Adventure Vision Review: A Unique and Underappreciated Handheld Console

Released in 1982, the Adventure Vision was a pioneering handheld console from the company Entex that attempted to blend arcade-style gaming with the portability of handheld devices. It was one of the first consoles to feature a full-color LCD display, which was a notable innovation for the time. However, despite its technical advancements, the Adventure Vision faced multiple challenges that hindered its success, ultimately making it a cult classic among collectors.

Let's dive into what made the Adventure Vision both unique and underwhelming in the crowded world of early 80s handheld consoles.

Design & Build

The Adventure Vision was a bulky device by modern standards, with a larger-than-usual form factor for a handheld console. It resembled an early attempt at the portable arcade machine, featuring a black plastic shell with a distinctive red bezel around the screen. The LCD screen itself was large and vibrant compared to other handhelds of the era, with the capacity to display full-color graphics, which was a huge leap forward for handheld technology at the time.

While the screen was impressive, the overall build quality felt a bit cheap, with the device often feeling flimsy in the hands. The controller was a simple affair with buttons that were adequate but didn't offer the level of comfort or responsiveness seen in other handheld devices like the Game Boy. Despite its somewhat bulky design, it was relatively portable but not as convenient to carry around compared to the more compact Game & Watch handhelds from Nintendo.

Performance & Hardware

The standout feature of the Adventure Vision was its full-color LCD screen, which allowed it to display simple but impressive graphics for the time. The console's graphics were a significant leap over the black-and-white screens of competing handhelds, although the visuals were quite basic by modern standards.

Powered by standard LCD technology, the system could display multiple colors simultaneously, providing a sense of vibrancy in its games that was previously unseen in portable consoles. However, the screen had limited resolution, meaning it was not able to capture the finer details seen on larger systems.

In terms of performance, the Adventure Vision was very much a product of its era. The processor was capable of handling simple action games, but it couldn't compete with more powerful systems, even those of the time. While it was an innovative console for its era, it felt limited by its technology and could not produce the type of dynamic gameplay or smooth graphics that more advanced consoles would soon offer.

Game Library

The Adventure Vision's game library was one of its biggest drawbacks. While the console boasted a handful of interesting titles, the catalog was extremely limited, with only five official games available: "Demon Attack," "Adventure Vision," "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back," "Space Invaders," and "Sinistar". These games were simple arcade-style titles, offering fun but repetitive gameplay with limited depth.

While the games were entertaining for short bursts of play, they quickly became monotonous, especially with the limited options available. The lack of variety in the game library hurt the console's ability to appeal to a broader audience, and with only five games released, there simply wasn't enough to keep players coming back for more.

The games themselves were colorful and fast-paced, but because of the limitations of the LCD technology, they lacked the fluidity and complexity of their arcade counterparts. The simple game mechanics made the Adventure Vision feel more like a toy than a serious gaming system.

Marketing & Market Position

The Adventure Vision faced fierce competition from other handheld systems during its time, especially the Nintendo Game & Watch and the Atari Lynx. Unfortunately, the limited game library, coupled with the relatively high price for the device at the time, meant that it didn't have the same kind of mass appeal as its competitors.

Additionally, Entex didn't have the same kind of marketing clout or brand recognition as Nintendo or Atari, and as a result, the Adventure Vision struggled to gain traction in a market that was already saturated with more popular systems. Its lack of variety in games, combined with the bulky design, meant it failed to capture the attention of a wider gaming audience, even as the handheld gaming market grew in the 80s.

Limitations & Drawbacks

• Limited Game Library: With only five games available for the system, the Adventure Vision's game catalog was disappointingly small and lacked the variety needed to sustain long-term interest.

• Bulky Design: While the device featured a large screen, the overall size of the system made it less portable than other handheld devices at the time, which detracted from its convenience.

• Basic Gameplay: The games on the Adventure Vision were fun for short sessions but quickly became repetitive, and the lack of depth in most of the titles made it difficult for players to stay engaged over time.

• Short Lifespan: The Adventure Vision was discontinued just a year after its release due to poor sales and limited consumer interest. The lack of third-party support and limited game development also hindered its long-term viability.

Final Verdict

The Adventure Vision was an innovative handheld console for its time, boasting an impressive full-color LCD screen that set it apart from other devices of the era. However, despite its promising features, the system's limited game library, bulkier design, and lack of marketing ultimately led to its failure in the market. With only a small number of titles to play, players were quickly left wanting more, and the lack of developer support sealed the system's fate.

While it remains a curiosity in the world of retro gaming, the Adventure Vision never gained the mainstream success it could have enjoyed. For collectors and fans of early handheld devices, it's an interesting piece of gaming history, but for most players, the limited experience the console provided isn't enough to make it a must-play.

Score: 4/10

? A valiant attempt at a full-color handheld console, but the lack of game variety, bulky design, and limited lifespan meant the Adventure Vision couldn't live up to its early promise.

Would you like to delve deeper into other early handheld systems, or perhaps explore other forgotten consoles from the 80s?