The original Game Boy revolutionized the gaming market, but what made the Game Boy so successful? Join us in episode 1 for this special series, where we look at the handheld video game market, reviewing the Game Boy, Game Boy accessories, Sega Game Gear, and Game Boy Pocket! Chapters: 00:00 Nintendo Game Boy intro and montage 01:14 The launch of the Nintendo Game Boy 03:39 The Game Boy screen and the Sega Game Gear 06:06 Game Boy accessories 07:11 The handy boy Game Boy accessory 08:54 Giant Game Boy carrying case 10:10 Game Boy compact carrying case 11:10 Game Boy Hyundai Comboy mini 11:50 Super Game Boy 12:27 Game Boy Play It Loud and Game Boy Pocket Game Boy History It was the first time you could play quality games on a handheld console. Better sound, better graphics, we finally had a portable device that didn’t suck. Revolutionizing the video game industry, the Game Boy was quickly becoming an alternative to the arcade experience. Let’s look at the era, Game Boy was entering the market right when home consoles were invading the family living room, and nobody was expecting this new cutting-edge device. Gunpei Yokio, known for designing products like the Game & Watch, and creating the D-pad, he famously got the inspiration by observing adults killing time while riding a train. They were playing on calculators! This was the inspiration to create a quality, portable, game system anyone could pick up and play. There’s no contest, the Game Boy was successful because of the games. Just look at Tetris, simple in it’s design and addicting to play. Anybody could pick up a Game Boy and start playing this puzzle game and have fun. Nintendo’s Game Boy paved the way for a lot of handheld technology we take for granted today. Everything about the “Brick” was revolutionary, everything except the screen. It doesn’t hold up well today, but the philosophy for manufacturing this handheld was to use existing, proven technology, so that the price point could be more accessible to gamers. While the strategy of the Game Boy made sense from a cost perspective (priced at $89.99 USD), the lack in innovation for the screen would invite a new competitor to the market, the Sega Game Gear. Sega Game Gear offered something that Nintendo really couldn’t, a backlit screen with color! This was huge, it meant playing games with beautiful colors and you didn’t need a lit room. This leap in technology was a massive advantage, and Sega knew it. Just look at their marketing material, Sega constantly reminded consumers that they did what the antiquated Game Boy couldn’t. Let’s be real here, while the Game Gear offered new and attractive tech, it was about portability. The Game Boy was smaller, used less batteries, and used up to those batteries over a longer period. Although the Game Boy dominated the handheld market, the Sega Nintendo rivalry did a lot of great things for the gaming industry, especially for the Game Boy’s accessory market. Things like the Nuby Light was a quirky innovation to light up your Game Boy screen. Or the Nuby magnifier which made the screen bigger haha. Perhaps the greatest Game Boy accessory of all time, the Handy Boy might hold the title for the most ridiculous peripheral you could own to improve your Game Boy. Some accessories for the Game Boy were straight up an embarrassment. Carrying cases were all the rage, but one accessory, was huge, literally. A giant Game Boy clamshell carrying case, shaped like a Game Boy! I don’t think anything took this one to school, considering it would be an easy way to get beat up. The Hyundai Comboy Mini is probably a Game Boy you’ve never heard of. In short, due to conflict, South Korea never sold Game Boy consoles, however, they did sell the Comboy Mini. A unique find and now becoming a rare collectible. Let’s not forget The Super Game Boy, cross platform gaming? Yes, if you owned a Super Nintendo, you could play Game Boy games with a cartridge adaptor on the big screen! Not only could you see your favourite games on the TV, they offered colorized pallets and side art to enhance the gaming experience. Smart way for Nintendo to keep up the fight. All in all, the Game Boy is a timeless design that offered the durability and gaming library every wanted (by 1998 Nintendo sold over 64 million units worldwide). It was clear that the Game Boy culture was dominant, but the lack of color and backlighting left much to be desired by it’s core fans. Was that it Nintendo? Thanks for watching episode 1 and be sure to look out for parts, 2, 3, and 4 of this this special series! #gameboy #gaming #nintendo