Today's an important day, and we imagine a large celebration cake has been purchased for Nintendo HQ in Kyoto. The Game Boy was released 25 years ago today in Japan, and it was a system that — perhaps unlike any other — defined and set Nintendo on its path to being a successful multi-billion dollar corporation central to the video game industry. The Game Boy established Nintendo's dominance in the dedicated gaming handheld market, a position it maintains today, and as a result should be credited as one of the truly pivotal moments in the company's history.
While some may point to early Game & Watch success or particularly the NES as the key points that made Nintendo a household name, here are some vital points to support the idea that the Game Boy's role was more vital than its 8-bit living room predecessor. While Nintendo's position in the home console market is undeniably hot and cold, with generations of domination punctuated by periods of falling behind rivals, the portable console space has remained the property of the big N. Even in the current age of smart devices seizing attention and consumers, the 3DS continues to sell millions of units and out-perform its conventional rival, the PS Vita. When it comes to the handheld gaming market since the Game Boy, Nintendo has never 'lost'.
Launched on this day in 1989, the Game Boy was the work of the brilliant Gunpei Yokoi, an engineer with the philosophy of "Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology" — that policy has been prominent through Nintendo's multiple handheld system generations, and certainly with the design of the Wii. With the same control inputs as the NES it opened up a world of ports and familiarity for fans of the home console, but like its successors in the portable space it triumphed not just in simply recreating a home console on the go, but also in shaping its own identity and space in gamers' hearts.
Like Nintendo's greatest home console phenomenon, the Wii, the Game Boy needed a hook right from the off. It had Tetris, a game that would take over the world for a spell and perhaps created the idea of a 'casual' audience before the phrase had been endlessly repeated on the internet two decades later. Simple, compulsive and perfect for portable play, it was bundled with the system. That move was a masterstroke from all concerned, and once that audience was on board a rapidly expanding library of unique games, more puzzle titles and ports meant Game Boy owners were not short of titles to play.
Its design and that pack-in title were factors that, in a sense, allowed Nintendo's system to defy the odds. That aforementioned philosophy of maximising ageing technology in innovative ways wasn't simply corporate-speak, it was fundamental to the system's success. In parallels that could be drawn with following Game Boy models, as well as the DS and 3DS, more flashy alternatives were on the market. Companies such as Atari (with the Lynx) and Sega (with the Game Gear) went for impressive technology of colour screens and more powerful graphical capabilities. Yet the Game Boy's physical form had an undeniable appeal, and its colourless visuals with a green hue worked. Most important in an era of disposable batteries, however, was the fact that two AAs could last 20 hours in the Game Boy, well beyond its power-hungry rivals.
System selling software, a simple but effective brand name and battery life easily trumped more 'advanced' opponents, then. The Game Boy took over popular culture, with references in TV shows throughout the '90s and beyond. No matter how fancy its rivals' processors, how colourful their screens, Nintendo continued to win. Game Boy games impressively made the most of humble technology, multiplayer cables became a must for groups of friends to play each other, and it took on a life of its own. Then there were Pokémon Red and Blue, late arrivals that transformed the portable space and the portable's longevity in possibly the most dramatic manner since Tetris.
Aside from limited edition designs, that original model — which had ageing technology when it hit Japan in 1989 — lasted until 1996, at which point the Game Boy Pocket arrived with a clearer black and white screen and a smaller design; the Game Boy Light had a backlit screen and was only released in Japan in 1998. Those are impressive legs when you consider that the home console space had seen the 16-bit era come and go, with 3D polygons and 32-64bit machines gradually becoming the norm.
The Game Boy legacy had a long way to go, however, and Nintendo continued its extraordinary run of prolonging modest technology with smart design and must have gaming experiences. The Game Boy Color's 1998 arrival in a sense collided with Pokémon Red and Blue, but it provided a vital feature that is often ignored by Nintendo's rivals — backward compatibility. Those that had nine years of Game Boy life behind them could be comfortable in the knowledge that all their games could transition to the new system, itself a relatively minor upgrade rather than a new generation. The Color was no technological behemoth, but the simple addition of colour for new games, support for Game Boy carts, excellent AA battery life and an affordable price all helped it to success. Global sales of the Game Boy and Game Boy Color models passed 118 million units.
The arrival of the Game Boy Advance in 2001 was the first major leap in portable technology from Nintendo since that original 1989 Game Boy, which is notable in a modern era when 6-7 years is considered to be a long generation. Though it retained the brand it was a clear step away from the iconic original designs, an inevitability with the passing of time. Its capabilities were closer to the 16-bit Super NES era (though it was technically a 32-bit machine) and, as a result, gave keen Nintendo portable gamers full colour and impressive on-the-go experiences. Its various models surpassed 80 million worldwide sales, impressive in a shorter run on the market, but the success of the SP clamshell design served as an early hint at what was coming. The arrival of the DS not only served as a quick diversion of attention from GBA, but introduced a new brand that has been the core of Nintendo's portable gaming business for the last decade.
While it's certainly fair to bemoan the end of the Game Boy brand, there's no denying that the DS family has been a spectacular success. It's sold over 150 million units, the highest selling portable console (family) in history and only behind the PS2 in the overall game console stakes. Yes it bore many of the hallmarks of established technology being used for affordable, innovative hardware, a philosophy used to such brilliant effect by Yokoi-san with the Game Boy. Some may have scoffed at its touch screen and clamshell — again, Sony's PSP had stronger technology is terms of graphics — yet it struck a nerve with the public. The 3DS, also, arrived at the market with weaker graphical tech than the PS Vita, yet it's significantly out-sold its rival and passed 40 million unit sales so far. Perhaps autostereoscopic 3D hasn't been the winner Nintendo expected, but the design principles of the DS, allied with software innovations and brilliant games, have seen the current handheld survive in a market with unprecedented competition from smart devices.
That brings us back to one of our earliest points, and just one reason why the Game Boy should be lauded on its anniversary and for as long as we have video games. Nintendo's leadership in the home console space has had peaks and troughs, with the company winning some and losing other generations. When many think of home console games, Nintendo isn't always the first name on their lips.
With portable gaming systems, however, Nintendo has always ruled the roost. It's not been through technological power, but through clear ideas, concepts and outstanding design. The big N's home console record may waver, yet it's in the portable space where it finds consistent solace, including defying the odds following a bad start with the 3DS in 2011. Nintendo gets portable gaming, producing experiences to this day quite unlike those available elsewhere, and still able to persuade those with countless alternatives to plump for a 3DS or 2DS. The portable space is also Nintendo's most reliable money maker, keeping the accounts ticking over in lean years in living rooms.
The Game Boy began all of that. Its design philosophy and ability to capture what the public wants from gaming-on-the-go continues to be felt 25 years later. It lives on in both the 3DS Virtual Console (Game Boy and Game Boy Color) as well as the Wii U Virtual Console (Game Boy Advance), and it remains central to gaming culture. The Game Boy is portable gaming in its purest, least complicated form.
Will the Game Boy brand return in the future? We certainly hope so, as it's arguably never died.
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Comments (77)
Still the best!
From what I can see I have 5 of those Game Boy games in the first picture. My favorite system (and first.), although I started with the Game Boy Color, but had a lot of older games from my brother.
That Nintendo Life business card has seen more games then I ever will. ;__;
I also always liked how the GBC would play old GB games with a little bit of color added. I wish they would add that feature to original GB games on the virtual console.
And a very merry birthday to the portable console that truly started it all...
i will never forget that Christmas morning waking up to a Gameboy and Super Mario Land. I ignored my family so much that day. To bad I sold it.
Nostalgia hit me hard with this one. Can't believe 20 years has passed. Still remember the day my Mom hand me this beautiful piece of machine. Too bad my cousin broke it by smashing it on the table because she could not get over a level in Mario Land.
The Game Boy is the definitive gaming handheld. My parents still call my 3DS a Game Boy.
ah the game boy I still remember the first time I played one and playing pokemon blue
in fact I still own that gameboy although the scren is slightly damaged dead pixels down one side
I only really liked Tetris. Game Gear was better
I actually never cared that much about my original Gameboy. For years the only games i had for it were Tetris and Metroid II. I much preferred the multiplayer featured offered by home consoles. That is, until i got a GBC and Pokemon Red for my birthday when i was 10. After that, i became a huge fan of portable gaming and cherished my GBC and great titles like the Zelda Oracle games, Mario Bros Deluxe, and Pokemon Silver.
Im the biggest fan of nintendo handhelds! I counted play hours on my wii u since launch: 137 hours. The 3DS has 10 times more gameplay.. Animal crossing:200+ and mii plaza 150+ etc..
I love Game & Watch, Gameboy, GBA, NDS & 3DS <3
IMO, the GBA was better, but the gameboy was awesome.
Best Game: Link's Awakening (DX)
The original Game Boy still looks totally cool in a retro way...apart from the terrible screen obviously.
I really thought the Game Boy Pocket Light was pretty sweet and the best version of the original Game Boy line.
http://www.nerdlikeyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/nintendo-game-boy-light.jpg
Game Boy Advance SP in black, although a different generally of Game Boy, was a thing of beauty and a brilliant little piece of hardware.
http://www.rugged-tabletpc.com/photo/pl156734-black_giocatore_gioco_palmare_con_gba_sp_e_schermo_lcd.jpg
Countless hours spent playing Pokemon Blue and Gold! I took my Game Boy everywhere. Nowadays I have a 3DS and I still call it a Game Boy from time to time.
Congrats Game Boy & Ninty
"Deserves Its Place"? The Game Boy is a huge part of console history. It doesn't need to deserve anything, it's a juggernaut. If only Nintendo had heeded Game Boy's lessons closer with the 3DS...
@Savino How is the Vita amazing? I have one, and almost never play it. That's not awesome, that's lame.
Gonna read the article as soon as I can, but for the time being... :,) so many great memories, having taken that thing (that brick) everywhere with me. Truly monumental piece of technology, coupled with amazing, quality content. One of my all time fav games, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. I also really love that Pac-Man game my father bought me and I had a hard time beating (ah, good times), Pac-in-Time, can't seem to find that anywhere anymore ever since I had to leave my Game Boy and all my games behind. Really miss playing that game though, and the rocking music, yeah! It would be a dream for me if they'd put some of those more obscure games, like Pac-in-Time, on the eShop.
@MegaGarchomp527 lol same. That's what they've gotten introduced to, the Game Boy, and so they stick with that name for anything that's portable and that plays games as its main feature, I guess
Never owned a Game Boy myself, but Super Mario Land is the first game I bought from the 3DS eShop.
Good ol' Game Boy.. happy B-day!
Tanjoubiomedeto, Game Boy! I love mine, but I need more games for it! It's unbelievable how good Game Boy games are rare around these parts - you always find shovelware, but rarely a classic, must-have title.
Slowly but surely though, the library builds up. I love all my Game Boys and always will! :B
It still kills me how adamant Nintendo was that the DS wasn't replacing the gameboy, but acting as 3rd pillar. Yeah, so much for that. I can't wait for them to introduce their healthy lifestyle product and say "this will act as a 3rd pillar to the home console and DS lines." When technically it should've been a 4th pillar.
The gameboy brand still has a lot of life in it, and should be brought back.
Game Boy is a weird one for me. Often with Nintendo consoles, like the N64 and Gamecube, it seemed there was a lack of games at the time, and then when you look back on them, you see what a solid library it had. The Game Boy is the complete opposite for me now. At the time I loved the thing, had tons of games, played on it loads, but now looking back, there's only a small number of titles that seem worth going back to. It definitely a very important part of gaming history however, that cannot be denied.
Yeah, such good memories after having gotten one for X-mas all those years ago.
My parents wisely saw the value of investing in rechargeable AA batteries way back then, haha!
I'm not convinced the gameboy would've been a giant hit without the prior success of the NES. While it may be Nintendo's biggest seller, masses would have not flocked to it as they did without Nintendo's name on it, which became famous to the masses via the NES. In essence, this was Nintendo's first console after the NES, and at my jr. High at least, many picked one up due to the Nintendo name, as they trusted the company behind the NES. Had that name been Hitachi or even Konami, I'm not so sure it sells like hot cakes.
Happy 25th, Game Boy~
Oh, how I loved my Game Boy, but mainly because of Tetris.
Happy 25th my green screened little friend. Perhaps I will take a moment to gaze upon you as you sit atop my man-shelf. Maybe I'll even wipe the dust off of you too.
Happy 25th GameBoy! I only played home consoles back in the GameBoy era, but I tried friend's ones once in a while. Never liked Tetris, just not my cup of tea, but there are plenty of other classics I'd love to play one day.
This was my first Nintendo console, and my only one till my wife bought me a Wii'in 2008...
"Will the Game Boy brand return in the future?"
I TOLD YOU PEOPLE there will be a Gameboy 2! Nobody ever listens.
The first system I ever owned (not counting my parents' Atari 2600). As far as I am concerned, this was the most successful system ever. It had so many games, so much respect, obliterated the competition, sold like crazy, and remained relevant for over a decade.
Deserves its place? what are you talking about? This console doesnt deserves anything because it already is a huge game history milestone and one of the best consoles ever made along the atari 2600, the nes, the ds and the wii. I remember when this console was released and the huge phenomenon it was. I didn't see anything simmilar until the DS was released.
@Nintenjoe64 technologically? yeah. game library? No way. Just like the PSP and the Vita, it has console-like games in a portable system and that didn't work. Games are what a system, not the technology.
The Game Boy Color was my very first portable console. It was a keystone in my childhood. I can still remember in elementary school, during recess, all the kids would sit along the fence and play Pokemon red / blue. The teachers worried about our social skills of course, but it was how I made a lot of my friends. Those times have remained priceless to me.
And my parents wondered why I wanted a game boy when I already had a nes. Truly in a league of its own...
I think a couple of you are mis-reading my intention with the headline. I'm saying it has its place in gaming history, and that's quite right as it deserves it. Not that it doesn't have a place but should.
Surprisingly negative tone to a couple of comments on the headline, considering what I say in the article!
Don't worry, we will never forget the game boy, an amazing piece of gaming history.
Even though it doesn't technically bear the name, I've always considered the DS line to be "Game Boy Dual Screen". I still call it my Game Boy.
Happy Birthday Gameboy! You will always have a special place in my heart!
Happy Birthday Game Boy!
Indeed Happy Berfdizzle Gameboy. My old Gameboy Color helped me ignore all the teachers i hated all those years ago! lol
So many memories...
That little (well, "big" for today standards XP) device marked my childhood ToT Always with me, sunny or raining, at home and on travel, the little fellow never dissapointed me, keeping me company with some great single player games and helping me build some friendships with its wonderful multiplayer games.
Amazingly the GameBoy are also very resistent, mine still work and surely it's not the only one, not many old technologies were made so well and resistent OoO
Happy Birthday GameBoy ^o^
Huh...I'm only a few months older than the Game Boy. Seems I was destined to be a devout Ninty fan from birth.
I had a Gameboy (and a Game Gear for a bit) I didn't really like the Game Gear that much (It was in the early times when the Games were just worse Master System ports though).
Not really interested in Gameboy VC though. (Super Gameboy or doing what the GBC did might make me more interested). I have played most of the main games though.
Happy 25TH Birthday GAME BOY!! Truly one of THE BEST portables I ever played, and Nintendo has ever made , imo back in 1989 , and still going strong. I mean that because even though GAME BOY isn't around anymore, it's legacy still lives on with the 3DS VC , and in every gamers hearts and memories.
I noticed a small error in the article, the GameBoy uses 4 AA batteries not 2. Still an excellent article though.
While I have and always will love my home Nintendo consoles I must say the quality of games available for the 3DS has it quite possibly being my favorite system of all time, and I have owned all of them since the N64, including a game boy, game boy color and game boy advance. The selection for the 3DS is almost unrivaled!
A Great system indeed!
Wow...This makes me feel old. lol
1989 was my birth year.
@ThomasBW84 The headline is a bit weak, that's all. The article then doesn't quite draw the point home. The 3DS references also don't work in its favor with how poorly 3DS did at its beginning and how it's still underperforming in Western markets (would be doing notably worse without the 2DS).
@Savino Nothing about Vita's technology is amazing. Not the ridiculously priced memory cards, not the mishandled screen, not the poorly implemented touch control, not the poorly placed and designed analog nubs... The Vita is a mess of poor design and poor game selection. Exactly the kind of faults the Game Boy avoided.
The Game Boy turned me into a gamer, loved it . The 3DS is my favorite system to date I also have a Vita and I like it yet the 3DS is by far my favorite of the two .
@Savino Obviously I do, since you haven't provided any worthwhile counterpoint!
I was never allowed a gameboy.. until the advance came out. Epic backward compaibility - sticky outty cartridges FTW!
@Thomas Great write up! Long live Nintendo handhelds!
This was my first handheld and mine still works.
Wowza can't believe that its been 25 years, I still have the Nintendo Power Magazine covering the 20th anniversary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wasn't born until '97, but my 1st handheld was the Game Boy Advance SP (10 years ago and still kicking). As I've become a majority handheld gamer and collector I've picked up the Classic, Color, and Micro and I'm planning on getting at the very least a Pocket and Advance Classic (a Light would be nice but dat price tho...) Love what Nintendo has done with the 3DS they've proven a great strength is their handhelds. I've played many of the other companies competitors units and only two (the Neo Geo Pocket Color and Atari Lynx) both are held back only because of poor libraries. Way to go Nintendo hope we'll be celebrating with 50th anniversary with the Nintendo 6DS-Boy HDXX in 4DSessssss
I dusted off my GBA SP two weeks ago and have been playing old Gameboy games nonstop! I didn't even know the anniversary was near. These games are a blast! The Mario games, Looney Tunes, Yoshi's Cookie, Tetris, Quarth. Ahhh, the good ol' days...
I still have my old grey clunky Game Boy. It's been through hell and back . . . and it still works!
I used to play the crap out of my GBC back then and the only 2 games I knew were Pokémon and Super Mario Land. I thought I'd keep it with me forever..... Until my little brother threw up on it..... At least I still have my 10 years old GBA.
While I don't have a gameboy micro and wish I did, I am the proud owner of a platinum gameboy player that attaches to my platinum gamecube. Man I love Nintendo.
I loved the GB, but I don't hold it in high esteem anymore. I realized years later that out of all the GB games I had, I only liked a couple of them.
Ah... Memories... I'll never forget the day we got that grey brick of awesomeness. Christmas of 95 was the day I believe, with getting that big ol' grey unit with a pocket system bundled with Mario Land. I believe the other game that day was Tetris, but Mario was where it was at for me. I couldn't get enough of running around in that tiny pixel game, and played that again and again.
Unbelievable to me, I still have the original box and Manuel in near mint condition all these years later, as all the other games over the years had their manuels and boxes mutilated to a certain degree. Guess I was to young to care about the things that it came with and just chose to play.
Happy 25th Gameboy. You earned your mark on history.
I got my first GameBoy around '92-'93 for Christmas. I liked it a lot. It died in the great flood of '06. R.I.P. my GameBoy.
If I remember correctly my first Game Boy game was Snoopy's Magic Show.
"Two AAs"? The original Game Boy took four.
@MegaGarchomp527 I still call my 3DS "Gameboy"! XD
Still have my green brick gameboy best 8th birthday EVAHHH!!
I didnt own a gameboy until the pocket version released ,but it was great having a massive library of games to play on it.
See, that's how Nintendo gets it right all the time. While others tend to spoil us by developing something that consists of the absolute latest technology (I guess to show off and impress, and also to be as modern as possible), following strictly along the river of technological progression, Nintendo doesn't do that. I guess they kind of spoil us on other means, mainly with plenty great games. But by not pumping horsepower into their consoles, they leave massive room for significant technological leaps later down the road, at which point any advancement becomes intersting to us, as we already know what the name "Nintendo" means, thus keeping us curious as to what exciting new content they're going to come out with, giving us a healthy amount of natural progression.
Sometimes, being one step behing actually means behind in front, and I think Nintendo have nailed that concept.
I still have my original gameboy (albeit without the back cover because I used an unofficial charge pack) and a gameboy pocket that still work to this day. I remember my brother and sister playing 2 player tetris with the link cable ah good times
It was a really great time playing games like Wario Land, Mario's Picross, DK '94, Kirby's Pinball Land, Battletoads, Kirby's Star Stacker and the Donkey Kong Lands as a kid.
It's also great to discover stuff like The Sword of Hope II, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, Kirby's Block Ball, Bionic Commando, Catrap, Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge, Gargoyle's Quest, Avenging Spirit and Game & Watch Gallery for the first time on the 3DS VC.
Now if Ninty really wants me to celebrate all of its great games and make a buttload of money from me they'll give the VC games the multiplayer options that were in the original releases.
I still have a Gameboy laying around but half the pixels are dead, unfortunately I learned that the hard way when I wanted to see what Pokemon G/S looked like on it.
I have fond memories of playing Gargoyle's Quest and Bomberman on it. Most of the games I played later on the GBC, still have them all but Mole Mania. Its funny how most people seem to not think of Pokemon R/G/B as GB games, I even forget sometimes. The color-select trick is among my favorite things about those games too actually.
I fondly remember the Christmas when I got both a Game Boy and a Super Nintendo. It started a lifelong love of video games that will never go away. And while I've spent more time with my PS3 than either my 3DS or Wii U in recent years, my gaming roots will forever be Nintendo.
I absolute love the GameBoy. Every incarnation of it from the original to the GBA SP. I still play a lot of GameBoy games on my GBA SP and on my GameCube's GameBoy Player. Such a great line of handhelds and games. Thank you, Nintendo!
Happy Birthday, Gameboy! I still have my original Gameboy and most of my games — all which are very much functional. My oldest memories consist of playing lots of Pokemon, Zelda: Link's Awakening, Super Mario Land, Donkey Kong Land, Tetris, Kirby, and many more. I used to walk around my friend's neighborhood with my Gameboy, Pokemon Blue, Red and Yellow.. and a link cable. We would trade and challenge the neighborhood kids to battles. Great times and awesome memories. I also used to stay after school late, waiting for my friend who rode the bus, and we'd just play Donkey Kong Land or Mario Land. We both had one and just swapped around games. Lots of fond memories for this amazing console.
This really makes me miss my old GameBoy.
Memories....... I wish I could play my GBA games but there saves are busted.
@Savino There's a difference between the Wii U and the Vita. The Wii U is definitely cheaper than the Vita and uses less power as well. Plus its got games that are worth the purchase unlike the Vita.
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