Sega Game Gear
Encyclopedia
The was Sega's first handheld game console. It was the third commercially available color handheld console, after the Atari Lynx and the TurboExpress
.
Work began on the console in under the codename "Project Mercury", following Sega's policy at the time of codenaming their systems after planets. The system was released in Japan
on October 6, 1990, North America
, Europe
and Argentina
in , and Australia
in 1992. The launch price was $
150 US and £145 UK. Sega dropped support for the Game Gear in early .
with a lower resolution screen, but allowed for a larger color palette
. In addition, it could also produce stereo sound (through headphones) as opposed to the Master System's monaural output, though very few games made use of the stereo capabilities. Unlike the original Game Boy
, in which the screen was positioned above the buttons, the system was held in a landscape
position, with the controls at the sides, making it less cramped to hold.
Because of the similarities between the Master System and the Game Gear, it was fairly easy for Master System games to be ported to Game Gear cartridges. Alternately, the Master Gear Converter was released during the system's lifetime which allowed original Master System games to be played on the Game Gear.
.
Other limited edition models were released only in Japan:
Software advertised for Kids Gear focused more on children's game titles. Kids Gear was also only released in Japan. Majesco released their own version as a Limited Edition Re-release for 2001 in a jet black shell. A Yellow version of the system was also sold in certain markets.
Approximately 390 official titles were released for the Game Gear, although at the time of the console's launch, there were only six software titles available (seven with the pack-in game, Columns
). Sega made sure that a wide variety of video game genres were represented on the system, in order to give it a broad appeal. Prices for game cartridges initially ranged from $24.99 to $29.99 each. They were molded black plastic with a rounded front for convenient removal. The original Game Gear pack-in title was Columns, which was similar to the Tetris
cartridge that Nintendo had included when it launched the Game Boy
.
Popular titles included Sega's own series, notably Sonic the Hedgehog; Disney
movie extensions, such as The Lion King
; and 3rd-party developer games like Shaq Fu.
Matching Nintendo's Game Boy, Sega chose not to use regional lockout
on Game Gear cartridges, meaning that any system could play any games regardless of the country they were released in. This practice helped to make the console popular among import gamers
.
battery pack that was sold separately and clipped on a user's belt or onto the back of the Game Gear using the clips and screw holes.
In a video documentary on the relative battery life of the 3DS and Game Gear, GigaBoots.com documents that their Game Gear, Model 2110g (2nd Revision), lasted 7 hours and 26 minutes when deducting the time spent switching games. Though the test used 6 regular Duracell AA batteries, there is a possibility that battery technology has improved since the Game Gear's launch.
The Game Gear was not very popular in Japan, where it was released to a generally apathetic audience, with build quality issues plaguing earlier revisions of the unit in its service life. The Game Gear was more expensive than the Game Boy ($149.99, versus $89.99 for the Game Boy). The significantly larger price tag contributed to driving away potential Game Gear buyers.
When first launched in America, a TV advertising campaign was used to promote the system as superior to the Game Boy. One advertisement was done in the style of a dystopian
film, showing a world where brainwashed players mill about a dark warehouse, playing Game Boys like zombies. A figure surrounded by blinding light appears with a Game Gear, cuing the narrator's comment of "The full-color video game system that separates the men from the boys." The players return all the Game Boys in angry masses to the cult leader, themselves now liberated. Another showed a gamer, played by actor Ethan Suplee
, hitting himself in the head with a rigid, dead squirrel in order to hallucinate color on his Game Boy. Of all the commercials, the sole selling point was Game Gear's color.
Despite its backlit colored screen and ergonomic design, the Game Gear managed just a moderate share of the market. Sega's biggest problem was that it failed to enlist as many key software developers as Nintendo. Although it was the Game Boy's strongest competitor for the handheld market, it managed only a fraction of its sales. The Game Gear suffered from some of the same key problems that plagued the similar Atari Lynx: low battery life and high price in comparison to the Game Boy.
A successor to the system, intended to feature a touchscreen
interface, was planned during the early 1990s, years before the Game.com
. However, such technology was very expensive at the time, and the handheld itself was estimated to have cost $289 if it were to be released. Sega eventually chose to shelve the idea and instead release the Sega Nomad
, a handheld version of the Mega Drive (Genesis), as the successor.
released a core version of the Game Gear in 2001 for a reduced price. The Majesco Core Game Gear differed slightly from the original Game Gear in that it was black and had a purple start button rather than dark grey and a blue start button, the logo on the front of the unit was no longer in color, the power switch was colored black rather than the usual orange and it did not support the television tuner accessory. Its screen had shorter response time than the original model. It also had a somewhat better speaker that did not get distorted as much when played loudly. It was part of Majesco's strategy of making profits from products with margins too slim for the original manufacturer to pursue, and was accompanied by Majesco's licensed reissue of several classic Game Gear cartridges. Majesco-reissued cartridges are distinguished by having no plastic case, and a Majesco Sales logo on the label, as well as the current games ratings system
, which differs slightly from the one formerly used by Sega
. The Majesco logo was not prominent, and these were marketed under the Sega name.
