Retro Review: Nintendo Game Boy
By Aaron Long on Dec 8th, 2009 at 8:20PM
Typically our monthly retro reviews are games. I decided to mix it up a bit this time and review some retro hardware. The Nintendo Game Boy was an 8-bit handheld wonder that was released here in the United States in the summer of 1989. A million units were sold within just a few weeks of release and packaged with the Game Boy was everyone’s favorite Soviet video game, Tetris.
Externally, the Game Boy has a decent amount of features. The control layout of the system is basically the same of the NES, sporting A and B buttons, a D-pad, and select and start controls. Below the keypad is where the internal speaker is housed. The left side of the Game Boy features an input for an AC adapter, as well as a control for screen contrast. On the right side, a volume wheel can be found, as well as a connector for a link cable or another of the various accessories created for the Game Boy. Atop the system is the on/off switch and the back has the battery housing, as well as a place for game cartridges to be inserted, while at the bottom of the unit, the 3.5mm headphone jack can be found.
Internally, the Game Boy didn’t have much power. It sported a 4MHz processor, 8KB of RAM, stereo sound processing (when headphones were in use), and a 160×144 resolution LCD that showed off the unit’s monochromatic color system. The Game Boy was powered by four AA batteries or by an optional AC adapter that could be purchased separately.
What made the Game Boy the king of handhelds during its reign? The answer is actually quite simple. Price and battery life were the driving factors for its success. Despite having lower end hardware than its competition, the Game Boy was simply more affordable and more practical than other units.
I, oddly enough, remember the day I got my Game Boy. I spent a vast amount of my childhood playing Pokémon Yellow and Tetris on the go, and I didn’t worry about the horrible graphics or terrible sound effects (which make cool music nowadays). When I try to play my Game Boy now I wonder how I ever managed to see anything on the screen, but it is still as fun playing now as it was ten years ago.
Wow you still have a battery cover with a fully working latch? Mine had duct tape over the cover for a while and eventually I lost the battery cover and it was just duct tape.
[Reply]
Man, I don’t know how much money I spent on my Gameboy. I had just about every version that Nintendo came out with and still do. I bought tons of games for it, and then there was the batteries. I hate to think how many of those I used up. The DS is also cool, but I was a little sad to say the least when they retired the Game Boy name.
[Reply]