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Changes: Game Boy Color

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(Added a bit (also, the Color is not simply a Pocket with a colour screen...))
(→‎Trivia: canada uses british spelling too)
(48 intermediate revisions by 27 users not shown)
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{{Head
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{| cellpadding=2 cellspacing=2 align=right border=1 width=256px style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; padding: 6px; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; font-size: 10px; background-color: #f7f8ff; border:1px solid #8888aa;"
  
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| type = System
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|- bgcolor=#99B1FF
  
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| quote = Get into it.
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| align=center colspan=2|<font size="2">'''''Game Boy Color'''''</font>
  
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| speaker = The Game Boy Color's slogan
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|-
  
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| class = B
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|align="center" colspan=2|
  
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}}
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[[image:gameboycolor.jpg|thumb|center|Game Boy Color]]
  
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{{Hardware
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|-
  
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|image = [[File:Game Boy Color Logo.png|220px|center]]<br>[[File:Game Boy Color - Purple Model.png|230 px|center]]
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|Media:
  
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|manufacturer = [[Nintendo]]
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|Game Boy Color and Game Boy cartridges
  
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|release = [[File:JP.png|15 px]] October 21, [[1998]]<br>[[File:NA.png|15 px]] November 18, [[1998]]<br>[[File:EU.png|15 px]] November 23, [[1998]]<br>[[File:AU.png|15 px]] February 3, [[1999]]
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|-
  
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|generation = Fifth generation
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|Release Date:
  
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|processor = Custom, Zilog Z80-alike
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|[[Image:Japan.gif]]October 21, [[1998]]
  
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|media = Game Boy cartridges
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|-
  
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|shipped = 118.69 million (includes [[Game Boy]])
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|Best Selling Game:
  
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|''[[Pokémon Gold and Silver]]''
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|bestseller = ''[[Pokémon Gold and Silver]]''
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|backward = [[Game Boy]] cartridges
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|-
  
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|preceded = [[Game Boy Light]]<br>(1997)
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|Units Sold:
  
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|followed = [[Game Boy Advance]]<br>(2001)
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|50 million
  
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|}
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}}
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The Nintendo '''Game Boy Color''' was the successor of the [[Game Boy Pocket]]. Slightly larger than the Pocket, but significantly smaller than the original [[Game Boy]], its defining feature was a colour screen able to display 56 colours simultaneously. In addition it possessed more powerful hardware than the Pocket, with a processor of twice the speed and quadruple the memory. A large number of new games were released to exploit the capabilities of this new console, which was also backwards compatible with every previous Game Boy game with only a handful of exceptions.
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The '''Game Boy Color''' is the successor of the [[Game Boy Pocket]]. It is slightly larger than the Game Boy Pocket and significantly smaller than the original [[Game Boy]]. Game production for the console started in 1998.
   
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== Capabilities ==
⚫
A unique feature of the Game Boy Color was its infra-red wireless link-up port. Seldom used by any software, it was consequently dropped for future Game Boy iterations.
  
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The prominent feature of the Game Boy Color is that it allows gameplay in full color, a maximum of fifty-six colors to simultaneously appear on the screen, unlike the Game Boy with a palette of only four colors.
   
  +
In addition, it supports more powerful hardware than the Game Boy Pocket, with a processor that is twice the speed and quadruple the memory. A large number of games were released to exploit the capabilities of this new console, which was also backwards compatible with every previous Game Boy game with only a handful of exceptions.
⚫
Some were surprised that Nintendo released such an apparently underpowered system, as the Game Boy Color was not even as powerful as the GameGear, which was released way back in 1990. However, the Color, as with its predecessors, was notably more portable, more affordable and had a greater library of games than any of its competitors, as well as many years of carefully-built brand recognition behind it. As such it dominated the market, and destroyed all competition.
  
