Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn3EAVpOdro
The Game Boy came out in 1989, and took the world by storm. Hundreds of games came out for the system, and millions of units were sold. Eventually the console started to lose its appeal, as the quality of the machine became outdated. Other handheld brands would triumph if Nintendo didn't do something.
It was 1996, and the Game Boy was slowing down. Everyone had a Game Boy, and there weren't many games coming out anymore. People were absorbing everything there was to play. Issue 53 of Electronic Gaming Monthly came out, announcing that a new Game Boy was in the works named “Project Atlantis”. It was going to be the true successor to the Game Boy, and change the world.
But was it too little, too late? The release date was TBD and people wanted it NOW. So they had to do something, right? Enter the Game Boy Color. All of the competition had already made their own color console, but this would have the Nintendo touch to it. You could play Mario, Zelda, Kirby, Donkey Kong, and more in color. In 1998 the Game Boy Color was released, bringing along with it Pocket Bomberman, Game N' Watch Gallery 2, Centipede, and Tetris DX. Only one short month before, Pokemon Red and Blue brought the Poke-Mania Craze, which according to Nintendo Soup was the highest grossing franchise as of 2018, earning over 59 billion USD in 24 years. (https://nintendosoup.com/pokemon-is-the-largest-media-franchise-in-the-world/) Pokemon started in 1996, as a Japan Exclusive game.
The Game Boy Color console was sold for $20 less than its predecessor (The DMG Game Boy, not the pocket) at a whopping $69.99. It was quite smaller, way lighter, and only took two AA batteries vs. the original Game Boy’s 4, yet it still had the same battery performance. It could play Game Boy and Game Boy Color games, and the main catch: COLOR. This was the whole idea towards this console; make the same console, with a couple of changes and up to 56 colors at once on the screen (vs. the original Game Boy’s 4 colors). This was the world to some people. Being able to tell between different skin tones and hair color seemed revolutionary, even though Sega had already done it 8 years before (Sega Game Gear). The general specs were slightly stronger than the original, but still an upgrade.
It seemed like a dream come true. This was more of a handheld NES than the original Game Boy. But, in my opinion, that was the problem. It was just about color. There was no emphasis on building upon this console. It seemed like a hit or miss, and Nintendo just barely hit. It got discontinued in 2003, only 5 years later. We do not know the exact sales of the console, just that the Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket, and the Game Boy color all together sold 118.9 Million units. Giant sales record, but that's across three consoles, with the original of the three being the highest contributing to that record.
Link to GIF: https://giphy.com/gifs/sBdbiqg1W3HsA/html5
I have now given you a good chunk of information that you were hopefully enlightened by, and enjoyed, or you just skipped ahead because you knew all of that already. I don't blame you. That was just to catch people up. In my opinion, the Game Boy color is just an upgrade, like an XB1 S or a PS4 Slim. It meets all of the criteria too: Same common title of the console released before with a few small changes, beneficial additions, cheaper price at new quality, and backwards compatible to its immediate predecessor. Here is where it gets funky: The Game Boy Color had its own library which is uncommon for a revision.
This automatically makes a great argument against my opinion and what could be a fact. If this console didn't have its own games then it would be a closed case, but there were games made exclusively for this console. Another problem, in my opinion, is that the library is so lackluster. All of the games that actually succeeded were either remasters or sequels of Game Boy games. All of the others were awkward ports of N64 games that were okay, movie games (you know how those went), and an infinite supply of sports games.
Because of the library, it has become extremely debatable whether the Game Boy Color is its own separate console or just an upgrade. It didn't do enough to become its own console, but it seems like it was made to be perceived that way. Personally, I like the original Game Boy better. Better fit in my hands, better buttons, and a bigger screen. Considering I only play grey and black cartridge games (don't know what that means? Go find out here: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/why-the-gameboy-color-used-two-cartridge-types), it doesn't matter to me because all my games are compatible with my '89 Game Boy. Some people might want to play the Game Boy Color because the size is more comfortable or there is some exclusive game that they like.
In the end, I will always think of the Game Boy Color as a revision. Disagree with me? Let me know in the comments of this post. Make sure to subscribe not only to my YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI7NL9SLZzmrPj7o0E2UPUQ?view_as=subscriber) because I do intend to make more videos there (You can also find my videos on the home page of this site). Also subscribe to our newsletter so you get the next post on this website. Thank you dudes and dudettes, and keep gaming folks.
-Pyro Specter