Classic Game Room - SEGA GAME GEAR review

[@bradydavis5791]

I still have my Game Gear from when I was 10 years old. People say they eventually malfunction and stop working, but mine never did. Still works to this day.

[@livingmercy2075]

I had mine but had it stolen 2 years ago. Was still working as it was fresh!

[@edwardp4038]

They will malfunctions, look into getting a computer repair shop to to a capacitor replacement. It'll last forever after that with new modern caps

[@chimawizzle]

This brings back memories, I was 4 when I got this. I remember making it very far into one of the the Sonic games. I was playing with the wall charger, then my mom came in with some batteries. I figured I could put the batteries in and then unplug it from the wall, but it didn't work like that! Never made it that far into that game after that..

[@GameDev-ph5se]

U couldn't figure the batteries? Lol that sucks. U should get another one and try again

[@Atlink]

In reality, the Game Gear was more of a portable Master System.

[@schaefer76]

Atlink It's true technologically. SMS is awesome though, a little bit better than the NES (Being someone in the US, this may be odd to see)

[@REPVILE]

Sure was, I still play SMS games on it with the mastergear converter.

[@thatkiddav5500]

Am I still ur little pog champ

[@matthewlane518]

And that's one of the reason it kicks patoot!

[@matthewlane518]

And also it was a executioner for batteries

while i was in the hospital after my head injury my grandparents got me the blue one... so much fun

[@OtterloopB]

6/29/21 Continuing my journey of watching all CGR videos. I'll always remember you, Charlie. You introduced us to the world of Game Gear.

[@cattysplat]

This channel was pioneering back in the day.

[@maximumrisk2004]

I once met someone who had this System and it was so awesome. It blew my mind, especially since it had color and the Guy also had an Antenna Adapter to watch TV on it. This thing was 20 Years ahead of its time. Not to mention that it played the regular Games you could also play on the big Systems. I so would love to see something like this today.

[@datalt7873]

Yo you still alive? What do you think of the steam deck??

[@morganhlarsson]

This portable device also had a TV tuner, which made it possible to walk around and look at one's favorite shows at the beach :)

[@nathanmcc55]

I just found a game gear in my attic today. I was stoked!!!! It wasn't mine, but I think it was my dads. He played sega and nintendo when he was in his 20s. It has Sonic the hedgehog 2 in it right now. I just need 2 more batteries to get it turned on. God, I have never wanted batteries this bad in my entire life.

[@JanicesSonHarpo]

The best thing about it was it came with a backlit screen. something Gameboy didnt comeout with til 2003 with the Gameboy advanced SP.

[@ivyssauro123]

Konstantine ‌ Yes, and was annoying as fuck!

[@etcetera36]

Actually, there was a Game Boy with a backlit screen in 1998 called the Game Boy Light, but it was only released in Japan because when it tried to make its way to America, the Game Boy Color was already new.

[@panxoripam]

And the gameboy light?

[@juanjosetorres]

Still almost a decade later.

[@dad7275]

Game Gear was cool

[@AdaptiveReasoning]

I remember really not liking this game as a kid. The first boss was a pain, and then I'd have no lives for the next, " drop you into a void" level. Ran that first level over and over and over. Ate all my batteries.

[@gyrosvideodungeon7911]

I can speak for everyone that has a Sega game gear, THE GHOSTING IS REAL!

[@AnGhaeilge]

Does anybody remember the little TV tuner adapter you could plug into the game gear?

[@nygiant89]

Ahead of its time

[@Denji2006]

Interestingly enough, the best thing about Game Gear was...? THE TV TUNER! God, that was awesome in it's time! Very good analog TV tuner, had little metal clips for the back of the Game Gear so you can place it on a flat surface to watch TV and you could connect external inputs like a game console or a VCR and it would work like a portable TV.

[@Alcoholic_Nerd]

I remember playing nintendo 64 using a game gear with the tv tuner as a screen lol...

[@Scioneer]

+em0rox Did that with my XBOX. Halo on a Game Gear, lol. Surprisingly didn't look too shabby on the GG screen.

[@befer]

@@Scioneer it's not like halo has the best graphics In the world LMAO

[@unlimitedbitsgaming]

😱 That is insaaaaane. And awesome.