   
  ⚫
The Game Boy Color has an infrared wireless link-up port. Seldom used by any software, it was consequently dropped for future Game Boy iterations and the Nintendo DS line of handhelds. It was reintroduced with the [[Nintendo 3DS]].
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==Key Games==
  
   
  ⚫
Some were surprised that Nintendo released such an apparently underpowered system, as the Game Boy Color was not even as powerful as the Game Gear, which was released way back in 1990. However, the Color, as with its predecessors, was notably more portable, more affordable and had a greater library of games than any of its competitors, as well as many years of carefully-built brand recognition behind it. As such it dominated the market, and destroyed all competition. Despite being 8-bit, the Game Boy Color has 32,786 color palettes available compared to the Game Gear's 4,096 palettes.
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===First Party===
  
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*Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
  
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*Game & Watch Gallery 2
  
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*Game & Watch Gallery 3
  
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*Legend of Zelda: Orcale of Ages
  
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*Legend of Zelda: Orcale of Seasons
  
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*Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening Deluxe
  
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*Pokemon Gold & Silver
  
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*WarioLand 3
  
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*Tetris DX
  
   
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===Third Party===
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===Hardware Specifications===
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*Main processor: Zilog Z80
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*Processor speed: 4 or 8&nbsp;MHz
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*Resolution: 160x144 pixels
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*Colour palettes available: 32,786
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*Colours on screen: 10, 32 or 56
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*Maximum sprites: 40 total, 10 on a line and 4 colours maximum
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*Size of sprite: 8x8 or 8x16 pixels
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*Tiles on screen: 512
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*Audio: 2 square wave channels, 1 wave channel, 1 noise channel, mono speaker and stereo jack headphone
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*Maximum ROM size: 8 Megabytes
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*RAM: 32 kilobytes
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*VRAM: 16 kilobytes
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*Cartridge RAM: 128px
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*Power:
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**Internal: Two AA Batteries allowing thirty hours of play.
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**External: 3V DC
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**Indicator: Red LED
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*Input:
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**8-way D-pad
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**4 buttons (A, B, START, SELECT)
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**Volume Potentiometer
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**Power switch
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**Serial I/O
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**Infrared I/O
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**Cartridge I/O
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*Dimensions:
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**Metric: 75 mm x 27 mm x 133 mm
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**Imperial: 2.95 in x 1.06 in x 5.24 in
   
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==See Also==
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==Notable games==
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===Ten best selling===
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{{Nintendo Systems}}
  
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*[[Nintendo Game Boy Color Games]]
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*''[[Pokémon Gold and Silver]]''
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*''[[The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX]]''
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*''[[The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages]]''
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*''[[The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons]]''
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*''[[Pokémon Crystal]]''
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*''[[Pokémon Trading Card Game]]''
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*''[[Super Mario Bros. Deluxe]]''
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*''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories]]''
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*''[[Pokémon Pinball]]''
   
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===Launch titles===
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[[Category: Nintendo Handhelds]]
  
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*''[[Centipede]]''
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*''[[Game & Watch Gallery 2]]''
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*''[[Tetris DX]]''
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*''[[Pocket Bomberman]]''
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==See also==
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*[[List of Game Boy Color games]]
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*[[List of Game Boy Color games with IR support]]
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==Trivia==
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*Outside of the United States and some other countries, color is spelled as "colour". Despite this, the system was still branded as the Game Boy "Color" in other English-speaking cultures.
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*Sometimes, this console was possibly one of the cheapest handheld consoles from [[Nintendo]], consisting with a price of approximately seventy dollars.
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{{Systems}}
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[[Category:Nintendo handhelds]]
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[[Category:Game Boy Color]]

Revision as of 18:19, 3 October 2013

System
         Quote
“Get into it.”
— The Game Boy Color's slogan
Lock Space    B


Game Boy Color   [Edit]   [Talk]

The Game Boy Color is the successor of the Game Boy Pocket. It is slightly larger than the Game Boy Pocket and significantly smaller than the original Game Boy. Game production for the console started in 1998.

Capabilities

The prominent feature of the Game Boy Color is that it allows gameplay in full color, a maximum of fifty-six colors to simultaneously appear on the screen, unlike the Game Boy with a palette of only four colors.

