Episode 223 looks at the handheld that beat Game Boy to the punch

Ahead of its time or just a destined disaster? We explore the groundbreaking Game Pocket Computer.

A short bonus episode this week, but it's a thorough one. Sometimes, 27 minutes is all you need to cover a topic in exhaustive depth, and that's definitely the case with Epoch's Game Pocket Computer. Friend of the show Alex Forsyth joined us at Midwest Gaming Classic last month to finally sate my curiosity about this odd little system—a medium-resolution monochrome portable handheld nearly as powerful as Game Boy, but which shipped in 1984. That's five years before Game Boy! It seems like the GPC should have been a runaway hit, but it disappeared almost as quickly as it debuted. And that's why this episode is so brief: With only seven titles released (two of which were built in to the hardware, and all of which are represented on the cover art), there's just not that much to say about the Game Pocket Computer. But hey, we talked about it! This might be the world's most comprehensive podcast discussion of the topic.

You may notice I refer to this episode as a "segment"—I had originally intended to run it as a B-side of the Game Boy live discussion and run the Heiankyo Alien panel separately. The Heiankyo panel didn't work as a standalone due to the audio issues, so I switched plans after the fact. Now you know.

Retronauts Episode 223: Epoch Game Pocket Computer
MP3, 13.5 MB | 27:53
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Episode description: Jeremy Parish and Bob Mackey consult with handheld connoisseur Alex "kraeman" Forsyth about the impressive portable system that beat Game Boy to the punch by five years: The Epoch Game Pocket Computer.