<s>
The	O
is	O
a	O
handheld	B-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
by	O
Bandai	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Released	O
in	O
1999	O
in	O
the	O
sixth	B-Application
generation	I-Application
of	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
,	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
and	O
its	O
two	O
later	O
models	O
,	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
Color	I-Operating_System
and	O
SwanCrystal	B-Operating_System
were	O
officially	O
supported	O
until	O
being	O
discontinued	O
by	O
Bandai	O
in	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
its	O
lifespan	O
,	O
no	O
variation	O
of	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
was	O
released	O
outside	O
of	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Powered	O
by	O
a	O
16-bit	B-Device
processor	I-Device
,	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
took	O
advantage	O
of	O
a	O
low	O
price	O
point	O
and	O
long	O
battery	O
life	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
its	O
competition	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Color	I-Device
and	O
SNK	O
's	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
Pocket	I-Application
Color	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
improvements	O
took	O
advantage	O
of	O
quality	O
upgrades	O
to	O
the	O
handheld	B-Application
's	O
screen	O
and	O
added	O
color	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
is	O
playable	O
both	O
vertically	O
and	O
horizontally	O
,	O
and	O
features	O
a	O
unique	O
library	O
of	O
games	O
,	O
including	O
numerous	O
first-party	O
titles	O
based	O
on	O
licensed	O
anime	O
properties	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
significant	O
third-party	O
support	O
from	O
developers	O
such	O
as	O
Squaresoft	O
,	O
Namco	O
,	O
Capcom	O
and	O
Banpresto	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overall	O
,	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
in	O
all	O
its	O
variations	O
combined	O
to	O
sell	O
an	O
estimated	O
3.5	O
million	O
units	O
and	O
managed	O
to	O
obtain	O
as	O
much	O
as	O
8%	O
of	O
the	O
Japanese	O
handheld	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
market	O
before	O
being	O
marginalized	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retrospective	O
feedback	O
praises	O
the	O
potential	O
of	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
despite	O
its	O
low	O
sales	O
and	O
its	O
brief	O
time	O
holding	O
its	O
own	O
against	O
Nintendo	O
in	O
the	O
marketplace	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Founded	O
in	O
1950	O
by	O
Naoharu	O
Yamashina	O
,	O
Bandai	O
was	O
originally	O
a	O
manufacturer	O
of	O
toy	O
cars	O
and	O
plastic	O
models	O
,	O
but	O
became	O
a	O
major	O
player	O
in	O
the	O
toy	O
industry	O
through	O
the	O
licensing	O
of	O
popular	O
anime	O
characters	O
beginning	O
with	O
Tetsuwan	B-Application
Atomu	I-Application
in	O
1963	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
1970s	O
,	O
Bandai	O
manufactured	O
both	O
LCD	B-Device
games	O
based	O
on	O
television	O
programs	O
and	O
dedicated	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1982	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
released	O
the	O
Intellivision	B-Operating_System
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
1985	O
it	O
became	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
third-party	O
licensees	O
on	O
the	O
Family	O
Computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Engineer	O
Gunpei	O
Yokoi	O
is	O
known	O
for	O
creating	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
handheld	B-Application
system	O
at	O
Nintendo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
failure	O
of	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
,	O
however	O
,	O
he	O
left	O
the	O
company	O
in	O
1996	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
create	O
his	O
own	O
engineering	O
firm	O
,	O
Koto	O
Laboratory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
then	O
that	O
Bandai	O
approached	O
Yokoi	O
to	O
create	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
to	O
compete	O
with	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yokoi	O
was	O
involved	O
in	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
handheld	B-Application
,	O
but	O
died	O
in	O
1997	O
in	O
a	O
car	O
accident	O
before	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
was	O
officially	O
unveiled	O
in	O
Tokyo	O
on	O
October	O
8	O
,	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
launched	O
on	O
March	O
4	O
,	O
1999	O
and	O
was	O
available	O
in	O
nine	O
casing	O
colors	O
:	O
pearl	O
white	O
,	O
skeleton	O
green	O
,	O
silver	O
metallic	O
,	O
skeleton	O
pink	O
,	O
blue	O
metallic	O
,	O
skeleton	O
blue	O
,	O
skeleton	O
black	O
,	O
camouflage	O
,	O
and	O
gold	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Color	I-Device
five	O
months	O
before	O
,	O
Bandai	O
remained	O
confident	O
that	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
and	O
its	O
monochromatic	O
screen	O
would	O
perform	O
well	O
because	O
the	O
original	O
black-and-white	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
had	O
previously	O
been	O
more	O
successful	O
than	O
its	O
color-screen	O
competitors	O
,	O
the	O
Sega	O
Game	O
Gear	O
and	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
,	O
on	O
the	O
basis	O
of	O
its	O
battery	O
life	O
and	O
the	O
quality	O
of	O
its	O
game	O
library	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
a	O
retail	O
price	O
,	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
was	O
also	O
cheaper	O
than	O
its	O
competition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2000	O
,	O
Bandai	O
signed	O
an	O
agreement	O
with	O
Mattel	O
to	O
bring	O
the	O
handheld	B-Application
to	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
but	O
ultimately	O
decided	O
against	O
a	O
Western	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
exact	O
reason	O
for	O
this	O
is	O
unknown	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
crowded	O
handheld	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
market	O
has	O
been	O
suggested	O
as	O
a	O
factor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
that	O
year	O
,	O
Bandai	O
announced	O
the	O
which	O
would	O
incorporate	O
a	O
color	O
screen	O
while	O
retaining	O
backward	O
compatibility	O
with	O
the	O
original	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
Color	I-Operating_System
could	O
be	O
released	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
announced	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
,	O
which	O
featured	O
superior	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
Color	I-Operating_System
still	O
retailed	O
at	O
a	O
lower	O
price	O
point	O
at	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
Advance	O
at	O
,	O
but	O
despite	O
peaking	O
at	O
8%	O
of	O
the	O
handheld	B-Application
market	I-Application
share	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
's	O
sales	O
never	O
recovered	O
after	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
reached	O
store	O
shelves	O
in	O
March	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
redesign	O
of	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
Color	I-Operating_System
,	O
titled	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
July	O
12	O
,	O
2002	O
for	O
,	O
less	O
than	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
its	O
low	O
price	O
and	O
an	O
improved	O
LCD	B-Device
screen	I-Device
,	O
the	O
SwanCrystal	B-Operating_System
was	O
unable	O
to	O
compete	O
,	O
so	O
Bandai	O
discontinued	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
line	O
in	O
2003	O
due	O
to	O
low	O
demand	O
and	O
backed	O
out	O
of	O
producing	O
video	O
game	O
hardware	O
altogether	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
all	O
,	O
the	O
handheld	B-Application
sold	O
3.5	O
million	O
units	O
,	O
of	O
which	O
1.55	O
million	O
were	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
and	O
at	O
least	O
1.1	O
million	O
were	O
of	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
Color	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
CPU	B-Device
of	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
is	O
a	O
16-bit	B-Device
NEC	O
V30	O
MZ	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
model	O
's	O
screen	O
is	O
capable	O
of	O
displaying	O
up	O
to	O
eight	O
shades	O
of	O
gray	O
,	O
in	O
contrast	O
to	O
the	O
four	O
displayed	O
by	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
's	O
main	O
competitor	O
,	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similar	O
to	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
,	O
the	O
handheld	B-Application
has	O
an	O
extra	O
set	O
of	O
buttons	O
allowing	O
the	O
console	O
to	O
be	O
played	O
at	O
different	O
angles	O
;	O
for	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
,	O
these	O
buttons	O
were	O
used	O
to	O
allow	O
gamers	O
to	O
play	O
games	O
in	O
both	O
the	O
portrait	O
and	O
landscape	O
orientations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
series	O
are	O
all	O
powered	O
by	O
a	O
single	O
AA	B-Algorithm
battery	I-Algorithm
,	O
with	O
the	O
original	O
monochrome	O
version	O
having	O
a	O
battery	O
life	O
of	O
40	O
hours	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
LCD	B-Device
screen	I-Device
is	O
and	O
displays	O
at	O
a	O
resolution	O
of	O
224	O
×	O
144	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
sound	O
capabilities	O
consist	O
of	O
four	O
PCM	B-Algorithm
channels	O
,	O
each	O
of	O
which	O
can	O
play	O
32-sample	O
,	O
4-bit	O
sounds	O
at	O
selectable	O
volume	O
and	O
pitch	O
levels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
physical	O
measurements	O