Though its sales success as a non-Nintendo handheld has been surpassed by the PlayStation Portable
(PSP), the Game Gear still stands as the longest supported handheld console not made by Nintendo. Furthermore, it was also the most successful competitor to the Game Boy, selling 11 million units.
In Japan, Game Gear games are available through the Wii
's Virtual Console
. Several Sega Master System
games have been added to the Wii's Virtual Console, many of which are games that had also been released on the Game Gear.
On March 2, 2011, Nintendo
announced that their 3DS Virtual Console
service on the Nintendo eShop
will feature games from Game Gear.
TurboExpress
The TurboExpress or PC Engine GT in Japan was a portable version of the TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine , released by NEC in 1990 for $249.99 .It was the most advanced handheld of its time and could play all the TurboGrafx-16's games The TurboExpress or PC Engine GT (Game Tank) in Japan was a portable...
.
Work began on the console in under the codename "Project Mercury", following Sega's policy at the time of codenaming their systems after planets. The system was released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on October 6, 1990, North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
in , and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1992. The launch price was $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
150 US and £145 UK. Sega dropped support for the Game Gear in early .
Design
The Game Gear was a portable version of the Master SystemSega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
with a lower resolution screen, but allowed for a larger color palette
Palette (computing)
In computer graphics, a palette is either a given, finite set of colors for the management of digital images , or a small on-screen graphical element for choosing from a limited set of choices, not necessarily colors .Depending on the context In computer graphics, a palette is either a given,...
. In addition, it could also produce stereo sound (through headphones) as opposed to the Master System's monaural output, though very few games made use of the stereo capabilities. Unlike the original Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
, in which the screen was positioned above the buttons, the system was held in a landscape
Page orientation
Page orientation is the way in which a rectangular page is oriented for normal viewing. The two most common types of orientation are portrait and landscape...
position, with the controls at the sides, making it less cramped to hold.
Because of the similarities between the Master System and the Game Gear, it was fairly easy for Master System games to be ported to Game Gear cartridges. Alternately, the Master Gear Converter was released during the system's lifetime which allowed original Master System games to be played on the Game Gear.
Variations
The blue Game Gear edition, identical to the standard Game Gear, except in body color, was released in 1994, with the game The Lion KingThe Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
.
Other limited edition models were released only in Japan:
- Red Coca-ColaCoca-ColaCoca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
themed unit, in 1994, which came with a game entitled Coca-Cola KidCoca-Cola Kid (video game)is a Japan-exclusive Sega Game Gear side-scrolling action video game that is sponsored by the Coca-Cola Company. The game has a starring role for the company's in-house mascot the Coca-Cola Kid; who happened to be Coca-Cola's Japanese mascot of the 1990s....
. - White, with only 10,000 units sold.
- Red Magic Knight Rayearth and light blue Ninku Blue version, featuring the game and a small miniature of one of the game's characters.
- Kids Gear, a packaging of the Game Gear system in a different color case.
Software advertised for Kids Gear focused more on children's game titles. Kids Gear was also only released in Japan. Majesco released their own version as a Limited Edition Re-release for 2001 in a jet black shell. A Yellow version of the system was also sold in certain markets.
Games
Columns (video game)
is a puzzle video game, first created in 1989 by Jay Geertsen. Early versions of the game were made and ported among early computer platforms, and then the Atari ST, until 1990, when Jay Geertsen sold the rights to Sega, where it was ported to several Sega consoles.-Description:The game takes...
). Sega made sure that a wide variety of video game genres were represented on the system, in order to give it a broad appeal. Prices for game cartridges initially ranged from $24.99 to $29.99 each. They were molded black plastic with a rounded front for convenient removal. The original Game Gear pack-in title was Columns, which was similar to the Tetris
Tetris (Game Boy)
Tetris is a puzzle video game that was included as a pack-in title with the Game Boy at the handheld's release in 1989. It is a portable version of Alexey Pajitnov's Tetris. It was the first game compatible with the Game Boy Game Link Cable, a pack-in accessory that allowed two Game Boys to link...
cartridge that Nintendo had included when it launched the Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
.
