The WonderSwan is a handheld game console created by Bandai in Japan. It was developed with help from Gunpei Yokoi’s company, Koto Laboratory, and was the last hardware project Yokoi worked on before he passed away in 1997. Released in March 1999 during the sixth generation of video game consoles, the WonderSwan had two improved versions: the WonderSwan Color and SwanCrystal. Bandai stopped making the console in 2003, and no version was sold outside Japan during its time.
The WonderSwan used a 16-bit processor, which made it more powerful and less expensive than similar 8-bit devices like Nintendo’s Game Boy Color and SNK’s Neo Geo Pocket Color. It also had long battery life from one AA battery. Later models added color to the screen for better visuals. A special feature was its ability to be played in both vertical and horizontal positions. The console had a unique collection of games, including many based on popular anime shows, and was supported by companies like Squaresoft, Namco, Capcom, and Banpresto.
In total, all versions of the WonderSwan sold about 3.5 million units. At its best, it held up to 8% of the Japanese handheld gaming market. However, it was eventually outperformed by Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance. Even though it did not sell as well as some competitors, the WonderSwan is often recognized for its creative design and its role in challenging Nintendo’s leadership in handheld gaming.
History
Bandai was founded in 1950 by Naoharu Yamashina. At first, the company made toy cars and plastic models. Later, it became a major toy company by licensing popular anime characters, beginning with Tetsuwan Atomu in 1963. In the 1970s, Bandai made LCD games based on TV shows and dedicated game consoles. In 1982, the company released the Intellivision in Japan. In 1985, Bandai became one of the first third-party licensees on the Family Computer. The company’s most successful electronic game was the Tamagotchi virtual pet, first released in 1996. In 1997, Bandai planned to merge with Sega to form Sega Bandai Ltd. However, the merger was canceled suddenly. Bandai’s board of directors decided to stop the merger less than a week after approving it. Sega agreed to accept Bandai’s decision during an emergency meeting. Bandai’s president, Makoto Yamashina, took responsibility for failing to gain support for the merger. As a result, Bandai continued operating independently.
Engineer Gunpei Yokoi created the Game Boy handheld system for Nintendo. After the failure of the Virtual Boy, he left Nintendo in 1996 to start his own engineering firm, Koto Laboratory. Bandai then asked Yokoi to create the WonderSwan to compete with the Game Boy. Yokoi helped develop the handheld, but he died in a car accident in 1997 before it was released.
The WonderSwan was officially introduced in Tokyo on October 8, 1998. Bandai named the system to highlight its design and technical features, as swans are known for their elegance and strength. The company promised a 30-hour battery life, a low price, and a launch lineup of about 50 games.
The WonderSwan was released on March 4, 1999, and came in nine casing colors: pearl white, skeleton green, silver metallic, skeleton pink, blue metallic, skeleton blue, skeleton black, camouflage, and gold. Three limited two-tone models were also released in frozen mint, sherbet melon, and soda blue. These colors were chosen through an online poll on Bandai’s website. The metallic and pearl white models were later discontinued to make room for the special editions. Despite Nintendo’s release of the Game Boy Color five months earlier, Bandai believed the WonderSwan and its monochromatic FSTN display would succeed because the original black-and-white Game Boy had outperformed color-screen competitors like the Game Gear and Atari Lynx due to its battery life and strong game library. The WonderSwan was also cheaper than its competition, priced at ¥4,800. In 2000, Bandai signed an agreement with Mattel to bring the WonderSwan to North America, but ultimately decided not to release it there. The exact reason is unknown, but the crowded handheld market was suggested as a factor.
Later that year, Bandai announced the WonderSwan Color, which included a passive matrix FSTN color screen while remaining compatible with the original WonderSwan. It was released in Japan on December 9, 2000, and came in pearl blue, pearl pink, crystal black, crystal blue, and crystal orange. The launch was moderately successful, with the system selling 270,632 units in under a month. However, Nintendo later released the Game Boy Advance, which had better hardware. The WonderSwan Color was still cheaper, priced at ¥6,800 compared to the Advance’s ¥9,800. Despite reaching 8% of Japan’s handheld market share, the WonderSwan’s sales declined after the Game Boy Advance was released in March 2001.
In 2002, Bandai released a redesigned version of the WonderSwan Color called SwanCrystal, priced at ¥7,800, ¥1,000 less than the Game Boy Advance. Bandai again held a poll to choose casing colors, and the system was released in blue violet, wine red, crystal blue, and crystal black. Despite its lower price and improved TFT LCD screen, the SwanCrystal could not compete with other systems. Bandai discontinued the WonderSwan line in 2003 due to low demand and stopped producing video game hardware entirely. In total, the WonderSwan sold 3.5 million units, including 1.55 million original WonderSwan units and at least 1.1 million WonderSwan Color units.
