Difference between revisions of "Sega Game Gear"

Revision as of 14:42, 3 March 2018

Sega Game Gear

Manufacturer: Sega

Release	Date	RRP	Code
JP	1990-10-06	¥19,80019,800
US (NY/LA)	1991-04-15^[1]	$149.95149.95^[2]
US (Nationwide)	1991-04-26	$149.95149.95^[2]
DE	1991
ES	1991
FR	1991-06
PT	199x
UK	1991-06-24	£99.9999.99^[3]^[4]
SE	199x
IT	1991
AU	1992
MX	199x
BR	1991-07^[5]	R$160,000160,000
KR	1991-01	₩198,000198,000	SPC-150

The Sega Game Gear (セガゲームギア) is a handheld video game console developed by Sega and released in late 1990 as a response to Nintendo's Game Boy handheld . It is a full colour console and was Sega's first attempt to compete in the handheld games market (the second being the Sega Nomad — a handheld Sega Mega Drive). In South Korea it is known as the Handy Gam*Boy (핸디겜보이).

Hardware

The Sega Game Gear is a "portable" device which was designed to address problems with Nintendo's Game Boy. It is held lengthwise at the sides (preventing the cramping of hands which plagued Nintendo's system) and has a backlit, colour LCD screen, allowing for clearer and more vibrant visuals than its main rival.

Similarly to the Sega Mega Drive, which at the time was Sega's main focus in the home console market, the Sega Game Gear is derived from the earlier Sega Master System. Unlike the Mega Drive, however, the Game Gear is largely identical to the Master System, the major difference being a VDP capable of displaying palettes consisting of a wider variety of colors, and the playback of stereo sound. Game Gear games traditionally run at a smaller resolution too, although with a screen built similarly to televisions of the era, the Game Gear is fully capable of playing games in higher resolutions.

Like the Master System, the Game Gear features a D-Pad and two buttons, and , but also adds a third, START . This is one button short of a Game Boy.

Unfortunately, due to technical limitations of the era, the Game Gear demands six AA batteries to be played on the go, of which the fluorescent backlight on the LCD screen will eat through in three to five hours (though a battery pack provides longer playtime). Furthermore, the system gives off more heat than the Game Boy, often leading to "sweaty palms" after prolonged use. The system was also considered not to be very "portable" - it's bulky size means it does not fit in many pockets, and the power-draining backlight of the LCD screen (which cannot be turned off) meant Game Gears were unusable after a short period of time. An AC adaptor can be plugged into the system so that it runs off the mains, but this was not considered practical for consumers of the day.

Game Gears were also manufactured at a time where capacitor problems were rampant across the electronics industry. As a result, screen and audio failures are common, and fixes are not always simple.

Models

Main article: Game Gear consoles.

Worldwide model
North American model (Sports Edition)
North American model (Majesco)
Japanese model (light blue)
Japanese model (red)
Japanese model (yellow)
Japanese model (white)
Japanese model (Coca Cola Kid edition (Model #3210CR))
Japanese model (Magic Knight Rayearth edition (Model #HGG-3210 RAY))
Japanese model (Virtua Fighter Mini edition)
Japanese model (Smoke)
Korean model (Handy Gam*Boy)
Prototype model

Technical specifications

See Sega Master System specifications for further specifications

The hardware is largely identical to the Sega Master System, with some of the differences mentioned below.

CPU: Zilog Z80 (8-bit)
- Speed: 3.579545 MHz (same as NTSC colorburst)
Resolution: 160 x 144 pixels
Color palette available: 4096 colors
- Colors on screen: 32
Sprites on screen: 64
- Sprite size: 8x8
Screen size: 3.2 Inches
Audio: SN76489
RAM: 24 KB

History

Main article: History of the Sega Game Gear.

Games

Main article: Sega Game Gear games.

