The Game Gear Micro was a neat little product and all, but it wasn't exactly practical – it's absolutely tiny, so playing it for longer than five minutes is an exercise in pain, and the fact that Sega only included a handful of games on each unit means you have to buy five different consoles to get the whole collection. It was a nice way to at least recognise the console's birthday, but little else.
If you feel the same way, then you might be interested to learn that UK mod company RetroSix (the same guys who gave us the amazing upgraded GBA) has teamed up with US firm Hand Held Legend to create the Game Gear that the world truly deserves in 2020.
Dubbed the "prestige" model, this cybernetically-enhanced beast boasts a new TFT LCD screen which is leagues ahead of the terrible blurry version that the console originally shipped with. It also comes with a "CleanAmp" audio board to deliver loud, clear sound, and swaps out the existing power regulator board with a brand new RetroSix "CleanPower" mod, which is far more efficient.
Combine this with the fact that modern LCD screens are less power-hungry, and you've solved one of the biggest problems with the Game Gear, and one of the main reasons it lost to the Game Boy – its seemingly insatiable demand for AA batteries. Six batteries will last you much, much longer with this machine, and for those times when you need to be connected to power, you can make use of the console's USB-C port, which replaces the existing power connector (it's not a good idea to use power supplies which are three decades old, by the way).
As if that wasn't enough, the team at RetroSix also performs a full re-cap of the system, replacing all the aluminium capacitors with brand new, modern-day versions, thereby solving another big problem with original Game Gear hardware – dodgy or dead capacitors mean that most of the vintage units will exhibit screen or audio faults, or both.
The console's PCB is also cleaned and restored, and the entire body of the machine is given a refresh – right down to a brand-new case, buttons and D-Pad. The final touch is a brand-new screen protector made from tempered glass, which is less likely to get scratched than the one on the original console.
The catch? Well, this kind of work – which not only includes labour and parts, but also the development of new technologies such as CleanAmp and CleanPower (not to mention the cost of designing and manufacturing the new cases) – obviously drives the price up. You're looking at a cool £275 (around $365) for the full works, which basically gets you a Game Gear console that's better than the original and feels factory-fresh.
Unless you're going to spend loads of extra cash on eBay hoovering up original cartridges, you'll no doubt want to invest in an Everdrive GG flash cart (which also allows you to play Master System games on the console, massively opening up its library), which is another £100 on top of that cost. Add all of this up, and it's clear that this is a serious investment for only the most committed of retro gamers.
That's hardly chump change, and we dare say that Sega, if it decided to have another stab at this concept, could create a mass-produced offering that could be sold at a slightly friendlier price point. As for whether or not it would be as good, that's a matter for debate. You get what you pay for, after all.
Thanks to RetroSix for supplying the Game Gear used in this feature.
Comments 35
First!
Cool stuff here.
Second!
Coller stuff here.
@Shiryu You... scally wag! 😛
@Shiryu Third Coolerer
Uh... 9th?
I'll take three! I still have all of the Game Gear Shining Force cartridges floating around somewhere, and as tempting as that tiny yellow thing is, I'd so much rather play them on a system like this. Which... is very expensive and also not practical. Nevermind. I guess I'll only take two.
Looks good. I hope the poor reception of the GGmicro doesn't deter Sega from maybe making one that's worth playing someday.
That sega hasn't sold one of these shows how incompetent their management is.
Use an off the shelf SoC, software emulator, include a 3 in 1 cart and start selling reprints. Free money
seems like wasted space, could have a larger screen
@Not-Geno You farts! 😂🤣🤣
You'd think a grey and black GG would be boring but that's a surprisingly sexy design! My white GG from back in the day badly needs recapping, but I don't think it's right for a special edition like that to be modded. I'm quite interested in seeing the orange one listed on the Retrosix website.
There's some really great replacement cases appearing for the Saturn, the Dreamcast and now the GG. I'm hoping for a new case and more colourful buttons for the Nomad too...
Ah thats so cool, but that price, for me at least, is a bit high.
This is really neat. I'm getting back into retro handheld gaming and just bought a GB Boy Colour and waiting on the EZ Flash Jr. Once I get it I will have over 770 GBC games and my cellphone can take a break 😄
Never owned a game gear. Slightly interested in this.
I want a Game Gear for my collection but doubt I'd actually spend too much time playing it, so $365 is too much for me. The product sounds very cool, though.
