Topic: Would you buy a game boy classic or game boy advanced classic edition?

I just recently bought an snes classic and was having a blast when I thought about what a "classic edition" of a handheld console would be like.( I know the game gear micro exists, but it's more so a novelty item rather than something people would actually play) So what do you guys think. Would it be a good idea for Nintendo to make a GB classic/ GBA classic or not? And would you buy one if they did make it? (Because I know that I would DEFINITELY buy one, especially if you could download more games onto the system via an SD card)

@Tanookduke 100% interested, especially if it had a cartridge slot for original games. I know that on home consoles thats never been the point, they have been mini consoles, but i cant see how they could make a decent handheld so small that cartridges wouldn't fit.

I don't see them doing one that takes original cartridges, I would expect it to have some pre selected Mario games etc, but I would grab one asap if they did!

Yes. But as I suggested on another thread I think they could go even better. Why make a new GameBoy that only plays a selection of ROMs? If you're going to go to the effort of putting a screen on it why not go further?

How about instead of a "GameBoy Mini" they make a "SwitchBoy"? Pair back the Switch, fit it in a GBC sized form factor. Make it compatible with a subset of the Switch library including all of the NSO stuff. Now THAT I'd not only buy but wait outside in a line at midnight for

@skywake
Your idea is interesting, but no offense, it would essentially be like the playstation portal but instead for an already portable console. While this may be a dream system for you, others may view it as pointless ,expensive add-on. Also how would it even work?

@Tanookduke
How would it be an add on? It wouldn't require the Switch. It'd be a stand alone piece of hardware that can play a subset of Switch titles including all the NSO classic titles. Think of it like a Switch Lite... but smaller, cheaper and with a GB like design

Here's a question back at you. What's the use case of a GB Classic "Mini"? Why should it exist? And in my mind it has a place because the GB form factor is much more pocketable than a full Switch, even the Lite. Which is where I then landed. If the goal is to make a more pocketable device for playing classic Nintendo titles why not just make a Switch that's more pocketable?

On the one hand, Nintendo already has the Switch Lite, which is very portable and allows you to play GB/GBC/GBA games on the go, alongside everything else that it does.

On the other, they've made the Mario and Zelda Game & Watches, which are dedicate retro handhelds for their two biggest franchises.

While I could see them making further Game & Watches or another even smaller revision of the Switch, there just doesn't appear to be the room for a completely different device that's a handheld equivalent of the NES and SNES Classics. Indeed, those appear to have run their course now that N64 went on NSO rather than getting its own mini console.

@skywake
A person might want a GB/ GBA because, 1. It's a cheap-ish gift to get someone they know who likes playing games, 2. A person realizes that they could essentially save money buying this thing than paying 20$ over the course of years to play these games they could lose axcess to.

And nintendo maybe still has an interest in making one since the nes and snes classic sold well and allowed them to sell their retro titles to a bigger market of consumers rather than just their userbase.

@Tanookduke
Then add an app on it that includes a bunch of GB titles seperate from NSO.

The way I see it they charge $99AU for that collectable Game and Watch with just Link's Awakening on it. They charge $300AU for a Switch Lite which, frankly, has a fair margin on it. Surely thry could sell an even more paired back Switch for like $200AU or something. Even if it was a relatively small screen that's only 480p. With less ram, an underclocked CPU, smaller battery. Could be a cool little device

I mean, unless the pure GB mini you're suggesting ends up being $100AU I'm not sure why you'd want it. Not when you can get Android based portable emulation devices that can run everything up to N64 for something like $130AU

Basically what I'm saying is that I'd love Nintendo to make another Gameboy like device. But if they did I'd want it to do a fair bit more than just play a couple of dozen GB roms

SwitchBoy, you heard it here first

That would ruin the portability of the hardware (at least by modern standards), and unless Nintendo intends to manufacture GB/GBC/GBA cartridges again, I can't see that happening to appease the increasing minority of those who still use their decades-old cartridges, but I have a better proposition in that respect...

