Game Boy Color
 | |
 A Game Boy Color in Atomic Purple | |
| Developer | Nintendo |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Nintendo |
| Type | Handheld game console |
| Generation | Fifth generation |
| Release date | |
| Discontinued | March 23, 2003 |
| Units sold | 118.69 million (combined with original Game Boy) |
| Media | Game Boy Game Pak, Game Boy Color Game Pak |
| CPU | Sharp SM83 (4.19 MHz / 8.38 MHz) |
| Memory | 32 KB RAM, 16 KB VRAM |
| Display | Reflective TFT LCD (160 × 144 pixels) |
| Best-selling game | Pokémon Gold and Silver (23 million units) |
| Predecessor | Game Boy |
| Successor | Game Boy Advance |
The Game Boy Color, commonly abbreviated as GBC and sometimes CGB, is a handheld game console made by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on October 21, 1998.[1] It was released in various other countries the following month: November 18, 1998 in North America,[2] November 23, 1998 in Europe, and November 27, 1998 in Australia. It also released in South Korea on December 20, 2000.[3] It is the successor to the original Game Boy and is part of the fifth generation of video game consoles. Its successor, the Game Boy Advance, is backwards compatible with both Game Boy and Game Boy Color games.
Hardware and features
[change | change source]The biggest innovation of the Game Boy Color was its colorful graphics. Compared with the original Game Boy, the Game Boy Color features a color TFT screen instead of monochrome, a CPU running at up to twice the speed, and four times as much memory. The screen is not backlit. The Game Boy Color is capable of displaying up to 56 different colors simultaneously on screen from a palette of 32,768 colors. Adding to its name, the Game Boy Color was available in several colors, including Atomic Purple, Berry Red, Kiwi Green, Dandelion Yellow, Teal, and Grape in North America.
The processor is a Sharp SM83 running at 4.2 or 8.4 MHz, with 32 KB of RAM and 16 KB of VRAM. The display resolution is 160×144 pixels. The Game Boy Color is almost as powerful as the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was the last 8-bit console made by a mainstream company, not counting the Pokémon Mini.
The Game Boy Color is slightly thicker and taller and has a slightly smaller screen than the Game Boy Pocket, its immediate predecessor, although significantly smaller than the original Game Boy. The contrast dial was removed, as the Game Boy Color now has a color screen. The console runs on 2 AA batteries, providing approximately 10 to 30 hours of gameplay.
The system features an infrared port located atop the console, which allows communication between two Game Boy Color units; this feature was used in games such as Pokémon Gold and Silver for functions like Mystery Gift.
The Game Boy Color is backwards compatible with original Game Boy games. When an original Game Boy game is played on the Game Boy Color, the player can choose from a variety of selectable color palettes to apply to the game. However, games made exclusively for the Game Boy Color (indicated by a black or a transparent Game Pak) cannot be played on the original Game Boy or Game Boy Pocket.
The spelling of the system's name uses the American English spelling of "color", even in the Commonwealth.
As with the original Game Boy, the Game Boy Color has an 8-bit processor made by Sharp Corporation that is a hybrid between the Intel 8080 and the Zilog Z80.
Competition
[change | change source]The Game Boy Color was released during the fifth generation of video game consoles. The Game Boy Color's competitors in Japan were the grayscale 16-bit handhelds, the Neo Geo Pocket and the WonderSwan, though the Game Boy Color outsold them by a wide margin. SNK and Bandai countered with the Neo Geo Pocket Color and the WonderSwan Color, but this did little to change Nintendo's dominance, especially after Sega discontinued the Game Gear in April 1997.[4]
Sales and discontinuation
[change | change source]The Game Boy and Game Boy Color together sold 118.69 million units worldwide, making it one of the best-selling handheld systems of all time. Its best-selling game was Pokémon Gold and Silver, which sold 23 million units worldwide.
In March 2003, Nintendo sold some of the last units,[5] shortly after the Game Boy Advance SP was released. Nintendo continued to support the console with new software even after the release of the Game Boy Advance in 2001. The last official release for the system was Doraemon no Study Boy: Kanji Yomikaki Master, released exclusively in Japan on July 18, 2003. The last game released in English-speaking markets was Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, released in North America on November 15, 2002.[6]
Best-selling games
[change | change source]References
[change | change source]- 1 2 Craddock, Ryan (October 21, 2019). "Anniversary: The Game Boy Color Turns 21 Today". Nintendo Life. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
- 1 2 Good, Owen (November 18, 2013). "Three Nintendo Systems Share a Birthday Today". Kotaku. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
- 1 2 신상민 (January 4, 2001). "정식유통판 게임보이 컬러, 호응누린다" (in Korean). GameMeca. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
- ↑ VanHooker, Brian (May 10, 2022). "Did the Game Gear Bring Down Sega?". MEL. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
- ↑ "Consolidated Sales Transition by Region" (PDF). Nintendo. April 26, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
- ↑ Plant, Mike (April 17, 2019). "A timeline of Game Boy's record-breaking history as iconic console celebrates 30 years". Guinness World Records Limited. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
