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Hello everyone. We are moving to a new, bigger premises so website ordering will be closed for the next month while we move everything to our new building, reorganise and do a full stock take. We will not be taking any orders or able to reply to any messages during this time. We will be open again at the start of December. Many thanks. Console Passion

Sega Game Gear

The Game Gear was Sega's response to the Nintendo Gameboy, the Monochrome handheld designed by Nintendo's Gunpei Yokoi, and released in 1989. Sega had taken note of the general publics criticisms of the Gameboy, and wanted to make a handheld console "everything that the Game Gear wasn't".

The Game Gear was released late 1989 in Japan, 1990 in North America and as usual, us Europeans had to wait even longer, until 1991!

The most obvious different between the two consoles was the 4096 colour palette of the Game Gear, with a maximum of 32 different colours on screen at any time. The screen size was larger than the Gameboy, and was back-lit which meant that you could play it pretty much anywhere, unlike the Gameboy which needed good light.

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The console itself was held lengthways, with buttons on either side. This ergonomic design change made the Game Gear much easier on the hands - one criticism of the Gameboy was that it had a very cramped feel it, and many people complained of sore wrists & hands after extended game play.

The Game Gear was, in essence, a portable Sega Master System. This meant that many Master System Games could be easily ported onto the handheld console. Indeed, a Master System Converter add-on was released, which allowed any Master System Game to be plugged into the Game Gear.

Another add-on which proved to be a popular selling point was the TV Tuner. A small device which clipped to the back of the Game Gear turned the handheld console into a small portable TV, not unlike the Sony Watchman. Other add-ons included a rechargeable battery pack, screen magnifier & multilink cable, to allow two Game Gears to be connected in versus play.

With all these add-ons and advantages over the Gameboy, you would expect the Game Gear to have been the more popular of the two consoles. Unfortunately for Sega, it was not - they had overlooked one very important detail. Battery Life. In the end the deciding factor in the latest chapter of the Sega vs Nintendo war was how long the batteries lasted.

While the Game Gear did indeed have everything the Gameboy lacked, it had to pay a price for these luxuries; the average lifespan on the batteries was between 3 and 5 hours, whereas the Gameboy could easily exceed 10 hours. This was a problem suffered by many other handhelds such as the Neo-Geo pocket and the Atari Lynx - while they may have been superior in every other way, it was the simplest of factors that made the Gameboy the overall winner, and eventually the best selling console of all time.

As with all good things, the Sega Game gears came to and end in 1997. In the end, there were over 200 games released for the console, although many of them never made it out of Japan, such as the excellent Sonic Drift & Sonic Drift 2, and take-on of Super Mario Kart which included a multi-link option. Thankfully these can all be played on any Game Gear as there is no region lockout, due to there being no TV compatibility problems.

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Sega Game Gear Soft Carry Case Loose

Box: 
no
£8.00
Manual: 
no
£8.00

This is an soft carry case for the Sega Game Gear. Space for the actual Game Gear and a handful of cartridges down the side. This item is used but in good condition.

Sega Game Gear Official Screen Magnifier Boxed

Box: 
yes
£15.00
Manual: 
yes
£15.00

Another smart little add-on that clips to the top of your Game Gear. This one magnifies the screen, making gameplay slightly less hard on your eyes! This item comes boxed, has been tested and works fine.

Sega Game Gear Car Power Adapter Boxed

Box: 
yes
£15.00
Manual: 
yes
£15.00

We all know that one of the criticisms with the Game Gear is the battery life (or lack of it!). If you want to use your Game Gear whilst in a car (we strongly suggest as a passenger!) then this gadget is a godsend. Simply plug one end into the car cigarette lighter, and the other into your Game Gear and you have an instant power supply. This item is boxed and in good working order.

Sega Game Gear TV Tuner Loose

Box: 
no
£25.00
Manual: 
no
£25.00

The most sought after accessory for the Game Gear! The TV tuner pack turns your Game Gear into a portable TV; just like the Sony Watchman from the late 80's. This item is for use with a PAL TV signal (such as that in Europe & Australia). This item is unboxed and in good working order.

Sega Game Gear TV Tuner Boxed

Box: 
yes
£35.00
Manual: 
yes
£35.00

The most sought after accessory for the Game Gear! The TV tuner pack turns your Game Gear into a portable TV; just like the Sony Watchman from the late 80's. This item is for use with a PAL TV signal (such as that in Europe & Australia). This item is boxed and in good working order.

Sega Game Gear Rechargeable Battery Pack Loose

Box: 
no
£0.00
Manual: 
no
£0.00

We all know that one of the criticisms with the Game Gear is the battery life (or lack of it!). Thankfully, this handy rechargeable battery pack for the Sega Game Gear can be used in place of batteries - saves a fortune in replacements. Requires a Sega adapter to charge the pack - see the Megadrive section. This item is used but in good condition and is unboxed.

Sega Game Gear Master Gear Converter Boxed

Facebook
Box: 
yes
£15.00
Manual: 
yes
£15.00

The Sega Game Gear is basically a portable Sega Master System. So by that logic you would expect to be able to play Master System Games on it. Well, with this handy little adapter you can! This item is boxed and is brand new.

Sega Game Gear Magni Gear Boxed

Box: 
yes
£0.00
Manual: 
yes
£0.00

Although the Sega Game Gear screen is bigger than the Gameboy screen wouldn't it be great if it was just a little bit bigger? This handy little add-on magnifies the screen by an extra 50%, giving the impression of a much bigger screen. this item is boxed and is fully working.

Sega Game Gear Deluxe Carry Case Loose

Box: 
no
£0.00
Manual: 
no
£0.00

This handy carry case will store away your Game Gear console, Game Gear games, instruction books, link cables, magnifiers and pretty much everything else you have for the Game Gear. This item is boxed.

Sega Game Gear Battery Pack Loose

Box: 
no
£10.00
Manual: 
no
£10.00

We all know that one of the criticisms with the Game Gear is the battery life (or lack of it!). Well to save you a fortune on batteries Sega designed this nifty little battery back which can be used instead of normal batteries. Requires a Sega Power Supply to charge the pack - we can supply one - they are in the Sega Megadrive section. This item is unboxed and in good working order.

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