[@eriks8382]

Huh?

[@stpworld]

Also thought everyone would like to know the screens just fade because of bad capacitors I found a guy on ebay who repaired all of them and now it plays like new again he even put in an led light I'l make a video of it very soon. Most of these dont work due to bad capacitors or bad sound caps. If your handy you can replace those easily.

[@TalyShootsLasers]

There was also an adapter for the Game Gear that could be plugged into a car's cigarette lighter. I remember using that a lot on vacations or coming home from parks (when we were driving at night, anyway). Kids would burn out their parents' car batteries just to play their Game Gear! =D

[@pedroflores3156]

I didn't have a gamegear not till this year but it is truly a hand held relic from 1990's its pretty cool playing in front of my Friend while they re playing Clash of Clans

[@TravisWolfe101]

I remember hearing the Green Hill Zone theme in the background when I was in and out of the hospital as a baby... My mom had a Game Gear... While those were traumatic times (had about 25 surgeries) I somehow pulled through and out of it all... Surprised I'm even alive today... To Sega... Thank you for making the Game Gear and Sonic the Hedgehog because you play the joyous parts of those crazy first months and years of my life. And to Sony... Thank you for Crash Bandicoot on the PS1 :)

[@AllieRX]

@Deokishisu Also, it's 3-5 hours at max settings. You can lower the settings (brightness, wi-fi, etc.) and make it last longer. Game Gear didn't have that (I think).

[@MrSupersonic2012]

I remember playing one of those as a kid. my older cousin had one and I remember playing Sonic and a Power Rangers game on it.

[@MrSupersonic2012]

+kemo kemo it was either the game gear or maybe it was the nomad. I don't quite remember.

[@illkid86]

MrSupersonic2012 I had one of these back in 1996

[@EnigmaHood]

@KidEatingClown From what I recall, the gamegear manual actually advised against using rechargeable batteries, and recommended non-rechargeable alkaline batteries. Not sure why, but I have no idea how long the thing lasted with rechargeable batteries (the old ones from the 90s, not the new ones).

[@keirny8760]

I am a huge Sega fan boy and I have one of these with me all the time

[@XP9724]

How's it hold up

[@keirny8760]

+Javier Prado Good

[@ferroth]

You carry a bunch of AA's with you? Lol.

[@keirny8760]

+Gamers Within That's why I carry an extra large backpack all the time

[@XP9724]

Lmao troll

[@SoxXxOwnsU]

I got this on my 4th birthday back in 95, seems like ages ago I used to play this for hours.

[@WinSchutten]

I remember when the original Game Boy Advance came out and everyone was complaigning how hard it was to see the graphics sometimes. Then I was using the backlit light on my Game Gear to light the way on some very dark stairs, so I could see the steps and not fall to my death.

[@crumcon]

If im going to be reborn again, i want to be born in the past. the time when Game Gear is released and of course so i can enjoy PSX/PS1 again :)

[@jasonstewart8022]

it also had a sega master system game adapter

[@SNK038]

What are the slots on the back for? The ones that look like a stand or battery pack can hook in? What's the brass screw hole for underneath the serial number sticker?

[@TheCRTman]

I feel like an idiot for turning down one of these for $5 at the thrift store. It looked really cool in person though.

[@JediTreeSmoker]

+TheCRTman you'd end up paying a couple hundred for some batteries just to play it. it takes 6 AA batteries and only lasts 3 hours.

[@TheCRTman]

***** Hahaha wow.

[@sendbitcoin]

+TheCRTman true thing, it ate batteries like fat kids eat chocolate cake

[@ericbazinga]

+X2374 Sega Game Gear. The Augustus Gloop of handhelds.

[@8938-b7c]

I pissed

[@Denji2006]

Well, it was analog only with an external input. So anything "cable" would have to come through a cable box through A/V to the tuner. But yes, you could pick up any analog station where ever you were. I had it on a 36 hour cross country road trip in the 90's and it was cool getting different channels in different regions. I don't own it anymore, but then again, today, the tuner is pointless unless you want to hook up any external devices via A/V cables. The screen was pretty decent too.

