Sega · Gen 4
The Game Gear is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sega. It was released in Japan on October 6, 1990, in North America and Europe in April 1991, and in Australia in 1992. The Game Gear was Sega's first handheld console and competed with Nintendo's Game Boy, Atari's Lynx, and NEC's TurboExpress.
Hardware
Sega’s 8-bit handheld with a backlit color LCD, based on the Master System architecture, launched in North America on 26/04/1991. It featured a D-pad, two face buttons, and a Start button, and supported a Gear-to-Gear link cable for multiplayer in select games. An optional TV Tuner accessory allowed reception of analog NTSC broadcasts. Typical battery life was around 3–5 hours on six AA cells.
Budget reissue distributed in North America by Majesco Sales under license from Sega around 2000. It plays standard Game Gear cartridges but uses a cost-reduced screen and minor internal changes, and is widely reported to be incompatible with Sega’s original TV Tuner accessory. Externally it retains a black shell with a distinctive purple Start button. Sold at a low price point and typically without a pack-in game.