Game Boy Color
Nintendo's 1998 colour successor to the Game Boy, which also plays original Game Boy games, for collectors and anyone comparing it with the Game Boy or Game Boy Advance.
- Type
- Handheld
- Output
- –
- Memory
- 48 KB
- Storage
- –
- Weight
- 138 g
Specifications
Report a wrong or missing specPerformance
- Type
- Handheld
- CPU
- Sharp SM83 (8-bit), 4.19 or 8.39 MHz
- GPU
- Nintendo CPU CGB (built-in picture processing)
- Memory
- 48 KB
- Disc drive
- No
- CPU
- Sharp SM83 (8-bit) at 4.194304 MHz or 8.388608 MHz in double-speed mode, in the Nintendo CPU CGB (mGBA documentation)
- GPU
- LCD picture processing in the Nintendo CPU CGB; 40 sprites, up to 10 per line (Nintendo programming manual and mGBA documentation)
- Memory detail
- 32 KB work RAM and 16 KB video RAM; compatible game cartridges can add up to 128 KB RAM (Nintendo programming manual)
- Storage detail
- Game Boy and Game Boy Color Game Paks (cartridges); saves on the cartridge
Display and video
- Built-in screen
- 2.3″ LCD, 160 × 144
- Built-in screen
- 2.3-inch reflective TFT colour LCD, no backlight; 160 × 144; 32,768 colours, up to 56 at once
- Audio
- Mono speaker and stereo headphone jack
Design and power
- Battery life (maker's claim)
- Up to 10 hours
- Weight
- 138 g
- Battery life detail
- 2 × AA batteries, up to 10 hours
Connections
- Ports
- Game Link Cable port, infrared port, Game Pak slot, headphone jack, 3 V DC input (Nintendo)
- Controller
- Built-in D-pad, A, B, Start and Select buttons
- Backward compatibility
- Original Game Boy games
Pros and cons
Pros
- Colour screen, up to 56 of 32,768 colours at once
- Plays original Game Boy games, with built-in colour palettes for more than 90 of them
- Infrared port, and runs on two AA batteries
Cons
- Reflective screen with no backlight
- Same 160 × 144 resolution as the Game Boy
- Up to 10 hours of battery life, a third of the original's
Closest rivals
Model | Type | Output | Memory | Storage | Weight | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handheld | – | 384 KB | – | 140 g | Jun 2001 | |
| Handheld | – | – | – | 80 g | Nov 2005 | |
| Handheld | – | – | – | 218 g | Mar 2006 |
Previous model: Game Boy. Newer model: Game Boy Advance.