[@DyLAm73]

I just bought one for $10 with sonic 2 in it today :D. Dont know if it works yet though so I need to get some batteries for it.

[@keirny8760]

You my friend got a bargain

[@DyLAm73]

+Dusty The Duck I tried it out and it ended up not working but it might be an easy fix. The screen turns on for a second then turns off. It needs a new capacitor or something

[@keirny8760]

+UltimateNintendoKing that explains it

[@BerTinVan2012]

Tonight, I was at an auction.. and a 9 yr old got this Sega Game Gear system, and I got a Game boy color!

[@kingtutt880]

I remember I wanted this thing so freaking bad when I was a kid, but it was too expensive.

[@sherrymoss1545]

Mod it

[@barrybear2011]

The Master Gear Converter is the best accessory made for any handheld game system. It lets you play Sega Master System game cartridges on the Game Gear. You just can't play the Sega Master System game cards or any game cartridge which requires the 3D glasses.

[@powerslave0606]

Sonic for Game Gear is the same that the master system version.

[@TheClassicGameBoy01]

It is slightly diffrent

[@LucianoIrigoyen]

I'm from Uruguay, where we play 80's and 90's games on late 2000's.

[@carterscomputersandgaming3437]

Ever notice that the game gear is a portable master system?

[@matthybel955]

Yes more colors, and a faster cpu was better than master system, it was very close as you could get to a portable Genesis before the Nomad came out

[@overnightdelivery]

The Game Gear was the result of Genesis and Master System having a Baby

[@Forzaabruzzo]

I still got mine and it still works perfectly!!!

[@AizensPlan]

No wonder it was expensive, Nintendo didn't have these kind of graphics until the Gameboy Advance. And even then it wasn't backlit until the Gameboy Advance SP.

[@TheMamaluigi300]

Actually, the Game Gear was only $50 more.

[@AizensPlan]

Game Boy Color had no backlight, Game Gear did

[@driediger]

+NintenDerp 64 nah, the game gear could produce more colors, and had more pixels

[@PurushNahiMahaPurush]

Bridgeman Nintendo has a philosophy of using old hardware which makes the console cheap. They have never launched a console that is more than 300$. The Switch, with all its bells and whistles is still 300$.

[@sirvegeta]

@Mateusfmarins Actually, you're right. A GREAT deal of the game gears hardware is derived directly from the master system. It's basically a portable SMS with a bit more punch. Until your batteries die.

[@AaronKaiMCDNLD]

PSVita is the next gen equivalent to the game gear here's why: the only handheld console to ever face Nintendo's handheld Far superior in terms of specs lacked any punch in the market and lastly was deafeated by Nintendo

[@ronin6199]

PSP anyone?

[@codywilt6158]

+Alan Galeana better than a DS in opinion

[@wolfcaliburRX]

Faltiere Ornalock And had a TV option

[@Drakelx55]

Only handheld console to face Nintendos handheld? Did you forget about the Atari Lynx? Which had both a better battery life and was far more powerful?

[@JUSXTREME96]

Jeremy Xu I think he means in recent years

[@KevinTwiner]

awsome video,just got my first game gear.really enjoy it the screen is crisp and clear not washed out at all.But looking too buy stock in batteries cause it is a vampire on the batts,lol lucky i have a power pack ..at 42 dont leave the trusty couch much.peace and happy gameing...sega rules

[@kylekelly4648]

ah, the memories!

[@redgringrumboldt8983]

My brother had a Sega Game Gear, it's around the house somewhere... I'm am almost certain we spent more time scrounging for the 6 batteries needed to play it!

[@thearcadeproductions1140]

i picked one of these up about 3 weeks ago, and can safely say it's MUCH better than the Gameboy.

[@garywintle8023]

It was stupid of Sega not to release a refined, smaller, lighter, and more battery efficient Game Gear. The system did pretty well, and with a lighter, more energy efficient version, could have picked up serious momentum in the handheld market. A huge missed opportunity.

[@thearcadeproductions1140]

Gary Wintle it's still a great handheld.

[@Briggie]

Gary Wintle There seems to be a lot of those "What the fuck were they thinking?" type decisions for Sega in the mid 90's. See also 32x and blindsiding everyone with the Saturn.

