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In a world where bigger is better, this summer's Consumer Electronics Show in New York had a lot to offer people who think small.

Nintendo brought out its palm-size videogame system dubbed Game Boy at a press conference breakfast at the start of the show. The system which should be on retailers' shelves by the time you read this provides scrolling graphics on a green I.C.D. screen that measures 2 × 2 inches. It also boasts digitized stereo sound and the Video Link—an accessory that lets two or more players connect their systems and compete against each other.

Each game comes on a small plug-in cartridge and will sell for about $20. Game Boy will retail for $89.95, which includes headphones a Terris game cartridge and the Video Link accessory.

Atari is betting that consumers will shell out just a lutle but more for its portable game box the Atari Portable Color Entertainment System. It includes a 31/2-inch LCD monitor that displays 16 color from a palette of 4096. As with Game Boy, players can plug units together for group competition. Complete with 64K of RAM the one-pound game system runs on batteries with an AC adapter, or with a car cigarette-lighter adapter. Like Game boy it also includes a set of headphones.

Atari is bundling a copy California Games with its system which will sell for about $150. The credit-card-size game cartridges will sell for around $35. Both the Atari and Nintendo portable game systems should be in stores by the winter holidays.

—Peter Scisco