Project “Mercury" started in the year 1989. Sega saw the success of the Game Boy and began to think of ways to excel in points where the Game Boy lacked. 8-bit beast was released in Japan on October 6, 1990. The Sega Game Gear is a handheld video gaming device which was designed to be the portable Master Drive. The hardware was near identical to the Master System, except with the addition of a screen and several other elements. The Game Gear was a part of the fourth generation of gaming. It competed with the Nintendo Game Boy, the Atari Lynx and NEC's TurboExpress.

The screen was built similarly to televisions around that time, so the Game Gear was able to play games in higher resolutions. Speaking of the resolutions, the LCD screen allowed 32 different colors on screen. This created clearer and more vibrant visuals than other handhelds. It also had a fluorescent backlight. The choice to make the device wide was so that players hands would not cramp up. Although the one speaker was Mono, one could use headphones to access the playback of stereo sound. All of these features were to answer the Game Boy.

Even though it was more impressive than the Game Boy, it was ultimate beat out by the portable NES. Nintendo’s marketing strategy for the Game Boy was a factor, but the Game Gear killed itself. The fluorescent backlight that helped all the vivid 4,096 colors be shown sucked away the energy the batteries supplied and could not be turned off, only allowing for two to three hours of play time. Sega realized this and produced a rechargeable battery pack and an AC adapter. Also because of the backlight, the Game Gear would heat up, causing sweating palms. The size of the Game Gear was also an issue, as it was very large and could not fit in your pocket or other convenient places. Retailers even created carrying bags for it.

Beyond the perks and lacks of the Game Gear, it had some great titles. Most were just ports from the Master System, but even those were great as you had the same quality on the go. However, a few games had changes made to them for the Game Gear versions. Original titles made for the platform like Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya and Shinobi were very well received. As good comes with bad, the Game Gear has many unliked games like Last Action Hero and Iron Man and X-O Manowar in Heavy Metal. The reason these games stood out so much is because of the lack of focus Sega had on the Game Gear. Where Sega was working on support for the Master System and their “Sega Mark V” project. This left the Game Gear with around three hundred games in it’s library, where as the Game Boy, it’s main rival, had near one thousand games. None the less, the Game Gear still is a treasure and has it’s own set of gems to be played. It will always have a special place in our hearts. Specifications Processor: 8-bit Z-80 at 3.58 MHz Resolution: 160 x 146 RAM: 8KB internal Video RAM: 16KB internal Display: 3.2 Inch LCD screen Sound: Mono speaker Power: 6 AA batteries Game Library Tails' Sky Patrol Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe Sonic Drift Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Sonic Labyrinth The Lion King Accessories Gear Master Converter TV Tuner Rechargeable Battery Pack Super Wide Gear Handy Gear Game Genie