"it's not a good idea to use power supplies which are three decades old, by the way" huh... why? I only use those. 4 decades, even.
@nesrocks The capacitors dry out after a few decades which can lead to too much power reaching the console. Everything can seem OK but the PSU can slowly be killing the console or worse killing it quickly...
A few years back I had an old Japanese Megadrive 2 power supply melt down and almost catch fire. If I hadn't smelt the horrid burnt plastic and hot metal first it I think it would have caught fire. It killed the console too.
All that said, finding good replacements isn't always easy either, there are a lot of cheap PSUs out there that are just as bad and can also damage your console.
@nesrocks Just like any other piece of tech, these things fail over time. Unless it's been checked by an electrician, it's wise to replace them when possible.
I wonder how this compares to the McWill mod. The McWill mod is great, but adds a little lag due to the scaling. Wonder if this pulls it off lag free.
This is cool.
My game gear stopped working.
I still have it and the tv tuner. I just can’t seem to throw it away. Hoping one day to fix it
It's great and all, but for this to truly be the Game Gear that Sega should have released this year, then they should definitely cut down on some of the Game Gear's bulkiness. I'm not saying make it as small as their little novelty Game Gears they've just released, but at the very least make the OG design a bit thinner.
Without a doubt, from a mod/update stance, impressive!
But I find that game gear games are often watered down versions of their full-fledged Master System/Genesis counterparts. This is not true for Tails Adventure or Shining Force and a few others, but I just can’t think of any memorable and fun games that I’d actually play on here besides those I listed above. I feel Nintendo really nailed the handheld market and made games, sometimes even sequels (Metroid 2) on their handheld(s).
Although I know it happened with some games, not all of the games on Gameboy were just mobile versions of the full games on their other system(s).
For that reason, yea I had a game gear growing up, I felt Nintendo won me over 10-fold on handhelds and why I’d never spend the money upgrading a Game Gear over a Gameboy.
That being said, I effing love Tails’ Adventure.
@ChromaticDracula I relate to what you're saying. When there were Master System and Game Gear versions, the extra resolution on the Master System typically makes for a better experience. But I've heard of a number of GG games that people recommend, so there's probably a good number of games worth a look, even if they're not as well known. I know the two Shinobi games are widely praised and are unique to the system. I think those two are fantastic games worthy of the praise and worth playing if you like that type of game.
Had a game gear when was a kid
I times now love the battery lasted
got 5 minutes out of it 😜
don't remember the screen being blurry throw.
Good handheld just all ways Had to be by a socket 😂
I prefer the tiny handheld, and this isn't even trying to be that. The only problem I have with the Micro is it's only got a few games on it (and not sure about the battery life). The last thing I'd want is an overpriced full-sized Game Gear, I want the Game Gear Micro because it's cheap, small and cute and I can throw it in my pocket or maybe a keychain. The novelty of it is what's cool, otherwise, the library is okay, but it's still just an 8-bit console that's been emulated on every console imaginable and I don't think the games are worth paying $300 something for a system that just does that.
Nice but I already modded my Game Gear a long time ago with a better backlit screen, new capaciters, and longer battery life all for under $80.
@Not-Geno at coolest
Well, a system about half the size as the normal Game Gear, or maybe even a little smaller, would be about right for a Game Gear Mini imo.
Dang! I am IN LOVE with the gray one.
"Buuuuy me!"
Shut up, Gray! I've got more important things to spend my money on.
"No you don't!"
You're right.
But does it play Crysis?
The Game Gear micro still baffles me. Don't tell me the "it's for a different market, Japanese people are different" crap. They are still human beings. The thing is painfully too small. It's like playing a game on wrist watch.
Y'know, I don't really blame sega for their choice. I did buy a Game and Watch in 2020 with two games I already own on Virtual Console.
Well, it's not like there are many good Game Gear games that aren't already available on the (2/3)DS Virtual Console and/or don't have superior Genesis versions, anyway.
Ah, good to see game jornalism is still a bad joke with no punchline. You wouldn't happen to be getting paid off by these cheapskates would you Damien?
Game Gear felt like an oddity because most of the games were Master System Ports, this shortcoming is the main reason why I believe the Game Boy ultimately sold more.
I’ve finally ordered one ! Can’t wait to play it
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