Nintendo’s enviable reputation in gaming can be attributed largely to its huge success in shifting handheld gaming consoles, which date back much further than the Nintendo 3DS. Over nearly two decades, the company enjoyed almost unchallenged dominance in the handheld gaming console market with its Game Boy devices.
However, so many versions of these were released as the years progressed that even many veteran gamers could have since forgotten the models that we feature in this article.
Game Boy
Looking back, it is easy to believe that the original Game Boy was available in many different colors from its launch in 1989. Not so! The Game Boy was available in only one color, ‘off-white’, at that time, while additional colors, including red, black, yellow and transparent, did not appear until 1995. Pictured above, on the left-hand side, is one of the original off-white devices.
Game Boy Pocket
So, what’s that Game Boy on the right-hand side? It’s the same color, but that device is actually a Game Boy Pocket. This, released in 1996, is a redesigned version of the first Game Boy, and smaller and lighter. Technical enhancements included a proper black-and-white, in place of the previous monochromatic, display and better pixel response-time. This off-white color was actually a limited edition color in the Game Boy Pocket.
Game Boy Light
Released only in Japan in 1998, this was, in a sense, a further evolution after the Game Boy Pocket. Though it was slightly larger, it included an electroluminescent backlight to make Game Boy use in the dark straightforward for the first time. Several limited editions of the Game Boy Light were made, including the above-pictured clear red Tezuka Osamu World Shop edition.
Clear blue Game Boy Color
The Game Boy Color, which was essentially the first Game Boy with the enhancement of a color display, is one of the best-known Game Boys. Nonetheless, few people will have come across the clear blue version in the above photograph, as this version of the Game Boy Color was a limited edition.
Platinum Game Boy Advance
Here is another limited edition, this one a platinum Game Boy Advance. Alas, it is not made of actual platinum, though this would’ve saved many purchasers of it quite a lot of money! It was made available in 2002 to commemorate the Advance’s first year on sale, and platinum is our personal favorite color in any Game Boy, as it just looks so prestigious.
Indeed, the huge array of colors of Game Boy consoles in general has undoubtedly contributed much to their widespread appeal and collectibility.
