 | |
 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, very few and comparably rudimentary games, and a strange form factor, leading to poor sales. As a result, it is now a very rare collector's item among some retro gamers.