WonderSwan Games — Gunpei Yokoi’s Final Console
The WonderSwan, released in Japan in March 1999 by Bandai, was designed by Gunpei Yokoi — the legendary Nintendo engineer who had created the Game Boy, Metroid, and Donkey Kong — working through his company Koto Laboratory after leaving Nintendo following the Virtual Boy’s failure. The WonderSwan used a NEC V30MZ processor at 3.072 MHz and featured a unique design that could be held both horizontally and vertically, with buttons on both orientations allowing different gameplay styles.
The WonderSwan was a Japan-only release that achieved genuine commercial success domestically — its low price point, excellent battery life (one AA battery for approximately 40 hours), and strong software support from Japanese publishers including Square (who released Final Fantasy I, II, IV, and an original WonderSwan game) made it a credible Game Boy Color competitor in Japan. The WonderSwan Color (2000) added a colour display. Gunpei Yokoi did not live to see his final console’s success — he died in a traffic accident in October 1997, two years before its launch.
Tietokonemuseo Ata’s games:
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Mobile Suit Gundam MSVS CIB