Romtec Colorvision

The Colorvision, is a handheld video game console developed and manufactured by Hong Kong-based company Romtec Enterprises, Ltd., released in Hong Kong and Europe in 1984. It is the first handheld video game console not reliant on overlays or a separate color film to have non-monochrome color graphics using colored sprites on a LCD. The Entex Select-A-Game could be considered the first, as it had two colors on its FVD screen, blue and orange, but the games came with overlays to enhance the graphics and play experience, while only the cartridge is needed on the Colorvision. It was manufactured and released by Romtec, but the console was also distributed under several brands, including Altic, Bazin and Bristol. The game code was all contained in the console, meaning that the cartridges functioned similar to the jumper cards on the Magnavox Odyssey to control which game would be played, and only contained the LCD portion of the game with the sprites. The LCD was clear, and the plastic shell contains a window to let light through. The console contains the controls for the game, and the cartridge port on the top, where it slides into place, showing a bezel with the name of the game. The play screen is a mirror, similar to the Adventure Vision, that reflects the LCD image using the light that shines from the window on top.