| Manufacturer | Sega |
|---|---|
| Generation | Fourth generation |
| Retail availability |
|
| Introductory price | US$150 |
| Discontinued | 1997 |
| Units sold | 11 million[1] |
| Media | Cartridge |
| CPU | Zilog Z80 clocked at 3.58MHz |
| Memory | 8KB RAM, 16KB VRAM |
| Display | 160x144 pixel resolution, 32 on-screen colours out of a palette of 4096 |
| Dimensions | 209 x 111 x 37 mm |
| Weight | ~400g |
| Successor | Sega Nomad |
The Sega Game Gear (ゲームギア Gēmu Gia) 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 1989 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 1991,[1] and Australia in 1992. The launch price was $150 US and £145 UK.[1] Sega dropped support for the Game Gear in early 1997.
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The Game Gear was a portable version of the Master System 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.
The blue Game Gear edition, identical to the standard Game Gear, except in body color, was released in 1994, with the game The Lion King.
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,[4] 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.
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-Cd 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.[5] 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,[6] 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.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9]
Several accessories for the Game Gear were also produced by Sega:
Support ended in 1997, but Majesco 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),[12] 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.[13]
In Japan, Game Gear games are available through the Wii's Virtual Console.[13] 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.[14]
On March 2, 2011, Nintendo announced that their 3DS Virtual Console service on the Nintendo eShop will feature games from Game Gear.[15]
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