Tag: Game Boy - Page 7
News Modder Creates A Bluetooth-Ready Game Boy, Because Why The Heck Not
Fantastic retro-fitting fun
If you're familiar with the world of Game Boy modding and music, then the name Joe Heaton should be known to you. This UK-based tech genius has been featured on the site in the past - both as an interview subject and to offer sagely advise to prospective modders - and he's back with his latest amazing creation. Heato
Ninterview Jeremy Parish On Cataloguing The History Of The Game Boy, One Game At A Time
"I've made peace with the fact that I'll die before completing this"
The original monochrome Game Boy is the elder statesman of Nintendo's handheld family, having arrived on the market back in 1989. The console became a commercial and cultural phenomenon, effortlessly casting aside its more technically-competent rivals and establishing a brand which...
News Clean Up Your Act With This Game Boy Laundry Basket
Begone, foul undergarments
Playing on your Game Boy all day long is so much fun, but if you're anything like us you'll find that it tends to eat up time you'd usually spend cleaning your house and tidying away all the smelly clothing you casually drop on the floor. If only someone could somehow combine these two elements to make the process of...
Music Say Hello To The World's First LSDj Music Album On A Game Boy Cartridge
Includes Nordloef, Tommy Creep, Pixel Hero Zero and Solarbear
The Game Boy may be as old as the hills, but it's alive and well in the world of chiptune music. In recent years an active musical community has grown up around Nintendo's iconic handheld, intent on creating awesome tunes and even playing them to live audiences. If you needed any more of...
News We're Over The Moon With This Zelda: Majora's Mask Game Boy
You've met with some awesome paint, haven't you?
We love a good custom paint job of classic gaming hardware here at Nintendo Life Towers, and this Majora's Mask Game Boy is one of the coolest mods we have seen in a while. French artist Oskunk has given this tired old Game Boy a refreshing new lease of life by bringing it bang up to date with a...
Weirdness The Mail on Sunday Still Thinks We're in the Game Boy Era
Nice work
When Nintendo announced the original DS (sometimes know as the "Phat") there was talk that it was a separate pillar of the Nintendo portable business, with the Game Boy to continue. The phenomenal success of the DS family, though, has meant that it's taken the place of the iconic brand, and it's hard to know if we'll ever see a new Game...
Video YouTube's Gaming Historian Takes Offense At One Element Of Mario's Game Boy Past
"Come on Nintendo. You're better than this"
Mario is one of the most recognisable characters in entertainment media, and has starred in a staggering number of games over the past few decades. The portly Italian plumber has also enjoyed a number of cameo roles throughout the years, and it's this element of the character's history that the latest...
Feature Tales From The Frontline Of Game Boy Development
The Rise And Fall Of Crawfish Interactive
As the video game industry lurches from one generation to the next, the multitude of companies involved with producing software for the endless conveyor belt of platforms never remains static; just as studios are created to cater for the demands of new hardware, established firms are forced to close due to...
Guide How To Create A Custom Game Boy From Start To Finish
The glorious rebirth of a handheld gaming legend
In this unique one-off feature, esteemed Game Boy modder Joe Heaton — also known as Joeteach — takes us through an entire Game Boy custom job. Over the last couple of years, since getting hooked on the Game Boy modification scene and sharing my creations on Instagram, I have been asked a lot of...
News AI Program Can Learn To Play Game Boy Games, Next Stop: The Subjugation Of Humanity
When is Judgment Day due, again?
Developer Daniel Shumway has created an AI program which is capable of learning how to play Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. Named Piglet — but previously developed under the moniker WideEyes — it's a machine-learning AI built with Lua and designed to interact with the Visual Boy Advance emulator. Inspired by...
News Kickstarter Project Wants to Turn Your Game Boy into a Full HD Beast
If it's worth doing, it's worth doing in 1080p
Gunpei Yokoi, the late father of the Game Boy, famously embraced a design philosophy of "lateral thinking with withered technology," in which one found cool new ways to entertain with cheaper, older equipment. One can only wonder if Yokoi ever even considered the notion that, 25 years later, his iconic...
News Nintendo Renews Patent On Multi-Platform Game Boy Emulation, But Don't Get Too Excited
Unlikely that official games will be on your iPhone any time soon
Patents are funny things. Every new product needs them, but there are countless patents filed every year which never get used for anything productive. Take Nintendo's patent for
Review Donkey Kong Land III (3DS eShop / GB)
Marvellous Monkeys
In 1997 the fifth generation of video games was well underway (even Europe and Oceania had the N64 by then), but the trusty Game Boy was still the place to go for portable gaming joy. Having successfully brought monkey platforming action to the handheld twice already, Rare produced a third game — the imaginatively titled Donkey...
