Nintendo Game Boy
From Sonic Retro
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.
- CPU: 8-bit "GB-Z80" at 4.194304 MHz
- RAM: 8 KBytes internal
- ROM: 256 kbit, 512 kbit, 1 Mbit, 2 Mbit and 4 Mbit and 8 Mbit cartridges. Cartridges larger than 32KBytes utilize MBC bankswitching
- Graphics Chip: Tile based engine with support for one background, window, and sprite layers. A maximum of 40 8x8 or 8x16 sprites may be displayed onscreen with no more than 10 per scanline. Embedded with CPU and pAPU in DMG-CPU
- Video RAM: 8 KBytes internal
- Sound: 4-channel system featuring two square waves, one voluntary 4-bit sample channel, and one white noise channel. Embedded with CPU and VDP in DMG-CPU. The unit only has one speaker, but headphones provide stereo sound
- Display: Passive Matrix (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)
- Interesting Fact: The Revisions of the DMG-CPU branded 05 and below make an audible "click" when reloading the 32 4-bit voluntary wave samples. This is still present in newer revisions, but is much quieter.
Game Boy Play It Loud!
In 1995 Nintendo released the Game Boy Play It Loud, a unit featuring a more powerful internal speaker and several external case colours. It was not commercially successful compared to the Game Boy Pocket.
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 carried on to all later GB models. The screen was changed to a true black-and-white display, rather than the "pea soup" monochromatic display of the original Game Boy.
Game Boy Light
Only available in Japan, the Game Boy Light was about the same size as the Pocket and has 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.
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.
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 SNES 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.
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 [1].
In September 2005, Nintendo "quietly" released a new revision of the SP with a backlit screen. The new screen offers much better contrast, albeit with slightly more blurring than the frontlit screen. The new SP can be discerned by a graphic on the box exclaiming "Now with a BRIGHTER backlit screen!"
Game Boy Micro
GameBoy Micro was the last installment in the Gameboy family. It plays all Gameboy ADVANCE (GBA) games and comes with all GBA SP features, but the size is smaller than ever, so is the weight. Being a tiny 10 cm (4") by 5 cm (2"), and a stunning 1.7 cm (.7") thin, it's around the same size as an iPod Mini, but just two thirds of the weight. This is something that you can just slip into the pocket of your jeans, and at under 80 grams (2.8 ounces), Gameboy Micro is half the weight of a GBA SP. In a tradeoff for its new smaller size, backwards compatibility with the original Gameboy and Gameboy color cartridges was removed. GAMEBOY-micro.com.
Accessories
Game Boy Camera and Printer
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.
Super Game Boy
The Super Game Boy was a plugin cartridge for the SNES, 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 grays. Games designed with the Super Game Boy in mind can also utilize additional colors, include a custom border that will surround the Game Boy display, utilize the SNES sound hardware, or even include a native SNES program that can utilize all of the SNES features. Notably, this is the only official Nintendo product to support such enhancements, and the only device that can support all of them. Many Game Boy emulators support Super Game Boy enhancements, but without the capability to utilize the SNES sound hardware or run native SNES code.
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.
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 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.
Nintendo issues special flash cartridges like these to official developers for use on GB and GBC. Some developers, put off by the high prices for these cartridges, used other brands of flash carts, such as those from the now deceased Bung.
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.
Unlicensed Sonic Games on Game Boy
NOTE: All legitimate games featuring Sonic have been released on the Gameboy Advance, not the Gameboy.