Which Game Boy to buy?

Game Boy DMG-01

The first portable console from Nintendo was released in April 1989. This is not a case where the first attempt was a failure. This console is still extremely popular even though its price is quite high. On Avito, you can buy a Game Boy for 5,000 to 6,000 rubles.

This console has one significant advantage. It runs on 4 AA batteries and can be played for about 35 hours! This is the longest battery life of all Nintendo consoles. However, this also makes it the largest console in size.

In thickness, it is comparable to a matchbox:

And its overall size is quite large:

Additionally, it has the worst screen of all. It is the least contrasty. It is monochrome green, while in later models, it was changed to black and white, but this is more of a matter of preference.

But the worst part is not what we mentioned above, but the lack of a backlight. Therefore, you cannot play it at night, and even during the day, it is difficult to play.

Is it worth buying this console? Only for collection purposes. However, if you want to modify your console and install an IPS screen, the ability to use 4 batteries can be a big advantage because the IPS screen drains batteries very quickly.

Game Boy Pocket

This console was released 7 years after the classic Game Boy. On Avito, you can buy it for 3,000 to 5,000 rubles.

There were two important changes.

First, the size of the console was reduced by almost 30%, and it is no longer as thick:

Second, the screen was changed. It is now black and white instead of monochrome green.

Unfortunately, due to the reduction in size, the power supply also changed. It now runs on 2 AAA batteries, which means the battery life has decreased to only 10 hours. Of course, 10 hours is still a lot for a single gaming session, but it is nowhere near the 35 hours of the original.

In any case, these are good changes. If you only plan to play Game Boy games and the lack of backlight does not bother you, then this is your choice.

Game Boy Light

This console was released in April 1998. However, it was only sold in Japan. This was because, in 1998, Nintendo was afraid that competitors were planning to release their own consoles, so they decided to quickly develop and release a color console (Game Boy Color). Nintendo had to decide whether to release the Game Boy Light or focus on the Game Boy Color. Since everything was ready for release, they decided to release a small batch of consoles and then shift focus to the next console. You can read more about this in the article: History of Game Boy Color.

Essentially, this is the same as the Game Boy Pocket, but with an electroluminescent backlight added:

Thanks to a switch that now has three positions: OFF/ON/LIGHT, you can play with the backlight on or off.

The backlight is decent, and now you can play the console at night.

Additionally, the type of batteries used has changed. The console now uses two regular AA batteries, which means the battery life has also changed. Without the backlight, the console works for about 20 hours, and with the backlight, it works for 12 hours.

If we ignore all subsequent consoles, this is the best choice for playing Game Boy games. However, there is one problem. As mentioned above, this console was only sold in Japan, so it is very difficult to find outside the Japanese market, and its price is high. We bought our console on eBay for 11,000 rubles. Currently, there is no direct delivery of goods from Japan to Russia, so you need to find a intermediary (preferably in America, not Europe, because Europe has a 20% duty on goods) who will receive the console and send it to you. We used the intermediary global.cdek.ru. This intermediary has a warehouse in America, where we sent the console, and then they forwarded it to Russia.

Now we will look at other console options that can also natively play Game Boy games but are later models of the Game Boy family.

Game Boy Color

This console was released in October 1998 as a result of competition between Nintendo, SNK, and Bandai. Now Nintendo consoles had a color screen. It had a slightly improved processor, from 4 MHz to 8 MHz, and memory, from 8 MB to 32 MB. However, it did not have a backlight, even though the Game Boy Light already had one. It runs on two AA batteries and has a battery life of about 30 hours.

This console can also natively play Game Boy games. However, there is one key change. The console has 16 built-in palettes. When you turn on the console, if you hold down certain buttons, the Game Boy games are colored using the palette colors.

This is a significant advantage that brings new experiences to the gameplay. Moreover, games started to appear that ran in black and white on classic Game Boy consoles, but if you inserted the cartridge into the Game Boy Color, the game was fully colored (not just using the palette as above). For example, one such game was Pokemon Trading Card Game:

Additionally, the game library significantly expanded with Game Boy Color games.

As a result, all these bonuses outweigh the drawbacks, and buying this console becomes more preferable. However, playing without a backlight is still difficult.

Game Boy Advance

The console was released in March 2001. This is the sixth generation of Nintendo consoles. This device can play classic Game Boy games, as well as Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance games. This means this console has the largest game library.

There are two notable features compared to the Game Boy Color:

First, the games run in a window. There will be black bars on the sides of the screen, which some people might not like.

Second, classic Game Boy and Game Boy Color games stick out of it.

This console is definitely not worth buying for one reason. It does not have a backlight, and the next versions of GBA consoles have it, making them more preferable to buy.

Game Boy Advance SP

This console has two versions: AGS-001 and AGS-101.

The only difference is the type of screen backlight (you can compare the two screens in the article: Comparison of Game Boy Advance SP AGS-001 and AGS-101 screens).

As a result, this is the only type of console that has excellent backlighting and is truly comfortable to play on. If the black bars on the sides and the fact that the cartridge sticks out of the console do not bother you, then this is the best option.

Additionally, this console was the first to feature a built-in 600 mAh battery. This adds convenience, as you no longer need to change batteries or constantly remove and recharge rechargeable batteries. You just need to put the console on charge.

Epilogue

The damn backlight, which is missing, ruins everything. Unfortunately, even the Game Boy Light is not as comfortable to play on as the Game Boy Advance SP AGS-101. Of course, this can be fixed by installing an IPS screen in the console. However, such screens drain the battery very quickly. So, what is the result?

If you do NOT plan to mod the console, then the best (and cheapest) option is to buy the Game Boy Advance SP AGS-101.

If you plan to mod the console, then the ideal option would be the Game Boy Color, due to its palettes, expanded library, and similar design to Game Boy consoles.

The results of a survey conducted in our VK group also confirm this: