Tiger Game.com Web Gateway

Browsing 2025 web on a 1997 handheld by reverse-engineering its modem protocol and building a serial-to-HTTP gateway.

What Is This?

The Tiger Game.com (1997) was a handheld gaming console with an optional modem accessory and text-only web browser—decades before smartphones. This project brings it back to life by creating a serial gateway that translates between the Game.com's AT modem commands and modern HTTPS web traffic.

Connect your Game.com to a computer via serial, and suddenly you can browse Hacker News, Reddit, Wikipedia, and the modern web on a 29-year-old black-and-white LCD display.

Features

• Modem Emulation: Responds to AT commands from the Game.com's browser
• Modern Web Access: Fetches web content and strips it down to text-only format
• Pre-configured Services:
  • Hacker News top stories
  • Reddit r/technology
  • Custom URL browsing
• Text Optimization: Automatically wraps and formats content for display
• Link Extraction: Navigable links with simple number-based selection
• Pagination: Browse long lists and articles page by page

Hardware Requirements

• Tiger Game.com handheld console (1997)
• Game.com Link Cable or serial adapter
• USB-to-Serial adapter (if your computer lacks a serial port)
• Computer running Linux/macOS/Windows

Software Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• Required packages (see requirements.txt):
  • pyserial - Serial port communication
  • requests - HTTP requests
  • beautifulsoup4 - HTML parsing

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/kevinl95/Tiger-Game.com-Serial-to-HTTP-Gateway.git
   cd Tiger-Game.com-Serial-to-HTTP-Gateway

2. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Configure serial port: Edit browser.py to match your serial device:

   gateway = GameComGateway(port='/dev/ttyUSB0', baudrate=9600)

   Common ports:

   • Linux: /dev/ttyUSB0, /dev/ttyACM0
   • macOS: /dev/cu.usbserial-*
   • Windows: COM3, COM4, etc.

4. Set permissions (Linux/macOS):

   sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER
   # Log out and back in for changes to take effect

Usage

1. Start the gateway:

   python browser.py

2. On your Game.com:

   • Insert the Internet cartridge
   • In "Modem Setup" set the buad rate to 9600
   • Return to the main menu
   • Press "Connect to Delphi" and enter any phone number you'd like (it won't be used)
   • The gateway will respond and connect automatically

3. Navigate the menu:

   • 1 - Browse Hacker News
   • 2 - Browse Reddit r/technology
   • 3 - Enter a custom URL
   • 4 - View help
   • M - Return to main menu
   • N/P - Next/Previous page
   • # - Follow a numbered link

How It Works

1. AT Command Handling: The Game.com browser sends Hayes-compatible modem commands (ATZ, ATDT, etc.). The gateway responds as if it were a real modem establishing a connection.

2. Menu System: Once "connected," the gateway presents a text menu optimized for the Game.com's small screen.

3. Web Scraping: When you select a site, the gateway:

   • Fetches the page
   • Parses HTML with BeautifulSoup
   • Strips scripts, styles, and complex formatting
   • Extracts main content and links

Troubleshooting

Gateway doesn't connect:

• Verify serial port name and permissions
• Check cable connections
• Try different baud rates (9600 is standard)

Game.com shows garbage characters:

• Ensure baud rate matches in both browser.py and the Internet cartridge's modem settings (9600 by default)

No web content appears:

• Check internet connection on host computer
• Verify firewall isn't blocking Python
• Try simpler sites (wikipedia.org) before complex ones

Links don't work:

• Some sites block scrapers or require JavaScript
• Try the original URL directly
• Check console output for error messages

Contributing

This is a niche retro computing project, but contributions are welcome! Feel free to:

• Add more pre-configured services
• Improve text formatting algorithms
• Add support for other retro handhelds
• Enhance error handling
• Submit bug reports