Game Boy

Description

The Nintendo Game Boy was released in 1989. It was a handheld video game console that combined aspects of Nintendos successful Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) television video game console with their earlier handheld electronic games marketed under the name "Game & Watch." It contained an 8-bit Z80 processor with a monochrome LCD display and 4-channel stereo sound. Shortly after the introduction of the Game Boy, Sega and Atari released handheld games, the Sega Game Gear and the Atari Lynx. Both had superior color LCD displays but both also suffered from short battery life and limited game availability. Nintendo shipped over 100 million units of the Game Boy and its successor, the Game Boy Color around the world.

All original Game Boys were bundled with Tetris, an addictive game developed in 1985 by Russian mathematician Alexey Pazhitnov, assisted by Dmitry Pavlovsky and Vadim Gerasimov. As with the NES, game software was stored on removable cartridges, allowing users to switch games at whim. Nintendo also marketed a number of accessories with this version of the Game Boy, including a camera and printer attachment.

Type

Image

Source

National Museum of American History

Name

user: Huynh, Richard patent holder: Nintendo Co., Ltd. maker: Nintendo Co., Ltd.

Identifier

ID Number: 2003.0344.01 accession number: 2003.0344 catalog number: 2003.0344.01

Dates

Date made: 1989

Physical Description

Physical Description: plastic (overall material) Physical Description: metal (overall material) Physical Description: rubber (overall material) Physical Description: glass (overall material) Measurements: overall: 14.7 cm x 8.9 cm x 3.8 cm; 5 13/16 in x 3 1/2 in x 1 1/2 in

Additional Info

See more items in: Medicine and Science: Computers See more items in: American Enterprise See more items in: Family & Social Life See more items in: Sports & Leisure Exhibition: American Enterprise Exhibition Location: National Museum of American History Credit Line: Richard Huynh Place Made: Japan