Sega Game Gear
The Sega Game Gear, released in 1990, was Sega's answer to Nintendo's Game Boy and the first mainstream handheld with a full-color backlit screen. While its hardware significantly outperformed the monochrome Game Boy, its appetite for batteries (six AA batteries lasting only 3-5 hours) limited its portability. The Game Gear was essentially a portable Master System, allowing easy ports of SMS games and sharing its library through an adapter. The system featured notable titles including Sonic the Hedgehog (a unique handheld version), Columns (Sega's answer to Tetris), and exclusive entries in series like Shinobi and Streets of Rage. The TV Tuner accessory could transform it into a portable television. Despite selling 11 million units, the Game Gear couldn't overcome the Game Boy's market dominance and battery efficiency. Nevertheless, it proved that handheld gaming could offer console-quality graphics and paved the way for future color handhelds.
Sega
1990
Handheld Consoles
0
Popular GG Games
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The Sega Game Gear, released in 1990, was Sega's answer to Nintendo's Game Boy and the first mainstream handheld with a full-color backlit screen. While its hardware significantly outperformed the monochrome Game Boy, its appetite for batteries (six AA batteries lasting only 3-5 hours) limited its portability. The Game Gear was essentially a portable Master System, allowing easy ports of SMS games and sharing its library through an adapter. The system featured notable titles including Sonic the Hedgehog (a unique handheld version), Columns (Sega's answer to Tetris), and exclusive entries in series like Shinobi and Streets of Rage. The TV Tuner accessory could transform it into a portable television. Despite selling 11 million units, the Game Gear couldn't overcome the Game Boy's market dominance and battery efficiency. Nevertheless, it proved that handheld gaming could offer console-quality graphics and paved the way for future color handhelds.