Game.com

The Game.com is a fifth-generation handheld game console developed and released by Tiger Electronics on September 12, 1997. Designed as a multimedia device for older audiences, it aimed to combine gaming with early digital functions such as touchscreen input and limited Internet connectivity. The original model features a monochrome touchscreen, dual cartridge slots, and could be connected to a 14.4 kbit/s modem for access to e-mail and basic web functions via a proprietary interface. Its name is a reference to the .com top-level domain, reflecting its Internet-related features. It was the first game console to include a touchscreen and the first handheld to offer Internet connectivity, positioning it as an early forerunner in multifunctional handheld gaming devices. Despite its innovations, the system struggled commercially due to a small game library and technical limitations, prompting a redesign in the form of the Game.com Pocket Pro, a smaller version that lacked Internet capabilities except high score submitting. Due to poor sales, the Game.com console line was discontinued in 2000, having sold fewer than 300,000 units.