 | |
 | |
| Manufacturer | Sega |
|---|---|
| Type | Handheld game console |
| Generation | Fourth |
| Release date | |
| Introductory price | ¥19,800 (equivalent to ¥22,000 in 2019) US$149.99 (equivalent to $340 in 2023)[2] £99.99 (equivalent to £270 in 2023) |
| Discontinued |
|
| Units sold | 10.62 million |
| Media | ROM cartridge |
| CPU | Z80 @ 3.5 MHz |
| Memory | 8 KB RAM, 16 KB VRAM |
| Display | 3.2-inch backlit screen |
| Graphics | 160 × 144 pixel resolution, 4096-color palette, 32 colors on-screen |
| Sound |
|
| Power | 6 AA batteries, 3 to 5 hours |
| Dimensions | 210 × 113 × 38 mm |
| Best-selling game | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (400,000)[4] |
| Successor | Genesis Nomad |
The Game Gear[a] is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990, in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and during 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear primarily competed with Nintendo's Game Boy, the Atari Lynx, and NEC's TurboExpress. It shares much of its hardware with the Master System, and can play Master System games through the use of an adapter. Sega positioned the Game Gear, which had a full-color backlit screen with a landscape format, as a technologically superior handheld to the Game Boy.
Though the Game Gear was rushed to market, its unique game library and price point gave it an edge over the Atari Lynx and TurboExpress. However, due to its short battery life, lack of original games, and weak support from Sega, the Game Gear was unable to surpass the Game Boy, selling 10.62 million units by March 1996. The Game Gear was discontinued in 1997. It was re-released as a budget system by Majesco Entertainment in 2000, under license from Sega; this continued until about 2002.
Reception of the Game Gear was mixed, with praise for its full-color backlit screen and processing power, criticisms over its large size and short battery life, and questions over the quality of its game library.
- ^ "The Next Generation 1996 Lexicon A to Z: Game Gear". Next Generation. No. 15. Imagine Media. March 1996. p. 34.
- ^ "The Real Cost of Gaming: Inflation, Time, and Purchasing Power". October 15, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ "Game Gear - Hardware". SMS Power. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
- ^ Guinness World Records 2016 Gamer's Edition. Jim Pattison Group. 2015. p. 149. ISBN 978-1910561096.
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