Nintendo Game Boy

Nintendo broke new ground in 1989 when they released the first handheld gaming system, the Nintendo Game Boy.  It was a huge success.  Sega wanted in on the action and would later create a color portable system to compete with the Game Boy called the Sega Game Gear.  Sega was not very successful in their bid to compete against the Game Boy despite the advantages of their unit, primarily a larger color LCD screen.  The Game Boy was more popular even though its screen was black and white, because it was smaller (more portable), used fewer batteries than Sega's (4 AA instead of 6 AA), and cost $40 less than Sega's.  A Game Boy could be purchased for $109 upon release.  The Game Boy was the most successful system by far, because Nintendo sold over 150 million systems world wide; the largest number of game systems ever sold.  The Game Boy was without doubt a successful system, and when sales tapered off, Nintendo released improved versions of the Gameboy.

Short and Sweet Information

Released in 1989, the Gameboy was the first portable gaming system that was small enough to comfortably carry around, and it created a sensation.  The monochrome graphics were quite good for a tiny, hand-held device.  The Gameboy is an 8 bit system with 8 KB of memory, powered by a Z80 processor running at 4Mhz.  Games were sold on small plug-in cartridges.  Some of the good games are Mario Land, Mario Land 2, and Mario Land 3.

Quick Specs

Nintendo Game Boy Color

Nintendo planned on improving their original Game Boy by adding a color LCD screen, so Nintendo could compete against the other color portable systems.  Sega and Atari both had a color portable system, but their problem was that they used many batteries, the battery life was short, and their selling prices were high.  Nintendo spent time researching emerging portable technology looking for a better solution.  Nintendo finally created their Game Boy Color in 1998, which only used two AAA batteries, instead of using 6 AA batteries like their competitors.  It was released in Japan on October 21, 1998.  It was released in the US on November 18, 1998.  The Game Boy Color could play the original Game Boy games, as well as the new games written specifically for the Game Boy Color.  The Game Boy Color was very successful, because Nintendo basically had little competition due to the unpopular color systems created by their competitors.

Short and Sweet Information

Nine years after the original Gameboy was released, the Gameboy Color hit the market on October 21, 1998, sporting a color LCD screen.  Like the original, the Gameboy Color is an 8 bit system powered by a Z80 processor, though it runs at twice the speed (8Mhz) and has 16 times the memory (128KB instead of 8KB).  The Gameboy Color has many popular games, including: Mario Land and Wario Land 1, 2, and 3.

Quick Specs

Nintendo Game Boy Advance/SP

At last, Nintendo released their first 32-bit portable game system.  The Game Boy Color was supposed to be a 32-bit system, but with hardware prices being too high, Nintendo just added a color LCD screen to the Game Boy Color.  The Game Boy Advance was released in Japan on March 21, 2001.  The Game Boy Advance was optimized by adding a bigger LCD screen, changing the shape, and adding two buttons (L1 R1 Buttons).  It is compatible with all the Game Boy Color games and regular Game Boy games.  Game Boy Advance games are stored on cartridges half the size of the Game Boy Color cartridges.  Nintendo later released a Game Boy Advance SP, which comes with a rechargeable battery pack and a mini-lamp.  The GBA (A.K.A.  Game Boy Advance) SP was released in Japan on February 14, 2003 and was released in the USA on March 23, 2003.  The GBA SP is only different in its shape and its battery pack and mini-light compared to the original GBA.

Short and Sweet Information

The Gameboy Advance, first released in Japan on March 21, 2001, is a powerful 32-bit color system.  This is incredible considering that most desktop computers are also 32 bit systems.  The graphics are great for the small, portable, yet powerful Gameboy Advance system.  At its heart is a 32-Bit ARM processor running at 32Mhz with embedded memory.

Quick Specs

Nintendo DS

After years of mediocre graphics, Nintendo released a new dual-screened, technologically advanced system.  The Nintendo DS features a touch screen that can be used with a stylus and fingers.  The top LCD screen is used for displaying games.  As for the bottom screen, it displays additional information such as maps for a game.  The Nintendo DS can connect to the Internet using its built-in LAN connection.  Therefore, numerous players can compete against each other at a central game hub using an Internet connection.  The Nintendo DS also features a voice recognition capability that can be used when chatting over the internet using the DS's included chat program called Picto-Chat.  The Nintendo DS also features a wireless network for linking to other DS systems to play multiplayer games.  If only one person has a game pak inserted, and that person chooses to play multiplayer, other players without the game can still play multiplayer without having to buy the game!  The DS surpasses the Nintendo 64 in graphics capability, and games run at a speedy 60 frames per second!

Short and Sweet Information

The Nintendo DS was released in November of 2004.  The DS must be a huge success already because almost all stores were sold out even in February 2005.  A Nintendo DS costs $150 new.  DS games usually cost anywhere from $30 to $40.  The DS is the most advanced system on the portable gaming market as of February 2005.

Quick Specs

Sony PSP

Sony finally entered the portable console market with their Playstation Portable (PSP).  The PSP was released in Japan in late December 2004 and was released in the USA late March 2005.  The PSP plays 3D games using its widescreen TFT LCD screen with 480 x 272 pixel resolutions and 16 million colors.  The PSP features a USB port and an 802.11 wireless LAN, allowing players to play multi-player without connecting consoles together.  The PSP is arguably the most advanced portable console and is loaded with numerous features, making the PSP a console must-have.  However, recently, consumers have been complaining about its high price of $200; many of these complaining consumers will settle with the Nintendo DS because it's only $129.

Short and Sweet Information

The PSP is Sony's first portable game system.  The PSP was released March 24th, 2005, and it's a very promising system.  The PSP allows multiplayer gaming using wireless technology.  Also, the PSP has a pallete of 16.77 million colors, allowing it to play 3D games in great detail.  Obviously, a PSP is the next portable console must-have!

Back to video game page.

Back to pick a console page.

Copyright © Eric Arnol-Martin 2004.
This page may not be copied without permission.