I would absolutely love a Switch "Micro". The Lite is all well and good, but something that I can fit in my pocket would be even better. Such a device would of course render some games borderline unplayable (mainly those with a lot of small on-screen text), but that of course would be off-set by the sheer breadth of other perfectly playable games within its library.

Alternatively, Nintendo could release a "Game Boy Mini" that can play special Switch cartridges that contain two ROMs, one for the GB Mini, and another for existing Switch consoles (that accommodates its higher resolution and online features). This, paired with physical re-releases of the classic Pokémon games would be a dream come true (and I would absolutely leap at two copies + consoles).

Plus, I really, really want more GB/GBC/GBA games in physical form without having to hunt down expensive (most likely used and/or semi-functional) cartridges or opt for a third-party device to emulate them instead. I also hate that Nintendo have been gatekeeping GB/GBC/GBA games behind a rental "service" when we had the option to buy them outright on past hardware. I'm not going to invest time or money into games that I will inevitably lose access to.

Perhaps I'm being a little nitpicky here, but the Game & Watch releases were AU$79 each, and the Switch Lite retails for AU$329 (though most vendors tend to drop it to around $299-$309, but pretty much everyone is selling them at full price at the moment).

I'm pretty sure I've also seen the Zelda G&W drop as low as AU$59, as I suspect that Nintendo overestimated demand for it (which is a recurring source of frustration as Nintendo seldom seems to reissue hardware/software that is in high demand).

I know they probably stopped making these partially because they were too busy actually selling a popular console again, but I'm honestly really surprised they never did a Game Boy Classic. I get not doing N64 because it didn't sell as well and it'd be weird without certain 3rd party games you couldn't guarantee for it(similar issues were really clear with the PS1 Classic), but Gameboy Classic if nothing else, seems like an easy way to make money. And actually bringing one of these classic systems back as a proper handheld would be neat. I was genuinely expecting the entirety of 2019 for them to announce it for the Gameboy 30th anniversary.

I just assume either the people who worked on these were too busy on the Switch or they didn't want any extra thing on this level (unlike an anniversary Game and Watch, which is way more niche) to distract from their new system.

@Sisilly_G I agree that it’s highly unlikely, but either way I can’t see a cartridge slot making it less portable. The Gameboy advance is much smaller than the switch or switch lite! You also have to remember that this type of thing would mainly appeal to adults who grew up in the Gameboy era, rather than kids, so it needs to be big enough to hold and a decent sized screen. Essentially, it would likely need to be GBA sized, whether it has a cartridge slot or not I would have thought.

I don’t see them doing it, but I would think it’s much more likely that they allow you to play old cartridges rather than a SD card slot, as some have suggested.

@BowsersBuddy : I was referring to the size of the original Game Boy, which is quite bulky by modern standards. Something more akin to the GBA (as you've mentioned) or the GBA SP are perfectly fine though.

And I suggested that they use cross-compatible Switch cartridges as such can still be played on existing Switch consoles without the need to purchase additional hardware, and without diminishing the appeal of a smaller, cheaper device.

In any case, I would love to see pocket-sized handhelds make a comeback in the mainstream. The Switch is great and all, but sometimes I yearn for the simpler, more compact experiences of the GB/GBC/GBA days.

I think the anniversary G&W hardware was fantastic, with really nice screens, colours, and long battery life, but it was such a waste for all that tech to be utilised on a mere couple of NES ROMs (and in Zelda's case, a GB ROM too).

@Sisilly_G absolutely I can’t see them releasing a console the same size as the original Gameboy. I think if they ever release a GB classic, it will likely be something smaller with 20 GB/GBA games built in, and no way to add anymore, no cartridge slot, etc. I can also see them thinking that there’s no need for any more classic consoles, as they can slowly just keep adding to the switch online library. And they would probably be right, to be fair.

@Sisilly_G
RE: exact prices, I'm all for being pedantic and I commend you for it. But the general thrust of the point is the same. If they were to make a GB Classic to the quality I'd want them to? It wouldn't be as cheap as the Game & Watch devices they've sold. We'd probably be looking at $150AU

And at that price I'd want it to do more than just play a NES/SNES mini sized collection of GB/GBC ROMs. Because for that kind of price I could go on Amazon and pick a portable device that can emulate everything upto N64. I'd have to source ROMs, sure, but still. For the price this thing would have to sell for them to have a decent margin I'd want more than just GB games

And again, there's a solution right there. The Switch SoC is a mature component. They could shrink it down, underclock it and drop power consumption even further. Pair it with a 480p screen. Allow developers to make their games able to run in a mode bellow portable, super portable. Same architecture just a bit more restrictive and with a smaller screen. I'd buy the hell out of that for $200AU even

And sure, of course, some games wouldn't scale like that. But plenty would. Just looking at my Switch Library I see stuff like Pocket Rumble, Gato Roboto, Baba is You, Axiom Verge, Shovel Knight, Super Meat Boy. Plenty of stuff that would easily fit. Throw in all the NSO stuff? Potential for a really great pocketable device.....

..... and if Nintendo doesn't do it hopefully someone like Valve gives it a go

@BowsersBuddy I don't really see the market for a GB/GBA Classic at the moment. There are tons of budget handheld emulation devices available that look pretty similar to GB/GBA.

For what Nintendo would charge for a GB/GBA Classic, most folk would likely just pick up one of those emulation devices and play whatever they wanted rather than the 20-30 games that would likely be included in any Nintendo-produced handheld.

For those with original carts, devices like the Analogue Pocket already exist.

@dmcc0 : The problem with a lot of the emulation devices is that they are often "too good to be true", and I don't want to have to take a punt on various devices of dubious quality.

I'd prefer a portable PC like a GDP Win, but they're a little too expensive for me at the moment.

@dmcc0 all very true, but then when the SNES and NES mini came out there were already other unofficial ways to emulate all of those games too. People like official Nintendo hardware. Always have, and probably always will.

Did those recent game and watch handhelds sell well? I have no idea either way, but If so, that would be despite there being multiple ways to play those games already. Im pretty sure the NES and SNES mini both sold well.

I also don't think that the majority of people are aware of devices such as the analogue pocket, that has a very specific market of people who are specifically looking for that kind of thing.

Anyway, im not for one minute saying any of this will happen. As i have already said, i can see them thinking that switch online covers all of this, so why bother?

@Sisilly_G While you can still buy some ridiculously priced Chinese tat with 20,000 games included for a few £/$ there is an increasing number of decent quality emulators going around these days - stuff like the various Retroid and Anbernic machines seem to review quite well and look like decent quality.

@BowsersBuddy I do agree that people like Nintendo hardware, but in the case of the NES/SNES mini there wasn't really an equivalent item on the market at the time and there was no simple way to play NES/SNES on modern TVs. Yes, you could emulate NES/SNES on a PC, Pi etc, but nothing that you could simply plug it into your TV at that price point. In terms of handhelds, there are loads of options available now so in a sense they've possibly missed the boat on this - having official Nintendo hardware seems to be the only upside to any theoretical GB/GBA Classic, and like you say they've already got a selection of games on NSO so probably not even considering it.

I also wonder how many people bought mini consoles to later hack them and just dump a load of ROMs on there - judging by the number of How-To guides that are out there there were quite a few!

Maybe not officially, but there are a million and one NES/SNES knock-offs in developing countries, including Turkey, where, 20 years ago, quite a few of my cousins had these all-in-one NES/SNES consoles (complete with a light gun knock-off too, albeit those wouldn't be compatible with modern TVs). It was a cheap source of entertainment, and Lord knows they couldn't afford the real deal.

And even if modern TVs don't have the requisite composite ports, adapters are readily available.

@Sisilly_G There have always been shady clones available if you look hard enough - there still are, but for the same reason you're a bit dubious about quality of various current handheld emulation devices, the average man/woman on the street isn't going to seek out some dodgy NES/SNES clone on a whim.

The mini consoles are (were?) very much targeting the casual player, tapping into their childhood nostalgia in most cases. Something you could pick up at the local games or toy shop and was plug and play - no messing with adaptors or emulator settings etc.

They weren't really aimed at the enthusiast who might still have the original hardware or have other ways of playing these games already.