[@TheMamaluigi300]

Gary Wintle There was the 2000 Majesco re-release that kinda did something like that.

[@peashooteranimations8082]

@Derfel Cadarn more games dont make a console better like the atari 2600 isnt better than the NES also the game boy could be easily ported to the game boy

[@calamaty]

I was lucky enough to find a Game Gear brand new in a sealed box but the old one I have still works. I've got a sealed original GameBoy and Atari Lynx but have yet to get a TurboExpress that is sealed in box. I do have one that works well too. I'm looking for games for the Game Gear and there's quite a selection.

[@7stringguitarplayer]

this sonic game is different then the one on genesis though. i had a game gear as a kid. and im hoping to get one again eventually

[@retrogamingguitarist5961]

The Game Gear these days are dime a dozen, you can find them at used game stores easily. They go for about $30-$50 depending on the condition of the unit.

[@7stringguitarplayer]

i seen one for 30 bucks. guess i should have picked it up exept for the screen was a bit dim. but i do wanna play triple trouble again. use to play that quite a bit.

[@retrogamingguitarist5961]

7stringguitarplayer That's good one! I'd get it. The Sonic games to get for this handheld are Sonic 1, 2, Chaos, Triple Trouble and maybe Spinball. Leave Sonic Labyrinth and Sonic Drift 2, nothing but misery there!

[@7stringguitarplayer]

i think there was one with just tails that i remember...maybe, not sure

[@retrogamingguitarist5961]

7stringguitarplayer Yeah that was Tails Adventures. There was one called Tails's Sky Patrol but that was only released in Japan.

[@MrGL1973]

@RicerEater1978 I believe it was somewhere between $119.99 to $139.99 depending on the color & if your system came with a game or not. The one I bought in 1991 came with Columns. It was my 1st major purchase after opening a credit account with the Hanau post exchange a few weeks after I got to my 1st duty station.

[@mebossyounothing]

Game gear > Gameboy

[@Xenoforge78]

If you want to become the equivalent of Hitler to AA batteries, sure.

[@mebossyounothing]

Xenoforge78 haha awesome, but no mate i just refer to gaming experience, it was a lot better on gg than on gb i still have both

[@retrogamingguitarist5961]

Game Gear rules!

[@Zsmart]

My older brother got this and I got a game boy. I'm happy with my decision.

[@OllieJCSmith]

I remember this thing well from my cousin having one but I have to admit even when I had the sense of envy at the time looking back now I am glad my parents as a kid opted for the Gameboy because it did ultimately win the hand held wars back then. Game Gear like the Lynx was a nice idea but totally impractical in real world terms and thus stood little to no chance against Nintendo who did extremely well irrespective of what some would call having lesser hardware to play with.

[@KingGameReview]

There's also the Master Gear Converter that lets you play Master System games on the Game Gear. As for an adapter to hook it up to a tv, I don't think that exists. I've looked into this extensively. There are several mods you can do yourself that require some tricky soldering to get video output, but as far as I know, an adapter was never released.

[@Aaronhouston33]

I BLAME GLOBAL WARMING ON THE GAME GEAR

[@Chaoitcme]

I still have my Game Gear from when I was a kid. I recommend using rechargeable batteries.

[@rcfilms108]

@yogibear2k10 - The Genesis was released in the UK as the Mega Drive; not Master System. If I remember correctly, the name was changed for the North American market due to some trademark dispute.

[@Dreamewalker]

I had a gamegear and I pretty much always ran it with the ac adapter and the car cigarette lighter adapter. It was nice for road trips because you could play it at night. I think I still would've rather had a gameboy.

[@emojo1990]

i bought one for £4 and was aware of the whole battery issue. this pt me off until i found i could use my megadrive ac adapter. this is a great way to save money.

[@martinaee]

@Deokishisu I kind of have to put that into perspective.... 6aa batteries (NiMh) have tremendous combined power. You have to give serious credit to how amazing lithium battery technology is. The 3DS will be tiny compared to the game gear and the battery is also relatively tiny. For what the 3DS will be able to do I think you can say that you can't really compare the two consoles. Also the 3DS is supposed to get many more hours in non-3d mode.

