History of video games/Platforms/Game Gear

History

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Game Gear logotype.

Development

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While in development the Game Gear was known as Project Mercury.[1]

The Game Gear was made domestically in Japan.[2]

Launch

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The Game Gear was launched in October of 1990 costing 19,800 yen.[2][1]

Discontinuation

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Sega discontinued the Game Gear in 1997,[1] with 11 million consoles sold.[3] During the 30th anniversary of the system in 2020, Sega produced the Game Gear Micro a miniature reproduction of the Game Gear.

Technology

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The internal architecture of the Game Gear is very similar to Sega's earlier home console, the Master System.[1][4]

Compute

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The Game Gear uses an 8-bit Zilog Z80 based processor clocked at 3.58 megahertz.[5][4]

The Game Gear has eight kilobytes of RAM, and 16 kilobytes of video RAM.[4][6]

Hardware

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The Game Gear has a 3.2 inch color screen with a resolution of 160 pixels by 144 pixels.[4][5]

The Game Gear uses a Texas Instruments SN76489 chip for sound.[4]

The Game Gear required the use of 6 AA batteries.[1]

Notable games

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1991

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1992

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1993

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1994

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1995

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1996

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Special Edition Game Gear Consoles

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  • Enjoy Coca-Cola Game Gear[7]
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Console

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Internals

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References

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  1. a b c d e Life, Nintendo (3 June 2020). "Hardware Classics: Sega Game Gear - The System Which Spawned The Game Gear Micro". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  2. a b "HISTORY SEGA 60th Anniversary". SEGA 60th Anniversary site. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  3. "I'll Never Love a Console Like I Loved the SEGA Game Gear". www.vice.com. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  4. a b c d e "Z80 Assembly programming for the Sega Master System and the Game Gear!". www.chibiakumas.com. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  5. a b "Sega Game Gear System Info". www.vgmuseum.com. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  6. "Sega's Game Gear turns 30". Young Post. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  7. Machkovech, Sam (30 April 2022). "Tasting Coca-Cola’s first “gamer” flavor—and the history of game-and-soda tie-ins" (in en-us). Ars Technica. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/04/coca-colas-first-gamer-flavor-and-the-history-of-game-and-soda-tie-ins/.