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| The Game Gear - the ugliest console to grace the planet Earth. Well not quite, but it was very powerful for it's time. The Game Gear was released in 1991 and was Sega's answer to the Game Boy - or so they thought. With more power than a master sytem and colour graphics, Sega thought they could win over the Game Boy. But with a poor battery life and costing nearly twice as much as a Game Boy, it was doomed from day one. The Game Gear was about as portable as a brick, and weighed about the same. It was hone to games such as Sonic The Hedgehog, which was a master system port, Fantasy Zone (Above), Columns, Popils and other games including Shinobi and Echo the Dolphin. Nintendo already had 6 years handheld experience under their belt with the Game and Watch series and the Game Boy, which already has a solid fan base and game list. This was what stopped the Game Gear in it's tracks in no time. The only thing the Game Gear had for it was that it could play Master System Games via the Gear Master converter. This was a really chunky add on which sat on the back of the Game Gear and made it as portable as two bricks, so no-one bothered. It was also the first handheld to feature a TV-Tuner addon, which was a brilliant idea - if you could afford it mind you! Anyway I like the Game Gear and found it's graphics refreshing and it was fun to play. I reccomend paying no more than �30 for a boxed Game Gear, however they are easy to get at car boot sales - after all I picked up one with a powerpack and a game for �4, litterally! Many people think the Game Gear was the first colour handheld, however the Lynx from Atari was, being released in 1989. Specifications: CPU: Z-80 @ 3.58MHz (8-Bit) Resolution: 160x146 Colours 32 displayable from a 4096 (12-Bit) palette RAM: 24Kb 4 Channel Audio The Game Gear was powerful enough to pose a threat to the Game Boy. But the high price and the fact that it used more Batteries than anyone could believe, it didn't. Personal Top 5 Games: 1: Sonic The Hedgehog 2: Popils - Magical Puzzle 3: Sonic The Hedgehog 2 4: Sonic Chaos 5: Fantasy Zone: Gear See Also - Lynx, Gameboy Advance (SP) (Music Playing: Sonic The Hedgehog - Bridge) |
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| Sega Game Gear |