Launched by Nintendo in 1989 in Japan and North America, and in 1990 in Europe, the Game Boy was created under the guidance of Gunpei Yokoi with a very clear philosophy: not to chase raw power, but to offer a sturdy, affordable handheld with excellent battery life. In a market where the Atari Lynx and Sega Game Gear focused on colour screens and more advanced hardware, Nintendo chose balance, simplicity and a strong software library, turning the Game Boy into a synonym for portable gaming itself.

The machine used a Sharp LR35902 CPU running at around 4.19 MHz, broadly related in design to the Z80/8080 family, with 8 KB of RAM and 8 KB of video RAM. Its medium was the cartridge, ideal for a portable console. The 160×144 pixel monochrome LCD displayed four shades of greenish grey, while tile-based graphics and hardware sprites ensured clear visuals despite the obvious limitations. Audio offered four channels, enough to create simple but memorable themes.

Sales of the Game Boy and Game Boy Color family are generally reported at around 118 million units. Its legacy lives on through titles such as Tetris, Super Mario Land, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Pokémon Red and Blue, Metroid II: Return of Samus, Kirby’s Dream Land, Donkey Kong and Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3.