Photo: Evan-Amos · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons
Bandai WonderSwan Color
Bandai · Released Dec 2000 · WSC
Bandai's Japan-only handheld, designed by Gunpei Yokoi, ran ~20 hours on a single AA and hosted excellent RPGs and Final Fantasy ports.
Pros
- +Around 20 hours on a single AA battery
- +Designed by Game Boy creator Gunpei Yokoi
- +Dual d-pads for vertical and horizontal play
- +Strong library of RPGs and Final Fantasy ports
Cons
- −Japan-only release
- −Mono sound through the speaker
- −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
- 121 x 75 x 24 mm
- Cooling
- Passive
Display
- Size
- 2.8″
- Resolution
- 224x144
- Panel
- Reflective colour LCD
- Refresh rate
- 75 Hz
- Touchscreen
- No
Battery & Connectivity
- Battery
- 1000 mAh
- Real-world life
- ~20 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 WonderSwan Color was a Japanese success built on cleverness: a single AA cell lasting around twenty hours, dual d-pads enabling both landscape and portrait play, and the design pedigree of Game Boy creator Gunpei Yokoi. It never left Japan officially, but its library of RPGs — including remade Final Fantasy titles — makes it a rewarding import for collectors.