Magazine articles

Main article: Sega Game Gear/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Print advertisements

JP
UK (Judge Dredd')
ES (launch)
ES (3; variation 1)
GameGear ES PrintAd 1994-04.jpg

ES (8)
GameGear ES PrintAd 1994-07.jpg

ES (9; variation 1)
IT (1)

Print advert in Game Players (US) #0304: "Vol. 3 No. 4 April 1991" (1991-0x-xx)
also published in:

Game Players (US) #0305: "Vol. 3 No. 5 May 1991" (1991-0x-xx)^[6]

Print advert in Game Players (US) #0306: "Vol. 3 No. 6 June 1991" (1991-0x-xx)
also published in:

Sega Visions (US) #5: "Summer 1991" (1991-xx-xx)^[7]

Print advert in Game Players (US) #0307: "Vol. 3 No. 7 July 1991" (1991-0x-xx)
also published in:

GamePro (US) #25: "August 1991" (1991-xx-xx)^[8]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #27: "October 1991" (1991-xx-xx)^[9]

Print advert in Sega Visions (US) #6: "Fall 1991" (1991-xx-xx)

Print advert in Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #27: "October 1991" (1991-xx-xx)

Print advert in Sega Visions (US) #7: "Winter 1991/1992" (1991-xx-xx)
also published in:

Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #30: "January 1992" (199x-xx-xx)^[10]

Print advert in Sega Visions (US) #8: "May/June 1992" (1992-xx-xx)

Print advert in Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #36: "July 1992" (1992-xx-xx)
also published in:

GamePro (US) #37: "August 1992" (1992-xx-xx)^[11]

Print advert in Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #43: "February 1993" (199x-xx-xx)
also published in:

Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #44: "March 1993" (1993-xx-xx)^[12]

Print advert in Computer & Video Games (UK) #116: "July 1991" (1991-06-15)
also published in:

Computer & Video Games (UK) #117: "August 1991" (1991-07-15)^[13]
Raze (UK) #11: "September 1991" (1991-07-25)^[14]
Raze (UK) #12: "October 1991" (1991-08-29)^[15]

Print advert in Computer & Video Games (UK) #122: "January 1992" (1991-12-15)

Print advert in Joystick (FR) #18: "Juillet/Août 1991" (1991-0x-xx)
also published in:

Consoles + (FR) #2: "Octobre 1991" (1991-10-05)^[16]

Print advert in Joystick (FR) #19: "Septembre 1991" (1991-0x-xx)

Print advert in Mega Force (FR) #2: "Septembre/Octobre 1991" (1991-09-13)
also published in:

Joystick (FR) #20: "Octobre 1991" (1991-xx-xx)^[17]
Joystick (FR) #21: "Novembre 1991" (1991-1x-xx)^[18]

Print advert in Video Games (DE) #1991-04: "4/91" (1991-12-06)

Print advert in Gamers (DE) #1992-01: "Februar/März 1992" (1992-xx-xx)

Print advert in Hobby Consolas (ES) #2: "Noviembre 1991" (1991-1x-xx)

Print advert in Mega Force (ES) #1: "Mayo 1992" (1992-xx-xx)

Print advert in Micromanía (segunda época) (ES) #56: "Enero 1993" (199x-xx-xx)
also published in:

Micromanía (segunda época) (ES) #57: "Febrero 1993" (1993-0x-xx)^[19]

Print advert in Micromanía (segunda época) (ES) #58: "Marzo 1993" (1993-0x-xx)
also published in:

Micromanía (segunda época) (ES) #59: "Abril 1993" (1993-0x-xx)^[20]

Print advert in Micromanía (segunda época) (ES) #60: "Mayo 1993" (1993-0x-xx)
also published in:

Micromanía (segunda época) (ES) #61: "Junio 1993" (1993-0x-xx)^[21]

Print advert in Micromanía (segunda época) (ES) #64: "Septiembre 1993" (1993-0x-xx)

Print advert in Micromanía (segunda época) (ES) #65: "Octubre 1993" (1993-xx-xx)
also published in:

Micromanía (segunda época) (ES) #66: "Noviembre 1993" (1993-1x-xx)^[22]
Todo Sega (ES) #9: "Diciembre 1993" (1993-1x-xx)^[23]

Print advert in Micromanía (segunda época) (ES) #67: "Diciembre 1993" (1993-1x-xx)

Print advert in Mega Force (ES) #21: "Enero 1994" (1994-xx-xx)

Print advert in Micromanía (segunda época) (ES) #68: "Enero 1994" (199x-xx-xx)

