WonderSwan Color

In December 2000, Bandai released a handheld game console in Japan known as the WonderSwan Color. The unit was the successor to the original monochrome WonderSwan , and although it was slightly larger and heavier (7 mm and 2 g), featured 64k of RAM and a larger colour LCD screen. The Wonderswan Color came in 5 basic colours: Crystal Black, Pearl Pink, Pearl Blue, Crystal Blue and Crystal Orange, with a number of limited edition colours also released.

After release, Bandai took approximately 8% of market share of handheld consoles in Japan, partly due to the console's low price of 6,800 Japanese yen (approximately £30), and partly due to a deal agreed with Squaresoft to port over the original Final Fantasy games with improved controls and graphics. Bandai released a number of limited edition Final Fantasy bundles, in which a Final Fantasy-themed console was sold with either Final Fantasy I or Final Fantasy II. The WonderSwan Color was also compatible with the original Wonder Swan library of games.

Specifications

Processor

• SPGY-1002, a 3.072 MHz 16-bit NEC V30MZ Clone

Memory

• 64Kbyte VRAM/WRAM (shared)

Video

• FSTN reflective LCD
• 2.8 inch (71 mm) diagonal
• No backlight
• Resolution: 224x144 pixels
• Colours: 241 out of 4096

Sound

• Built-in mono speaker or stereo with optional headphones adapter
• Three settings: mute, soft, loud

Link

• Two players (adapter needed)

Power

• One AA battery (20 hours of game play)

Size

• 128 x 74.3 x 24.3 mm

Weight

• 95 g (3.35 oz) including battery