Table of Contents
Review of the GB Boy Colour Console
Review of the GB Boy Colour console
In 1998, a new console, the Game Boy Color, appeared on the market. Overall, despite the fact that Nintendo was in a hurry and released the Game Boy Color only because of competitors who were about to release their consoles, the new console was well received by players. So well that the launch of the Game Boy Advance was postponed because the Game Boy Color was at its peak of sales, and Nintendo managers really didn't want those sales to drop.
This console had perhaps only one drawback. It had no backlight. Moreover, another Nintendo console, the Game Boy Light, released six months before the GBC, had such a backlight.
You can read more about the history of the Game Boy Color in the article: "History of the Game Boy Color".
And the Chinese wouldn't be Chinese if they didn't release a clone of this console. A clone called GB Boy Colour. Usually, console clones are a very dubious thing, but in rare cases, like with the Revo K101+, the clone can be quite good.
This console has its pros and is in great demand. The first mentions of the console appeared in 2013, and as you can see, it is still being produced.
Where to Buy GB Boy Colour?
As of 2024, sales have ended. You can only look for used items on platforms.
The console is available in 6 colors. However, some colors are constantly out of stock.
The only thing you can buy additionally for this console is batteries. For example, these.
I want to draw your attention to the fact that if you want to use this console with flash cartridges, you will need different batteries. Read more about this below.
Package Contents
The console is packed in a nice box. Inside is the console itself and 2 manuals. That's all, nothing else!
Console Dimensions
Overall, the GB Boy Colour is slightly larger than the Game Boy Color.
Game Boy Color dimensions: height 135 mm, width 80 mm, thickness 29 mm.
GB Boy Colour dimensions: height 138 mm, width 82 mm, thickness 31 mm.
Usage
The first impression of the console is good, there are no negative feelings like, for example, with the Revo K101+, when I took the console in my hands and the plastic felt cheap. With the GB Boy Colour, there are no such feelings.
The GB Boy Colour can run both Game Boy Color games and regular Game Boy games.
This console can also colorize old games. There are 16 color palettes to choose from.
Game compatibility is quite extensive. However, you should understand that this is still a clone, so some games may not run properly or simply crash. But overall, judging by the reviews, people don't complain.
The console comes with 66 built-in games. Actually, there are 188, but following the good old Chinese tradition, there are many duplicates. Although, to be fair, the box states the correct number.
There are two problems with the built-in games. First, they cannot be rewritten, deleted, or new ones added. And second, the selection of games is very strange: for some reason, most of the games are from the Game Boy console, not the Game Boy Color.
The buttons press easily, although the D-pad feels a bit different. On the Game Boy Color, it presses harder, while on the GB Boy Colour, it's lighter. This is neither a plus nor a minus. But overall, I like it more. It's much easier to press diagonal directions, for example, up and left. However, it should be noted that my Game Boy Color is quite old (over 20 years) and its rubber pads may have aged and hardened. Interestingly, the D-pad can be pressed entirely, and all 4 directions will be pressed, which is not possible on the Game Boy Color, although I don't know how this could be useful.
The GB Boy Colour runs on 2 AA batteries. Moreover, the ability to use flash cartridges depends on the batteries, but we'll talk about that later. The average battery life of the Game Boy Color was about 15-30 hours. While the GB Boy Colour runs for about 10-20 hours, and this is considering that this console has a backlit screen.
On top of the console, there is an infrared port cover, but there is no actual port – it's a dummy.
Like the Game Boy Color, the bottom of the console has ports for headphones and a power adapter (to play without batteries).
On the side, there is a network port, and unlike the infrared port, this one works.
But the main difference between this clone and the original is the screen.
Screen
Unlike the Game Boy Color, the GB Boy Colour has a backlit screen.
And in this photo, you can immediately see the main problem with the screen. Surely you noticed that the aspect ratio of the screen is not the same as the Game Boy Color. If the latter has a square screen, the GB Boy Colour has a 4:3 aspect ratio.
However, the screen resolution is exactly the same, 160x144 pixels. All this has led to the image being slightly stretched sideways. And here you need to understand that if you are a connoisseur of crisp pixel art, this console is not for you.
Overall, this aspect ratio does not interfere with gameplay (if you don't compare two images side by side), but the backlit screen is a very big bonus that outweighs all the console's shortcomings.
Flash Cartridges
As you remember, we previously wrote that the console has built-in games, but you cannot add new games. And here arises the main question: does the GB Boy Colour work with flash cartridges? And the answer is more no than yes.
Currently, there are, conditionally, two cartridges available:
1. Everdrive-GB X* (it has 3 varieties: X3-X5-X7);
2. Ez-Flash Junior.
The Everdrive cartridges generally work. However, another problem arises here: to make the cartridge work well with the console, you need to choose the optimal batteries. For example, nickel-zinc batteries with a voltage of 1.6 V (note, not 1.5 V, but exactly 1.6 V) and a capacity of more than 1600 mAh. At the same time, according to online reviews, batteries with a voltage of 1.5 V but with a very high capacity of about 2600 mAh will also work. However, some people still have no luck. But overall, you need batteries with a voltage of 1.6 V.
With the Ez-Flash Junior cartridge, the situation is strictly the opposite: you need batteries with a voltage of 1.2 V. When using 1.5 V batteries, something strange happens with the cartridge: sometimes it says it can't find the boot file or memory card, sometimes the image has artifacts, or something else. However, once out of twenty, the cartridge did start with 1.5 V batteries.
In conclusion: flash cartridges can be run on this console, but you need to choose the right batteries with the right voltage, and they are not easy to find and will have to be ordered separately.
However, there is one flash cartridge that is not picky – the GB USB Smart Card 64M. And if you happen to have it lying around, you're in luck, it works perfectly.
Epilogue
The main question is: is it worth buying this console? And here it's very difficult to answer. On one hand, if you are a casual player (without a fixation on pixel-perfect graphics), then the bright screen is a huge plus, which will allow you to save a lot of money. After all, a Game Boy Color + IPS screen costs about 10,000 rubles (as of 2022), and you also need to know how to solder. While the GB Boy Colour costs about 4,000 rubles.
On the other hand, if you want to buy a console + flash cartridge, be prepared to have to choose the right batteries with the right voltage, which can result in additional costs.
But if you have a couple of your favorite Game Boy or Game Boy Color game cartridges at home, this console will be the optimal and, importantly, ready-to-use solution. Just buy it and play.
And if you are a collector, just buy it, as clones of consoles will be a good addition to your collection.