Video Let's Celebrate The Game Boy That The West Never Got
Shedding some light on a handheld classic
Nintendo's Game Boy range was massively successful all over the world — heck, even Kurt Cobain had one — but not every variant of the system made it out of Japan. Just before the launch of the Game Boy Color, Nintendo produced a revised backlit version of the original monochrome system which was...
Video You are Hereby Ordered To Surrender Nearly Three Hours Of Your Life To Game Boy Title Screens
Strangely mesmerising
Ever wondered what it would be like to sit through every single Game Boy title screen? Ponder no longer, as YouTube user NicksplosionFX has given us the chance to do just that. The video below is almost three hours (2:42:02, to be precise) of Game Boy title screens — that's every known original game for the console — and...
Weirdness Hearthstone Game Boy Demake Is An Experience Nintendo Fans Can Never Have
At least we’ll always have the Pokémon Trading Card Game
If you’ve ever wondered what Hearthstone would have been like on the original Game Boy, wonder no more. A digital artist by the name of Pixelpowerluke from Game Boy Demakes is currently teasing fans with images of what Blizzard’s online card game would have possibly looked like if it...
Video Behold the Sheer Majesty Of The Backlit And Biverted Game Boy DMG-001
Now you can play anywhere, even in darkened rooms
Not so long ago, we spoke to Shaun Jones of GameBoyMods.co.uk about the services he offers to Game Boy owners looking to breathe some new life into their ageing handhelds. Shaun was kind enough to perform some surgery on our trusty old DMG-001, and we thought you might like to see the results in...
Feature Ten Must Play Titles on the Game Boy
25 years young
In this past week the venerable Game Boy celebrated its 25th Anniversary in North America, which means we've had a quarter century of monochrome gaming goodness. The iconic system established Nintendo's leadership of the dedicated gaming handheld market, a position it still holds in the 3DS generation. It's not just nostalgia that...
Video This Pixel-Powered Chiptune Tale, Pulse Fighter, Shows The Power of Game Boy
This'll pummel your senses
As you may have read earlier today, it's the 25th anniversary of the Game Boy in North America, another welcome landmark for the venerable portable console. This dramatic three-minute tale is perfect for the occasion, as a result. The video, entitled "Pulse Fighter", is the work of m7kenji (visuals) and chiptune artist...
News The Game Boy is 25 Years Old in North America
Happy Birthday, Old Boy
The Game Boy recently celebrated the 25th anniversary for its release in Japan, a reminder of the enduring legacy of one of Nintendo's greatest creations. Its role in transforming the games industry and popularising portable systems can't be overlooked, not to mention the various franchises and classic games that define it...
Weirdness 3D-Printed Game Boy-Themed Case Covers Raspberry Pi
Far more sensible than whipped cream
The credit-card sized educational computer Raspberry Pi encourages electronics hobbyists to find interesting and fun ways to extend the machine’s capabilities; to celebrate the Game Boy’s 25th anniversary Adafruit user Noe Ruiz has posted an extensive tutorial on how to build a 3D-printed Game Boy-themed case...
Video You Really Don't Want To Know What Kids These Days Think Of The Game Boy
"You don't just turn it on and get the app?"
Technology has moved at an incredible pace over the past 25 years. Back in 1989, mobile phones were massive and so expensive that only Wall Street businessmen could afford to own one without having to sell a kidney, and portable gaming was considerably less advanced than it is now. The monochrome Game...
Feature Breathing New Life Into The Original Monochrome Game Boy
We speak to GameBoyMods.uk's Shaun Jones about the iconic brick
Despite being one of Nintendo's oldest systems, the humble Game Boy continues to bring joy and entertainment to dedicated players all over the world. We've already spoken to Joe Heaton about the Game Boy and its appeal to chiptune composers, and recently we got the chance to catch up...
Video More Interesting Game Boy Facts To Wrap Your Head Around
Popular YouTubers Did You Know Gaming and Vsauce3 unite once again
Earlier this week we featured a video made as a collaboration between popular YouTube channels Did You Know Gaming and Vsauce3 that highlights an assortment of facts and oddities about the original Game Boy system, which
Video Here are Some Fun Game Boy Facts and Awesome Footage
Do You Know Gaming and Vsauce3 team up
Not so long ago the Game Boy celebrated its 25th anniversary, an important landmark for one of the most important pieces of gaming hardware ever produced. We already gushed over it accordingly, but hugely popular YouTube channels Did You Know Gaming and Vsauce3 have collaborated on two videos to highlight some...
Feature Celebrating 25 Years Of A Legendary Final Fantasy Title
When is a Final Fantasy not a Final Fantasy? When it’s a SaGa!
Way back in the mists of 1989; when we were all wondering how Nintendo’s Game Boy could possibly stand up to the mighty full colour Atari Lynx and whether it was really worth handing over $200USD/£190 for Sega’s new console, Squaresoft (as it was then known) decided to release an...
Review Mega Man IV (3DS eShop / GB)
Great things in small packages
With one exception, which is also making its way to the 3DS Virtual Console, all of the Game Boy Mega Man games take two of the NES titles and rework them a bit. Some old faces in new places, so to speak. A sprinkling of unique bosses and weapons help to carve out identities for these portable experiences but, by and...
News Gaze at This Pokémon Game Boy and Know That You Want It
Design celebrates Red & Blue, and maybe a bit of Yellow
Pokémon is a powerful force, a franchise that continues to shift millions of units and draw gamers in not just to the core games, but spin-offs, animations and trading card games, too. Pokémon X & Y on 3DS have continued the success, bringing the franchise to Nintendo's current generation...
News Possibility of SNES Remix and Other Remix Titles Depends on Fan Support
NES Remix director: "Does the marketplace want it or need it?"
In an interview with IGN, NES Remix and NES Remix 2 director Koichi Hayashida explained that the possibility of a SNES Remix, Game Boy Advance Remix, or other Remix brand titles will depend on the market's support and fan outcry. There could even be a Remix title based on third-party...
Talking Point The Game Boy is 25 Years Old, and Deserves Its Place in Gaming History
Nintendo's most vital triumph
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...
Ninterview Joe Heaton on The Joy of Game Boy Mods and Chiptune Music
"Over time it’s achieved an iconic status "
Nintendo's unrivalled history and cultural impact in gaming is manifested in various ways, and brings together fans and enthusiasts of many kinds. A number of us enthusiastically jump into the company's latest systems and games, while others find the most joy in collecting retro equivalents. There are...
News Furrtek Software Engineering Revives The Game Boy Scene With Medieval Puzzler Airaki
25 years on, and still going strong
If you thought the best days of the Game Boy had been and gone, you’re probably right. Still, that hasn’t stopped retro-hacker and developer Furrtek Software Engineering (basically, a guy with a computer) from attempting to resurrect the gaming scene on what is arguably the most beloved Nintendo handheld of...
Feature Meet The Gamate, The Handheld Which Tried To Take On The Game Boy And Failed
We look at the history behind one of gaming's more obscure portables
When Nintendo launched the original Game Boy to a rapturous critical and commercial reception in 1989 it was almost a forgone conclusion that other companies would follow suit and concoct their own portable systems. Arch-rival Sega quickly pushed the Game Gear onto store shelves...
Video Short Film Extols The Virtues Of Buttons, Features Nintendo Quite Heavily
Can you spot R.O.B. the Robot?
Gaming used to be exclusively about buttons, but with the rise of touch-screen gaming — pioneered by the Nintendo DS and taken to the next level by the proliferation of smartphones and tablets — we've got an entire generation of players growing up in a world where buttons aren't necessarily the default gaming...
News The Nintendo Phone Almost Happened A Decade Ago
Ex-Danger employee reveals how Game Boy games nearly came to mobile
Everyone seems to be telling Nintendo to get its games on mobile phones these days, and yesterday's news that the company would be announcing some kind of smartphone strategy seems to suggest that it is listening to such advice. However, a former employee at Danger Research — the...
News Quest Begins To Find The Best Game Boy Tetris Player In The United Kingdom
Block buster
Since the release of the excellent King of Kong, it's fair to say that the world of video game high-score chasing has become a little more respectable. The documentary showed that the people who post these amazing scores are necessarily locking themselves away in rooms for weeks at a time; they're normal people with families and jobs...
News This Design For A "Game Boy Evolution" Sure Is Intriguing
A hi-tech system with fold-out controls
When it comes to Nintendo's next move in the portable gaming space — not that it's likely to be in a rush — we've seen a few dreamers with decent software come up with interesting ideas and flashy concept images. A notable recent example was the Nintendo smartphone, a potato so hot that we'll leave that...
