Editing WonderSwan (section)

==History==
Founded in 1950 by Naoharu Yamashina, [[Bandai]] was originally a manufacturer of toy cars and plastic models, but became a major player in the toy industry through the licensing of popular [[anime]] characters beginning with ''[[Astro Boy|Tetsuwan Atomu]]'' in 1963. In the 1970s, Bandai manufactured both [[liquid crystal display|LCD]] games based on television programs and dedicated consoles. In 1982, the company released the [[Intellivision]] in Japan, and in 1985 it became one of the first third-party licensees on the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|Family Computer]]. However, the company's greatest success in electronic games, was the [[Tamagotchi]] virtual pet first released in 1996.<ref name="high score">{{cite book|last1=DeMaria|first1=Rusel|last2=Wilson|first2=Johnny|title=High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games|publisher=McGraw-Hill Osborne Media|location=New York|year=2003|isbn=0-072-23172-6|pages=366–367}}</ref> Despite plans for Bandai to merge with [[Sega]] to form Sega Bandai Ltd. in 1997, the merger was called off suddenly.  Bandai's board of directors decided to oppose the merger less than a week after approving it, and Sega in turn decided to accept Bandai's actions at an emergency board meeting later that day. Bandai president Makoto Yamashina took responsibility for failing to gain the support of his company for the merger.<ref name="wp">{{cite news|date=May 28, 1997|author=Sugawara, Sandra|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|title=Sega-Bandai Merger Plan Called Off|access-date=May 23, 2014|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-727773.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629113231/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-727773.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 29, 2014}}</ref> As a result, Bandai entered the market without outside support.<ref name="retro-gamer-36">{{cite journal|author=Wild, Kim|year=2007|title=Retroinspection: WonderSwan|url=https://archive.org/details/retro_gamer/RetroGamer_036/page/68/mode/2up|issue=36|pages=68–71|issn=1742-3155|journal=[[Retro Gamer]]}}</ref>

Engineer [[Gunpei Yokoi]] is known for creating the [[Game Boy]] handheld system at [[Nintendo]]. After the failure of the [[Virtual Boy]], however, he left the company in 1996 in order to create his own engineering firm, Koto Laboratory. It was then that Bandai approached Yokoi to create the WonderSwan to compete with the Game Boy.<ref name="retro-gamer-36"/> Yokoi was involved in development of the new handheld, but died in 1997 in a car accident before it was released.<ref name="kotaku">{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/5790050/the-game-boy-creators-last-handheld-was-a-wonderful-little-thing|title=The Game Boy Creator's Last Handheld Was a Wonderful Thing|author=Plunkett, Luke|publisher=[[Kotaku]]|date=April 8, 2011|access-date=April 17, 2014}}</ref>

The WonderSwan was officially unveiled in Tokyo on October 8, 1998.<ref name="Sentinel">{{cite news|date=October 9, 1998|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=[[The Orlando Sentinel]]|title=Fun in the Palm of Your Hand|access-date=May 24, 2014|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:ORLB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB4F474A0E83D50&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0ECC86DE7A4704AD|via=[[Newsbank]]{{subscription required}}}}</ref> Bandai chose the name of the system to highlight its aesthetics and technical capabilities because the swan is recognized as an elegant bird with powerful legs that aid its graceful swimming.<ref name="retro-gamer-126">{{cite journal|author=Brunskill, Kerry|year=2010|title=Swan Song: A WonderSwan Retrospective|url=https://archive.org/details/retro_gamer/RetroGamer_126/page/44/mode/2up|issue=126|pages=45–47|journal=[[Retro Gamer]]}}</ref> The company promised a 30-hour battery life, a low retail price, and a launch lineup of roughly fifty games.<ref name="Sentinel"/>

