1999 · Bandai · Japan · handheld
Bandai WonderSwan
After leaving Nintendo, Game Boy creator Gunpei Yokoi co-designed the WonderSwan with Koto Laboratory and Bandai.
Rewarding Trivial to run ▶ Watch on YouTube ↗
After leaving Nintendo, Game Boy creator Gunpei Yokoi co-designed the WonderSwan with Koto Laboratory and Bandai. Its single-AA battery ran for 40 hours, and its unique button layout allowed games to be played held either horizontally or vertically.
Squaresoft partnered with Bandai to release enhanced remakes of Final Fantasy I, II, and IV on WonderSwan Color before porting them to the Game Boy Advance.
Under the hood
- CPU
- NEC V30 MZ (16-bit 8086 compatible) @ 3.07 MHz with 16-bit internal architecture
- Sound chip
- 4-channel digital audio with built-in voice sample playback
- Graphics
- FSTN reflective LCD (224 × 144), supports vertical (tate) and horizontal screen orientation
- Media
- WonderSwan Cartridges (Powered by a single AA battery for 30–40 hours!)
What it cost
a rounding error against a month’s pay in 1999 · about $80 today
| Japan launch price (¥4,800 / ~$40 USD) |
¥4,800 (1999)
Gunpei Yokoi’s final handheld creation; ran for 30+ hours on a single AA battery. |
|---|---|
| Typical street price | — No verified mass-market street price recorded yet. |
| Units sold | 3,500,000 3.5 million units sold across monochrome, Color, and SwanCrystal models. |
Why it mattered
Squaresoft partnered with Bandai to release enhanced remakes of Final Fantasy I, II, and IV on WonderSwan Color before porting them to the Game Boy Advance.
Emulating it today
| Emulators | Beetle Cygne (libretro), Mednafen |
|---|---|
| Setup effort | Trivial to run (0.5 on this site's scale) |
| Controls | A standard modern controller covers the ordinary controls, though unusual accessories may need custom mapping. |
| Runs on a handheld | Yes |
Handled with precision by RetroArch Beetle Cygne and Mednafen cores. The emulator names above are starting points, not a promise that every title or accessory behaves identically. Computer platforms usually add model selection, disk handling and keyboard setup even when CPU emulation itself is mature.
WonderSwan Boot ROM (ws.bin)
Beetle Cygne and Mednafen include built-in open-source BIOS replacement code that boots WonderSwan games automatically. Supplying the original 4 KB ws.bin boot ROM provides the authentic Bandai logo splash screen and user profile setup.
How many files you need: 1. One optional 4 KB file: ws.bin.
Where it stands legally: Beetle Cygne includes an open-source clean-room BIOS implementation.
Firmware details checked 2026-08. Emulator requirements change — see Libretro — Beetle Cygne documentation for the current list.
Where the software is
Preservation catalogues describe verified dumps; they do not grant permission to download commercial software. A curated, correctly matched set is easier to use than an undifferentiated archive.
Copyright: Commercial software remains copyrighted unless its owner explicitly released or relicensed it. Homebrew, public-domain programs and current reissues should be treated separately from abandoned commercial titles.
This site names preservation projects and explains what they are. It does not link to ROM downloads.
Where to start
- Klonoa: Moonlight Museum Puzzle Platformer
Namco’s charming dream-traveler platformer designed specifically for the WonderSwan.
- Final Fantasy I, II, & IV (WSC Remakes) JRPG
The beautiful 16-bit visual overhauls that revitalized the classic FF series.
- Judgement Silversword -Rebirth Edition- Vertical Shoot 'em up
Eschatos creator’s legendary vertical shmup played in vertical (tate) mode.
- Makaimura for WonderSwan (Ghosts 'n Goblins) Action Platformer
Custom original Ghosts 'n Goblins adventure built from the ground up for WonderSwan.
- Gunpey Puzzle Action
Addictive line-connecting puzzle game named in tribute to designer Gunpei Yokoi.
The verdict
Gunpei Yokoi’s final hardware design before his passing. Unique horizontal and vertical (tate) dual-orientation play and the original home of Final Fantasy I, II, & IV remakes and Klonoa:…
The strongest software can be rewarding, but original controls and setup assumptions may matter more than screenshots suggest.
- Worth it if
- Players curious about snk and bandai handhelds and willing to learn how the original machine worked.
- Not for
- Anyone who wants a large, instantly accessible library and no model, firmware or control decisions.
Scored 3/5 for fun today and 4/5 for historical importance. Those two scores decide the label at the top — a machine can matter enormously and still be no fun.
Read more & watch
This page is 50% complete against the facts we try to record for every system. Gaps are shown as gaps.