Print advert in Todo Sega (ES) #14: "Mayo 1994" (1994-0x-xx)

Print advert in Hobby Consolas (ES) #36: "Septiembre 1994" (1994-xx-xx)

Print advert in Hobby Consolas (ES) #46: "Julio 1995" (1995-xx-xx)

Print advert in Hobby Consolas (ES) #51: "Diciembre 1995" (1995-xx-xx)
also published in:

Hobby Consolas (ES) #52: "Enero 1996" (199x-xx-xx)^[24]

Print advert in Game Power (IT) #7: "Giugno 1992" (1992-0x-xx)

Print advert in Mega Force (PT) #1: "Junho 1993" (1993-0x-xx)

Print advert in Mega Force (PT) #3: "Agosto 1993" (1993-0x-xx)
also published in:

Bestial! (PT) #3: "xxxx xxxx" (1993-xx-xx)^[25]

Print advert in Megazone (AU) #26: "February/March 1993" (1993-0x-xx)
also published in:

Megazone (AU) #27: "April/May 1993" (1993-0x-xx)^[26]

Print advert in Megazone (AU) #26: "February/March 1993" (1993-0x-xx)
also published in:

Megazone (AU) #27: "April/May 1993" (1993-0x-xx)^[27]

Print advert in Megazone (AU) #28: "June 1993" (1993-0x-xx)
also published in:

Megazone (AU) #30: "August 1993" (1993-08-04)^[28]
Megazone (AU) #31: "September 1993" (1993-0x-xx)^[29]

Print advert in Ação Games (BR) #5: "Setembro 1991" (1991-09-xx)
also published in:

Ação Games (BR) #6: "Outubro 1991" (199x-10-xx)^[30]
Ação Games (BR) #8: "Dezembro 1991" (199x-12-xx)^[31]
Supergame (BR) #3: "Setembro 1991" (1991-09-xx)^[32]
Supergame (BR) #6: "Janeiro 1992" (1992-01-xx)^[33]

Print advert in Sega Force (SE) #1993-02: "2/93" (1993-03-18)

Print advert in Sega Force (SE) #1993-02: "2/93" (1993-03-18)
also published in:

Sega Force (SE) #1993-03: "3/93" (1993-05-13)^[34]
Sega Force (SE) #1993-05: "5/93" (1993-08-26)^[35]
Sega Force (SE) #1994-04: "4/94" (1994-06-01)^[36]
Sega Force (SE) #1994-06: "6/94" (1994-09-14)^[37]

Television advertisements

US (1991)
US
US (1992)
US (1993)
US (1994)
US (1995?)
JP1 (1990)
JP2 (1990)
JP3 (1991)
JP4 (1991)
Portuguese (1994)
Spanish (1994)
French
Australian (1992)

Artwork

North American/Japanese logo
North American logo (1991)
North American logo (1992)
European logo
Console outline

External links

Console Database - Sega Game Gear info and FAQs
SMS Power - Technical information and more on the Game Gear and its bigger brother, the Master System

References

83	84	85	86	88	90	91	93	94	98	06
Sega Home Video Game Systems
SG-1000	SG-1000 II			Mega Drive			Mega Drive II
SC-3000						Mega-CD	Mega-CD II		Genesis 3
		Sega Mark III						32X	Dreamcast
			Master System		Master System II
			AI Computer		Game Gear
								Saturn
							Pico			Beena

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

[:File:GamePro_US_022.pdf_p8-1] File:GamePro US 022.pdf, page 8

[:File:GamePro_US_022.pdf_p16-2] 2.0 ^2.1 File:GamePro US 022.pdf, page 16

[:File:MeanMachines_UK_09.pdf_p11-3] File:MeanMachines UK 09.pdf, page 11

[:File:Raze_UK_11.pdf_p17-4] File:Raze UK 11.pdf, page 17

[:File:AcaoGames_BR_003.pdf_p14-5] File:AcaoGames BR 003.pdf, page 14

[:File:GamePlayers_US_0305.pdf_p28-6] Game Players, "Vol. 3 No. 5 May 1991" (US; 1991-0x-xx), page 28

[:File:SegaVisions_US_05.pdf_p28-7] Sega Visions, "Summer 1991" (US; 1991-xx-xx), page 28