[[File:WonderSwan-WonderWave-PocketStation.jpg|thumb|left|The WonderWave accessory is an infrared communicator that could transfer data between two WonderSwans. It is also compatible with the [[PocketStation]] (right) for select Bandai games.]]
The WonderSwan launched on March 4, 1999<ref name="kotaku"/> and was available in nine casing colors: pearl white, skeleton green, silver metallic, skeleton pink, blue metallic, skeleton blue, skeleton black, camouflage, and gold. Three limited edition two-tone models were also released in frozen mint, sherbet melon and soda blue. These colors were chosen through an online poll at Bandai’s website, with the metallic and pearl white models being discontinued on July 22 to make room for the special two-tone editions.<ref name="retro-gamer-36"/> Despite Nintendo's release of the [[Game Boy Color]] five months before, Bandai remained confident that the WonderSwan and its monochromatic [[FSTN]] display would perform well because the original black-and-white Game Boy had previously been more successful than its color-screen competitors, the [[Game Gear]] and [[Atari Lynx]], on the basis of its battery life and the quality of its game library. With a retail price {{JPY|4800}}, the WonderSwan was also cheaper than its competition.<ref name="USG">{{cite web|url=http://www.usgamer.net/articles/a-look-at-game-boys-true-successor-gunpei-yokois-wonderswan|title=Exploring Game Boy's True Successor, Bandai WonderSwan|author=Parish, Jeremy|publisher=USGamer|date=May 8, 2014|access-date=May 12, 2014}}</ref> In 2000, Bandai signed an agreement with Mattel to bring the handheld to North America, but ultimately decided against a Western release.<ref name="retro-gamer-36"/> The exact reason for this is unknown, but the crowded handheld video game console market has been suggested as a factor.<ref name="USG"/>

Later that year, Bandai announced the {{nihongo foot|WonderSwan Color|ワンダースワンカラー|WandāSuwan Karā|group=lower-alpha}} which would incorporate a [[Passive matrix addressing|passive matrix]] FSTN color screen while retaining backward compatibility with the original WonderSwan.<ref name="retro-gamer-36"/> It was released on December 9 in Japan and was available in pearl blue, pearl pink, crystal black, crystal blue, and crystal orange.<ref name="colorLaunch"/><ref name="colorSpec">{{cite web|url=http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/084/084272p1.html |title=WonderSwan Color Revealed |website=IGN|author=Harris, Craig|access-date=April 28, 2011 |date=August 30, 2000}}</ref> The launch was a moderate success, with the system selling 270,632 units in under a month after its release.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.famitsu.com/game/special/2001/02/08/2000_n_hyo03.html|script-title=ja:2000年のハード推定販売台数|language= ja|publisher=[[Famitsu]]|access-date=March 21, 2014}}</ref> Before the WonderSwan Color could be released, however, Nintendo announced the [[Game Boy Advance]], which featured superior hardware. The WonderSwan Color still retailed at a lower price point at {{¥|6800}} compared to the Advance at {{¥|9800}}, but despite peaking at 8% of the handheld market share in Japan, the WonderSwan's sales never recovered after the Game Boy Advance reached store shelves in March 2001.<ref name="retro-gamer-36"/>

A redesign of the WonderSwan Color, titled {{nihongo foot|SwanCrystal|スワンクリスタル|SuwanKurisutaru|group=lower-alpha}}, was released in Japan on July 12, 2002 for {{¥|7800}},<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Japan Hardware Sales|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419144156/http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/25304/japan-hardware-sales-07-14-02/|archive-date=April 19, 2014|url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/25304/japan-hardware-sales-07-14-02/|magazine=[[GamePro]]|date=July 14, 2002|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=バンダイ、ワンダースワンにTFT液晶搭載モデルが登場!「スワンクリスタル」|url= http://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20020508/wsc.htm |language=ja|publisher=Watch Impress|date=July 14, 2002|access-date=May 23, 2014}}</ref> {{¥|1000}} less than the Game Boy Advance.<ref name="jt">{{cite journal|title=Bandai debuts SwanCrystal game machine|journal=Japan Toy and Game Software Journal|date=July 25, 2002|access-date=May 23, 2014|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-91083682.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629113229/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-91083682.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 29, 2014}}</ref> Once again, Bandai held a poll on its website to determine casing colors and released the system in blue violet, wine red, crystal blue, and crystal black.<ref name="retro-gamer-36"/><ref name="SC-colors">{{cite web|script-title=ja:スワンクリスタルの新色は人気投票で決まる!!|url= http://www.famitsu.com/game/info/1137113_1113.html|publisher=[[Famitsu]]|language=ja|date=September 19, 2002|access-date=May 22, 2014}}</ref> Despite its low price and an improved [[TFT LCD]] screen, the SwanCrystal was unable to compete, so Bandai discontinued the WonderSwan line in 2003 due to low demand and backed out of producing video game hardware altogether.<ref name="retro-gamer-36"/> In all, the handheld sold 3.5 million units,<ref name="retro-gamer-126"/><ref name="koto"/> of which 1.55 million were of the original WonderSwan and at least 1.1 million were of the WonderSwan Color.<ref name="retro-gamer-36"/><ref name="retro-gamer-126"/>