While the original Game Boy was and is one of the most influential handheld gaming consoles to ever be produced by Nintendo, no one can deny that the Game Boy Color (GB Color) was the console that absolutely perfected the formula.
Released back in 1998, the GB Color was the start of a new wave of gaming, with its main feature being its super colorful and vibrant screen. At the time, this was unheard of as the technology for screens for gaming handhelds was still very much in the early stages. Gone were the days of monochrome or black and white games and in came more colorful and lively and color-rich gameplay.
As fans of both modern and retro gaming, we at joystickgames.com want to pay tribute to one of THE best consoles of all time. And what better way to show our love for the GB Color than by listing down 7 Important and Cool Things You Didn’t Know your Game Boy Color could do!
Let’s begin!
1. It could play all your favorite Game Boy original games through its backward compatibility
Given the huge library of original Game Boy games, you should be happy to know that all previous GB games are playable using the Game Boy Color. This means that you don’t have to throw out your old GB games when you purchased the new Color.
This meant that during its launch way back in 1998, the GB Color already had a staggering amount of Game Boy games in its library.
This was one of the very first instances of backward compatibility in any gaming system, showing how the GB Color was really ahead of its time!
2. It can display a whopping 56 colors on its screen!
It might not seem like a lot these days but coming from the original Game Boy, which could only show four color shades, this was a game-changer. Touting one of the very first color screens in a gaming handheld, the GB Color could show up to 56 colors all at once, making your gaming experience as colorful as it can be.
3. It allows you to choose an ‘enhanced color palette’ for select Game Boy games
Aside from having a much improved colored screen, there were a number of original Game Boy games that could benefit from the GB Color’s built-in enhanced color palette feature. The GB Color had up to 16 colors to choose from, which definitely made classic games look and feel more vibrant.
4. It has an infrared wireless link-up port that enabled you to communicate with other Game Boys!
Despite not having a fully mature version of the internet when it was first released, the GB Color was very much invested in providing a social gaming experience to its users. One of the ways it did this was through an infrared wireless link-up port, which allowed gamers to have two-way communication using their respective GB Colors.
While the feature was only supported for only a select number of games, it was a cool innovation that certainly paved the way for more multiplayer, multi-device games to be developed in the near future.
5. It was one of the most portable and pocket-friendly gaming handhelds at the time of its release
You might not know this, but the GB Color was probably one of the better choices in terms of handhelds just because of its small and compact size. Having dimensions of approximately 5 inches in height, 3 inches in width, and 1 inch in thickness, the GB Color was pocketable and very travel-friendly, unlike its competitors at the same time.
6. It could connect to mobile phones and allow for remote play
Using the Mobile Adapter GB accessory, the GB Color was able to connect to your mobile phone to allow for remote-play gaming. Originally released in Japan, this device was one of the first ways one could do remote-play gaming!
7. You could turn your Game Boy Color into a radio!
Another cool accessory that was made for the GB Color was called the Boom Box Boy or the Game Boy FM Radio, which does exactly that — make the GB Color a radio. It connected to the side of your device and allowed it to scan radio stations and different FM frequencies, which made your GB Color more than just a handheld gaming device.
And there we have it, 7 super important things you probably didn’t know about the classic GB Color! While the gaming console was discontinued 19 years ago (back in 2003), there’s no denying the influential impact it had not just for handheld gaming but for gaming as a whole!
With the millions of units it sold, Nintendo really had a winner in the GB Color — a winner that is still very much recognized and acknowledged to this day.
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