= Game_Gear =

======================================================================
= Game_Gear =
======================================================================

Introduction
======================================================================
The 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 in 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.

Although the Game Gear was rushed to market, it still went on sale
more than a year after the Game Boy. With a full-color backlit screen,
a landscape format and a more powerful Z80 CPU, Sega positioned the
handheld device as technologically superior to the Game Boy.
Ultimately, its unique game library and price point gave it an edge
over the Atari Lynx and TurboExpress, but its short battery life,
large size, lack of original games, and weak support from Sega left
the Game Gear 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 between 2000 and 2002, under license
from Sega.

History
======================================================================
Developed as codename "Project Mercury", the Game Gear was launched in
Japan on October 6, 1990, in North America and Europe in 1991, and in
Australia in 1992. Originally retailing at in Japan, in North
America, and £99.99 in the United Kingdom, the Game Gear was developed
to compete with the Game Boy, which Nintendo had released in 1989. The
decision to make a handheld console was made by Sega's CEO Hayao
Nakayama and the name was chosen by newly appointed Sega of America
CEO Michael Katz. Both Sega's chairman Isao Okawa and cofounder David
Rosen approved of the name. The console had been designed as a
portable version of the Master System, with more powerful features
than the Game Boy, including a full-color screen instead of
monochromatic. According to former Sega console hardware research and
development head Hideki Sato, Sega saw the Game Boy's black and white
screen as "a challenge to make our own color handheld system".

To improve upon the design of its competition, Sega modeled the Game
Gear with a similar shape to a Genesis controller, intending the
curved surfaces and greater length to be more comfortable to hold than
the Game Boy. The console's mass was carefully considered from the
beginning of the development, aiming for a total mass between that of
the Game Boy and the Atari Lynx, another full-color screen competing
product. Game Gear can use the Master Gear adaptor to play games from
the similar Master System. The original Game Gear pack-in game was
'Columns', which is similar to 'Tetris' which was bundled with the
Game Boy at launch.

With a late start into the handheld console market, Sega rushed to get
the Game Gear into stores quickly, having lagged behind Nintendo in
sales without a handheld on the market. To simplify development, Sega
based the Game Gear hardware on the Master System, with a much larger
4,096 color palette compared to the Master System's 64 colors. Part of
the intention was easy conversion of Master System games. The Game
Gear's stronger hardware impacted its battery life, running for three
to five hours on six AA batteries, falling short of the Game Boy,
which could run for more than 30 hours on four AA batteries. Its quick
launch in Japan sold 40,000 units in its first two days, 90,000 within
a month, and more than 600,000 back orders. According to Sega of
America marketing director Robert Botch, "there is clearly a need for
a quality portable system that provides features other systems have
failed to deliver. This means easy-to-view, full-color graphics and
exciting quality games that appeal to all ages."

Release and marketing
=======================
Before the Game Gear's launch in 1990, the 16-bit Genesis had been
successfully marketed as a "more mature" option for players, and this
was repeated against the Game Boy. Sega's marketing in Japan did not
take this approach, instead opting for advertisements with Japanese
women featuring the handheld, but Sega's worldwide advertising
prominently positioned the Game Gear as the "cooler" console than the
Game Boy.

In North America, marketing for the Game Gear included side-by-side
comparisons against the Game Boy which likened Game Boy players to the
obese and uneducated. Most of these advertisements feature the "Sega
Scream" with a person yelling the name. One Sega advertisement in
early 1994 features the quote, "If you were color blind and had an IQ
of less than 12, then you wouldn't mind which portable you had." Such
advertising drew criticism from Nintendo, who sought to have protests
organized against Sega for insulting disabled people. Sega of America
president Tom Kalinske responded that Nintendo "should spend more time
improving their products and marketing rather than working on
behind-the-scenes coercive activities". Ultimately, this debate would
have little impact on sales for the Game Gear.

Europe and Australia were the last regions to receive the Game Gear.
Due to delays, some importers paid up to £200 per system. Upon launch
in Europe, video game distributor Virgin Mastertronic unveiled the
price as £99.99, positioning it as being more expensive than the Game
Boy, but less expensive than the also full-color Atari Lynx. Marketing
in the United Kingdom included the slogan, "To be this good takes
Sega", and advertisements with a biker. In the United Kingdom, the
Game Gear had a 16% share of the handheld market in January 1992,
increasing to 40% by December 1992.

