History Platform / WonderSwan

*** ''[[VideoGame/RockmanEXEWS Rockman.EXE WS]]''

*** ''Rockman.EXE WS''

The original model ended up selling well even when going up against the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor, but Bandai still felt pressured to release a revision a year into the system's life. The aptly-named [=WonderSwan=] Color isn't a huge leap outside of adding color, but the original model was already more powerful than the GBC and didn't really need the extra horsepower. Similar to its competition, [=WonderSwan=] Color exclusive games are identifiable by their translucent cartridges. Unlike the GBC, the [=WonderSwan=] Color is unable to overlay color on the original model's games. The [=WonderSwan=] Color did have half the battery life of the original, though 20 hours off of one AA battery meant it was still appealing and it also sold well. The system got one last ProductFacelift with the [=SwanCrystal=] in 2002, which employs a TFT screen in place of the previous models' LCD screen. This version didn't do the same numbers as the previous models, especially since the Game Boy Advance was already out by its release.

The initial [=WonderSwan=] was monochrome like the original Game Boy, though it displayed in eight shades of gray compared to the Game Boy's four to allow more detail. Similar to the UsefulNotes/AtariLynx, it also had extra buttons that allowed it to be played in both landscape and portrait orientations. While the Lynx employed extra face buttons to achieve this, the [=WonderSwan=] went with extra directional buttons, giving it far more flexibility with portrait mode due to the D-pad being fractured instead of solid (i.e. more like a [=PlayStation DualShock=] D-pad and less like the D-pads found on Nintendo's various controllers) and generally being more comfortable to hold. Unusually, the [=WonderSwan=]'s screen has a refresh rate of 75 Hz (NTSC screens refresh at 60 Hz while PAL screens refresh at 50 Hz), allowing games to have more fluid motion than on most other platforms of its time.[[note]]This can be clearly seen when playing ''Cardinal Sins: VideoGame/JudgementSilversword Recycle Edition''. The game features an in-game timer with a sub-seconds digit that only goes up to 74, rather than 99 for centiseconds or 59 for frames on a 60 Hz screen.[[/note]]

The initial [=WonderSwan=] was monochrome like the original Game Boy, though it displayed in eight shades of gray compared to the Game Boy's four to allow more detail. Similar to the UsefulNotes/AtariLynx, it also had extra buttons that allowed it to be played in both landscape and portrait orientations. While the Lynx employed extra face buttons to achieve this, the [=WonderSwan=] went with extra directional buttons, giving it far more flexibility with portrait mode due to the D-pad being fractured instead of solid (i.e. more like a [=PlayStation DualShock=] D-pad and less like the D-pads found on Nintendo's various controllers) and generally being more comfortable to hold.

Unlike previous non-Nintendo handhelds, the [=WonderSwan=] had some proper first- and third-party support with a good selection of unique games. Bandai already owned ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' -- a series similar to Nintendo's ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' and just as suited for handheld gaming -- and used their connections to Banpresto to secure a number of lucrative anime licenses. The system also received games from Creator/{{Capcom}}, Namco (whom Bandai would eventually merge with), and [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]] (who at the time were fresh off their bridge-burning with Nintendo over the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64, which extended into an inability to contribute to the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor's library). The [=WonderSwan=] notably got a couple ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' games, the first remakes of ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games, and a port of ''VideoGame/RomancingSaGa''.

The [=WonderSwan=] was a decent success, selling about 3.5 million units over its lifetime and holding about 8% of Japan's handheld market share at its peak. It's believed that the initial success of the [=WonderSwan=] Color in particular gave Nintendo enough of a fright to release the Game Boy Advance so quickly on the heels of the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor. Whether that's true or not, the GBA did succeed at killing the [=WonderSwan=] by reasserting Nintendo's complete dominance of the handheld space. The [=WonderSwan=] was officially discontinued in 2003 when it was clear that there was no way it could recover, though many of its games lived on by being ported to the GBA.

* ''VideoGame/JudgementSilversword''

* ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo Tsu''

** ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsCompact2''

The '''[=WonderSwan=]''' was [[Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment Bandai]]'s entrant into the handheld console market in Japan and the final brainchild of Creator/GunpeiYokoi, father of the UsefulNotes/GameBoy, released posthumously in 1999. Visually, it looks like somebody crossed an iMac of the era (Bondi Blue!) with a UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, and had a variety of system colors available.

The initial [=WonderSwan=] was monochrome like the original Game Boy, though it displayed in eight shades of gray compared to the Game Boy's four to allow more detail. The first model ended up selling well even when going up against the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor, but Bandai still felt pressured to release a revision a year into the system's life. The aptly-named [=WonderSwan=] Color isn't a huge leap outside of adding color, but the original model was already more powerful than the GBC and didn't really need the extra horsepower. The [=WonderSwan=] Color did have half the battery life of the original, though 20 hours off of one AA battery meant it was still appealing and it also sold well. The system got one last ProductFacelift with the [=SwanCrystal=] in 2002, which employs a TFT screen in place of the previous models' LCD screen. This version didn't do the same numbers as the previous models, especially since the Game Boy Advance was already out by its release.

