Game Boy Color facts for kids

The Game Boy Color (often called GBC) is a video game console. It was made by Nintendo. It first came out in Japan in October 1998. It then launched in North America, Europe, and Australia in November 1998.

The Game Boy Color was the next version after the original Game Boy. It came before the Game Boy Advance. A cool thing about the Game Boy Advance is that it could play both Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. The biggest new feature of the Game Boy Color was its colorful screen. This was a huge upgrade from the old black and white Game Boy. The Game Boy Color was almost as powerful as the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was one of the last 8-bit consoles made by a major company. The very last game released for the Game Boy Color was Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets in 2002.

What Made the Game Boy Color Special?

The Game Boy Color had a screen that showed many colors. This was a big change from the grayscale screen of the first Game Boy. However, its screen did not light up from behind. This meant you needed a good light source to play in the dark.

The GBC was a bit thicker and larger than the Game Boy Pocket. The Game Boy Pocket was the last model in the original Game Boy line. The Game Boy Color used an 8-bit processor. This processor was made by Sharp Corporation. It was a mix of two older processor types. The name "Game Boy Color" is used all over the world. It keeps the American English spelling of "color".

Game Boy Color in the Gaming World

The Game Boy Color was part of the fifth generation of video game consoles. In Japan, its main rivals were the Neo Geo Pocket and the WonderSwan. These were 16-bit handhelds, but they only had grayscale screens. The Game Boy Color sold much better than both of them.

Later, SNK and Bandai released color versions of their consoles. These were the Neo Geo Pocket Color and the Wonderswan Color. But these new versions did not change Nintendo's lead in sales. In the United States, the Game Boy Color's only real competitor was the original Game Boy. This was because Sega stopped making the Game Gear in 1997. The Neo Geo Pocket Color came out in August 1999, but it did not last long.

Together, the original Game Boy and the Game Boy Color sold a huge number of units. They sold 118.69 million units around the world. This makes them the third-best-selling game system of all time.

End of an Era

The Game Boy Color was stopped on March 23, 2003. This happened shortly after the Game Boy Advance SP was released. The best-selling game for the Game Boy Color was Pokémon Gold and Silver. This game sold an amazing 23 million copies worldwide.

Images for kids

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  The Game Boy Color motherboard

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  Illustrated color-samples of the palettes for the different key combinations. Any color crossed out will be present in palette RAM, but rendered as transparent.

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  The clear cartridge for exclusive Game Boy Color games

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  The black cartridge is for Game Boy games that takes advantage of the Game Boy Color's increased palette, but not the increased memory or processor speed. These games can be played on the original Game Boy in grayscale.

See also

In Spanish: Game Boy Color para niños