Technical specifications
The main CPU of the WonderSwan is a 16-bit NEC V30 MZ, a type of processor similar to the Intel 8086. The original model’s screen can display up to 16 shades of gray (up to 8 at the same time), compared to the 4 shades shown by its main competitor, the Game Boy. Like the Atari Lynx, the WonderSwan has extra buttons that allow the console to be played at different angles. These buttons let players use the device in both portrait and landscape orientations. The WonderSwan series uses a single AA battery. The original monochrome version had a battery life of 40 hours. It also allows players to enter personal information, such as their name, birth date, and blood type, which games can use. The LCD screen is 2.49 inches (6.3 cm) and has a resolution of 224 × 144. The sound system includes four wavetable channels, each capable of playing 32-sample, 4-bit sounds at adjustable volume and pitch levels. The second channel can play 8-bit unsigned PCM samples, the third can use hardware sweep, and the fourth can produce LFSR-based noise.
The WonderSwan Color measures 12.8 by 7.43 by 2.43 centimeters (5.04 in × 2.93 in × 0.96 in), slightly larger than the original WonderSwan, and weighs 96 grams (3.4 oz). Its CPU runs at 3.072 MHz and includes 512 kilobits of RAM, shared between video RAM and work RAM. The screen can display up to 241 colors from a palette of 4096 and show up to 32 sprites per line. It can play games from earlier WonderSwan models. Its LCD screen is larger, measuring 2.9 inches (7.4 cm). The WonderSwan Color has a battery life of about 20 hours. The SwanCrystal improved on the WonderSwan Color by using a TFT LCD monitor, which responds faster than the FSTN monitor in earlier models. This reduced motion blur in graphics. The SwanCrystal’s case was also redesigned to be more durable. Its battery life is approximately 15 hours. Original WonderSwan cartridges were black, while WonderSwan Color cartridges were clear. Games from the original WonderSwan would not show additional colors on the WonderSwan Color and would remain in grayscale.
Several features and accessories were made for the WonderSwan. The WonderWitch is a software development kit for amateur programmers, released by Qute Corporation. It cost ¥11,800 and allows games to be created using the C programming language. An adapter was made to connect headphones to the device, as the WonderSwan lacks a headphone port. A remote-controlled robot called the WonderBorg can be controlled using the handheld. The WonderSwan can also connect to a PocketStation, a memory card for the PlayStation console, through a device called the WonderWave. The WonderSwan and later models could connect to the internet using a mobile phone network.
Game library
Koto Laboratories states that the WonderSwan sold 10 million game cartridges in total. When creating games for the WonderSwan, Bandai used help from several developers. Banpresto, which was partly owned by Bandai at the time, supported the system by using anime licenses and offering games. Namco and Capcom also made games for the handheld. Squaresoft remade Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy II, and Final Fantasy IV for the WonderSwan, and these games later appeared on the Game Boy Advance. Taito brought popular versions of games like Space Invaders and Densha de Go! to the system. Bandai added its own games, including exclusive titles from the Digimon and Gundam series. To compete with Tetris, Gunpei Yokoi created a puzzle game for the system, which was later named Gunpey in his honor. A follow-up game called Gunpey EX was released with the WonderSwan Color. Some games made using the WonderWitch kit, such as Judgement Silversword, were also highly praised.
Support for the WonderSwan was not very strong. While some well-known third-party developers made games for the console, most publishers continued to focus only on Nintendo's handhelds. The departure of Squaresoft as a developer and its return to Nintendo is considered a reason for the WonderSwan's declining sales later on. After the WonderSwan was discontinued in 2003, several developers moved WonderSwan games to the Game Boy Advance.
Reception
The WonderSwan sold 3.5 million units but captured only 8% of the market share in Japan. It was eventually outperformed by Nintendo's Game Boy Advance. The Game Boy Advance had a bright, colorful screen and a large collection of games, which helped Nintendo dominate the handheld console market in Japan until Sony released the PlayStation Portable in 2004.
Looking back, some people praise the WonderSwan for its achievements but describe it as a "niche" device that appealed to only a small group of gamers. Jeremy Parish from USgamer says the WonderSwan reflects the design ideas of Gunpei Yokoi and notes that it had a small effect on the market. He believes Bandai's lack of success was due to poor timing and a weak strategy, not flaws in the device itself. Parish also suggests that the WonderSwan was not released in North America because there was little demand for another niche portable system from Japan.
Luke Plunkett from Kotaku says the WonderSwan challenged Nintendo by trying unique and interesting ideas, and it competed more strongly than most other handhelds. Kim Wild from Retro Gamer points out some problems with the WonderSwan, such as the absence of a headphone and AC port, a control setup that was difficult for left-handed users, and the inability to play multiplayer games with the headphone adapter connected. However, Wild also says that Bandai's achievements with the WonderSwan were impressive, especially considering the competition, and that its low price makes it worth considering today.