Palmtex Super Micro
Palmtex Super Micro Specifications
| Manufacturer: | Palmtex |
| Memory: | 2k RAM inside cartridge |
| Medium: | ROM cartridge |
| Display: | LCD 32x16 57.15×38.1 mm |
The Palmtex Portable Videogame System (PVS), later renamed and released as the Super Micro and distributed under the Home Computer Software name, is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by Palmtex, released in 1984.
The Super Micro featured a 2.5-inch LCD screen and was powered by a Zilog Z80 processor running at 3.5 MHz. It had 2 KB of RAM and 16 KB of ROM, which could be expanded to 32 KB with a cartridge. The console had a built-in speaker and ran on four AA batteries, providing approximately six hours of gameplay.
The Super Micro was designed to play a variety of games, many of which were clones of popular arcade games at the time, such as Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and Space Invaders. The console also had a number of original games developed specifically for it.
Despite its relatively short lifespan, the Super Micro was an important precursor to later handheld gaming devices, paving the way for devices like Nintendo's Game Boy and other portable game consoles.
The system was also referred to as the Palmtex Super Micro, because when the console was re-branded, the Palmtex logo was alongside Super Micro. However, Palmtex dropped its name from the packaging and promotional materials, in favor of its business partner, making its retail name the Home Computer Software Super Micro.
It had a number of quality and design issues. Only three games are known to have been released, it is possible that only one or more factory runs were made, and the existing units were liquidated and later sold through mail order with little to no advertising. As a result, it is now a rare collectible system, although working units are still extremely prone to breaking with normal use.
