Oh, I Had That: Sega GameGear

I was thrilled when I ran across this photo of me playing Sega GameGear at Christmas.

I loved my Sega Genesis. As much as I adore Nintendo now, and as much as I loved the NES, the Genesis still feels like the console of my youth. It seemed like it was marketed just for me and contained all the games I wanted to play.

A year or so after getting my Genesis, I discovered the Sega GameGear. I first saw it in a glass case at some store in the mall. It was the Sport edition, it was blue and had a TV tuner built in which sounded like the most amazing thing ever. I could watch TV on the go?!

So, as usual, my grandmother presented us with a Sears catalog for Christmas and I went to making my marks. All I wanted was the GameGear and my beloved MawMaw obliged. She presented me with the GameGear and a gift certificate for Best Buy where I prompted bought Super Star Wars and Beavis and Butthead to go along with my copy of Columns.

Someone gave me an old camera bag and that is how I transported my goods. For a few months, I carried it everywhere I went, and thankfully it either came with or someone bought me an AC adapter because the batteries did not last very long.

But to be honest, it wasn’t the easiest console to hold and my game choices could have been better. Sure, it blew my old Gameboy out of the water graphic-wise but when I was at home, I’d much prefer to reach for my Genesis controller than hold up this bulky handheld.

The GameGear goes down as one of those gifts that the anticipate was arguably better than the actual gift. Still, I enjoyed it for what it was and it made that Christmas quite magical.