Epoch Game Pocket Computer

Lore & Background

The Epoch Game Pocket Computer was released by Epoch Co. in Japan in 1984. It was considered expensive for a handheld device at the time, with a price point close to the Famicom, and it became a commercial failure in Japan. The system was powered by four AA batteries, and its screen contrast could be adjusted by the user. Input and output controls included four buttons, an 8-way joypad, a contrast dial, and a sound on-off switch. The cartridge included with the system served only as instructions and to occupy the cartridge slot, containing no game data, as it did not need to be inserted to play the built-in games. Two games were built into the system: an 11-tile version of Fifteen puzzle, and a raster graphics editor paint program. Five additional games were released separately, each priced at 2,980 Japanese yen except Pocket Computer Mahjong, which cost 3,800 yen.

Reader's Guide

The Epoch Game Pocket Computer is notable as a second-generation handheld console that attempted to compete in a market already dominated by the Famicom's price point. Its commercial failure in Japan limited its library to only seven games, with two built into the system. The built-in puzzle game and paint program, along with the separate cartridge releases, represent the entirety of its software. The system's technical specifications—a monochrome LCD with 75 × 64 pixels, a 6 MHz CPU, 2 KB of RAM, and a single sound channel—reflect the modest capabilities of handheld gaming in the mid-1980s. Its legacy is primarily as a footnote in handheld history, overshadowed by more successful contemporaries. The Epoch Game Pocket Computer is sometimes mentioned alongside the Barcode Battler, another handheld console released by Epoch Co., as part of the company's foray into portable gaming.

Did You Know?

• The system is also known as the Pokekon.
• Only seven games were made for it, with two built into the system.
• The included cartridge contained no game data and only served as instructions and to occupy the cartridge slot.
• Pocket Computer Mahjong was priced at 3,800 yen, while other separate games cost 2,980 yen each.