Critique 7 - Evolution of the Game Boy (1/28/2011)

Original Game Boy (1989):

The original Game Boy entered the still young handheld gaming timeline. The original was a simple system with a green LCD screen (black and white only), 4 buttons (A, B, Start, Select), a power button, and a dial to control display contrast. These interfaces afforded the user the ability of very basic/limited gameplay of simple games.

What made the Game Boy a success was its affordance to play a game anywhere. It was not the first portable platform but due to marketing, quality of games, and Nintendo’s brand name, it was able to become the poster child of handheld gaming.

The original Game Boy was available only in grey until colored casing models were released in 1995.

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Game Boy Pocket (1996):

Building off what made the original a hit, the Pocket was smaller and used fewer batteries, making it even more portable. The Game Boy Pocket did not add any more buttons or interfaces but did feature a true black and white LCD screen (no more green).

The Pocket also came in a variety of colors.

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Game Boy Color (1998):

This was the first Game Boy to feature color display and was a huge success. Though the system was still 8-bit, it was able to garner massive sales with a color display. The new display afforded the user an easier way of distinguishing what was going on in the game and made it a more visually pleasing device overall. Once again, the interface remained the same besides making the buttons and D-pad sleeker looking.

The Color is equivalent to an NES and was backwards compatible with original Game Boy cartridges.

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Game Boy Advance (2001):

The Game Boy Advance was a fresh face and a power house compared to its predecessors, featuring a 32-bit processor and an ergonomic new design. The processor allowed for more demanding games and finer graphics. The new design was wider than it was long, the opposite of Game Boys up to this point, and allowed for the addition of shoulder buttons. Game Boys had been in production for 12 years before a new interface was introduced in the form of these shoulder buttons. These shoulder buttons afforded a trigger-like feel and were often used for a trigger button or a less used function in games. The wider design allowed the system to easily rest in the palms of the user and has become the standard layout for all Game Boys from this point on (apart from the SP).

The GBA was backwards compatible with all games released prior.

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Game Boy SP (2003):

The SP was essentially a GBA but with a backlight. Users had been demanding a backlit screen for years and this was the first time it was brought to the market for Game Boys (if the Game Boy Light is ignored). The backlight afforded the user the ability to play their games in the dark or in the glare of sunlight.

The SP also showcased a clamshell/flip design that would be seen in the upcoming generation of Game Boys.

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Nintendo DS (2004):

Though technically not a Game Boy, the DS is regarded by many as an extension of the Game Boy’s lineage. The DS had two screens, one for display and the other serving as a touch screen. Although the DS did boast a fancy new touch screen, all buttons from the GBA were brought in as well.

The DS’s processor was significantly more powerful and graphics improved greatly from the GBA, which was to be expected. Several games from the Nintendo 64 were ported to the DS and ran smoothly, showing off just how powerful this machine was.

Design-wise, the DS merged the wide layout of the GBA and the clamshell design of the SP. This served as a protective constraint, preventing the touch screen from getting scratched while the system was closed. At the same time as protecting the screens, closing the lid while it was on would put the system into sleep/battery save mode.

Another new addition was the introduction of wireless interconnectivity. This allowed users to connect to a wireless network or communicate with other DS’s in the area. This was often used to play games online, download demos from kiosks, or interact with other players.

A backlight was also incorporated.

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Nintendo 3DS (2011):

As of now the 3DS has not been released and many details are not yet released/finalized but it is known that it will feature stereoscopic display and a much more powerful processor.

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