Nintendo GameBoy Review
The Nintendo GameBoy was the very first internationally successful handheld gaming system. Released in 1989, the GameBoy was revolutionary for its time and was the start of the popular handheld gaming trend. Speaking of popularity, the GameBoy received its fair share, selling 1 million units in the U.S within the first few weeks it was released. Now it is obvious that the Nintendo GameBoy can't even begin to compare with its modern handheld equivalents, but let's see how it has tackled the course of time. Let's take a trip down memory lane in MobileTechnology Reviews' full written review of the original Nintendo GameBoy!
Hardware:
The Nintendo GameBoy is no small chunk of hardware. Measuring in at 3.5 inches wide, 5.8 inches tall, and a massive 1.3 inches thick, the GameBoy is pretty substantial, especially when compared with the handhelds we have today. On the design field of things, there is not much with the GameBoy. It's a basically a large, gray slab of plastic that is mainly devoid of any true styling. In fact, the boxy look makes the GameBoy's design practically scream 1980's. The plastic is light gray in color and has a slight texture, which feels pretty nice and the back has some grooves cut in, but that is really the extent of the styling Nintendo put into the GameBoy. But where the GameBoy does stand out is in build quality. As the famous saying goes, "They don't make em' like they used to". This is definitely the case with Nintendo's GameBoy, as the build quality is superb. Back when it was first released, the GameBoy really wasn't that expensive, especially when compared to its rivals (Looking at you Atari Lynx). Despite this, Nintendo chose not to cut corners and managed to keep the GameBoy extremely durable. My personal GameBoy has just passed 25 years old, and even though it was used repeatedly, it still hasn't given up. With the design and built quality out of the way, let's take a look around the device. The left side of the game system features a contrast slider and charging port, while the right side is home to the volume slider and a port that allows users to connect and play with another GameBoys via a link cable. On the device's bottom we find the 3.5mm audio jack. The power switch and slot for the GameBoy Game Paks are located on the handheld's top edge. The 2.6 inch screen, D-pad, A, B buttons, mono speaker, and the Start and Select buttons are all on the GameBoy's face. The back, on the other hand, features only a battery compartment (for the 4 AA batteries) and some model/device information. Moving back to the screen, it is a 2.6 inch Reflective STN LCD with a resolution of 160x144 (that's a pixel density of about 82 ppi). The screen is not back-lit nor is it in color. Instead, the GameBoy's screen features 4 levels of gray to augment the lack of back-lighting. The screen's contrast can be adjusted with the slider on the device's left side. As for display quality, it's not very impressive. It is extraordinarily grainy and difficult to see in most lighting conditions. But remember, the GameBoy was released in 1989 when screen technology wasn't what it is today. But other devices, like the Atari Lynx, had much better color and back-lit displays. So why didn't Nintendo fit the GameBoy with a nicer screen? Battery life. The Atari Lynx sucked the juice right out of its 6 AA batteries and Nintendo didn't want to have the same problem with the GameBoy. While on the topic of battery life, the Nintendo GameBoy's 4 AA's will last for up to 30 hours of gaming. Alright, now let's move on to internal specifications. The Nintendo GameBoy packs an extremely mediocre punch in this field, but that's to be expected from a 25 year old device. The GameBoy runs an 8-bit Sharp processor clocked at 4.19 mHz paired with 8 kB of RAM. This processing package is not very imposing, but it doesn't need to be. Games on the GameBoy aren't very demanding and they play smoothly on the now outdated internals. The GameBoy is a device that's old enough to be considered a classic and its hardware reflects this. But it doesn't really matter because the GameBoy is a piece of gaming history and outdated hardware won't change that.
What's in the Box?
- Nintendo GameBoy Handheld Gaming System
- Stereo Headphones
- Game Link cable
- 4 AA Batteries
- Tetris Game Pak
- Instruction Manual
Software:
In terms of software, there's not much to talk about with the Nintendo GameBoy. Not much at all. The GameBoy doesn't run any real form of software. Instead, the main menu of a GameBoy game appears when you first boot up the device, provided you have a Game Pak inserted into the handheld. And that really about wraps it up for the software portion of this Nintendo GameBoy review.
Gaming:
In my opinion, the Nintendo GameBoy is the pinnacle of handheld gaming, even today. The GameBoy provides an experience so unique and enjoyable, most portable gaming systems of today can't even begin to compete. In the late 1980 and early 1990's, handheld gaming was revolutionary. The experience of gaming on something portable was amazing at the time, and some of that amazement has been carried over time. The sheer nostalgia of GameBoy games is enough to make anyone want to play. There were a total of 716 games released for the GameBoy worldwide. These games included classics like Tetris, Super Mario Land, and Mortal Combat. And of course, who can forget Donkey Kong, Mario Tennis, The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid II. Most of the games released for the Nintendo GameBoy played extremely smooth and provided a great experience. Overall, gaming on the Nintendo GameBoy is awesome. The games are classic and fun and the whole ordeal is just plain enjoyable and that is what truly makes the GameBoy special.
Conclusion:
At the end of it all, the Nintendo GameBoy can be summed up in only one word: great. The GameBoy is an important piece of video gaming history and provides one of the most wholesome handheld gaming experiences of all time. Even though the GameBoy's hardware wasn't that powerful, even for 1989, it made up for it by offering a vast selection of enjoyable games. The GameBoy can't really compare with the modern handhelds of today, but it has withstood the course of time extraordinarily well. If you find a way to get your hands on an original GameBoy, don't pass it up. The Nintendo GameBoy is a piece of history that can't be overlooked.
