Game Boy family
The Game Boy (Japanese: ゲームボーイ) is a series of battery-powered handheld game consoles sold by Nintendo. It is the best-selling game system to date, and has spawned many successful spin-offs.
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.
- 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)
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 2005 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 of 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). 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.
Game Boy Advance
In June 2001, Nintendo released a significant upgrade to the Game Boy line. The Game Boy Advance featured a 32 bit 16.8 MHz ARM processor, along with a Z80 processor to support original Game Boy games. It was technically likened to the Super Nintendo and was backed up with technologically superior ports of classics such as Super Mario Bros. 2, alongside new titles such as Mario Kart Super Circuit, F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, and Kuru Kuru Kururin. It is often referred to as GBA, and also had backwards-compatibility
Game Boy Advance SP
The SP version (launched in March 2003) featured a new smaller clamshell design with a flip-up screen, an internal frontlight, and rechargeable battery, but was otherwise unchanged. The SP stands for Special [1]. In mid September 2005, Nintendo released a new edition of the Game Boy Advance SP that featured a new and improved backlit screen. This was 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 for higher resolution. The Game Boy Micro is not backwards compatible with Game Boy or Game Boy Color games. In Japan, it was released on September 13, 2005. In North America, it came out on September 19, 2005 and retail for $99.99. It was released in Europe on November 4, 2005.
Nintendo DS
The Nintendo DS launched on November 21, 2004 in North America and December 2, 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).
Accessories
Game Boy Camera & Printer
The Game Boy Camera & Printer are accessories for the Game Boy handheld gaming console, released in 1998. The camera could take basic black & white, often grainy, digital images using the 4-color palette of the GameBoy system. The printer utilized heat-sensitive paper to "burn" any saved images, making a hardcopy. Both items were marketed by Nintendo as light-hearted entertainment devices, in all three major videogame regions of the world: Japan, USA, Europe. This was highlighted, in great detail, in N64 magazine (published by Future) which dedicated a monthly section to the device. It was never Nintendo's intention to transform the GB system into a form of PDA, and any such claims are mis-informed.
There are also several mini-games along with the camera. It allows you to insert a picture of your head into several mini-games: Ball, DJ, Run! Run! Run!, and Space Fighter II.
- Ball is a very bland juggling game, in which you move your hand around to catch and throw balls. Your head is the person juggling.
- DJ, probably the most popular game on the Game Boy Camera, you can mix and create your own music. Your head is the DJ.
- Space Fighter II is an exact port of its arcade version. In the game, a spaceship in which you fire missiles at other spaceships. Your 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. Your head becomes attached to a cartoon body, and you race against a mole and a bird for the finish line.
Sources (Magazines): N64, CV+G, GamesTM, Edge Sources (Websites): GameFAQs.com
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 games.
Game Boy Player
Similar to the Super Game Boy, the Game Boy Player allows Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games to be played on the Nintendo GameCube. It uses the same color palette as built into the cart instead of colorizing the games.
Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter
Another product, the Wireless Adapter allows players to play wirelessly without a link cable. Few games currently support this function as of 2005.
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 the cartridge ROM and SRAM sumee data to PC as well as rewriting flashcarts to play copies of Game Boy games.
Game Boy e-Reader
A peripheral released for the Game Boy Advance and SP that unlocked special content for certain games, or contained a completely different game that is accesed by purchasing e-Reader cards, and scanning them with the e-Reader.
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. Game data can be saved so that the game can 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 in such a way that it prevented the cart from being removed 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.
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. 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 and beyond, but also can not be used by Game Boy Micro or DS. 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 were 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 nor Game Boy Micro or DS due to its 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. The current incarnation, the new Game Boy Micro or Nintendo DS, is not compatible with games produced for the original Game Boy, nor Game Boy Color. The Game Boy Advance, and Game Boy SP, however, are still able to play cartridges created for the original Game Boy in 1989.
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 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. Nintendo has stated the Nintendo DS is not a "new Game Boy" but rather a new type of handheld, and thus a "third pillar" for the company, with the TV consoles and the Game Boys as the other two pillars. This would seem to imply that the Game Boy is not being replaced or phased out on behalf of the DS.
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