the inclusion of licensed games on the Caplet and Tablet models—Space Invaders, Bust-a-Move, BurgerTime, and Frogger—amid a sea of unlicensed clones. The Caplet and Tablet's recognition as finalists in the International Design Excellence Awards highlights the attention given to their industrial design by Stuart Karten Design. The VG Pocket Max also spawned regional variants like the Gamespower 50 in the UK and a Dream Gear plug-and-play version, illustrating the global reach of these inexpensive, clone-based systems. The lack of save features and the reliance on AAA batteries reflect the era's typical trade-offs for budget handhelds. Overall, the VG Pocket line serves as a document of the dedicated console market's persistence into the 2000s, blending licensed content with unlicensed emulation in a portable form factor.

Did You Know?

• The VG Pocket was the first console of its type to have a 2" backlit color LCD screen.
• The VG Pocket Max has 75 built-in games, mostly modified NES games, and resembles the Game Boy Advance.
• The VG Pocket Caplet includes licensed ports of Space Invaders, Bust-a-Move, and BurgerTime.