Similar to the UsefulNotes/AtariLynx, the [=WonderSwan=] has extra buttons that allow it to be played in both landscape and portrait orientations. While the Lynx employed extra face buttons to achieve this, the [=WonderSwan=] went with extra directional buttons, giving it far more flexibility with portrait mode due to the D-pad being fractured instead of solid (i.e. more like a [=PlayStation DualShock=] D-pad and less like the D-pads found on Nintendo's various controllers) and generally being more comfortable to hold.

While the [=WonderSwan=] never released outside of Japan, it is known that Bandai signed a deal with Creator/{{Mattel}} in 2000 to distribute it in North America. The deal fell apart with no official explanation ever given, though it's very likely that Mattel saw the upcoming release of the Game Boy Advance, read the writing on the wall, and pulled out.

The [=WonderSwan=] was a decent success, selling about 3.5 million units over its lifetime and holding about 8% of Japan's handheld market share at its peak. It's believed that the initial success of the [=WonderSwan=] Color in particular gave Nintendo enough of a fright to release the Game Boy Advance so quickly on the heels of the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor. Whether that's true or not, the GBA did succeed at killing the [=WonderSwan=] by reasserting Nintendo's complete dominance of the handheld space. The system was officially discontinued in 2003 when it was clear that there was no way it could recover, though many of its games lived on by being ported to the GBA.

Unlike previous non-Nintendo handhelds, the [=WonderSwan=] was able to fill out its library with a good selection of unique games. Bandai already owned ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' -- a series similar to Nintendo's ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' and just as suited for handheld gaming -- and used their connections to Banpresto to secure a number of lucrative anime licenses. The system also received decent third-party support from Creator/{{Capcom}}, Namco (whom Bandai would eventually merge with), and [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]] (who at the time were fresh off their bridge-burning with Nintendo over the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64, which extended into an inability to contribute to the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor's library). The [=WonderSwan=] notably got a few ''Franchise/MegaMan'' games and the first remakes of ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games.

The initial [=WonderSwan=] was monochrome like the original Game Boy, though it displayed in eight shades of gray compared to the Game Boy's four to allow more detail. The first model ended up selling well even when going up against the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor, but Bandai still felt pressured to release a revision a year into the system's life. The aptly-named [=WonderSwan=] Color isn't a huge leap outside of adding color, but the original model was already more powerful than the GBC and didn't really need more horsepower. The [=WonderSwan=] Color did have half the battery life of the original, though 20 hours off of one AA battery meant it was still appealing and it also sold well. The system got one last ProductFacelift with the [=SwanCrystal=] in 2002, which employs a TFT screen in place of the previous models' LCD screen. This version didn't sell particularly well, especially since the Game Boy Advance was already out by its release.

Similar to the UsefulNotes/AtariLynx, the [=WonderSwan=] has extra buttons that allow it to be played in both landscape and portrait orientations. While the Lynx employed extra face buttons to achieve this, the [=WonderSwan=] went with extra directional buttons, giving it far more flexibility with portrait mode due to the D-pad being fractured instead of solid (so more like a [=PlayStation DualShock=] D-pad and less like the D-pads found on Nintendo's various controllers) and generally being more comfortable to hold.

Unlike previous non-Nintendo handhelds, the [=WonderSwan=] was able to fill out its library with a good selection of unique games. Bandai already owned ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' -- a series suited for handheld gaming -- and used their connections to Banpresto to secure a number of lucrative anime licenses. The system also received decent third-party support from Creator/{{Capcom}}, Namco (whom Bandai would eventually merge with), and [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]] (who at the time were fresh off their bridge-burning with Nintendo over the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64, which extended into a refusal to contribute to the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor's library). The [=WonderSwan=] notably got a few ''Franchise/MegaMan'' games and the first remakes of ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games.

The [=WonderSwan=] was a decent success, selling about 3.5 million units over its lifetime and holding about 8% of Japan's handheld market share at its peak. It's believed that the initial success of the [=WonderSwan=] Color in particular gave Nintendo enough of a fright to release the Game Boy Advance so quickly on the heels of the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor. Whether that's true or not, the GBA did succeed at killing the [=WonderSwan=] by reasserting Nintendo's dominance in the handheld space. The system was officially discontinued in 2003 when it was clear that there was no way it could recover, though many of its games lived on by being ported to the GBA.