of	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
Color	I-Operating_System
are	O
,	O
slightly	O
larger	O
than	O
the	O
original	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
it	O
weighs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
CPU	B-Device
is	O
a	O
3.072MHz	O
NEC	O
V30	O
MZ	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
includes	O
512	O
kbit	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
which	O
is	O
shared	O
between	O
the	O
video	O
RAM	B-Architecture
and	O
the	O
work	O
RAM	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
screen	O
on	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
Color	I-Operating_System
can	O
display	O
up	O
to	O
241	O
colors	O
out	O
of	O
a	O
palette	O
of	O
4096	O
,	O
and	O
up	O
to	O
28	O
sprites	O
per	O
line	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
offers	O
backward	O
compatibility	O
with	O
all	O
previous	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
LCD	B-Device
screen	I-Device
is	O
also	O
larger	O
than	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
,	O
measuring	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
Color	I-Operating_System
has	O
an	O
approximate	O
battery	O
life	O
of	O
20	O
hours	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
SwanCrystal	B-Operating_System
improves	O
upon	O
the	O
design	O
of	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
Color	I-Operating_System
through	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
TFT	B-Device
LCD	I-Device
monitor	I-Device
,	O
which	O
has	O
a	O
superior	O
response	O
time	O
to	O
the	O
FSTN	B-General_Concept
monitor	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
former	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
helped	O
to	O
reduce	O
motion	O
blur	O
in	O
the	O
handheld	B-Application
's	O
graphics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
's	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
were	O
solid	O
black	O
in	O
color	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
Color	I-Operating_System
's	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
were	O
clear	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
for	O
the	O
original	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
would	O
not	O
have	O
color	O
on	O
a	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
Color	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
would	O
display	O
in	O
its	O
original	O
grayscale	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
features	O
and	O
accessories	O
were	O
developed	O
for	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WonderWitch	O
is	O
an	O
official	O
software	B-Application
development	I-Application
kit	I-Application
aimed	O
at	O
amateur	O
programmers	O
that	O
was	O
released	O
by	O
Qute	O
Corporation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
sold	O
at	O
a	O
cost	O
of	O
and	O
allows	O
for	O
games	O
to	O
be	O
developed	O
in	O
the	O
C	B-Language
programming	I-Language
language	I-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
adapter	O
was	O
created	O
to	O
connect	O
headphones	O
to	O
the	O
handheld	B-Application
,	O
as	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
lacks	O
a	O
headphone	O
port	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
the	O
handheld	B-Application
can	O
be	O
connected	O
to	O
a	O
PocketStation	B-Application
,	O
a	O
memory	O
card	O
peripheral	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
console	I-Device
,	O
through	O
a	O
device	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
WonderWave	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
and	O
its	O
later	O
models	O
were	O
also	O
capable	O
of	O
connecting	O
to	O
the	O
internet	O
via	O
a	O
mobile	O
phone	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Koto	O
Laboratories	O
claims	O
that	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
sold	O
10	O
million	O
game	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
in	O
all	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
developing	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
,	O
Bandai	O
leveraged	O
the	O
assistance	O
of	O
several	O
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Banpresto	O
—	O
part-owned	O
by	O
Bandai	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
—	O
added	O
support	O
by	O
way	O
of	O
anime	O
licenses	O
and	O
licensed	O
titles	O
,	O
while	O
Namco	O
and	O
Capcom	O
also	O
developed	O
titles	O
for	O
the	O
handheld	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Squaresoft	O
contributed	O
remakes	O
of	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
,	O
II	B-Application
,	O
and	O
IV	B-Application
which	O
later	O
also	O
came	O
to	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Taito	O
contributed	O
well-received	O
ports	O
such	O
as	O
Space	B-Application
Invaders	I-Application
and	O
Densha	B-Application