[:File:GamePro_US_025.pdf_p70-8] GamePro, "August 1991" (US; 1991-xx-xx), page 70

[:File:EGM_US_027.pdf_p134-9] Electronic Gaming Monthly, "October 1991" (US; 1991-xx-xx), page 134

[:File:EGM_US_030.pdf_p193-10] Electronic Gaming Monthly, "January 1992" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 193

[:File:GamePro_US_037.pdf_p4-11] GamePro, "August 1992" (US; 1992-xx-xx), page 4

[:File:EGM_US_044.pdf_p34-12] Electronic Gaming Monthly, "March 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 34

[:File:CVG_UK_117.pdf_p30-13] Computer & Video Games, "August 1991" (UK; 1991-07-15), page 30

[:File:Raze_UK_11.pdf_p16-14] Raze, "September 1991" (UK; 1991-07-25), page 16

[:File:Raze_UK_12.pdf_p72-15] Raze, "October 1991" (UK; 1991-08-29), page 72

[:File:ConsolesPlus_FR_002.pdf_p6-16] Consoles +, "Octobre 1991" (FR; 1991-10-05), page 6

[:File:Joystick_FR_020.pdf_p124-17] Joystick, "Octobre 1991" (FR; 1991-xx-xx), page 124

[:File:Joystick_FR_021.pdf_p130-18] Joystick, "Novembre 1991" (FR; 1991-1x-xx), page 130

[:File:Micromania2_ES_057.pdf_p30-19] Micromanía (segunda época), "Febrero 1993" (ES; 1993-0x-xx), page 30

[:File:Micromania2_ES_059.pdf_p3-20] Micromanía (segunda época), "Abril 1993" (ES; 1993-0x-xx), page 3

[:File:Micromania2_ES_061.pdf_p48-21] Micromanía (segunda época), "Junio 1993" (ES; 1993-0x-xx), page 48

[:File:Micromania2_ES_066.pdf_p16-22] Micromanía (segunda época), "Noviembre 1993" (ES; 1993-1x-xx), page 16

[:File:TodoSega_ES_09.pdf_p20-23] Todo Sega, "Diciembre 1993" (ES; 1993-1x-xx), page 20

[:File:HobbyConsolas_ES_052.pdf_p83-24] Hobby Consolas, "Enero 1996" (ES; 199x-xx-xx), page 83

[:File:Bestial_PT_03.pdf_p14-25] Bestial!, "xxxx xxxx" (PT; 1993-xx-xx), page 14

[:File:Megazone_AU_27.pdf_p95-26] Megazone, "April/May 1993" (AU; 1993-0x-xx), page 95

[:File:Megazone_AU_27.pdf_p24-27] Megazone, "April/May 1993" (AU; 1993-0x-xx), page 24

[:File:Megazone_AU_30.pdf_p2-28] Megazone, "August 1993" (AU; 1993-08-04), page 2

[:File:Megazone_AU_31.pdf_p2-29] Megazone, "September 1993" (AU; 1993-0x-xx), page 2

[:File:AcaoGames_BR_006.pdf_p20-30] Ação Games, "Outubro 1991" (BR; 199x-10-xx), page 20

[:File:AcaoGames_BR_008.pdf_p4-31] Ação Games, "Dezembro 1991" (BR; 199x-12-xx), page 4

[:File:Supergame_BR_03.pdf_p22-32] Supergame, "Setembro 1991" (BR; 1991-09-xx), page 22

[:File:Supergame_BR_06.pdf_p24-33] Supergame, "Janeiro 1992" (BR; 1992-01-xx), page 24

[:File:SegaForce_SE_1993_03.pdf_p2-34] Sega Force, "3/93" (SE; 1993-05-13), page 2

[:File:SegaForce_SE_1993_05.pdf_p36-35] Sega Force, "5/93" (SE; 1993-08-26), page 36

[:File:SegaForce_SE_1994_04.pdf_p44-36] Sega Force, "4/94" (SE; 1994-06-01), page 44

[:File:SegaForce_SE_1994_06.pdf_p2-37] Sega Force, "6/94" (SE; 1994-09-14), page 2

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