--- title: Sega Game Gear categories: - Consoles params: name: Game Gear image: /media/museum/photos/sega_gamegear_1s.jpg company: /companies/sega company_name: Sega tabs: - photos - hardware - software - emulators - links forum_thread: 1079 photos: - title: GAME GEAR subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/sega_gamegear_1.jpg - title: BLUE MODEL subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/sega_gamegear_blue-model.jpg - title: WHITE MODEL subtitle: '' text: '... with TV tuner mounted' image: /media/museum/photos/sega_gamegear_gamegear_white.jpg - title: COCA-COLA MODEL subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/sega_gamegear_cocacola.jpg - title: BOX subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/sega_gamegear_box_1.jpg hardware: - title: FROM SEGA subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/sega_gamegear_carrying-case_1.jpg - title: FOR THE GAMEGEAR subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/sega_gamegear_gamegenie.jpg - title: BOX subtitle: '' text: Plays Master Systems games on your Game Gear ! image: /media/museum/hardware/sega_gamegear_mastergear_box.jpg - title: 'BOX #2' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/sega_gamegear_mastergear_box_2.jpg - title: FROM SEGA subtitle: '' text: The PowerBack attaches to back of Game Gear and extends the battery life for hours of play without the need for recharging. image: /media/museum/hardware/sega_gamegear_powerback_1.jpg - title: BOX subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/sega_gamegear_powerback_2.jpg - title: FROM RECOTON subtitle: '' text: This is a FM Radio adapter for GameGear with tuning button, volume button and headset plug. Play your Favourite FM radio stations through the Sega Gamegear console ! image: /media/museum/hardware/sega_gamegear_recoton-fm-tuner.jpg - title: FROM SEGA subtitle: '' text: This excellent add-on turns your Game Gear into a portable colour TV! image: /media/museum/hardware/sega_gamegear_tv-tuner_1.jpg - title: MOUNTED ON THE SYSTEM subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/sega_gamegear_tv-tuner_2.jpg screenshots: - title: SCREENSHOT subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/bart%20vs.%20the%20world%20%28jue%29%20%5Ba1%5D-01.png - title: SCREENSHOT subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/batman%20returns%20%28jue%29%20%5B%21%5D-01.png - title: SCREENSHOT subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/bubble%20bobble%20%28ue%29-01.png - title: 'SCREENSHOT #1' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/bust-a-move%20%28ue%29%20%5B%21%5D-01.png - title: 'SCREENSHOT #2' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/bust-a-move%20%28ue%29%20%5B%21%5D-02.png - title: BOX ART subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/sega_gamegear_columns_box.jpg - title: SCREENSHOT subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/columns%20%28j%29-01.png - title: BOX ART subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/sega_gamegear_castle-of-illusion_box.jpg - title: 'SCREENSHOT #1' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/mickey%20mouse%20-%20castle%20of%20illusion%20%28j%29%20%5Ba1%5D-01.png - title: 'SCREENSHOT #2' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/mickey%20mouse%20-%20castle%20of%20illusion%20%28j%29%20%5Ba1%5D-02.png - title: BOX ART subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/sega_gamegear_put-putter_box.jpg - title: 'SCREENSHOT #1' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/putt%20and%20putter%20%28jue%29-02.png - title: 'SCREENSHOT #2' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/putt%20and%20putter%20%28jue%29-03.png - title: 'SCREENSHOT #3' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/putt%20and%20putter%20%28jue%29-06.png - title: BOX ART subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/sega_gamegear_sonic_box.jpg - title: 'SCREENSHOT #1' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/sonic%20the%20hedgehog%20%28jue%29-01.png - title: 'SCREENSHOT #2' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/sonic%20the%20hedgehog%20%28jue%29-02.png - title: BOX ART subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/sega_gamegear_super-golf_box.jpg - title: 'SCREENSHOT #1' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/super%20golf%20%28j%29-01.png - title: 'SCREENSHOT #2' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/super%20golf%20%28j%29-02.png - title: 'SCREENSHOT #1' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/taz-mania%20-%20the%20search%20for%20the%20lost%20seabirds%20%28ue%29-01.png - title: BOX ART subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/sega_gamegear_tazzmania_box.jpg - title: 'SCREENSHOT #2' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/taz-mania%20-%20the%20search%20for%20the%20lost%20seabirds%20%28ue%29-02.png - title: 'SCREENSHOT #3' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/taz-mania%20-%20the%20search%20for%20the%20lost%20seabirds%20%28ue%29-04.png - title: 'SCREENSHOT #4' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/taz-mania%20-%20the%20search%20for%20the%20lost%20seabirds%20%28ue%29-07.png - title: BOX ART subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/sega_gamegear_donald_box.jpg - title: SCREENSHOT subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/lucky%20dime%20caper%2C%20the%20-%20starring%20donald%20duck%20%28j%29-01.png - title: BOX ART subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/sega_gamegear_wonder-boy_box.jpg - title: 'SCREENSHOT #1' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/wonderboy%20%28j%29-01.png - title: 'SCREENSHOT #2' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/wonderboy%20%28j%29-02.png - title: 'SCREENSHOT #3' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/wonderboy%20%28j%29-03.png emulators: - title: FreezeSMS url: http://freezesms.emuunlim.com/index.html platform: Windows text: Excellent emulator (NES, SMS, GameGear, SG1000, Coleco) - title: MEKA url: http://www.smspower.org/meka/ platform: Windows text: Best Game Gear emulator (also emulates a lot of Sega 8-bit systems) links: - title: GAMEFAQS - GameGear section url: http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/gamegear/ text: Tips & tricks, FAQs about GG games - title: Official Game Gear pages from Sega! url: http://www.sega.co.jp/archive/segahard/gg/ text: Excellent. Lot of info here (specs, pix, soft lists, ads,etc.) - title: SMS Power! url: http://www.smspower.org/ text: Excellent site dedicated to Sega 8-bit systems - title: The REAL GAME GEAR F.A.Q. url: http://www.classicgaming.com/museum/faqs/realggfaq.shtml text: Full of info about the Game Gear, including list of cartridges - title: Wikipedia - Gamegear entry url: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Gear text: Nice page with full info oc_id: 1109 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230507012732/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1109 date: '2023-05-07' --- In 1991 Sega entered the handheld marked with its Game Gear console to compete with Nintendo's popular Game Boy. The hardware was pretty much a direct copy of Sega's 8-bit [Master System](/museum/sega-master-system/) technology which was just dramatically reduced in size to fit the handheld case. There was also an adapter called Master Gear which enabled you to play SMS games on your GG. The only real difference between the Master System and the Game Gear is that the GG has a color palette of 4096 compared to the 256 of the SMS. This is pretty much the only reason why the SMS can't play GG games. Compared to Nintendo's Game Boy, Game Gear has many advanced features like a quite big backlit color screen (3.2''), which even the original Game Boy Advance doesn't have, and a more ergonomical case design. But this was not enough to win the handheld battle. Nintendo's console already had many good games available whereas GG had mostly conversions of old SMS games with added colors. It was also more expensive that the Game Boy due to its color screen. The battery life of the GG was also quite short with the batteries of the time (not so much of problem nowadays as batteries have improved) and it also took six AA sized batteries at once which was quite a strain on the owners wallet. The machine was also more fragile that the Game Boy and many of the machines that you can see for sale today have scratches on their screen and sound problems especially when using headphones. --- Text by Taneli Lukka