Decline
=========
Sega reduced support for the Game Gear in favor of home consoles. The
successful Genesis yielded two major peripherals, the Sega CD and the
32X. The 32-bit Saturn console was launched in 1994. Though selling
10.62 million units by March 1996 (including 1.78 million in Japan),
the Game Gear was never able to match the success of its main rival,
the Game Boy, with ten times the sales. Sales of the Game Gear were
further hurt by Nintendo's release of the smaller Game Boy Pocket,
running on two AAA batteries.

Plans for a 16-bit fifth generation direct successor to the Game Gear
were canceled, leaving only the Genesis Nomad, a portable version of
the Genesis. Moreover, the Nomad was intended to supplement the Game
Gear rather than replace it; in press coverage leading up to the
Nomad's release, Sega representatives said the company was not
discontinuing the Game Gear in favor of the Nomad, and that "we
believe the two can co-exist". Though the Nomad had been released in
1995, Sega did not officially end support for the Game Gear until 1996
in Japan, and 1997 worldwide.

Though the system was originally discontinued in 1997, third-party
publisher Majesco Entertainment released a version of the Game Gear at
, with games in 2000 under license from Sega. New games were
released, such as a port of 'Super Battletank'. This machine is
compatible with all previous Game Gear games, but incompatible with
the TV Tuner and some Master System adaptors. The system and its
re-released games were sold throughout 2000 and 2001 but were
discontinued the following year. Over ten years later, on March 2,
2011, Nintendo announced that its 3DS Virtual Console service on the
Nintendo eShop would feature Game Gear games.

Technical specifications
======================================================================
Much of the Game Gear's internal hardware is derived from the Master
System, as the handheld was designed to be compatible with that
system's library of games. It shares the same CPU, the Zilog Z80, an
8-bit processor clocked at 3.5MHz, and the same sound chip, a Texas
Instruments SN76489, a programmable sound generator. The chip
generated stereo sound, audible using headphones as the device only
included a single monaural speaker. The system also contains 8KB of
RAM and 16KB of video RAM.

The Game Gear measures 210 mm wide, 113 mm high, 38 mm deep, and was
designed to be played horizontally. At the center of the device is a
color liquid-crystal display that measures 3.2 in diagonally and is
able to display up to 32 simultaneous colors from a total palette of
4,096, with a frame rate of about 60Hz with 160×144 non-square pixels.
The screen is backlit for low light using a small cold cathode
fluorescent lamp tube.

The Game Gear is powered by six AA batteries which provide an
approximate battery life of 3 to 5 hours. This was a source of
significant criticism from reviewers. In response, Sega released two
types of external rechargeable battery packs, intended to lengthen
play time and reduce consumer cost.

Available accessories included a TV Tuner with a whip antenna for the
cartridge slot, to become a handheld television. Released at
(equivalent to ), the add-on was expensive but unique for collectors
and contributed to the system's popularity. The Super Wide Gear
magnifies the screen. The Car Gear adapter plugs into cigarette
lighters to power the system while traveling, and the Gear to Gear
Cable (VS Cable in Japan) establishes a data connection between two
Game Gear systems using the same multiplayer game. Master Gear
enables the Game Gear to play Master System games.

Game Gear model variations include several colors, including a blue
"sports" variation in North America bundled with 'World Series
Baseball '95' or 'The Lion King'. A white version was bundled with a
TV tuner. Other versions include a red Coca-Cola theme bundled with
'Coca-Cola Kid', and the Kids Gear Japan-only variation for children.

Game library
======================================================================
Over 300 total Game Gear games were released, with six titles
available at launch. Prices for game cartridges initially ranged from
$24.99 to $29.99 in the United States. The casings are molded black
plastic with a rounded front to aid in removal. Games include 'Sonic
the Hedgehog', 'The GG Shinobi', 'Space Harrier', and 'Land of
Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse', which was considered the best game
for the system by 'GamesRadar+'. Later games included entries in
franchises that had originated on the successful 16-bit Genesis. Much
of the Game Gear's library consists of Master System ports. Because of
the landscape orientation of the Game Gear's screen and the
similarities to Master System hardware, it was easy for developers to
port Master System games to the Game Gear.

