Game Boy
| Manufacturer | Nintendo |
|---|---|
| Generation | Fourth generation |
| Release date | April 21, 1989 (JP) July 31, 1989 (NA) |
| Media type | Game Boy cartridge |
| Predecessor | Game & Watch |
| Successor | Game Boy Color |
The Nintendo Game Boy (ゲームボーイ Gēmu Bōi, is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America in July 1989, and in Europe on September 28, 1990. It is the first handheld console in the Game Boy line, and was created by Gunpei Yokoi and Nintendo Research & Development 1—the same staff who had designed the Game & Watch series as well as several popular games for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Redesigned versions were released in 1996 and 1998, in the form of Game Boy Pocket, and Game Boy Light (Japan only), respectively.
Hardware[edit]
| Technical Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Processor | Custom 8-bit Sharp LR35902 core at 4.19 MHz which is similar to an Intel 8080 in that none of the registers introduced in the Z80 are present. However, some of the Z80's instruction set enhancements over the stock 8080, particularly bit manipulation, are present. Still other instructions are unique to this particular flavor of Z80 CPU. The core also contains integrated sound generation. |
| Memory | 8 kB internal S-RAM (can be extended up to 32 kB) |
| Video | 8 kB internal RAM |
| Display |
|
| Audio |
2 square wave generators, 1 PCM 4-bit wave sample (64 4-bit samples played in 1x64 bank or 2x32 bank) channel, 1 noise generator, and one audio input from the cartridge. The unit only has one speaker, but headphones provide stereo sound. |
| Controller | D-pad + 4 buttons |
| I/O ports | 2 x Serial ports (or 4 with a DMG-07 4-player adapter) |
| Media | ROM Cartridge (8MB maximum) |
| Weight | - |
| Dimensions | 90 mm (W) x 148 mm (H) x 32 mm (D) / 3.5" x 5.8" x 1.3" |
| Power | 6 V, 0.7 W (4 AA batteries provide 15-30+ hours) |