Yokoi had left Creator/{{Nintendo}} in 1996 and wanted to do something different in the game business. After starting Koto Laboratory he was quickly contacted by Bandai, who sought his help to make hardware to enter the handheld gaming business. Though Yokoi died in 1997 before the [=WonderSwan=] was finished, he laid the groundwork for the new system and imbued it with his successful Game Boy design paradigm of small size, inexpensive cost and high battery life; the original model lasted 40 hours off a single AA battery for the shockingly low price of ¥4800 (the equivalent of $42 at the time). In the end Yokoi's last creation [[NoExportForYou never left Japan]] and was discontinued in 2003 in the face of the Game Boy Advance's domination.

The system gave Nintendo a run for their money in the Japanese portable market, so much so that it's believed that the initial success of the [=WonderSwan=] Color gave the Big N enough of a fright to release the Game Boy Advance so quickly on the heels of the Game Boy Color.

Unlike previous non-Nintendo handhelds, the [=WonderSwan=] was able to fill out its library with a good selection of unique games. Bandai already owned ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' -- a series suited for handheld gaming -- and used their connections to Banpresto to secure a number of lucrative anime licenses. The system also received decent third-party support from Creator/{{Capcom}}, Namco(whom Bandai would eventually merge with), and [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]] (who at the time were fresh off their bridge-burning with Nintendo over the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64, which extended into a refusal to contribute to the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor's library). The [=WonderSwan=] notably got a few ''Franchise/MegaMan'' games and the first remakes of ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games.

Unlike previous non-Nintendo handhelds, the [=WonderSwan=] was able to fill out its library with a good selection of unique games. Bandai already owned ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' -- a series suited for handheld gaming -- and used their connections to Banpresto to secure a number of lucrative anime licenses. The system also received decent third-party support from Creator/{{Capcom}}, Namco, and [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]] (who at the time were fresh off their bridge-burning with Nintendo over the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64, which extended into a refusal to contribute to the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor's library). The [=WonderSwan=] notably got a few ''Franchise/MegaMan'' games and the first remakes of ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games.

Unlike previous non-Nintendo handhelds, the [=WonderSwan=] was able to fill out its library with a good selection of unique games. Bandai already owned ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' -- a series already suited for handheld gaming -- and used their connections to Banpresto to secure a number of lucrative anime licenses. The system also received decent third-party support from Creator/{{Capcom}}, Namco, and [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]] (who at the time were fresh off their bridge-burning with Nintendo over the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64, which extended into a refusal to contribute to the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor's library). The [=WonderSwan=] notably got a few ''Franchise/MegaMan'' games and the first remakes of ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games.

* ''VideoGame/{{Beatmania}}''

Unlike previous non-Nintendo handhelds, the [=WonderSwan=] was able to fill out its library with a good selection of unique games. Bandai already owned ''Digimon'' -- a series already suited for handheld gaming -- and used their connections to Banpresto to secure a number of lucrative anime licenses. The system also received decent third-party support from Creator/{{Capcom}}, Namco, and [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]]. The [=WonderSwan=] notably got a few ''Franchise/MegaMan'' games and the first remakes of ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games.

The system gave Nintendo a run for their money in the Japanese portable market, so much so that it's believed that the initial success of the [=WonderSwan=] Color gave the Big N enough of a fright to release the Game Boy Advance so quickly on the heels of the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor.

** ''VideoGame/MakaiToshiSaGa''

Similar to the UsefulNotes/AtariLynx, the [=WonderSwan=] has extra buttons that allow it to be played in both landscape and portrait orientations. While the Lynx employed extra face buttons to achieve this, the [=WonderSwan=] went with extra directional buttons, giving it far more flexibility with portrait mode due to the D-pad being fractured instead of solid (so more like a [=PlayStation DualShock=] D=pad and less like the D-pads found on Nintendo's various controllers)and generally being more comfortable to hold.

The '''[=WonderSwan=]''' was [[Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment Bandai]]'s entrant into the handheld console market in Japan and the final brainchild of Creator/GunpeiYokoi, father of the UsefulNotes/GameBoy, released posthumously in 1999. Visually, it looks like somebody crossed an iMac of the era (Bondi Blue!) with a UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, and had a variety of system colors available. Like the UsefulNotes/AtariLynx, it can be played in both horizontal and vertical orientations. Originally a monochromatic screen handheld (with eight shades of gray comapred to the Game Boy's four), it eventually got a color revision with the [=WonderSwan=] Color and a further ProductFacelift with the [=SwanCrystal=], which employs a TFT screen in place of the previous models' LCD screen.

