Game Boy World

Manufacturer
Nintendo

Product family
Game Boy

Type
Handheld game console

Retail availability
JP April 21, 1989
NA July 31, 1989
EU September 28, 1990

Game Boy Specs.

CPU: Custom 8-bit Sharp LR35902 core at 4.19 MHz which is similar to an Intel 8080 in that all of the registers introduced in the Z80 are not present. However, some of the Z80's instruction set enhancements over the stock 8080, particularly bit manipulation, are present. Still other instructions are unique to this particular flavor of Z80 CPU. The core also contains integrated sound generation
RAM: 8 kB internal S-RAM
Video RAM: 8 kB internal
ROM: On-CPU-Die 256-byte bootstrap; 256 kb, 512 kb, 1 , 2 Mb, 4 Mb and 8 Mb cartridges
Sound: 2 square waves, 1 programmable 32-sample 4-bit PCM wave, 1 white noise, and one audio input from the cartridge. The unit only has one speaker, but headphones provide stereo sound.
Display: Reflective LCD 160 × 144 pixels
Frame Rate: Approx. 59.7 frames per second on a regular Game Boy, 61.1 on a Super Game Boy
Vertical Blank Rate: Approx 1.1ms
Screen size: 66 mm (2.6 in) diagonal
Color Palette: 2-bit (4 shades of "grey" (light to very dark olive green))
Communication: Up to 2 Game Boys can be linked together via built-in serial ports, up to 4 with a DMG-07 4-player adapter. More than 4 players is possible by chaining adapters.
Power: 6 V, 0.7 W (4 AA batteries provide ~14–35 hours)
Dimensions: 90 mm (W) x 148 mm (H) x 32 mm (D) / 3.5" x 5.8" 1.3" (in)

Nintendo's Game Boy handheld was first released in 1989. The gaming device was the brainchild of long-time Nintendo employee Gunpei Yokoi, who was the person behind the Ultra Hand, an expanding arm toy created and produced by Nintendo in 1970, long before Nintendo would enter the video game market. Yokoi was also responsible for the Game & Watch series of handhelds when Nintendo made the move from toys to video games.
When Yokoi designed the original Game Boy, he knew that to be successful, the system needed to be small, light, inexpensive, and durable, as well as have a varied, recognizable library of games upon its release. By following this simple mantra, the Game Boy line managed to gain a vast following despite technically superior alternatives which would have Colour graphics instead. This is also apparent in the name, which connotes a smaller "sidekick" companion to Nintendo's consoles.

The original black Game Boy was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989. Based on a processor, it has a black and green reflective LCD screen, an eight-way directional pad, two action buttons A and B, and Start and Select buttons. It plays games from ROM-based media contained in small plastic detachable units called (sometimes called carts or Game Paks).
The Game that pushed the Game Boy into the upper reaches of success was Tetris. Tetris was widely popular, and on the handheld format could be played anywhere. It came packaged with the Game Boy, and broadened its reach; adults and children alike were buying Game Boys in order to play Tetris. Releasing Tetris on the Game Boy was selected as #4 on Gamespy's "25 Smartest Moments in Gaming".
The original Game Boy was one of the first cartridge-based systems that supported more than four players at one time (via the link port). In fact, it has been shown that the system could support 16 simultaneous players at once. However, this feature was only supported in Faceball 2000.

Play It Loud!

On January 1, 1995, Nintendo released several Game Boy models with coloured cases, advertising them in the "Play It Loud!" campaign. Specifications for this unit remained exactly the same as the original Game Boy, including the monochromatic screen. This new line of coloured Game Boys would set a precedent for later Nintendo handhelds; the Game Boy Pocket, the Game Boy Colour, Game Boy Advance (including the SP and Micro), Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite, , Nintendo DSi XL , and Nintendo 3DS all feature different colored units. Play It Loud! units were manufactured in red, green, black, yellow, blue, white, and clear (transparent) cases. A very rare, limited edition Manchester United Game Boy is red, with the logos of the team emblazoned on it was released simultaneously with the Play it Loud! handhelds in the United Kingdom. The Play It Loud's screens also have a darker border than the normal Game Boy (with the exception of the black Play it Loud!) and a replacement is hard to come by.