Why did the Sega Game Gear suck so much battery power?

Question

I own an old Game Gear from the early 90s, and have been curious for years as to why it's such a power hog. It takes six (SIX!!) double-A batteries, all of which can drain within an hour or two of playing.

The original GameBoy only used 4 AA batteries and it certainly did not drain as fast as the Game Gear.

I understand that they are from different companies and used different concepts, but what exactly was the Game Gear doing that used so much power? I know it has color, would that make a difference?

Answer

According to Wikipedia: "[Game Boy's] monochrome screen, lack of a backlight, and less powerful hardware" is at the root of the problem.

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