I am proud to present Part Five of Lychnus Aeneas!
Part Five: 1991
After the fiasco that was the GlitchBoy, Nintendo started 1991 with a big bang, re-releasing the GameBoy in February 1991, slightly less then a year after the recall, along with a stepped-up advertising campaign.
The GameBoy also came with Super Mario GameBoy ReVamped and Tetris as a pack-in. There was now less limited color, and the color was said to be on par with ColecoVision, even, some say, better implemented. The GameBoy could display up to five colors on screen at a time, eight with bank-switching. In addition the GameBoy also had a calender and watch built-in. With all these new features came a new price tag: A steep $159.99.
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Meanwhile Sega released Sonic the Hedgehog on it's Sega Genesis along with a new advertising campaign comparing it to the NES. With that the NES started losing popularity and Nintendo was still working on the 16-bit successor. The entire console wars were going badly for Nintendo.
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Atari also continued work on it's platformer for the Lynx, using the tentative title Levi the Lynx. Atari also released a new deal (pardon the FDR-related pun) for the Lynx.
The deal currently on the market, the Deluxe Lynx Pack, included:
The Atari Lynx
One ComLynx Cable
One AC Adaptor
California Games
One Carrying Case.
The Deluxe Lynx Pack costs $130.99.
The new pack for the Lynx, called the Simple Lynx Pack, consisted of the Lynx, The AC Adaptor, a catalog for the Lynx, and several random coupons for several popular Lynx games. The Simple Lynx Pack costs $80.99.
In addition Atari released the Lynx in Europe where it became the most popular handheld, second most popular console as a whole to the Sega Master System. Lastly, to counter the new GameBoy, Atari did what Sega did and compared the two game systems. Seeing as both systems had Klax now, Atari mainly used Klax in the comparisons.
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Sega started work on a handheld to counter Nintendo's GameBoy and Lynx. They called this Project Mercury. Sega made an official announcement in August 1991, stating it would be ready for release by 1992.
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Atari itself also began working on a redesign of the Lynx, as they were losing customers to Nintendo's Game Boy, and also began work on a secret project known to insiders as "Project ComDisc".
Atari also begins contacting several Japanese companies on the prospect of releasing the Lynx in Japan, as well as developing and translating games for it. By October this would fail, and Atari sets out on establishing Atari Japan.
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Nintendo gradually started getting more customers, however Nintendo still had few third-party developers.
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To readers: Below you see a timeline of all events during this Part, to help continuity.
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February 1991:
Nintendo rereleases the GameBoy. The price tag: $159.99.
April 1991:
Atari releases the Simple Lynx Pack. Atari also steps up the advertising campaign. IN addition Atari began contacting Japanese developers on the prospect of releasing the Lynx in Japan, as well as several games for it.
June 1991:
Sega releases Sonic the Hedgehog for their Genesis, which instantly becomes the new pack-in game. A new advertising campaign for the Genesis is also used.
August 1991:
Sega releases an official statement regarding rumors on a handheld console, stating the console, tentative title "Project Mercury", would release in 1992.
October 1991:
Atari begins work on establishing Atari Japan.
The entire year:
Atari works on Levi the Lynx, a redesign for the Lynx, and a 16-bit console called Project ComDisc.
Atari of Japan Did exist... was the one who created Pac-man, but Bushell and other in their own capital rise action sell it to Namco... with the ultra profit pac-man rights....
And for 1991 the SNES was released in USA, my grandfather bought in Miami in Decemeber... so unless you're European...
Umm, The SEGA GAME GEAR, Even if a little priced was better than was Lynx can offer an become their killer(if the Gameboy Competed in Price, GG in quality), how will avoid that bullet? Sega Sufering similar to Nintendo IN LATL?(that will be hard)
And this one will do wonder with Gumpei Yokoi Career, In OTL after the dominance of Gameboy he presented the pet project of Virtual Boy... here with a Rocky Gameboy he will focus in finish metroid first and them maybe do other thing?
This one how will affect Sony & Nintendo Relationship?
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