[52], In a 1997 year-end review, a team of four Electronic Gaming Monthly editors gave the Game Boy scores of 7.5, 7.0, 8.0, and 2.0. Bestseller Predecessor The Game Boy Pocket is a redesigned version of the original Game Boy having the same features released in 1996. The high … Media 4, 8. It uses two AA batteries, which gave it approximately 20 hours with the light off and 12 with it on. Production of the Game Boy continued into the early 2000s, even after the release of its second successor, the Game Boy Advance, in 2001. It was designed by the same team that developed the Game & Watch series of handheld electronic games and several Nintendo Entertainment System games: Satoru Okada, Gunpei Yokoi, and Nintendo Research & Development 1.[11][12]. Another notable improvement over the original Game Boy includes a black-and-white display screen, rather than the "pea soup" monochromatic display of the original Game Boy and less sprite blurs. On April 1998, a variant of the Game Boy Pocket named Game Boy Light was exclusively released in Japan. Game Boy Light (1998-2003)Game Boy Color (1998-2003) Notably, this variation is smaller and lighter. [37] The unit is also fitted with a 3 volt, 2.35 mm x 0.75 mm DC jack which can be used to power the system. On July 21, 1996, Nintendo released the Game Boy Pocket for US$69.99:[36] a smaller, lighter unit that required fewer batteries. When Yokoi showcased his console to Yamauchi, Yamauchi’s reaction to console at Nintendo was initially very poor, with the derogatory nickname "DameGame" from Nintendo employees, in which dame (だめ) means "hopeless" or "lame". The first model of the Game Boy Pocket did not have an LED to show battery levels, but was added in favor of public demand. [citation needed]. [citation needed] It was released simultaneously with the Play it Loud! Meet Analogue Pocket. [21] The Game Boy requires 6 V DC of at least 150 mA. "(3) Game Pak slot — Insert the Nintendo GAME BOY Game Pak here. ), Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Light and Game Boy Color units), Kent 2001, p. 416. [40] The Game Boy Pocket was not a new software platform and played the same software as the original Game Boy model. The main similarities is that the Game Boy Pocket uses 2 x AAA Batteries instead of 4 x AA, has a somehow better display, and is much smaller than the original Game Boy. [53], For the entire Game Boy line of handheld consoles, see, (including Game Boy (Play it Loud! (See game manuals for button functions. [14] An estimated 118 million units of the Game Boy and its successor, the Game Boy Color,[10] have been sold worldwide. The Game Boy was released alongside six launch titles, which are listed in the table below: Though it was less technically advanced than the Lynx and other competitors, notably by not supporting color, the Game Boy's lower price along with longer battery life made it much more successful. This was soon added due to public demand, along with new Game Boy Pocket units of different colors (released on April 28, 1997), some of them new to the Game Boy line. All the corners of the portrait-oriented rectangular unit are softly rounded, save for the bottom right, which is curved. It was designed by the same team that developed the Game & Watch series of handheld electronic games and several Nintendo Entertainment System games: Satoru Okada, Gunpei Yokoi, and Nintendo Research & Development 1. This new line of colored Game Boys set a precedent for later Nintendo handhelds; every one of them since has been available in more than one color. Launching in 2020. It was available in two standard colors: gold and silver. A grey Game Boy Pocket. The differences between the original Game Boy Pocket is that it takes on two AA batteries instead of two AAA batteries and has a backlit screen that can be turned on or off. Oct. 4, 1997: Yokoi dies [6] By Japanese fiscal year 1997, before Game Boy Color's release in late 1998, 64.42 million units of the Game Boy had been sold worldwide. There were several limited-edition Game Boy Pockets, including a gold-metal model exclusive to Japan. [50] In 2009, the Game Boy was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame, 20 years after its introduction. At launch, it was sold either as a standalone unit, or bundled with one of several games, namely Super Mario Land or Tetris. campaign,[35] known in Japan as Game Boy Bros.[c] Specifications for this unit remain exactly the same as the original Game Boy, including the monochromatic screen. Shigesato Itoi visited Nintendo and conceived the name “Game Boy” for the console Yokoi was designing. Manufacturer Satoru Okada designed the mold of the console and cartridges, the rest of the team for the display, and Yokoi for the design. Release Date [23], The right-side of the device offers a port which allows a user to connect to another Game Boy system via a link cable, provided both users are playing games that support connecting to each other (most often, only copies of the same game, although for example the Pokémon games can connect between different generations). handhelds in the United Kingdom. Out of the box, Pocket is compatible with the 2,780+ Game Boy, Game Boy Color & Game Boy Advance game cartridge library. The Game Boy Light was released on April 14, 1998, and only available in Japan.