1.2 Game Boy Color

Main article: 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 backwards-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. (For an example of a similar marketing strategy, see Sony's PlayStation.)

1.3 Game Boy Advance

Main article: Game Boy Advance

In 2001, Nintendo finally released a significant upgrade to the Game Boy line. The Game Boy Advance features a 32 bit 16.8 MHz ARM processor, along with a Z80 processor to support original Game Boy games. Technically likened to the Super Nintendo and backed up with 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. Often referred to as GBA.

1.3.1 Game Boy Advance SP

The SP version featured a new smaller clamshell design with a flip-up screen, an internal frontlight (not a backlight), and rechargeable battery, but was otherwise unchanged. The "SP" stands for "SPecial".

2 Accessories

2.1 Game Boy Camera and Printer

The Game Boy Camera was a rudimentary digital camera. The Game Boy Camera & Printer are accessories for the Game Boy handheld gaming console, released in 1998. They marked the beginning of a thus far mostly unsuccessful attempt by Nintendo to expand the Game Boy from merely a gaming device into a rudimentary PDA.

2.2 Super Game Boy

Main article: Super Game Boy

The Super Game Boy was a plugin cartridge for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, allowing 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 greys. The Super Game Boy was favored by software developers and testers since they could use a larger television screen while working, instead of the small Game Boy screen.

2.3 Game Boy Player

Main article: 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.

3 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 second 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.

The original Game Boy power switch was designed in such a way that it prevented the cart from being removed whilst powered on. Many Game Boy Color cartridges use the space intended for the locking mechanism to prevent insertion into the original Game Boy.

4 Popularity

Most game consoles become obsolete as newer systems become available. The Game Boy is unique in its stamina. 2004 brings about its 15th anniversary and in this time it has seen off many (often technically superior) rivals; most notably the SEGA Game Gear and the Atari Lynx. The current incarnation, the Game Boy Advance, is backward compatible; still able to play cartridges created for the 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.

5 Screenshots

Tetris	Super Mario Land 2	Pokémon Yellow	V-Rally
Nintendo ( 1989)	Nintendo ( 1992)	Nintendo ( 1998)	Infogrames ( 1998)

6 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
• Game & Watch
• Virtual Boy
• Nintendo DS

7 External links

• Console Database - Game Boy Info
• eLook Game Boy Color Cheats

Handheld game consoles Nintendo hardware

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