Because of Nintendo's control over the console video game market, few
third-party developers were available to create games for Sega's
systems. This contributed to the many ports from Master System.
Likewise, because of this, much of the Game Gear library is unique
among handhelds, pulling sales away from the Atari Lynx and NEC
TurboExpress and helping to establish the Game Gear's market position.
However, the Game Boy's library includes over 1000 individual games.
Several Game Gear games were released years later on the Nintendo
3DS's Virtual Console service on the Nintendo eShop. The emulator for
the Virtual Console releases was handled by M2.

Game Gear Micro
======================================================================
On June 3, 2020, as part of the company's 60th anniversary, Sega
revealed the retroconsole. The Micro was released in Japan on October
6, 2020, through Japanese storefronts in four different versions,
varying in color and the game selection, with each containing four
separate Game Gear games. Each unit otherwise is the same size,
measuring 80 x with a 29 mm display, and is powered by 2 AAA batteries
or through a separate USB charger. Each unit also includes a headphone
jack. A magnifying accessory modeled after the original system's Big
Window accessory was included with preorders. A special version of the
device (published by M2 and licensed by Sega) was being shipped with a
limited edition of 'Aleste Collection' in December 2020. This version
includes a newly developed Game Gear title 'G.G. Aleste 3' as well as
four other 'Aleste' titles.

Reception
======================================================================
Game Gear surpassed the Atari Lynx and NEC TurboExpress, but lagged
far behind the Game Boy in the handheld marketplace. Retrospective
reception to the Game Gear is mixed. In 2008, 'GamePro' listed the
Game Gear as 10th on its list of the "10 Worst-Selling Handhelds of
All Time" and criticized aspects of the implementation of its
technology, but also stated that the Game Gear could be considered a
commercial success at nearly 11 million units sold. According to
'GamePro' reviewer Blake Snow, "Unlike the Game Boy, the Game Gear
rocked the landscape holding position, making it less cramped for
human beings with two hands to hold. And even though the Game Gear
could be considered a success, its bulky frame, relative high price,
constant consumption of AA batteries, and a lack of appealing games
ultimately kept Sega from releasing a true successor." In speaking
with 'Famitsu DC' for its November 1998 issue, Sato stated that the
Game Gear achieved "a respectable chunk of market share" since overall
"about 14 million systems" were sold, but that "Nintendo's Game Boy
was such a runaway success, and had gobbled up so much of the market,
that our success was still seen as a failure, which I think is a
shame."

'GamesRadar+' offered some praise for the system and its library,
stating: "With its 8-bit processor and bright color screen, it was
basically the Sega Master System in your hands. How many batteries did
we suck dry playing Sonic, Madden and Road Rash on the bus or in the
car, or in the dark when we were supposed to be sleeping? You couldn't
do that on a Game Boy!" By contrast, 'IGN' reviewer Levi Buchanan
opined that the Game Gear's biggest fault was its game library when
compared to the Game Boy, stating: "the software was completely
lacking compared to its chief rival, which was bathed in quality
games. It didn't matter that the Game Gear was more powerful. The
color screen did not reverse any fortunes. Content and innovation beat
out technology, a formula that Nintendo is using right now with the
continued ascendance of the DS and Wii." Buchanan praised some of the
library: "Some of those Master System tweaks were very good games, and
fun is resilient against time." 'Retro Gamer' praised Sega's
accomplishment in surviving against the competition of Nintendo in the
handheld console market with the Game Gear, noting that "for all the
handhelds that have gone up against the might of Nintendo and
ultimately lost out, Sega's Game Gear managed to last the longest,
only outdone in sales by the Sony PSP. For its fans, it will remain a
piece of classic gaming hardware whose legacy lives on forever."

See also
======================================================================
*Watara Supervision
*Gamate

External links
======================================================================
*[https://60th.sega.com/ggmicro/ Game Gear Micro official website]
(Japanese)

License
=========
All content on Gopherpedia comes from Wikipedia, and is licensed under CC-BY-SA
License URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Gear