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{{Stub}} {{HardwareInfobox |image = Gamegear.jpg |type = Handheld Console |manufacturer = SEGA |generation = Fourth |jp_rel = {{Release|1990|October|6|JP}} |na_rel = {{Release|1991|||NA}} |eu_rel = {{Release|1991|||EU}} |au_rel = {{Release|1991|||AU}} }} The '''''Game Gear''''' is a handheld game console that was SEGA's response to [[Nintendo]]'s [[Game Boy]]. It was the third commercially available colour handheld console, after the [[Lynx]] and the [[Turbo Express]]. Work began on the console in 1989 under the codename "Project Mercury", as per SEGA's policy at the time of code-naming their systems after planets of our solar system. The system was released in Japan on October 6, 1990, in North America and Europe in 1991, and in Australia in 1992. The launch price was $149.99. SEGA officially dropped support for the ''Game Gear'' in early 1997. ==Features== ===Games=== Over 250 titles were released worldwide for the Game Gear, although at the time of the console's launch there were only six software titles available. SEGA made sure that a wide variety of [[video game genres]] were represented on the system, in order to give it a broad appeal. Prices for game cartridges initially ranged from $24.99 to $29.99 each. They were moulded black plastic with a rounded front for convenient removal. The original Game Gear pack-in title was [[Columns]]. It was similar to the Tetris cartridge that Nintendo had included when it launched the [[Game Boy]]. Popular titles included SEGA's own series', notably [[Sonic the Hedgehog (series)|Sonic the Hedgehog]], [[Disney]] movie extensions, such as [[The Lion King]], and 3rd-party developer games like [[Mortal Kombat]]. In an unusual step, SEGA decided not to [[region encoding|region encode]] Game Gear cartridges, meaning that any system could play any games regardless of the country they were released in. This practice helped to make the console popular among [[import gamers]]. An exception to this universal compatibility was the TV Tuner accessory, which would not work in regions it was not designed for, due to the differences in TV broadcast signals used in different countries. ===Design=== The Game Gear was basically a portable [[Master System]] with a lower resolution screen, but allowed for a larger [[Palette (computing)|colour palette]], and therefore better-looking graphics. In addition, it could also produce stereo sound (through headphones) as opposed to the Master System's monaural output, although very few games made use of the stereo capabilities. Unlike the original Game Boy, the system was held in a "[[landscape mode|landscape]]" position, with the controls at the sides, making it less cramped to hold. SEGA had taken a similar approach when developing the [[Mega Drive]], basing it on SEGA's 16-bit arcade hardware. This enabled direct conversion of popular games. Likewise, because of the similarities between the Master System and the Game Gear, it was possible for [[Master System]] games to be written directly onto [[Read-only memory|ROMs]] in Game Gear cartridges. ===Variations=== The blue Game Gear sports edition, identical to the standard Game Gear, except in body colour, was released in 1993, with the game ''World Series Baseball''. Another speciality edition was a red Coca-Cola-themed Game Gear unit, released to the Japanese market, which came with a game entitled ''[http://www.watercoolergames.org/archives/000312.shtml Coca-Cola Kid]''. In Japan, SEGA also introduced Kids Gear. It was a repackaging of the Game Gear system in a different colour case. Software advertised for Kids Gear focused more on children's game titles. [[Kids Gear]] was never released in the United States. ==Gallery== <gallery> 6efe2a588f1c1de72ce67ad1ccaf59fb.png | The Game Gear in white Black Game Gear.png | The original Game Gear Seag Game Gear Kids Gear Virtual Fighter Mini.png | The Kids Gear Virtual Fighter Mini Game Gear Purple.png | The Game Gear in purple Red Game Gear.png | The Game Gear in red Rayearth Sega Game Gear.png | The Rayearth Game Gear Url-1.png | The Game Gear in light blue Blue Game Gear.png | The Game Gear in blue Coca Cola Game Gear.png | The Coca-Cola Game Gear Yellow Game Gear.png | The Game Gear in yellow Game Gear Battery Pack.png | The Game Gear Battery Pack Game Gear Cable.png | The Game Gear Cable Game Gear Power Adapter.png | The Game Gear Car Power Adapter Seag TV Tuner.png | The SEGA TV Tuner Sega Game Gear Power Back.png | The Game Gear Power Back Sega Master Gear Converter.png | The Master System to Game Gear Converter </gallery> {{SEGA}} {{SEGA Hardware}} {{Fourth-Generation Hardware}}
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