Game Boy family
 | |
| Manufacturer | Nintendo |
|---|---|
| Type | Handheld game console |
| Generation | Third generation era |
| Lifespan | April 21, 1989 |
| Media | GBA cartridges |
| Best-selling game | Tetris |
The Game Boy line (also: Gameboy, Game-boy; Japanese: ゲームボーイ Geemu Booi) is a line of battery-powered handheld game consoles sold by Nintendo. It is one of the best-selling game system lines selling over 100 million units world wide to date, and has spawned many successful spin-offs. The original Game Boy's design set the standard for handheld gaming consoles.
History
Nintendo's Game Boy handheld was first released in 1989. The gaming device was the brainchild of long-time Nintendo employee Gunpei Yokoi, who was the person behind the Ultrahand, an expanding arm toy created and produced by Nintendo in 1970, long before Nintendo would enter the video game market. Yokoi was also responsible for the Game & Watch series of handhelds when Nintendo made the move from toys to video games. Some consider these early LCD-display handhelds to be a prototype of the Nintendo DS. When Gumpei designed the original Game Boy, he knew that, to be successful, the system needed to be small, light, inexpensive, and durable, as well as have a varied, recognizable library of games upon its release. By following this simple mantra, the Game Boy line managed to gain a vast following despite technically superior alternatives.
Game Boy continues its success to this day and many at Nintendo have dedicated the handheld in Yokoi's memory. Game Boy celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2004, which coincided closely with the 20-year anniversary to the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). To celebrate, Nintendo released the Classic NES Series and a NES-themed color scheme for the Game Boy Advance SP.
Versions
The Game Boy console went through several design iterations, without significant changes to its computing power, since its release in 1989.
Game Boy
The original Game Boy was released on April 21, 1989 in Japan and in August 1989 in the United States. Based around a Z80 processor, it had a tiny black and green reflective LCD screen, an eight-way directional pad, and two action buttons. It played games from ROM-based media contained in small plastic detachable units called cartridges (sometimes abbreviated as carts).
The game that really pushed it into the upper reaches of success was Tetris. Originally only available in neutral grey color, Nintendo released several colored Game Boy models in 1995, advertising them in the Play it Loud! campaign. The original Game Boy was the first cartridge-based system that supported more than four players at one time (via the link port). In fact, it has been shown that the system could support 16 simultaneous players at once (this was only supported in one game, however).
- CPU
- Custom 8-bit Sharp Z80 at 4.194304 MHz (has a slightly different instruction set than a standard Z80, and integrated sound generation)
- RAM
- 8 kByte internal S-RAM
- Video RAM
- 8 kByte internal
- ROM
- 256 kbit, 512 kbit, 1 Mbit, 2 Mbit and 4 Mbit and 8 Mbit cartridges
- Sound
- 4 channel stereo sound. The unit only has one speaker, but headphones provide stereo sound
- Display
- Reflective LCD 160 x 144 pixels
- Screen Size
- 66 mm (2.6 in) diagonal
- Color Palette
- 4 shades of "gray" (green to black)
- Communication
- Up to 4 Game Boys can be linked together via serial ports
- Power
- 6 V, 0.7 W (4 AA batteries provide ~35 hours)
- Dimensions
- 90mm(W) x 148mm(H) x 32mm(D)/3.5 x 5.8 x 1.3 (inch)
Game Boy Pocket
In 1996, Nintendo released the Game Boy Pocket, a smaller, lighter unit that required fewer batteries. It had space for 2 AAA batteries, which would provide roughly 10 hours of game play. The Game Boy Pocket has a smaller link port, requiring an adapter for linkage with the older Game Boy. The port's design was used on all subsequent Game Boy models, up until the Game Boy Micro. The screen was changed to a true black-and-white display, rather than the "pea soup" monochromatic display of the original Game Boy. The first version didn't have a LED to show battery levels, but was soon added due to public demand.
Game Boy Light
Only available in Japan, the Game Boy Light was about the same size as the Pocket and had a backlit screen for improved visibility. It uses 2 AA batteries which give it approximately 20 hours with the light off and 12 with it on.
The Game Boy Light is the rarest Game Boy variant outside of Japan. Due to its rarity, it often sells for many times more than the other models.
Game Boy Color
Released in November 1998, the Game Boy Color (also referred to as GBC) added a color screen to a form factor slightly larger than the Game Boy Pocket. It also has double the processor speed, twice as much memory, and an infrared communications port. A major draw of the Game Boy Color was its backward compatibility (that is, a Game Boy Color is able to read older Game Boy cartridges and even play them in selectable color). This became a major feature of the Game Boy line, since it allowed each new launch to begin with a significantly larger library than any of its competitors. Technologically, it was likened to the NES from the 1980s.
Game Boy Advance
In June 2001, Nintendo released a significant upgrade to the Game Boy line. The Game Boy Advance (also referred to as GBA) featured a 32 bit 16.8 MHz ARM. It included a Z80 processor for backwards compatibility support. It was technically likened to the SNES and showed its power with successful ports of Super Mario World and Yoshi's Island. It has also been accompanied alongside new titles such as Mario Kart Super Circuit and F-Zero: Maximum Velocity.