de	I-Application
Go	I-Application
!	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
compete	O
with	O
Tetris	B-Device
,	O
Gunpei	O
Yokoi	O
developed	O
a	O
puzzle	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
system	O
ultimately	O
named	O
Gunpey	B-Application
in	O
his	O
honor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
known	O
as	O
Gunpey	B-Application
EX	I-Application
was	O
a	O
launch	O
title	O
for	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
Color	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
has	O
been	O
considered	O
underwhelming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
some	O
well	O
known	O
third-party	O
developers	O
supported	O
the	O
console	O
,	O
most	O
publishers	O
continued	O
to	O
exclusively	O
support	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
handhelds	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
departure	O
of	O
Squaresoft	O
as	O
a	O
developer	O
and	O
its	O
return	O
to	O
Nintendo	O
has	O
been	O
cited	O
as	O
a	O
factor	O
in	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
's	O
diminishing	O
sales	O
in	O
later	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
discontinuation	O
of	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
in	O
2003	O
,	O
several	O
developers	O
ported	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
games	O
to	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Selling	O
3.5	O
million	O
units	O
,	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
only	O
picked	O
up	O
8%	O
of	O
the	O
marketshare	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
was	O
ultimately	O
outperformed	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
its	O
brightly	O
colored	O
screen	O
and	O
deep	O
game	O
library	O
,	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
ensured	O
Nintendo	O
would	O
have	O
a	O
near-monopoly	O
on	O
the	O
handheld	B-Application
console	I-Application
market	O
in	O
Japan	O
until	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
by	O
Sony	O
in	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retrospective	O
feedback	O
to	O
the	O
handheld	B-Application
praises	O
its	O
accomplishments	O
but	O
defines	O
it	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
niche	O
"	O
device	O
that	O
appeals	O
to	O
only	O
certain	O
gamers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Writing	O
for	O
USgamer	O
,	O
Jeremy	O
Parish	O
considers	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
the	O
ultimate	O
expression	O
of	O
Gunpei	O
Yokoi	O
's	O
design	O
philosophy	O
and	O
notes	O
its	O
modest	O
impact	O
on	O
the	O
market	O
,	O
but	O
blames	O
Bandai	O
for	O
its	O
lack	O
of	O
success	O
:	O
"	O
While	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
ultimately	O
will	O
be	O
remembered	O
as	O
a	O
highly	O
localized	O
blip	O
in	O
the	O
history	O
of	O
handheld	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
as	O
a	O
platform	O
it	O
genuinely	O
held	O
its	O
own	O
...	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
obscurity	O
resulted	O
more	O
from	O
poor	O
timing	O
and	O
Bandai	O
's	O
strangely	O
meek	O
strategy	O
,	O
not	O
from	O
any	O
inherent	O
flaws	O
in	O
the	O
design	O
of	O
the	O
machine	O
itself	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Parish	O
also	O
goes	O
on	O
to	O
hypothesize	O
on	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
a	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
release	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
stating	O
,	O
"	O
given	O
how	O
hard	O
it	O
was	O
to	O
find	O
Neo	O
Geo	O
Pocket	O
systems	O
and	O
games	O
at	O
U.S.	O
retail	O
,	O
it	O
's	O
hard	O
to	O
imagine	O
they	O
were	O
clamoring	O
for	O
yet	O
another	O
niche	O
portable	O
from	O
Japan	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Luke	O
Plunkett	O
from	O
Kotaku	O
praised	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
's	O
challenge	O
to	O
Nintendo	O
,	O
saying	O
that	O
"	O
it	O
tried	O
some	O
pretty	O
unique	O
and	O
interesting	O
things	O
,	O
and	O
put	O
up	O
a	O
much	O
sterner	O
fight	O
than	O
most	O
other	O
handhelds	B-Application
ever	O
managed	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retro	O
Gamer	O
's	O
Kim	O
Wild	O
criticizes	O
some	O
aspects	O
of	O
the	O
handheld	B-Application
,	O
including	O
its	O
lack	O
of	O
a	O
headphone	O
and	O
AC	O
port	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
its	O
poor	O
control	O
scheme	O
for	O
left-handed	O
individuals	O
and	O
inability	O
to	O
play	O
multiplayer	O
link	O
games	O
with	O
the	O
headphone	O
adapter	O
connected	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wild	O
offers	O
some	O
praise	O
for	O
the	O
handheld	B-Application
,	O
however	O
,	O
stating	O
"	O
what	O
 [ Bandai ] 	O
managed	O
with	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
was	O
impressive	O
given	O
the	O
competition	O
.	O
</s>
