Cýbiko Wireless Intertainment System

Truly one of the most obscure handhelds that holds a high price tag due to its rare value—failing to make a dent in the handheld market back in the early to mid-nineties. No information exists (currently) as to the origin of the name, nor why it was the choice to label such console.

I remember seeing the commercial for this, and I couldn't bare it anymore. I thought that it, too, was the next coolest thing ever, in contrast with the Game Boy. Once I received this as a present that same year, I found that my happiness had an expiration date.

Digital palm planners—portable computing—seemed to be at a fork in the road during this time, despite that because the average American knows how to use a computer. Perhaps it was time we use something pocket-sized: an alternative to laptops, which were invariably pricey (circa 1999-2000). I know because I couldn't complete my electronics store shopping without seeing handheld computers. I also recall that there was a handheld computer that was selling with a color screen for ~$699. It wasn't a hot commodity, but folks were alienated because the tech industry was still trying to find a need that benefited us humans as we were heading toward a new year and new era. The "cool" version of all this came this: the Cýbiko.

Now yes I know, this isn't a "gaming" system but can play games. (Would this mean mobile devices are considered a "gaming" platform, despite the games for iOS/Android? Perhaps, but let's discuss that some other time.) In addition to the emailing, texting, friend search and Internet-enabled connection, you can download game applications to play on the Cybiko. Today, we simply call that an "app," but the fact you can also view someone's photo mystifies me. Never was I able to get a clear view of one of the sample photos provided in the system. Texting, emailing and friend-finding was impossible since less than 5 people I knew owned this. Worse, they all lived too far from me at the time—too far for the Cybiko to detect.

As for the games, I didn't have Internet connection during those days which made the ability to download more games impossible. I was able to, however, play a game similar to Arkanoid. The controls were responsive but weakens during play and stops working, even when pressed lightly. The rechargeable batteries, at least on my unit, seemed to burn out quickly unable to hold charge. Either that, or I charged mine for too long. I was never near using the device to lay down my scheduling and plans since I personally challenged my own mind to remember things and what to do next. Back to the communications part, I tested it out with my sister but it never worked and our texts never went through. Once we finally owned a computer and had a "decent" internet service, I found out that it was too late; Cýbiko's flame began to wither and never caught on again. However, according to gamers, there are homebrew game developers creating games for this system which is amazing. Other than that, this would've been the thing among youngsters.

I honestly thought this was an amazing idea, and because phone companies decided to implement the usage of texting, emailing, game apps into cell phones, a comeback for this unit seems impossible. With a full QWERTY keyboard, and a stylus to help you press the keys, the closest thing similar to this would be one of the older versions of the BlackBerry®. If cell phone companies didn't inject the features Cýbiko had into their phones, would we carry these along with our cell phones? Perhaps combining them would reduce the pocket-load and carrying all these portable devices while walking to our destination(s). Having the internet and tested some of the other games compatible with this device, they were unique and great, but wouldn't have been able to find myself gaming on this thing. Firstly, the battery life wasn't great despite it being dot matrix and having no backlight. Secondly, the buttons don't work sometimes leaving me in the dust. It was a cool thing during its short tenure, but more than likely, we would've ended up with our cell phones (meh).

I wasn't as impressed as I thought, but up to today, I'm happy I still have mine. It's a piece of tech history that brings you back during a time when companies gathered workers in meetings, talking about what people want, what people need, what works and what makes life a little easier. And being that the demand for this is relatively low—don't count on that—it should be very easy to order and pick up at your favorite auction sites. As mentioned earlier, homebrew games are still being made for this system, so check those out as well! Here's a PDRoms forum discussing Cybiko News and Updates.

For the sake of David Yang, owner of CYBIKO, perhaps we can see a comeback with a new, more advanced device that can compete with the likes of the Apple iPhone, LG Optimus, the Samsung Galaxy and many other cell phones/mobile devices? Perhaps producing a full-on gaming handheld?

Kris Caballero

Founder of KCU Network and KCU Plus, Kris has been writing since he managed a personal blog made back in late 2005. Officially back to doing computer programming (software development) and video production, Kris enjoys reading books on Mathematics, Quantum Computing, Philosophy, playing old video/DOS games, digital video archiving, and listening to sports, public radio and classical music.

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