📰 New article from Retro Handhelds
Game Over: Casio PV1000
https://retrohandhelds.gg/game-over-casio-pv1000/
Casio tried to make a video game console in 1983. And by “tried,” we mean they built something that looked like a calculator that got lost on its way to a science fair.
The PV-1000 was the gaming equivalent of bringing a spoon to a sword fight: Z80 chip? Check. Bright colors? Sure. Playable games? Uh… Turpin counts? The controllers felt like they were carved from regret, the sound was a calculator sneezing, and the entire system had the charisma of a tax form.
It launched with nine games — none of them memorable, none of them compelling — at a price that offered no real advantage over the Famicom or SG-1000. Retailers didn’t even bother shelf space. Production likely stopped before the first ad campaign finished printing.
But here’s the twist: failure is cool now.
The PV-1000’s total commercial implosion made it a collector’s holy grail. Boxes are rare. Cartridges? Mythical. Emulation projects? Already underway.
Today, if you find a working PV-1000 in its original box? You’re not just owning a relic — you’re holding the ghost of a watchmaker’s wildest, weirdest dream.
And honestly? We respect the hustle. Even when it flops spectacularly.