13 Portable Console Innovations Changing How We Play Anywhere

3. Going Full Color: Game Gear & Neo Geo Pocket Color

Before color screens landed in your palm, gaming on the go meant grayscale everything. Then the Sega Game Gear and Neo Geo Pocket Color burst onto the scene in the early ’90s, offering vibrant hues—and some pretty rapid battery drain. While you marveled at Sonic’s blue blur or the bright pixels of Metal Slug, you also learned to keep backup AA batteries nearby! These consoles paved the way for today’s crystal-clear OLED screens on modern handhelds like the Switch and Steam Deck. Sure, early color was a bit of a power hog, but it made portable gaming instantly more immersive and left a huge visual legacy for device-makers to build on.