Sony Computer Entertainment launched PocketStation in Japan on 23 January 1999 as a peripheral for the original PlayStation. It connected to the console’s memory-card slot and could store save data like a Memory Card, but it also incorporated an LCD screen, buttons, sound and a small processor for running minigames downloaded from certain PlayStation titles. It also supported infrared communication between units. Compatible games could transfer data between the console and PocketStation, creating activities that continued away from the television. The device was officially marketed only in Japan.