Swan Crystal debuts at the Tokyo Toy Show 2002

TOKYO - As reported yesterday, Bandai has unveiled the Swan Crystal, an upgraded version of its WonderSwan handheld. The unit was on display for the first time at the company's booth at the Tokyo Toy Show 2002, which is being held at Tokyo Big Sight convention center.

The Swan Crystal's LCD screen is very crisp and clear when compared with the screens of its predecessors, and even the Game Boy Advance. At previous trade shows, WonderSwan units usually had light sources located right above the units in the demo kiosks. This time, no such light sources were present (except for the ones high above the booths), so it was easy to appreciate the crispness and clarity of the LCD screen. The basic design and button layout is the same as that of the WonderSwan, although the casing feels slightly thicker. Unfortunately, users are required to purchase and attach a headphone adapter on the right side of the unit in order to take advantage of the new four-channel stereo.

Upcoming WonderSwan titles such as Inu Yasha, One Piece, Digimon Ver. WonderSwan 2, and Front Mission were also playable on these units. According to a Bandai representative, the color palettes of the new games have been tweaked to take advantage of the new LCD screen. But don't worry--these games can still be played on the current WonderSwan Color units.

Though the WonderSwan is more or less an unknown product outside of Japan, Bandai holds a small market share with its software library based on licenses and rights to several popular animated series in Japan. No plan for an overseas release of the Swan Crystal has been announced, but importers should keep an eye out for its release, which is scheduled for July in Japan.