In addition, it supports more powerful hardware than the Game Boy Pocket, with a processor that is twice the speed and quadruple the memory. A large number of games were released to exploit the capabilities of this new console, which was also backwards compatible with every previous Game Boy game with only a handful of exceptions.

The Game Boy Color has an infrared wireless link-up port. Seldom used by any software, it was consequently dropped for future Game Boy iterations and the Nintendo DS line of handhelds. It was reintroduced with the Nintendo 3DS.

Some were surprised that Nintendo released such an apparently underpowered system, as the Game Boy Color was not even as powerful as the Game Gear, which was released way back in 1990. However, the Color, as with its predecessors, was notably more portable, more affordable and had a greater library of games than any of its competitors, as well as many years of carefully-built brand recognition behind it. As such it dominated the market, and destroyed all competition. Despite being 8-bit, the Game Boy Color has 32,786 color palettes available compared to the Game Gear's 4,096 palettes.

Hardware Specifications

  • Main processor: Zilog Z80
  • Processor speed: 4 or 8 MHz
  • Resolution: 160x144 pixels
  • Colour palettes available: 32,786
  • Colours on screen: 10, 32 or 56
  • Maximum sprites: 40 total, 10 on a line and 4 colours maximum
  • Size of sprite: 8x8 or 8x16 pixels
  • Tiles on screen: 512
  • Audio: 2 square wave channels, 1 wave channel, 1 noise channel, mono speaker and stereo jack headphone
  • Maximum ROM size: 8 Megabytes
  • RAM: 32 kilobytes
  • VRAM: 16 kilobytes
  • Cartridge RAM: 128px
  • Power:
    • Internal: Two AA Batteries allowing thirty hours of play.
    • External: 3V DC
    • Indicator: Red LED
  • Input:
    • 8-way D-pad
    • 4 buttons (A, B, START, SELECT)
    • Volume Potentiometer
    • Power switch
    • Serial I/O
    • Infrared I/O
    • Cartridge I/O
  • Dimensions:
    • Metric: 75 mm x 27 mm x 133 mm
    • Imperial: 2.95 in x 1.06 in x 5.24 in

Notable games

Ten best selling

Launch titles

See also

Trivia

  • Outside of the United States and some other countries, color is spelled as "colour". Despite this, the system was still branded as the Game Boy "Color" in other English-speaking cultures.
  • Sometimes, this console was possibly one of the cheapest handheld consoles from Nintendo, consisting with a price of approximately seventy dollars.
Nintendo consoles
Home consoles Color TV-Game 6 (1977) | Color TV-Game 15 (1978) | Color TV-Racing 112 (1978) | Color TV-Block Kuzushi (1979) | Computer TV Game (1980) | C1 Nintendo Entertainment System TV (1983) | Famicom (1983) | Sharp Nintendo Television (1983) | Super Famicom (1990) | SF-1 Super Nintendo Entertainment System TV (1990) | Nintendo Entertainment System (Model NES-101) (1993) | AV Famicom (1993) | Nintendo 64 (1996) | Super Nintendo Entertainment System 2 (1997) | Super Famicom Jr. (1998) | Nintendo GameCube (2001) | Panasonic Q (2001) | IQue Player (2003) | Wii (2006) |Wii Family Edition (2011) |Wii U (2012) |Wii Mini (2012) |Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (2016) | Super Nintendo Entertainment System Classic Edition (2017)
Game Boy line Game Boy (1989) | Super Game Boy (1994) | Game Boy Pocket (1996) | Game Boy Light (1998) | Super Game Boy 2 (1998) | Game Boy Color (1998) | Game Boy Advance (2001) | Game Boy Advance SP (2003) | Game Boy Advance SP Mark II (2005)| Game Boy Micro (2005)
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Other handhelds Game & Watch (1980-1991) | Virtual Boy (1995) |Pokémon Pikachu (1998) |Pokémon Pikachu 2 GS (1999) |Pokémon mini (2001) | Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. (2020) | Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda (2021)
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