Popular titles included Sega's own series, notably Sonic the Hedgehog; Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
movie extensions, such as The Lion King
The Lion King (video game)
The Lion King is a video game based on Disney's popular animated film. The title was published by Virgin Interactive in 1994, and was released on SNES, NES, Game Boy, PC, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Amiga, Master System and Game Gear. The NES and Master System versions of the game were never released...
; and 3rd-party developer games like Shaq Fu.
Matching Nintendo's Game Boy, Sega chose not to use regional lockout
Regional lockout
Regional lockout is the programming practice, code, chip, or physical barrier used to prevent the playing of media designed for a device from the country where it is marketed on the version of the same device marketed in another country.-Video games:...
on Game Gear cartridges, meaning that any system could play any games regardless of the country they were released in. This practice helped to make the console popular among import gamers
Import gamers
Import gamers are a subset of the video game player community that take part in the practice of playing video games from another region, usually from Japan where the majority of games for certain systems originate.- Reasons for importing :...
.
Battery life issues
One of the system's biggest issues was battery life; while better than earlier color backlit systems, its 4 hour battery life (5 hours on later models) using 6 alkaline batteries was still not as good as the Game Boy's 10–14 hours of four-AA battery lifespan (due to that system's monochrome screen and lack of a backlight). Battery life was a much bigger issue before handheld systems had built-in rechargeable batteries; gamers needed either a constant supply of six AA batteries, or a rechargeable Ni-CdNickel-cadmium battery
The nickel–cadmium battery ' is a type of rechargeable battery using nickel oxide hydroxide and metallic cadmium as electrodes....
battery pack that was sold separately and clipped on a user's belt or onto the back of the Game Gear using the clips and screw holes.
In a video documentary on the relative battery life of the 3DS and Game Gear, GigaBoots.com documents that their Game Gear, Model 2110g (2nd Revision), lasted 7 hours and 26 minutes when deducting the time spent switching games. Though the test used 6 regular Duracell AA batteries, there is a possibility that battery technology has improved since the Game Gear's launch.
Sales and competition
When first launched in America, a TV advertising campaign was used to promote the system as superior to the Game Boy. One advertisement was done in the style of a dystopian
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
film, showing a world where brainwashed players mill about a dark warehouse, playing Game Boys like zombies. A figure surrounded by blinding light appears with a Game Gear, cuing the narrator's comment of "The full-color video game system that separates the men from the boys." The players return all the Game Boys in angry masses to the cult leader, themselves now liberated. Another showed a gamer, played by actor Ethan Suplee
Ethan Suplee
Ethan Suplee is an American film and television actor best known for his roles as Seth Ryan in American History X, Louie Lastik in Remember the Titans, Frankie in Boy Meets World, Randy Hickey in My Name Is Earl, Thumper in The Butterfly Effect, Dewey in Unstoppable, and his roles in Kevin Smith...
, hitting himself in the head with a rigid, dead squirrel in order to hallucinate color on his Game Boy. Of all the commercials, the sole selling point was Game Gear's color.
Despite its backlit colored screen and ergonomic design, the Game Gear managed just a moderate share of the market. Sega's biggest problem was that it failed to enlist as many key software developers as Nintendo. Although it was the Game Boy's strongest competitor for the handheld market, it managed only a fraction of its sales. The Game Gear suffered from some of the same key problems that plagued the similar Atari Lynx: low battery life and high price in comparison to the Game Boy.
A successor to the system, intended to feature a touchscreen
Touchscreen
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus...
interface, was planned during the early 1990s, years before the Game.com
Game.com
The Game.com is a handheld game console released by Tiger Electronics in September 1997. It featured many new ideas for handheld consoles and was aimed at an older target audience, sporting PDA-style features and functions such as a touch screen and stylus...
. However, such technology was very expensive at the time, and the handheld itself was estimated to have cost $289 if it were to be released. Sega eventually chose to shelve the idea and instead release the Sega Nomad
Sega Nomad
The Sega Nomad was a handheld game console sold for the North American consumer market which played Mega Drive/Genesis game cartridges. The system was similar to the Japanese Sega Mega Jet, but featured a built-in color screen; the Mega Jet needed a separate monitor...
, a handheld version of the Mega Drive (Genesis), as the successor.
Technical specifications
- Main processor: Zilog Z80Zilog Z80The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed by Zilog and sold from July 1976 onwards. It was widely used both in desktop and embedded computer designs as well as for military purposes...
