Coleco Pac-Man (1982)

Coleco Pac-Man 

Released in 1982 during the height of "Pac-Mania," the Coleco Pac-Man Tabletop was a remarkably faithful miniaturized arcade cabinet that brought the glow of the local arcade into the home. Unlike most handheld games of the era that used simple liquid crystal displays, the Coleco unit featured a vibrant, multicolored Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD) that mimicked the neon aesthetic of the full-sized original. Encased in a bright yellow plastic housing shaped like a shrunken arcade machine, the game utilized a four-way joystick and internal speakers that recreated the iconic "waka-waka" munching sounds and the "intermission" melodies. While the hardware limitations meant the ghosts followed more predictable paths than their Namco counterparts, the inclusion of a "Head-to-Head" mode allowed two players to compete for high scores on opposite sides of the unit. Despite its hefty requirement of four C-cell batteries—which the bright VFD would drain in just a few hours of play—the Coleco Pac-Man became a massive commercial success, selling over 1.5 million units and remaining one of the most sought-after relics of the early 1980s electronic gaming boom.

Source: Elephant's Trunk Flea Market