[@jeditenihongo]

@MSUser2007 I do but unfortunately, the screen is faded to the point where it's nearly unplayable.

[@rcfilms108]

@yogibear2k10 - No worries, bro. And thank you! :) My knowledge of the Game Gear is limited, but I think the blue variant was released with a Sports title. I'm not sure. There have been several different variations in Japan, such as the Coca-Cola model. It's red and has "Coca-Cola Game Gear" printed on the bottom. Way cool, but rare. No video just yet. I'm still working on the Halloween special for My Life with Sega, which is my Sega review series. A Game Gear is planned. Hahaha!

[@Frankfurtdabezzzt]

man at your videos, the audio transcription works great!

[@bentleymilnes1977]

I bought 1 with my first summer job when I was 16 M 35 now I loved it

[@dannyofthededd]

@Chirpachirp cheers bud..gonna bug me mate about having a go with his soldering iron and have a squiz on here for what i need to get and where i need to stick it..i'll probably get around to doing it sometime in the next ten years hehe ;)

[@joemel2]

in the uk I remember there was even an add on that turned your game gear into a mini tv. It had two massive ariels/atenna sticking out.

[@frodo4627]

Also Game Gear games are now available on the 3DS e-shop.

[@zaneroote5798]

If you recommend the Nomad and it was released nowhere outside of North America, what do you reccomend for the rest of the world?

[@heavyset0223]

The chain hook you are referring to are clip holders for a battery pack. Had one a long time ago

[@tawfikakkad]

I remember when i got mine ,,, and i got a TV adapter turning the game gear into a TV ,,, that was freakin awesome back then ,,, man i miss the 90's

[@SoxXxOwnsU]

It will be 10 years next march, but I agree man, games like Ruby, Saphire, Mario Advance, Metroid Fusion were all GRREAT games that I would play through again if I could right now.

[@Chrisbkfc89]

Aside from the battery draining and bulkiness, it looks like it was equivilent to the GameBoy Color, PLUS the optional TV connection (although I wouldn't be surprised if GBC had an adapter for that). But from that standpoint, it seems like it definitely had the original GameBoy beat as far as graphics and game quality are concerned.

[@jessie4pink615]

I think the gamegear was the best of the handhelds back when I was little girl, my brothers bought one 1993 and we played that thing non stop, always loved Sonic

[@retrogamingguitarist5961]

Game Gear was awesome! Didn't have one growing up in the 90s, but I got one about 10 years and I love it. I own 5 of them. Got the others dirt cheap.

[@benrlego]

I loved sonic so much but I saw the evil hacks and now I don't even turn on my Genesis

[@AndarilhoMarco]

When I was young, the Game gear was a dream. =P

[@nicholasthetaylor]

Back in the day I had one of these. I had 12 Millenium brand I hour rapid charge batteries and these would last about 2.5-3hrs of continues play, giving me 5-6hours of play in a journey. The batteries would last the journey to holidays or throughout the day at school, and the batteries stopped charging about 2000 (Millenium bug? XD). I received the GameGear Nov 1990 and I had to use the AC Adapter until I got the rechargeables. Normal batteries just didn't have the stamina for the Sega Game Gear

[@SF78]

@Gibson299 True, but GB wasn't backlit and it didn't have colors, these come with a price. GB did, however, have a superior game list when compared to GG.

[@TheCIScommander]

I'm getting my new game gear on Thursday. It has a case, 22 games, and has 2 different adaptors for 100 dollars!

[@dankerthanclanker]

I fixed one of these for a friend a few years ago. The batteries corroded and ate one of the springs inside it. I repaired it, took it back and in the end he said I could have it for the price of a friend chicken meal. £5 for a game gear with Sonic The Hedgehog: Chaos? I never looked for my wallet so quick. I have the Master System version of Sonic. I may get the Game Gear one so I can play it on the go... Sort of on the go... Kinda... I'mma need more batteries.

[@andreacummins1271]

Master System Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is actually my favourite Sonic Game. Quite difficult compared to the MD/Genesis games if I remember correctly but it was the early 90's, I was high on Roy of the Rovers bars and 10p corn snacks so I could be well wrong.

[@Lirospeeds]

Last year, After a Yard sale, When everyone was gone. Someone left his gamegear behind. I took it. And I'm happy now.