(8-bit)
- Processor speed: 3.58 MHz (same as NTSCNTSCNTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
colour subcarrier) - Resolution: 160 x 144 pixels (same as Nintendo's Game Boy)
- Colors available: 4,096
- Colors on screen: 32
- Maximum sprites: 64
- Sprite size: 8x8 or 8x16
- Screen size: 3.2 inches (81 mm)
- Audio: 3 square wave generators, 1 noise generator, the system has a mono speaker, but stereo sound can be had via headphone output
- RAM: 8 KB
- Video RAM: 16 KB
- Power:
- internal: 6 AA batteriesAA batteryAn AA battery is a standard size of battery. Batteries of this size are the most commonly used type of in portable electronic devices. An AA battery is composed of a single electrochemical cell...
~4-5 hours - external: 9V DC, 300mA, 3W
- internal: 6 AA batteries
- Physical:
- Width: 209 mm
- Height: 111 mm
- Depth: 37 mm
- weight: ~400g
Accessories
Several accessories for the Game Gear were also produced by Sega:- The Game Gear TV Tuner plugged into the system's cartridge slot, and allowed one to watch TVTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
on the Game Gear's screen. However, later versions of the Game Gear and the cost-reduced MajescoMajesco EntertainmentMajesco Entertainment is a video game publisher founded in 1986.-History:Majesco first made a name as a reissuer of old titles that had been abandoned by their original publisher. By cutting the prices dramatically and, eventually, arranging the rights to self-manufacture games for both Nintendo...
Core Game Gear hardware (see below) are incompatible with the unit, as it lacks the video pass through. These units can only output sound from the Tuner. - The Super Wide Gear was an accessory that magnified the Game Gear screen to compensate for its relatively small size.
- The Car Adaptor plugged into car cigarette lighters to power the system while traveling.
- An adapter called the MasterGear Converter allowed for Sega Master SystemSega Master SystemThe is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
cartridges to be plugged in and played on the Game Gear. Playing a Game Gear game on a Master System (or even Mega Drive) console was not possible due to the Game Gear's larger 4096 color palette. - The Gear-to-Gear Cable was an accessory that established a data connection between two Game Gears using the same multi-player game and let users play against each other.
- The PowerBack enables the Game Gear to have a longer battery life, and is rechargeable with Sega's Genesis 2 power adapter.
- The Battery Pack also enables the Game Gear to have a longer battery life, both may be used to greatly extend the battery life.
Remakes and emulation
Support ended in 1997, but MajescoMajesco Entertainment
Majesco Entertainment is a video game publisher founded in 1986.-History:Majesco first made a name as a reissuer of old titles that had been abandoned by their original publisher. By cutting the prices dramatically and, eventually, arranging the rights to self-manufacture games for both Nintendo...
released a core version of the Game Gear in 2001 for a reduced price. The Majesco Core Game Gear differed slightly from the original Game Gear in that it was black and had a purple start button rather than dark grey and a blue start button, the logo on the front of the unit was no longer in color, the power switch was colored black rather than the usual orange and it did not support the television tuner accessory. Its screen had shorter response time than the original model. It also had a somewhat better speaker that did not get distorted as much when played loudly. It was part of Majesco's strategy of making profits from products with margins too slim for the original manufacturer to pursue, and was accompanied by Majesco's licensed reissue of several classic Game Gear cartridges. Majesco-reissued cartridges are distinguished by having no plastic case, and a Majesco Sales logo on the label, as well as the current games ratings system
Entertainment Software Rating Board
The Entertainment Software Rating Board is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings, enforces industry-adopted advertising guidelines, and ensures responsible online privacy principles for computer and video games as well as entertainment software in Canada, Mexico and...
, which differs slightly from the one formerly used by Sega
Videogame Rating Council
The Videogame Rating Council was introduced by Sega of America in 1993 to rate all video games that were released for sale in the United States on the Sega Genesis, Sega Game Gear, Sega CD, and rarely, some computer games...
. The Majesco logo was not prominent, and these were marketed under the Sega name.
Though its sales success as a non-Nintendo handheld has been surpassed by the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
(PSP), the Game Gear still stands as the longest supported handheld console not made by Nintendo. Furthermore, it was also the most successful competitor to the Game Boy, selling 11 million units.
In Japan, Game Gear games are available through the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
. Several Sega Master System
Sega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
games have been added to the Wii's Virtual Console, many of which are games that had also been released on the Game Gear.
On March 2, 2011, Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
announced that their 3DS Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
service on the Nintendo eShop
Nintendo eShop
The Nintendo eShop is an online service for the Nintendo 3DS handheld gaming system. Launched on June 6, 2011 in North America and June 7, 2011 in Europe and Japan, the eShop was enabled by the release of a system update that added the functionality to the 3DS' Home Menu...
will feature games from Game Gear.