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The Pelican VG Pocket series of handheld dedicated game consoles were built by Jungletac and sold by Performance Designed Products LLC under their Pelican Accessories brand. The VG Pocket model was the first console of its type to have a 2" backlit color LCD screen.
Contents
The VG Pocket consoles have built-in games, the number of which varies with each model. Many of the games are clones of old Nintendo Entertainment System and arcade games. These gaming devices also have a TV-out port with composite video and audio streaming through a non-standard stereo mini headset jack.
In 2008, the VG Pocket Caplet and the VG Pocket Tablet were finalists in the International Design Excellence Awards. They were designed by Stuart Karten Design, a Los Angeles-based industrial design firm.
Versions
There are five VG Pocket models available:
VG Pocket Max
The VG Pocket Max is a handheld dedicated console distributed by Pelican Accessories. The system contains 75 games, which are mostly modified NES games. It has a 2.5" backlit color LCD screen (which is very easily scratched, as mentioned by many reviewers of the product), four buttons (plus a reset and a power button), a directional pad, volume control, a single speaker, a headphone jack, and a TV-out port.
Although made by Pelican Accessories, it does not have the company's name on the system itself. Instead it has a sticker on the back crediting Performance Designed Products. In the UK a handheld was made called the Gamespower 50. The Gamespower 50 contained almost all the games (with names changed, such as Bird Droppings retitled as Birdies Nest) and looked exactly the same, except with different color. A plug and play version was made by Dream Gear, being essentially the same as the Gamespower 50. The plug n' play looks like a Dreamcast controller, but internally there is not much of a resemblance. This version is more focused on racing games, and only has 30 to 40 games in it. Unlike the VG Pocket Max, both the Gamespower 50 and the plug n' play version lack a selection menu.
VG Pocket Caplet
The VG Pocket Caplet is a dedicated console created by Performance Designed Products. Its graphics are considered an improvement over those of the earlier models of the VG Pocket, with a very bright 2.5" backlit 320×240 TFT display (the package claims its resolution is 960×240, counting the RGB triads to make 3× the number of pixels). It is a 16-bit system that appears to utilize some form of arcade emulation, since the majority of its games are either direct ports or clones of arcade games. The unit has the capability of being displayed on any TV set with the purchase of a separate "starter kit" that includes a storage carrying case and special AV cables unique to the system. There are no save features for high scores or game progress. Caplet comes in four colors: blue, silver, red, orange; and is powered by 3 AAA batteries.
Early versions of the Caplet contain 35 games, with the current version having 50. Both units have the same outward appearance. The packaging of the unit is the only way to identify how many games are on the system without turning on the unit.
VG Pocket Tablet
The VG Pocket Tablet is a portable handheld video gaming system created by PDP and Pelican Accessories in 2006. The console is self-contained, as there is no cartridge slot, but rather it is pre-loaded with 25 games. It sold for $29.99 at outset, but is now $19.99 along with the bigger VG Pocket Caplet. It has a round tablet-shaped design in four colors: orange, green, red, and white; a very bright 2” backlit 640×240 TFT display; and is powered by 3 AAA batteries. The unit has a port that allows connectivity to television via standard analog RCA port. The cable was available with the purchase of a separate “starter kit” that includes a storage carrying case and AV hookup cables, but is not an uncommon cable, also used for portable DVD players. Games included are remakes or clones of classic arcade and 8-bit console games. Many reviewers have commented on the surprising quality of the console's screen.