[@SegaSteve0429]

I saw one of these at goodwill yesterday. No power adapter, no games, scratched up, and the batteries that were left in it looked like they had been leaking for years. They wanted $20 for it.

[@KidEatingClown]

There is a thing called RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES, which are what I used for it back in the day

[@o3MTA3o]

this was ahead of its time and it kicked ass

[@scarfacefan1100]

The SEGA GAME GEAR was so ahead of its time, I am surprised it wasnt as successful as the gameboy. Most people have no idea what i'm talking about when I talk about the GAME GEAR, but everybody knows what a gameboy is.. Lol The good old days... . . . .

[@14catorce]

actually when game gear came out, the turbo express was already in stores. It was a 16bit with colour screen handheld way more advance than game gear.

[@XxiLLViLLAiNxX]

I used to play Sonic Drift whenever my sister had to the orthodontist. Good times.

[@ChicoEdge]

The Game Boy didn't actually have a black&white screen at the time. It was black and putrid green.The Game Boy didn't have a true black & white screen until the game Boy pocket was released.

[@Blunder1248]

The gameboy was more expsensive in the uk. You could get a adapter that aloud you to plug master system games in. I was amazed how wonder boy 3 ran a lot quicker than the master system.

[@mcgoo721]

Yeah, I had a gameboy (original clear!)and my brother had this. His might have been a lot of fun around the house, when we didn't have access to the tv but I would say nintendo's products were more portable. The battery life seemed much worse on this, and it's obviously bigger. I think the color is (or was then) the best balance of portability and features.

[@xjuggaloryda1991x]

Got mine today. Couldn't let one pass me by again. The games are better in my opinion than some of the new games they're coming out with today

[@JamVar]

Just a bit. I'd set it at about $20.00 bucks. As long as it's in very good condition. If it has any somewhat major cosmetic or gameplay faults, probably go for $15.00.

[@AllieRX]

@Deokishisu At least the 3DS has a charger. With the Game Gear, you had to keep buying 6 AA batteries everytime they ran out.

[@onitgraff]

sonic 1 was the best game for gamegear! thanks for the memories..

[@88skullkid]

i bought one yesterday at a game xchange in OKC in its original carrying case with the battery pack that goes on the back and the ac adapter and also it came with the magnifier that clicks over the screen. i got all of that and 3 games for FIFTEEN DOLLARS!!!!!

[@Lakers280]

Love this game system, own 3 of these (2 black and 1 red, got em from Taiwan/Singapore can't remember (was 5 at the time)), unfortunately 1 of the black one doesn't work anymore and the red one's D-Pad is broken (making it basically useless). If you have an adapter of this system that's when it's really the best time to play, because of unlimited timing, and the best part of this is, if you can get the 32 in 1 or 72 in 1 type of games, you can just play all of those in one system.

[@moreoreos123]

I always wished that sega had released a portable console similar to gameboy with good battery life.

[@xDragonWarrior]

@AllieRX87 you could get the battery pack for the game gear which lasted about 4 hours but had to be charged for about 8 hours

[@link70222]

@ratmphan There is, it's called the Sega Nomad. He showed it earlier in the video.

[@Juggler1711]

my brother had a game gear, must have been a few years after it came out because I was born around the same time it was released. He dropped it down the stairs and it had a permanent horizontal black line across the top but it still worked. I always had the addams family music stuck in my head

[@MrGL1973]

@LockinLatino777 I own 2 Game Gears and the sound works on both. How many thumbs do I get?

[@ansharzero]

Totally have a rechargable battery pack for this badboy. If you can't deal with the short battery life, get one of those! I went nowhere without it as a kid :P

[@JerryTerrifying]

The Game Gear doens't have a perihperal that allows TV out. You have to mod it to get that functionality. Also I was surprised the screen on the one in the video was so good. I wouldn't be surprised if someone opened it up and replaced all the capacitors. Which is easy to do if you can work a soldering iron and will make any Game Gear look as good as new.

[@CosmicSoldierBR]

Uou! The graphics of Game Gear are pretty impressive! And it has the best Mighty Morphin Power Rangers game I ever seen!