Test of Time: How well old handhelds hold up

I collect video game systems. I love the classic games, because I grew up with them. I always had a special place in my heart for the handheld systems, because I’m an only child, which meant being carted to events where I would be the only person under 30.

A few times a year, I’ll enjoy a retro weekend. This past weekend I decided I would spend some quality time with my Game Gear. Imagine my shock when it would only play one game – Sonic the Hedgehog. This discovery prompted a bit of informal research – just how well were my portable systems holding up? I decided to spend some serious time playing my Game Boy, Game Gear, Game Boy Color, Sega Nomad and Neo Geo Pocket Color to see if they were aging well. The results gave me a newfound appreciation for Nintendo.

System: Game Boy
Maker: Nintendo
Date manufactured/purchased: sometime in 1989
Original price: $89.99
Background: The original Nintendo Game Boy, affectionately referred to as the brick, has got to be one of the most durable consoles ever created. My parents bought me my Game Boy brick from a Sears Outlet store in 1989, when I was in kindergarten. I loved it, even though the only games I had initially were Tetris, Alleyway and Super Mario Land.
Care: After I received a Game Boy Color, I abandoned my Game Boy brick. My dad was given full custody of the system. He takes fairly good care of it, but it has been sat on a few times and fallen off of a couple of end tables.
Current system status: My dad still has my old brick. He still plays Tetris all the time. The system is in perfect condition
Current game status: Every single Game Boy game I have tried has worked. Not only that, but they all work perfectly in the original brick, the Game Boy Color and the Game Boy Advance.
Mortality: I think the world could end, and all that would be left behind are cockroaches playing Game Boy bricks. Don’t believe me? The Nintendo World Store has a Game Boy on display which survived being bombed in the 1990-1991 Gulf War and still works.

System: Game Gear
Maker: Sega
Date manufactured/purchased: 1991, but mine was purchased sometime near the end of 1992
Original price: $149.99
Background: I received my Game Gear as a gift – my mom purchased it at one of those warehouse club places. At the time, it worked perfectly. I really loved that system, and relished the games I was able to convince family and friends to purchase as gifts. After all, that was the time period when video games based on Disney movies didn’t suck.
Care: My Game Gear was carefully stored in my closet. All of the games were in the plastic protective cases. Batteries were removed from the system prior to storage so they wouldn’t corrode. The system was kept in a fabric case and placed on top, to prevent being crushed. Nothing was placed on top of the box.
Current system status: My system has decided that the pinnacle of portable gaming was Sonic the Hedgehog, and refuses to play any other cartridges. It is a bit more agreeable when it comes to the TV tuner peripheral. The screen also is a bit buggy – it isn’t as sharp and crisp as it was way back when. Something is also wrong with the sound or speakers, everything sounds far more shrill than it should.
Current game status: Sonic the Hedgehog works for sure. I borrowed a friend’s Game Gear to test some of my other games. I tested ten other titles – Columns, Ristar, Sonic Chaos, Chuck Rock, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, X-Men: Gamesmasters Legacy, Donald Duck: The Lucky Dime Caper, Psychic World, Fantasy Zone and Shining Force: The Sword of Haiya. Seven of the ten worked perfectly, but Chuck Rock, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Donald Duck: The Lucky Dime Caper just wouldn’t work.
Mortality: My system has one foot in the grave, and is gradually easing itself in for a long nap. Its a shame, because I really did love the titles available. Of course, the games also seem to be expiring as well, so maybe it is for the best.

Sega Nomad
Maker: Sega
Date manufactured/purchased: 1995, I think I got one around 1996~1997
Original price: $179.99
Background: I betrayed Nintendo originally, and begged my grandpa for a Sega Genesis rather than an SNES. Imagine my delight when I learned that the Genesis games I had become fond of could be played anywhere thanks to the Nomad! I don’t remember when or how I got one, I just know that sometime after they came out I ended up getting one. The Nomad did have one flaw – the battery case. I think it was held on by wishful thinking.
Care: Like the Game Gear, it was kept in a box with the games. It was in a protective case, and all the games were inside their boxes to keep them safe and protected.
Current system status: It fared a bit better than the Game Gear. The screen doesn’t seem as bright and crisp, but it will play the games. The battery case won’t stay on at all now. The system must always be played with the AC cord. The sound doesn’t seem to sound the same as well. It makes me glad I have the Sega Genesis Collection for my PSP.
Current game status: Most of the games I’ve tried still work. I picked out 10 random titles, and all 10 worked. The only issue I had was with Phantasy Star 2 – the save function is broken.
Mortality: It might survive another 10~15 years, but the Game Gear is fairly telling. I don’t think it will survive another 20 years.

Game Boy Color
Maker: Nintendo
Date manufactured/purchased: 1998
Original price: $79.99
Background: I honestly don’t remember when I got my Game Boy Color, I just know it was the purple see-through one. I probably got it when it first came out – that was the trend with me and Game Boy systems. I mainly used it to play Game Boy games, because there weren’t many Game Boy Color games I enjoyed.
Care: Its in a duffel bag, in a zip-lock bag, with my Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. It also lives in my closet with my Nomad and Game Gear, and usually the bag is on top of one of those boxes.
Current system status: It works perfectly. The screen quality is excellent. It works the same way it did when it was new.
Current game status: Same as the system – every single game I try works perfectly.
Mortality: It’ll probably last as long as the Game Boy bricks. The roaches will be fighting for turns with the Color system, and the losers will resort to the brick systems.

Neo Geo Pocket Color
Maker: SNK
Date manufactured/purchased: 1999, I got one of the 2003 repackaged ones with games
Original price: $69.99
Background: I bought the Neo Geo Pocket color because it was cheap and came with games. I was at an EB Games and saw it was like $30 for a system and three games, so I figured why not get it. (I’m a packrat when it comes to video game systems.) I then went online and bought up a slew of cheap import and domestic games.
Care: I keep it in an old purse. The Neo Geo Pocket color is in a plastic bag and the games are all in their plastic cases.
Current system status: It works perfectly. In fact, it works as well as the Game Boy and Game Boy Color. Of course it isn’t that old – only about five years.
Current game status: The games all work really well, of course they’re all between five and seven years old, so why shouldn’t they?
Mortality: So far it seems like the Neo Geo Pocket Color is in it for the long haul, but we’ll only know for sure in about five more years.

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