Bandai SwanCrystal
Bandai · Released Jul 2002 · SwanCrystal (2002)
The final WonderSwan, with the line's best display — a low-blur colour TFT — and full backward compatibility with every WonderSwan game.
Pros
- +Best WonderSwan screen — a TFT panel with low motion blur
- +Backward compatible with all WonderSwan games
- +Long single-AA battery life
- +Sleek final-generation design
Cons
- −Japan-only release
- −Arrived late as the GBA dominated
- −Niche outside Japan
What can it play?
Emulation performance by platform, based on real-world testing.
Full specifications
Hardware
- Chipset (SoC)
- NEC V30 MZ
- CPU
- 16-bit NEC V30 MZ @ 3.072 MHz
- GPU
- Integrated 2D
- RAM
- 64 KB
- Storage
- Cartridge WonderSwan ROM cartridge
- Weight
- 95 g
- Dimensions
- 127 x 75 x 24 mm
- Cooling
- Passive
Display
- Size
- 2.8″
- Resolution
- 224x144
- Panel
- TFT colour LCD (low motion blur)
- Refresh rate
- 75 Hz
- Touchscreen
- No
Battery & Connectivity
- Battery
- 1000 mAh
- Real-world life
- ~18 hours
- Wi-Fi
- None
- Bluetooth
- None
- Ports
- Link cable, Headphone (adapter)
- Expandable storage
- No
Controls
- Analog sticks
- 0
- D-pad
- Yes
- Face buttons
- Yes
- Analog triggers
- No
- Gyroscope
- No
- Hall effect sticks
- No
Software & custom firmware
Ships with: None (cartridge-booted)
Also plays natively: WonderSwan Color cartridges, WonderSwan (mono) cartridges
No third-party custom firmware tracked for this device.
Our verdict
The SwanCrystal was Bandai's send-off for the WonderSwan family, upgrading to a TFT colour panel that fixed the earlier models' motion blur while keeping full backward compatibility and long single-AA battery life. It launched late, as the Game Boy Advance dominated, and never left Japan, but it is the most desirable WonderSwan to import for collectors who want the best screen.