Rivalries can bring out the best in us. Whether we’re talking comic book heroes, sports franchises, or personal grudges, not-so-friendly competition can inspire all sorts of feats and innovation. During the ‘90s, Sega and Nintendo were locked in an epic console battle for living room supremacy. So it’s only natural that when Nintendo launched the Game Boy and created a market for on-the-go gaming the team at Sega needed to respond.
When Sega unveiled the Game Gear on October 6, 1990, it was a deliberate, teeth-baring challenge to Nintendo’s Game Boy. Sega sold a story that ran a stark contrast against the Game Boy’s dull grey and green aesthetic. The Game Gear felt like a pocket-sized slice of the Genesis era. It had a backlit color screen, better ergonomics, and hardware that promised a clear technical edge. So what went wrong?
