When I was a kid, Sega were a huge force in console gaming. The Genesis/Mega Drive was all anyone could talk about, and the Game Gear battled the Game Boy button-to-button (and single-handedly kept the battery business going). Since the Dreamcast in 1998/99, however, they've dipped off the console scene altogether, bar releasing their Mega Drive Mini consoles in 2019 and 2022.
Ok, there's LEGO too if we're really getting down to the nitty gritty, but I'm talking about consoles that actually play games today, and it sounds like we might be about to get another handheld that focuses on classic games.
The chatter comes from Reddit. Now, I know what you're thinking, and yes, this should all be taken with a pinch of salt for now. We're stepping into the realms of conjecture, but the information does come from a specialist electronics manufacturer that works in 'niche-embedded' stuff, so perhaps that gives it some extra weight?
A user by the name of SeraphHS has writted that his company has received a request for quotation on a low-cost gaming handheld. The request has come from a company who have previously created licensed Sega hardware in the past, naming the Genesis Mini as one of the products. They go on to say that it's 'not Sega directly but definitely in that orbit, think Tectoy, AtGames, etc.'
Are we looking at a new iteration of the Game Gear, by any chance?
This low-cost gaming handheld is rumoured to have:
- A low-power ARM processor
- A 5" OLED panel which will be the priciest part of the build. According to SeraphHS, it's the same form factor as the PS Vita.
- Limited storage, and no mention of 3D acceleration.
The cart design element is what has the internet getting themost excited, however. 'Looks like low-capacity industrial eMMC modules,' says SeraphHS. As we know, these are easily picked up and haven't had prices skyrocket in recent months due to the AI memory price inflation.
So, we've got a handheld that has low internal memory playing easily obtainable cartridges designed to play 2D games. To me, this screams a modern Game Gear for modern games, with Sega, or a company Sega is affiliated with, doing the same thing as ModRetro and perhaps creating the ultimate Game Gear and releasing both new and classic games on cartridges for players to enjoy.
The Reddit post itself has 'Grain of Salt' under the title, and SeraphHS also adds that, 'We often see pitches like this that never end up going anywhere but I would put money on this being from Sega...'. Still, with all of the hype with Analogue and ModRetro remaking the N64 and the success of the Analogue Pocket and ModRetro Chromatic, I wouldn't be surprised if Sega fancied throwing their hat into the ring with a new Game Gear.
Perhaps Hyperkin have also had something to do with this after the recent announcements that their Mega95 is still in the works. Perhaps Sega have adopted the mindset of, 'anything you can do, I can do better,' and want to beat them to the punch? As soon as I find out more, I'll let you know!
