SEGA Game Gear
SEGA Game Gear Specifications
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.
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SEGA Game Gear Emulators
ares is an open source multi-system emulator focused on accuracy and preservation, covering the NES, SNES, N64, Sega consoles and more. The successor to higan.
Emulicious is a free, accurate Java-based emulator for the Master System, Game Gear, Game Boy, Game Boy Color and MSX, with strong debugging tools.
FinalBurn Neo is an arcade emulator that continues FinalBurn Alpha. It runs Neo Geo, CPS, Cave and many other 2D arcade games, plus several consoles.
Gearsystem is an accurate, open source emulator for the Sega Master System, Game Gear and SG-1000, with a Z80 core that covers undocumented behaviour.
Genesis Plus GX is an accurate Sega Genesis, Sega CD, Master System, Game Gear and SG-1000 emulator by Eke-Eke, mostly used as a RetroArch core.
Kega Fusion is a Sega multi-system emulator by Steve Snake for the SG-1000, Master System, Game Gear, Genesis, Sega CD and 32X. It was last updated in 2010.
Mednafen is an open source multi-system emulator, controlled from the command line, known for accurate Sega Saturn and PlayStation emulation.
Mesen is an open source multi-system emulator for the NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance and more, with a built-in debugger, for Windows, Linux and macOS.
PicoDrive is a fast SEGA emulator for the Genesis, SEGA CD, 32X, Pico, Master System and Game Gear, first written for ARM handhelds.