Game Boy Advance SP
Launched in March 2003, the Game Boy Advance SP resolves several problems with the original model. It features a new smaller clamshell design with a flip-up screen (protecting the screen, an issue with the original), an internal frontlight (the original had no such light), and rechargeable battery, but was otherwise unchanged. The SP stands for Special [1]. In mid September 2005, Nintendo released a new model that featured a new and improved backlit screen. As of this writing, the SP is the last Game Boy handheld to offer backwards compatibility with Game Boy/Game Boy Color games.
Game Boy micro
A second Game Boy Advance redesign (third design), the Game Boy micro is four inches wide, two inches tall and less than an inch deep and weighs 2.8 ounces, by far the smallest Game Boy created. It has the brightest screen ever made by Nintendo and is slightly smaller than the SP or GBA screens while maintaining the same resolution (240 x 160 pixels). The Game Boy micro is not backwards compatible with Game Boy or Game Boy Color games. It was released on September 19, 2005 in Japan and North America. It was released in Europe on November 4, 2005. The Micro's North American launch price of $102.50 was lowered to $89.99 during the 2005 holiday season.
Nintendo DS
The Nintendo DS launched on November 20, 2004 in North America and December 4, 2004 in Japan, making it unusual as a Nintendo device to launch in North America before Japan. In fact, its unusual design and touch-screen control completely separated it from the Game Boy line. Instead, Nintendo refers to it as their third pillar; their home consoles (such as the Nintendo GameCube) being the first pillar, and their Game Boy line of portables being the second pillar. However, the Nintendo DS can be considered a part of the portable family due to structural similarities to Game Boy and its ability to play Game Boy Advance cartridges (but not Game Boy Color or original Game Boy cartridges). It was technically likened to the Nintendo 64.
Accessories
Game Boy Camera & Printer
The Game Boy Camera & Printer are accessories for the Game Boy handheld gaming console and were released in 1998. The camera could take basic black & white, often grainy, digital images using the 4-color palette of the Game Boy system. The printer utilized heat-sensitive paper to "burn" any saved images, making a hard copy. Both items were marketed by Nintendo as light-hearted entertainment devices, in all three major videogame regions of the world: Japan, North America, and Europe. The N64 magazine (published by Future) dedicated a monthly section to the device.
It was never Nintendo's intention to transform the GB system into a PDA; any such claims are untrue. However, a commercial advertising the products showed a young kid using the devices, with an adult using a laptop looking over in astonishment. The commercial at least indicates that Nintendo was at least referencing and/or parodying adult-geared portable systems.
There are also several mini-games along with the camera. A picture of the user's head is inserted into several mini-games.
- Ball is a juggling game, in which the player moves his or hand around to catch and throw balls. The head is the person juggling.
- DJ, probably the most popular game on the Game Boy Camera, the player can mix and create his or her own music. The player's head is the DJ.
- Space Fighter II is an exact port of its arcade version. In the game, the player controls a spaceship which fires missiles at other ships. The player's head becomes the boss of each level.
- Run! Run! Run! is the bonus game, which is obtained by reaching a score of 2,000 or more in Space Fighter II. The player's head becomes attached to a cartoon body, and he or she races against a mole and a bird for the finish line.
Recently, the EyeToy accessory for the PlayStation 2 has vastly expanded upon the idea of using the image of the player in the game and as part of the game.
Super Game Boy
The Super Game Boy is a plug-in cartridge for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System that allowed Game Boy games to be played on a television screen. The black-and-white games could be colorized by mapping colors to each of the four grays. A follow-up, the Super Game Boy 2 (primarily released in Japan, though some sold through QVC's shopping channel in the U.S.), included more colors, frames, and a link port for multiplayer support.
Transfer Pak
The Transfer Pak was a device that fit onto the Nintendo 64 controller. However, unlike the Super Game Boy, it was only for the transfer of Game Boy Color data to their N64 equivalents. The only exception was Pokémon Stadium, which allowed players to play Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow on the television screen. Pokémon Stadium 2 was compatible with all the Game Boy and Game Boy Color Pokémon games.
Game Boy ExChanger (GBX)
The (unofficial) GBX, produced by Bung Enterprises Ltd, was the best-known backup unit for Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. The device plugged into the parallel port of the PC and allowed dumping ROM and SRAM sumee data to PC, as well as rewriting flashcarts to play copies of Game Boy games.
Game Boy Player
The successor to the Super Game Boy, the Game Boy Player allows Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games to be played on the Nintendo GameCube. It also has a link port so players can use multiplayer and e-Reader functions. It uses the same color palette built into the cart instead of colorizing the games.
Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter
The Wireless Adapter allows players to play wirelessly without a link cable. As of 2005, fewer than twenty games support this feature. The feature's greatest usefulness is most evident in Pokémon FireRed, LeafGreen, and Emerald – up to sixteen Wireless Adapter-connected players could convene in a "Union Room" of sorts.
e-Reader
A peripheral released for the Game Boy Advance and SP that unlocks special content for certain games. Content includes mini-games, different worlds, or full and complete games. The content was added or unlocked by purchasing e-Reader cards and swiping them in. The e-Reader was considered to be a general failure; although still selling in Japan, it was not released in Europe, and was quickly discontinued in North America.
