Wide Gear

From Sega Retro

WideGear GG.jpg
Wide Gear
Made for: Sega Game Gear
Manufacturer: Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Game Gear
JP
¥2,2802,280[1] HGG-3012
Sega Game Gear
US
Sega Game Gear
EU
MK-2116-50
Sega Game Gear
UK
£14.9914.99[3][4] MK-2116-50

The Wide Gear, known as the Big Window (ビッグウインドー) in Japan, is the original screen magnifier for the Sega Game Gear. The Game Gear received more than its fair share of magnifiers, several of which were officially licensed, but this is likely to be the first and most simple iteration of the device.

Hardware

The Wide Gear does as the name suggests - it makes the screen "wider". It is merely a transparent piece of plastic mounted to the Game Gear unit at the bottom which acts as a convex lens and enlarges the picture for easier viewing. The Wide Gear is just plastic - it does not increase the resolution of the display nor the quality of the Game Gear's built-in screen.

The Wide Gear is not a flexible accessory - it has to be physically screwed into the Game Gear and will always hover above the screen at a certain distance. It cannot be folded nor is it particularly strong, and as it is not simple to install, the device is not considered to be very "portable". Working Wide Gears are hence not very common - Sega would roll out a replacement line of Super Wide Gears instead, which would become the official screen magnifier of choice.

The Wide Gear does not appear to have been released in Japan officially, though a variant by Sunsoft exists.

Magazine articles

Main article: Wide Gear/Magazine articles.

Physical scans

Game Gear, JP
WideGear GG JP Box Front.jpg
Cover
Game Gear, US
WideGear GG US Box Front.jpg
Cover
Game Gear, EU
WideGear GG EU Box Front.jpg
Cover

External links

  • Sega of Japan catalogue pages (Japanese): Game Gear

References

Sega Game Gear
Topics Sega Game Gear | History | Magazine articles | Promotional material | Merchandise
Hardware Japan | North America | Western Europe | Eastern Europe | Asia | South America | Australasia | Africa
Wide Gear | Fun Play 20-in-1
Add-ons Pro Action Replay | Game Genie | X-Terminator | Master Gear Converter (Gear Master | Nuby Converter) | Stereo FM Tuner | TV Tuner
Cases Carry-All | Deluxe Carry-All Case | Gear Bag | Holster Case | Standard Carrying Case | Soft Case | Third Party (Play & Carry Case)
Accessories A/V Cable | Battery Pack | Car Adaptor | Car Antenna | Cleaning Gear | Gear-to-Gear Cable | PowerBack (Third Party) | Screen Magnifier (Wide Gear | Super Wide Gear | Third-Party)

Handy Gear | Master Link Cable

Development Tools Sega Game Gear Development Board