Weirdness Scrub Up With These Nintendo Cartridges
Promotes gamer hygiene
Like professional athletes, Nintendo gamers are commonly known for generating foul odours during long and enduring marathons. It’s part of the whole experience. Whether it involved gaming with friends back in the day with a copy of GoldenEye 007 on the Nintendo 64, or more recently playing through the latest Zelda adventure...
Video CNET Pays Homage To The Nintendo Game Boy
The legendary monochrome system gets some welcome recognition
Portable video gaming would be very different were it not for the Nintendo Game Boy. Although it was technologically outdated by the time it launched — rival systems like the Sega Game Gear and Atari Lynx offered better displays and superior processing power — it nevertheless became...
Video Experts Believed Nintendo Was In Trouble Back In 1990, Too
Some things never change
When you're one of the world's most recognisable brands then it's only natural for people to predict your downfall. That has happened to Nintendo many times in the past, and history is repeating itself as a new console war begins in earnest. Sony's PS4 and Microsoft's Xbox One launch this Christmas, and these hardware...
News Capcom Issues Update On Game Boy Mega Man Titles Heading To 3DS Virtual Console
They're on the way, Mega Man X2 could also be possible
Capcom is celebrating a lot this year, with the company itself reaching its 30th anniversary and Mega Man hitting his 25th birthday. While the Blue Bomber hasn't had a new game to celebrate the occasion, he is to be a playable character in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. on Wii U and 3DS and...
Review Pinball: Revenge of the 'Gator (3DS eShop / GB)
A snappy pinball title
HAL's Pinball: Revenge of the 'Gator is a game which really needs to be approached with context in mind; back when it launched in 1990, real pinball games were still popular in arcades and digital representations were only just starting to offer the same level of enjoyment. Naxat's seminal Crush series — which includes Alien...
News Link's Awakening Turns 20 Years Old
First portable Zelda was a dream come true
Two decades ago, on 6th June 1993, Japanese gamers were the first to explore the mysteries of Koholint Island in what is still considered by some to be among the top Zelda games in the series — all on the now-humble Game Boy, no less. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening was originally intended as a...
News Capcom, Take Note: This Is How You Mark Mega Man's 25th Birthday
Shame this custom Game Boy is just a fan mod
Mega Man is 25 this year, and while Capcom has at least acknowledged this fact, there seems little chance of fans getting an all-new Blue Bomber outing before 2014 rolls around. Still, if Capcom isn't prepared to go the extra mile to mark the event, then the fans can show their respect in their own way...
News Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak Talks Tetris And Giving Game Boys To World Leaders
He's rocking an awesome Limited Edition Astro Boy Game Boy Light, too
It's no secret that Apple co-founder Steve "Woz" Wozniak is something of a legend at Game Boy Tetris, but seeing the man in action is something else. Game Informer managed to infiltrate Woz's hotel room recently, and recorded some footage of him dominating at
News Retro Classics Harvest Moon And Legend Of The River King Coming To 3DS Virtual Console
Farming and fishing
Nintendo has confirmed that two beloved Game Boy Color classics are heading to the 3DS Virtual Console. Harvest Moon and The Legend of the River King — both from Natsume — will be available on the 3DS eShop in the near future. Highly-regarded titles from yesteryear, the games focus on farming and fishing respectively, with...
Hardware Classics Nintendo Game Boy
Monochrome masterpiece
The Nintendo DS may be the biggest selling handheld console of all time, but you could argue that this is only the case because of the vital groundwork laid down by the Game Boy. The original monochrome brick was pushed onto the market in 1989 in the wake of Nintendo's popular Game & Watch range, and would go on to sell...
News Hacker Combines Game Boy, Wii Remote and Android To Create Portable Nirvana
But only if you play games which use two buttons, obviously
Retro emulation on Android isn't going to go away, regardless of how questionable and legally dubious it is. However, the exploits of a hacker by the name of alpinedelta prove that even those who resort to playing ROMs on their phone often yearn for the feel of the real thing. alpinedelta...
Hardware Classics Tezuka Osamu World Shop Game Boy Light
A gaming work of art
In the first of a new series of features, we'll be taking a look at some seriously beautiful and collectible gaming items - all of which are certain to get hardcore Nintendo fans seriously excited. First up is the Limited Edition Tezuka Osamu World Shop Game Boy Light, a super-rare Japanese exclusive which is emblazoned with...
News What's On Your Game Boy Camera?
Check your cupboards now, you could be sitting on valuable memories
The Game Boy Camera was a cool little device. Released at the end of the '90s, it allowed you to take grainy monochrome snaps using your beloved handheld. The images were pretty poor quality and you could only fit a few inside the minuscule memory, but for a generation of kids...
