Nintendo · Released · First generation introduced 1989
Game Boy
Monochrome cartridge hardware and the smaller Pocket revision.
By Tulasiram Pemmadi · Research updated 25 October 2026 · Research guide, not a hands-on reviewGame Boy hardware shown in the reference photograph. Game-Boy-FL.jpg by Evan-Amos. Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; no hardware features altered.
Hardware at a glance
Display
160 × 144 monochrome
Media
Game Boy cartridges
Power
Original 4 AA; Pocket 2 AAA
Family-level details. Check the exact model before assuming that a feature is shared across revisions.
Hardware and game library
Game Boy launched in Japan in 1989. Tetris, Pokémon and Nintendo’s other portable titles built a long-lived cartridge library. The original grey design gained colour variations; Pocket reduced the enclosure size. These are not the same as support for Game Boy Color-only software.
Choosing the right model
Inspect battery corrosion, missing screen lines and sound output. Modern backlit screens and replacement shells should be disclosed. A modified unit can be useful for play while being different from an original collector example. Ask for clear photographs inside the battery compartment.
Model and edition registry
Selected documented models and editions. This registry does not yet include every regional SKU, promotional unit or limited edition.
The original and Pocket share a monochrome software family but differ in body and power requirements. The photograph here identifies the original body rather than every colour or revision. Battery-life figures in historical advertising describe new hardware under particular conditions, not a guarantee for an ageing used unit.
This hardware record does not yet have a verified GTA compatibility entry. Check the GTA release-platform catalogue before buying it for a particular game. Do not assume support through emulation, streaming or backwards compatibility.
Images identify the pictured hardware; they are not evidence for every variant listed. Missing regional SKUs and undocumented editions remain outside this guide. Send a correction with a source.
