Game Gear

Released in Japan in the fall of 1990 and in North America the following spring, Sega's Game Gear marked the company's entry into the hand-held gaming market. Marketed as a technologically superior alternative to Nintendo's Game Boy, the Game Gear, in many ways, was. In addition to boasting full-color 8-bit graphics and a backlit screen, the Game Gear was also backward compatible with Master System games via the use of an adapter. However, the Game Gear did have some shortcomings. With a short battery life and bulky frame, the Game Gear was not ideal as a portable system. While more than 10 million Game Gear units were sold worldwide, the system was hurt by the Game Boy, Atari Lynx, and Sega's decision to focus on home consoles. It was officially discontinued in 1997, though games like Sonic Chaos, Prince of Persia, Streets of Rage 2, Mortal Kombat 2, and Road Rash have kept alive a niche market for the Game Gear.