Cartridges
Each video game is contained in a small plastic cartridge (or "cart"). Game Boy and GBC cartridges measure 5.8 cm by 6.5 cm. The software contained within provides the data, logic, and rules of the game, accepts input from the console controls or buttons, and outputs the results to the screen display and speaker. If the developer wishes, they can include either a small battery or a flash chip within the cartridge, which allows game data to be saved; this allows the game to be continued at a later time.
The game cart is inserted into the console cart slot. If the game cart is pulled out while the power is on, the Game Boy will exhibit undefined behavior. This will freeze the game and may cause weird occurrences, such as rows of zeros appearing on the screen and the sound remaining at the same pitch as was emitted the instant the game was pulled out. Pulling a cart out of the Game Boy while the power is on may cause saved data or hardware to be damaged. This applies to all video game consoles, especially those using cartridges.
The original Game Boy power switch was designed to prevent the player from being able to remove the cart while powered on. Cartridges intended only for Game Boy Color (and not for the original Game Boy) use the space intended for the locking mechanism to prevent insertion into the original Game Boy. Even if this is bypassed, the game will not run, and an image on the screen will inform you that the game is only meant for Game Boy Color systems; however, the Game Boy Pocket allows for bypassing of the notch.
There are four types of cartridges used on Game Boy systems:
- Gray cartridges can be used with all Game Boy systems except the Game Boy Micro or the DS. All original Game Boy and Game Boy Pocket titles are of this type. Sometimes these cartridges came in other colors, such as red and blue for Pokémon or yellow for Donkey Kong Land, and Pokemon: Special Pikachu Edition. These games were programmed in black & white; when used on the Game Boy Color or Game Boy Advance, the color of the graphics can be chosen at the start-up screen. Many games produced from 1994 through 1998 also had Super Game Boy enhancements.
- Black cartridges are compatible with the Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket, and Game Boy Light systems, and are in full color on Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and SP (e.g. Pokemon Gold, Pokemon Silver and Dragon Warrior I&II). Games such as Wario Land II DX, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX, and Tetris DX were re-releases of gray cartridge games with additional content and in full color. Roughly one quarter of Game Boy Color releases was black cart games. A small number of these games also had Super Game Boy enhancements.
- Clear cartridges can only be played on Game Boy Color and beyond. They do not physically fit in the original Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Micro, or DS due to their design. Roughly three quarters of Game Boy Color releases were clear cart games.
- Advance cartridges are half the size of all earlier cartridges and can only be played on Game Boy Advance and beyond and on the Nintendo DS. However, the DS cannot use the multiplayer modes of Game Boy Advance titles.
Popularity
Most game consoles become obsolete as newer systems become available. The Game Boy is unique in its stamina. 2004 brought about its 15th anniversary and in that time it has seen off many (often technically superior) rivals; most notably the Sega Game Gear and the Atari Lynx.
Thousands of games are available for the Game Boy, which can be attributed in part to its sales in the amounts of millions, a well-documented design, and a typically short development cycle.
The Nintendo DS is able to play the large library of Game Boy Advance games. However, it cannot play multiplayer GBA games or link to the Nintendo GameCube, and it is not backward-compatible at all with the original Game Boy or the Game Boy Color due to the lack of a Z80 processor.
Popular culture
- The short-lived 1980s cartoon series Captain N: The Game Master featured a life-sized Game Boy character, who communicated via faces on its screen.
- Television commercials in the late 1980s and early 1990s for the Sega Game Gear often mocked the Game Boy, at one point alledging it had a "creamed spinach color" in contrast to its own full-color graphics. However, many saw these commercials as petulant admissions that the Game Boy was thrashing the Game Gear in sales (as indeed it was).
- Thomas Ian Nicholas' character plays "Tetris" for Game Boy in the 1993 film Rookie of the Year.
- Numerous musical acts have appropriated the Game Boy as a musical instrument. Notably: 6955, Bit Shifter, Bubblyfish, Covox, Cow'P, dot.matrix, FirestARTer, Gameboy Music Club, Gameboyzz Orchestra, Glomag, Lo-bat, Bud Melvin, Nullsleep, OMAC, Saitone, etc.
Emulation
Some firmware has been released for the GBA Movie Player to allow ROM images for old Gameboy games to be used on the GBA, as well as the Nintendo DS. The ROM images are stored on CompactFlash cards used in the GBA Movie Player.
Screenshots
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V-Rally
Infogrames (1998)
See also
- List of Game Boy games
- List of Game Boy Color games
- List of Game Boy Advance games
- List of Super Game Boy games
- List of Game Boy colors and styles
- Game & Watch
- Virtual Boy
- Nintendo DS
- Comparison of handheld gaming consoles
External links
- Game Boy Land
- Online Nintendo Gameboy cart frequency guide
- GB on GBA Flash Cards - emulators for playing GB games on GBA flash cartridges
- eLook Game Boy Color Cheats
- Game Boy Family Hardware Product Numbers
- Game Boy Music Links