SEGA Game Gear
SEGA's colour handheld
- 1990Released
- 4thGeneration
- SEGADeveloper
SEGA Game Gear Specifications
- Processor
- Zilog Z80 (8-bit)
- Processor Speed
- 3.58 MHz
- RAM
- 8 KB
- Video RAM
- 16 KB
- GPU
- Master System VDP with a 4,096 colour palette
- Resolution
- 160 x 144 pixels, 3.2 inch backlit LCD
Overview
The SEGA Game Gear is a handheld console released by SEGA in Japan in October 1990, and in North America and Europe in 1991. It was SEGA’s answer to Nintendo’s Game Boy.
The Game Gear is essentially a portable Master System. It uses the same Z80 processor and a modified version of the same video chip, with a larger colour palette of 4,096 colours but a smaller screen of 160 by 144 pixels. Because the hardware is so similar, Master System games could be played on it with the Master Gear adapter, and many Game Gear games were ports of Master System titles.
Its big selling point was the backlit colour screen, which was far easier to see than the Game Boy’s green monochrome display. The drawback was battery life: six AA batteries lasted only three to five hours. A TV tuner accessory could turn the Game Gear into a portable television.
The Game Gear sold around 10.6 million units and was supported until 1997. Its library included Sonic the Hedgehog games made for the handheld, Shinobi, Columns and several Disney titles.
Most Master System emulators also play Game Gear games. Gearsystem and Emulicious are both accurate and easy to use, and Genesis Plus GX is the usual choice in RetroArch.
Key Features
Backlit Colour Screen
A backlit colour screen far easier to see than the Game Boy's.
Portable Master System
Essentially a portable Master System with a 4,096 colour palette.
TV Tuner
A TV tuner accessory turned it into a portable television.
Hungry for Power
Six AA batteries lasted only three to five hours.
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SEGA Game Gear Emulators
Which one to pick
Known forAccurate emulation of Sega's 8-bit and 16-bit consoles, mostly used as a RetroArch core.
Known forA very accurate Z80 core that covers undocumented behaviour, for the Master System, Game Gear and SG-1000.
Known forAccurate emulation with strong debugging tools, for the Game Gear, Master System, Game Boy and MSX.
Known forA multi-system emulator that puts accuracy and preservation first.
Known forVery fast emulation of Sega's consoles, written for handhelds and other low-powered devices.
Known forA command-line multi-system emulator with save states, rewind and netplay.
Known forA long-standing all-in-one emulator for Sega's consoles from the SG-1000 to the 32X.
In short
Genesis Plus GX and Gearsystem are the most accurate Game Gear emulators: Genesis Plus GX is mostly used in RetroArch, while Gearsystem is standalone. Emulicious adds the best debugging tools, ares and Mednafen cover the Game Gear among many other systems, and PicoDrive suits low-powered devices. Kega Fusion is no longer developed and is kept here as an archive.