*It is always possible that some specifications or facts may be incorrect. We try our best at MobileTechnology Reviews to provide accurate information, but we occasionally make mistakes. If you notice that something is wrong or incorrect, shoot us an email at [email protected] and we'll fix it!
Hardware:
The Nintendo GameBoy is no small chunk of hardware. Measuring in at 3.5 inches wide, 5.8 inches tall, and a massive 1.3 inches thick, the GameBoy is pretty substantial, especially when compared with the handhelds we have today. On the design field of things, there is not much with the GameBoy. It's a basically a large, gray slab of plastic that is mainly devoid of any true styling. In fact, the boxy look makes the GameBoy's design practically scream 1980's. The plastic is light gray in color and has a slight texture, which feels pretty nice and the back has some grooves cut in, but that is really the extent of the styling Nintendo put into the GameBoy. But where the GameBoy does stand out is in build quality. As the famous saying goes, "They don't make em' like they used to". This is definitely the case with Nintendo's GameBoy, as the build quality is superb. Back when it was first released, the GameBoy really wasn't that expensive, especially when compared to its rivals (Looking at you Atari Lynx). Despite this, Nintendo chose not to cut corners and managed to keep the GameBoy extremely durable. My personal GameBoy has just passed 25 years old, and even though it was used repeatedly, it still hasn't given up. With the design and built quality out of the way, let's take a look around the device. The left side of the game system features a contrast slider and charging port, while the right side is home to the volume slider and a port that allows users to connect and play with another GameBoys via a link cable. On the device's bottom we find the 3.5mm audio jack. The power switch and slot for the GameBoy Game Paks are located on the handheld's top edge. The 2.6 inch screen, D-pad, A, B buttons, mono speaker, and the Start and Select buttons are all on the GameBoy's face. The back, on the other hand, features only a battery compartment (for the 4 AA batteries) and some model/device information. Moving back to the screen, it is a 2.6 inch Reflective STN LCD with a resolution of 160x144 (that's a pixel density of about 82 ppi). The screen is not back-lit nor is it in color. Instead, the GameBoy's screen features 4 levels of gray to augment the lack of back-lighting. The screen's contrast can be adjusted with the slider on the device's left side. As for display quality, it's not very impressive. It is extraordinarily grainy and difficult to see in most lighting conditions. But remember, the GameBoy was released in 1989 when screen technology wasn't what it is today. But other devices, like the Atari Lynx, had much better color and back-lit displays. So why didn't Nintendo fit the GameBoy with a nicer screen? Battery life. The Atari Lynx sucked the juice right out of its 6 AA batteries and Nintendo didn't want to have the same problem with the GameBoy. While on the topic of battery life, the Nintendo GameBoy's 4 AA's will last for up to 30 hours of gaming. Alright, now let's move on to internal specifications. The Nintendo GameBoy packs an extremely mediocre punch in this field, but that's to be expected from a 25 year old device. The GameBoy runs an 8-bit Sharp processor clocked at 4.19 mHz paired with 8 kB of RAM. This processing package is not very imposing, but it doesn't need to be. Games on the GameBoy aren't very demanding and they play smoothly on the now outdated internals. The GameBoy is a device that's old enough to be considered a classic and its hardware reflects this. But it doesn't really matter because the GameBoy is a piece of gaming history and outdated hardware won't change that.
What's in the Box?
- Nintendo GameBoy Handheld Gaming System
- Stereo Headphones
- Game Link cable
- 4 AA Batteries
- Tetris Game Pak
- Instruction Manual
Software:
In terms of software, there's not much to talk about with the Nintendo GameBoy. Not much at all. The GameBoy doesn't run any real form of software. Instead, the main menu of a GameBoy game appears when you first boot up the device, provided you have a Game Pak inserted into the handheld. And that really about wraps it up for the software portion of this Nintendo GameBoy review.
Gaming:
In my opinion, the Nintendo GameBoy is the pinnacle of handheld gaming, even today. The GameBoy provides an experience so unique and enjoyable, most portable gaming systems of today can't even begin to compete. In the late 1980 and early 1990's, handheld gaming was revolutionary. The experience of gaming on something portable was amazing at the time, and some of that amazement has been carried over time. The sheer nostalgia of GameBoy games is enough to make anyone want to play. There were a total of 716 games released for the GameBoy worldwide. These games included classics like Tetris, Super Mario Land, and Mortal Combat. And of course, who can forget Donkey Kong, Mario Tennis, The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid II. Most of the games released for the Nintendo GameBoy played extremely smooth and provided a great experience. Overall, gaming on the Nintendo GameBoy is awesome. The games are classic and fun and the whole ordeal is just plain enjoyable and that is what truly makes the GameBoy special.
Conclusion:
At the end of it all, the Nintendo GameBoy can be summed up in only one word: great. The GameBoy is an important piece of video gaming history and provides one of the most wholesome handheld gaming experiences of all time. Even though the GameBoy's hardware wasn't that powerful, even for 1989, it made up for it by offering a vast selection of enjoyable games. The GameBoy can't really compare with the modern handhelds of today, but it has withstood the course of time extraordinarily well. If you find a way to get your hands on an original GameBoy, don't pass it up. The Nintendo GameBoy is a piece of history that can't be overlooked.
*It is always possible that some specifications or facts may be incorrect. We try our best at MobileTechnology Reviews to provide accurate information, but we occasionally make mistakes. If you notice that something is wrong or incorrect, shoot us an email at [email protected] and we'll fix it!
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