Editing Handheld TV game

{{short description|Type of video game console}}
{{redirect|TV game|video games played on consoles that are usually attached to televisions|Console game}}
{{one source|date=March 2024}}
[[File:TVBoy (brighter sharper).jpg|thumb|A [[TV Boy]] with power and TV attached]]
A '''handheld TV game''' or '''plug and play game''' is an integrated [[home video game console]] and [[game controller]], usually [[Battery (electricity)|battery]] powered, which connects directly to a television. The game software is built directly into the unit, which is typically designed to look like a toy or classic game console controller with the addition of a composite video cable to connect the unit. These systems usually contain either a collection of classic games or original games based on licensed properties. Because the game software is integrated into the game unit and almost never designed to be changed by the user, these game systems are typically marketed as electronic toys or collectibles rather than game consoles.

Several manufacturers produced these devices beginning in the 1990s, though the concept became best known with the release in 2002 of [[Jakks Pacific]]'s [[Atari Joystick Controller TV Video Game System|Atari Classic 10-in-1 TV]]. Most manufacturers have their own trademarked names for these systems, such as Radica's Play TV or Majesco's TV Arcade; however, most retailers refer to them as "TV games" or "plug and play" games.

==History==
[[File:Atari Plug & Play TV Games (10 classic games) (8).jpg|thumb|Atari Classic 10-in-1 TV games]]
From the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, three things happened: the [[retro game]] movement started to gain momentum, the price of [[system on a chip]] technology fell dramatically, and car television sets became popular. Several unlicensed family games, such as the [[TV Boy]], were produced. These factors led to manufacturers officially licensing classic games. The first TV games include collections of classic games; one of the earliest is the Toymax Activision 10-in-1, released in 2001. The first TV games contain collections of classic games, and many manufacturers started incorporating original content and controls. Jakks Pacific reached licensing deals with [[Disney]], [[DC Comics]], [[Marvel Comics]], [[Nickelodeon]], [[Cartoon Network]], and others. 

Criticism that video games were contributing to obesity in children led to the development of TV games with motion controls such as the Play TV series, including Play TV Baseball, Play TV Football, and Play TV Barbie Dance Craze in 2003. In 2004, [[Tiger Electronics]] created [[paintball]] and a ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' sword-fighting game, using a toy sword as the controller. In that year, Radica started producing collections of Sega games, such as ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (1991 video game)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'', ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'', ''[[Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle]]'', ''[[Columns (video game)|Columns]]'', and ''[[Gain Ground]]''. The [[C64 Direct-to-TV]] was released in 2004 by Toy:Lobster and Mammoth Toys with a copy of the [[Commodore 64]] operating system and a [[virtual keyboard]] as a hidden extra. In 2005, Jakks Pacific produced original game content for the new ''Star Wars'' and ''Fantastic Four'' films, and Tiger produced a [[Jedi]] [[lightsaber]] fighting game using a lightsaber as the controller. In 2005, [[Milton Bradley Company|Milton Bradley]] started producing TV game versions of Whack-a-Mole and Miniature Golf.

==Sales==
By 2002, the original TV Games device from Jakks Pacific sold over 350,000 units.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jakkspacific.com/subcompany/news.shtml?id=233&more=1|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20021018171400/http://www.jakkspacific.com/subcompany/news.shtml?id=233&more=1|title=Reuters Company News Jakks Pacific signs license deal with Nickelodeon|website=[[Jakks Pacific]]|archivedate=October 18, 2002|date=May 13, 2002|accessdate=March 28, 2024}}</ref> By 2004, the TV Games series had sold 1 million units.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Revenge of Pac-Man |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nb4wAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA27&article_id=4534,2849662 |access-date=17 July 2024 |work=[[Lakeland Ledger]] |date=6 June 2004}}</ref> {{As of|2007}}, ''[[Pac-Man]]'' TV Games sold over 15 million units.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jakks Pacific, Namco Extend TV Game Partnership |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/jakks-pacific-namco-extend-tv-game-partnership |access-date=17 July 2024 |work=[[Game Developer (website)|Game Developer]] |date=April 25, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=More Namco TV Games from JAKKS |url=https://www.toymania.com/news/messages/9281.shtml |access-date=17 July 2024 |work=Toy Mania |date=April 2007}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Dedicated console]]
*[[Video game clone|Game system clone]]
*[[History of video games]]
*[[Handheld game console]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Handheld Tv Game}}
[[Category:Video game platforms]]
[[Category:Handheld TV games|*]]