Yokoi had retired from Creator/{{Nintendo}} in 1996 and wanted to do something different in the game business. After starting Koto Laboratory he was quickly contacted by Bandai, who sought his help to enter the handheld gaming business. Though Yokoi died in 1997 before the [=WonderSwan=] was finished, he laid the groundwork for the new system and imbued it with his successful Game Boy design paradigm of small size, inexpensive cost and high battery life; the original model lasted 40 hours off a single AA battery for the shockingly low price of ¥4800 (the equivalent of $42 at the time). In the end Yokoi's last creation [[NoExportForYou never left Japan]] and was discontinued in 2003 in the face of the Game Boy Advance's domination.

Yokoi had retired from Creator/{{Nintendo}} in 1996 and wanted to do something different in the game business. After starting Koto Laboratory he was quickly contacted by Bandai, who wanted his help to enter the handheld gaming business. Though Yokoi died in 1997 before the [=WonderSwan=] was finished, he laid the groundwork for the new system and imbued it with his successful Game Boy design paradigm of small size, inexpensive cost and high battery life; the original model lasted 40 hours off a single AA battery for the shockingly low price of ¥4800 (the equivalent of $42 at the time). In the end Yokoi's last creation [[NoExportForYou never left Japan]] and was discontinued in 2003 in the face of the Game Boy Advance's domination.

Unlike previous non-Nintendo handhelds, the [=WonderSwan=] was able to fill out its library with a good selection of unique games. (The Game Gear may have had a bigger library, but it was heavily supported by UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem ports.) Bandai themselves already owned ''Digimon'' -- a series already suited for handheld gaming -- and used their connections to Banpresto to secure a number of lucrative anime licenses. The system also received decent third-party support from Creator/{{Capcom}}, Namco, and [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]]. The [=WonderSwan=] notably got a few ''Franchise/MegaMan'' games and the first remakes of ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games.

Unlike previous non-Nintendo handhelds, the [=WonderSwan=] was able to fill out its library with a good selection of unique games. (The Game Gear may have had a bigger library, but it was heavily supported by UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem ports.) Bandai themselves already owned ''Digimon'' -- a series already suited for handheld gaming -- and used their connections to Banpresto to secure a number of lucrative anime licenses. The system also received decent third-party support from Creator/{{Capcom}}, Namco, and [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]], with the latter even providing several remakes of ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games.

Unlike previous non-Nintendo handhelds, the [=WonderSwan=] was able to fill out its library with a good selection of unique games. (The Game Gear may have had a bigger library, but it was heavily supported by UsefulNotes/MasterSystem ports.) Bandai themselves already owned ''Digimon'' -- a series already suited for handheld gaming -- and used their connections to Banpresto to secure a number of lucrative anime licenses. The system also received decent third-party support from Creator/{{Capcom}}, Namco, and [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]], with the latter even providing several remakes of ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games.

The system gave Nintendo a run for their money in the Japanese portable market, even courting some impressive third-party support from the likes of Creator/{{Capcom}}, Namco, and [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]]. It's believed that the initial success of the [=WonderSwan=] Color gave the Big N enough of a fright to release the Game Boy Advance so quickly on the heels of the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor.

Yokoi had recently retired from Creator/{{Nintendo}} and wanted to do something different in the game business. He left for Bandai in order to get it off the ground, and imbued it with his successful Game Boy design paradigm of size, cost and battery life; the original model lasted 30 hours off a single AA battery for the shockingly low price of ¥4800 (the equivalent of $42 at the time). Unfortunately, after Yokoi's untimely death in a car crash in 1997, the project lost a great deal of momentum... at a point when Nintendo was releasing the Game Boy Advance, which eclipsed the [=WonderSwan=] family quite quickly. In the end Yokoi's last creation [[NoExportForYou never left Japan]] and was discontinued in 2003 in the face of the Game Boy Advance's domination.

Yokoi had recently retired from Creator/{{Nintendo}} and wanted to do something different in the game business. He left for Bandai in order to get it off the ground, and imbued it with his successful Game Boy design paradigm of size, cost and battery life; the original model lasted 30 hours off a single AA battery for the whopping price of ¥4800. Unfortunately, after Yokoi's untimely death in a car crash in 1997, the project lost a great deal of momentum... at a point when Nintendo was releasing the Game Boy Advance, which eclipsed the [=WonderSwan=] family quite quickly. In the end Yokoi's last creation [[NoExportForYou never left Japan]] and was discontinued in 2003 in the face of the Game Boy Advance's domination.

The system gave Nintendo a run for their money in the Japanese portable market, even courting some substantial third-party support from the likes of Creator/{{Capcom}}, Namco, and [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]]. It's believed that the initial success of the [=WonderSwan=] Color gave the Big N enough of a fright to release the Game Boy Advance so quickly on the heels of the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor.

The system gave Nintendo a run for their money in the Japanese portable market; indeed, it's believed that the success of the [=WonderSwan=] Color gave the Big N enough of a fright to release the Game Boy Advance so quickly on the heels of the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor.