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Image: Nintendo Life

We recently asked you to rate your favourite Game Boy Color games, but while the results for that ranking are still coming in (look out for the Top 50 soon, and don't forget to rate your own GBC collection if you haven't already!), we thought we'd pose a question regarding the hardware itself: Which is the best Game Boy Color variant?

We've previously looked at GameCube's alluring alternatives and Nintendo 64's pulchritudinous permutations, but there's only one Nintendo system with 'color' in its very name (and a logo which features the five solid hardware colours available from launch, too — neat, huh?). This handheld system released in a range of lovely hues, and we'd like to know which one is your absolute favourite.

Before we begin, we should clarify that we've narrowed the field somewhat; there were a great many Limited and Special Edition Game Boy Colors and we'd be here all day if we included the clear orange Yedigun branded version, the green and yellow Ozzie! Ozzie! Ozzie! console and other such limited, local variants. If you want the full exhaustive list of everything, check them out at the wonderful Console Variations — in the interests of brevity we've included only variants that were widely available in at least two territories. If there's something you adore that's not listed below, feel free to pick 'Other' in the poll and let us know which in the comments.

So, in almost alphabetical order, let's recap the colours that regular old Joe Game-Boy-Fan could pick up at their local video game emporium in the late-1990s or early-2000s...

Game Boy Color console variants

Atomic Purple

Game Boy Color Atomic Purple.JPG
Image: Damien McFerran / Nintendo Life

Everyone loves a transparent console, right? Taking a leaf from the N64's book, this clear purple console gave you a glimpse of the GBC's innards and gave the console a more high-tech, modern feel for image-conscious handheld gamers.

Berry

This fabulous fuchsia or 'reddy-pink' version makes us want to sup a ridiculously sugary fruit drink, preferably via a tiny straw poked into a shiny carton. Do straws still exist?

Dandelion

Game Boy Color Dandelion
Image: Ryan Craddock

This blinding yellow console was the perfect Pokémon Yellow accompaniment... well, unless you splashed out on the Pokémon Special Pikachu Edition bundle. If you wanted to advertise your love for the electric mouse without having little Pokémon pictures all over your console, though, this was your best bet. Colourful, but classy.

Grape

Game By Color Grape
Image: Nintendo

Nintendo do a fine line in purple (or purple-adjacent) consoles, from the gorgeous Indigo GameCube to the GBA or the looks-indigo-to-me Switch Lite. Not much to say about this rich purple GBC, other than we like it and we think it's good. Grape, even.

Oh dear. Moving on...

Kiwi

Game Boy Color Kiwi
Image: Ryan Craddock

An eye-catching neon/lime green variant, the kiwi console is also a looker. We're starting to think it's not really possible to buy a 'bad' Game Boy Color.

Neotones Ice

Exclusive to Japan and Australia (although these days you're able to pick up aftermarket cases of all colours, including clear). For the discerning handheld gamer after something less flamboyant than Atomic Purple.

And as pointed out in the Digital Press tweet above, the Game Boy Horror from Luigi's Mansion was a Neotones Ice variant, too. Very ice.

Teal

Game Boy Color Teal Box
Image: Nintendo Life

A green-y blue-y GBC variant, and the one which is obviously best because this writer owns it. So there.

...and the Pokémon Special Edition

Game Boy Color Pokemon Special Edition
Image: Nintendo Life

This fetching yellow and blue edition features Pikachu and Pichu, plus the Pokémon logo and some colourful buttons. It came bundled with Pokémon Yellow in certain territories, and there's another version with Pikachu, Jigglypuff and Togepi, not to mention a host of Pokémon Center variants in silver, orange and other hues.

If you're a proud Pokémon fan, the world of GBC doesn't get much better than this unless you crack out your custom paints and tools.


So, you've seen the lot and now it's time to pick your favourite:

What's your favourite Game Boy Color variant?

So, did your Game Boy Color come out on top? Was your personal favourite robbed or not even featured? Miffed about the puns or the silly 'U' we insist on inserting into words like 'color' and 'favorite'?

Let us know below, and don't forget to rate your favourite Game Boy Color games and look out for our Top 50 results article soon.