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Mattel Auto Race (1976)

Mattel Auto Race (1976)

Mattel

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First:  First fully electronic hand-held video game

Mattel Auto Race

Often referred to as the first fully-digital handheld video game console, Mattel's Auto Race was released in 1976. Mattel pioneered handheld video games, and this handheld is often forgotten because of the success of Mattel Football released a year later in 1977. Similar to Football, the characters (in this case, cars), were represented by small, moving, red LED lights and had simple sounds. Mattel, who was known for producing Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars, was first unsure about entering the electronics market, but the success of Auto Race and Football led to the Mattel Electronics division of the company, which was, at a point, highly profitable.

Source: eBay Auction 

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