Exhibit: Nintendo Game Boy Color (1998–2003)
Released: October 21, 1998 (Japan) · November 23, 1998 (UK)
Manufacturer: Nintendo
Units Sold: Included in Game Boy family total of 118.69 million
Status: The colourful evolution of a legend
Colour at Last
After nearly a decade of green-tinted monochrome, Nintendo brought colour to the Game Boy in 1998. The Game Boy Color wasn't a dramatic leap forward — its screen was still unlit, its processor only modestly improved — but it arrived alongside Pokémon Yellow and, shortly after, Pokémon Gold & Silver. The timing was perfect.
The GBC was backward compatible with the entire original Game Boy library, and many original Game Boy games displayed in enhanced colour on the new hardware. It was a seamless transition that kept the platform's momentum going.
Iconic Games
- Pokémon Gold & Silver — the greatest Pokémon games ever made, on the perfect hardware
- The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages & Seasons — twin adventures of extraordinary quality
- Metal Gear Solid — a remarkable handheld adaptation of the PS1 classic
- Dragon Warrior Monsters — the monster-collecting RPG that rivalled Pokémon
Collector's Corner
The Game Boy Color came in a remarkable range of colours and special editions. The Pokémon editions — Gold, Silver, and Crystal — are particularly sought after. The transparent purple and atomic purple variants have become iconic.
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