<s>
The	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
is	O
an	O
8-bit	O
fourth	B-Application
generation	I-Application
handheld	B-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
developed	O
and	O
manufactured	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
designed	O
by	O
the	O
same	O
team	O
that	O
developed	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
&	I-Device
Watch	I-Device
series	I-Device
of	O
handheld	B-Application
electronic	I-Application
games	I-Application
and	O
several	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
(	O
NES	O
)	O
games	O
:	O
Satoru	O
Okada	O
,	O
Gunpei	O
Yokoi	O
,	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
Research	O
&	O
Development	O
1	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
second	O
handheld	B-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
and	O
combines	O
features	O
from	O
both	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
&	I-Device
Watch	I-Device
handheld	B-Application
and	O
NES	O
home	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
console	O
features	O
a	O
dot-matrix	B-General_Concept
screen	I-General_Concept
with	O
adjustable	O
contrast	O
dial	O
,	O
five	O
game	O
control	O
buttons	O
(	O
a	O
directional	B-Device
pad	I-Device
,	O
two	O
game	O
buttons	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
START	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
SELECT	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
single	O
speaker	O
with	O
adjustable	O
volume	O
dial	O
and	O
,	O
like	O
its	O
rivals	O
,	O
uses	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
as	O
physical	O
media	O
for	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
launch	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
sold	O
either	O
as	O
a	O
standalone	O
unit	O
,	O
or	O
bundled	O
with	O
one	O
of	O
several	O
games	O
,	O
among	O
them	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Land	I-Application
and	O
Tetris	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
and	O
was	O
deemed	O
technologically	O
inferior	O
to	O
its	O
fourth-generation	B-Application
competitors	O
(	O
Sega	O
's	O
Game	O
Gear	O
,	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
's	I-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
NEC	O
's	O
TurboExpress	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
estimated	O
118.69	O
million	O
units	O
of	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
and	O
its	O
successor	O
,	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Color	I-Device
,	O
have	O
been	O
sold	O
worldwide	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
the	O
fourth	B-Application
best-selling	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
of	O
all	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
redesigns	O
were	O
released	O
during	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
lifetime	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Pocket	O
in	O
1996	O
and	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Light	O
in	O
1998	O
(	O
Japan	O
only	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Production	O
of	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
continued	O
until	O
2003	O
,	O
well	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
its	O
second	O
successor	O
,	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
,	O
in	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
was	O
designed	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
chief	O
engineer	O
Gunpei	O
Yokoi	O
and	O
its	O
Nintendo	O
R&D1	O
team	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
popularity	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
,	O
he	O
held	O
a	O
meeting	O
with	O
Nintendo	O
president	O
Hiroshi	O
Yamauchi	O
,	O
saying	O
that	O
he	O
could	O
do	O
a	O
handheld	B-Application
system	O
with	O
interchangeable	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
internal	O
code	O
name	O
for	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
is	O
Dot	B-Device
Matrix	I-Device
Game	I-Device
,	O
referring	O
to	O
its	O
dot-matrix	B-General_Concept
display	I-General_Concept
in	O
contrast	O
to	O
the	O
preceding	O
Game	B-Device
&	I-Device
Watch	I-Device
series	I-Device
(	O
which	O
Yokoi	O
had	O
created	O
in	O
1980	O
)	O
that	O
has	O
segmented	B-Device
LCDs	B-Device
pre-printed	O
with	O
an	O
overlay	O
,	O
limiting	O
each	O
model	O
to	O
only	O
play	B-Device
one	I-Device
game	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shigesato	O
Itoi	O
visited	O
Nintendo	O
and	O
conceived	O
the	O
name	O
"	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
"	O
for	O
the	O
console	O
Yokoi	O
was	O
designing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
internal	O
reaction	O
to	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
at	O
Nintendo	O
was	O
initially	O
very	O
poor	O
,	O
earning	O
it	O
the	O
derogatory	O
nickname	O
"	O
DameGame	O
"	O
from	O
Nintendo	O
employees	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
dame	O
( だめ	O
)	O
means	O
"	O
hopeless	O
"	O
or	O
"	O
useless	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Henk	O
Rogers	O
brought	O
the	O
game	O
Tetris	B-Device
to	O
Nintendo	O
of	O
America	O
and	O
convinced	O
its	O
president	O
Minoru	O
Arakawa	O
to	O
port	O
it	O
for	O
the	O
new	O
system	O
so	O
it	O
could	O
reach	O
a	O
wider	O
audience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arakawa	O
agreed	O
and	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
ultimately	O
bundled	O
with	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
and	O
the	O
system	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
April	O
1989	O
,	O
North	O
America	O
in	O
July	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
Europe	O
in	O
September	O
the	O
following	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
had	O
spent	O
$10	O
million	O
on	O
marketing	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
has	O
four	O
operation	O
buttons	O
labeled	O
"	O
A	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
B	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
SELECT	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
START	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
directional	B-Device
pad	I-Device
(	O
d-pad	B-Device
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
top	O
of	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
,	O
a	O
sliding	O
on-off	O
switch	O
and	O
the	O
slot	O
for	O
the	O
Game	B-Protocol
Boy	I-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
are	O
located	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
on-off	O
switch	O
includes	O
a	O
physical	O
lockout	O
to	O
prevent	O
users	O
from	O
either	O
inserting	O
or	O
removing	O
a	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
while	O
the	O
unit	O
is	O
switched	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
recommends	O
users	O
leave	O
a	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
in	O
the	O
slot	O
to	O
prevent	O
dust	O
and	O
dirt	O
from	O
entering	O
the	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
contains	O
optional	O
input	O
or	O
output	O
connectors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
left	O
side	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
is	O
an	O
external	O
3.5mm	O
×	O
1.35mm	O
DC	O
power	O
supply	O
jack	O
that	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
use	O
an	O
external	O
rechargeable	B-Architecture
battery	I-Architecture
pack	O
or	O
AC	O
adapter	O
(	O
sold	O
separately	O
)	O
instead	O
of	O
four	O
AA	B-Algorithm
batteries	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
requires	O
6V	O
DC	O
of	O
at	O
least	O
150mA	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
3.5mm	O
stereo	O
headphone	B-Device
jack	I-Device
is	O
located	O
on	O
the	O
bottom	O
side	O
of	O
the	O
unit	O
which	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
listen	O
to	O
the	O
audio	O
with	O
the	O
bundled	O
headphones	O
or	O
external	O
speakers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
right	O
side	O
of	O
the	O
device	O
offers	O
a	O
port	O
that	O
allows	O
a	O
user	O
to	O
connect	O
to	O
another	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
system	O
via	O
a	O
link	B-Device
cable	I-Device
,	O
provided	O
both	O
users	O
are	O
playing	O
games	O
that	O
support	O
connecting	O
to	O
each	O
other	O
(	O
usually	O
only	O
the	O
same	O
copies	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
;	O
the	O
Pokémon	O
games	O
however	O
,	O
are	O
a	O
notable	O
exception	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
can	O
connect	O
to	O
each	O
other	O
between	O
different	O
generations	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
port	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
connect	O
a	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Printer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
link	B-Device
cable	I-Device
was	O
originally	O
designed	O
for	O
players	O
to	O
play	O
head-to-head	O
two-player	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
in	O
Tetris	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
game	O
developer	O
Satoshi	O
Tajiri	O
later	O
used	O
the	O
link	B-Device
cable	I-Device
technology	O
as	O
a	O
method	O
of	O
communication	O
and	O
networking	O
in	O
the	O
popular	O
Pokémon	O
video	O
game	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
20	O
,	O
1995	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
released	O
several	O
special	O
edition	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
models	O
with	O
colored	O
cases	O
,	O
advertising	O
them	O
in	O
the	O
"	O
Play	O
It	O
Loud	O
!	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
rare	O
,	O
limited	O
edition	O
Manchester	O
United	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
is	O
red	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
logos	O
of	O
the	O
team	O
emblazoned	O
on	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
handhelds	B-Application
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Play	O
It	O
Loud	O
's	O
screens	O
also	O
have	O
a	O
darker	O
border	O
than	O
the	O
normal	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Size	O
Approximately	O
x	O
x	O
(	O
WxHxD	O
)	O
Weight	O
Approximately	O
Screen	O
2.6	O
inch	O
reflective	O
super-twisted	B-General_Concept
nematic	I-General_Concept
(	O
STN	O
)	O
liquid-crystal	B-Device
display	I-Device
(	O
LCD	B-Device
)	O
Vertical	O
blank	O
duration	O
:	O
Approximately	O
1.1	O
msDisplay	O
size	O
Original	O
:	O
by	O
Pocket	O
:	O
by	O
Framerate	O
59.727500569606	O
HzPower	O
6	O
V	O
,	O
0.7	O
W	O
(	O
4×	O
AA	B-Algorithm
batteries	I-Algorithm
)	O
Battery	O
life	O
Approximately	O
15	O
hours	O
of	O
gameplayCPU	O
Custom	O
8-bit	O
Sharp	O
LR35902	O
(	O
based	O
on	O
modified	O
8080	B-General_Concept
and	O
Z80	B-General_Concept
)	O
at	O
4.19	O
MHzMemory	O
64	O
KB	O
address	B-General_Concept
space	I-General_Concept
including	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
On-CPU-Die	O
256-byte	O
bootstrap	O
ROM	B-Device
;	O
32	O
KB	O
,	O
64	O
KB	O
,	O
128	O
KB	O
,	O
256	O
KB	O
,	O
512	O
KB	O
,	O
1	O
MB	O
,	O
2	O
MB	O
,	O
4	O
MB	O
and	O
8	O
MB	O
cartridgesResolution	O
160	O
(	O
w	O
)	O
×	O
144	O
(	O
h	O
)	O
pixels	B-Algorithm
(	O
10:9	O
aspect	O
ratio	O
)	O
Color	O
support	O
2-bit	O
(	O
four	O
shades	O
of	O
"	O
gray	O
"	O
:	O
light	O
to	O
very	O
dark	O
olive	O
green	O
)	O
Sound	O
2	O
pulse	O
wave	O
generators	O
,	O
1	O
PCM	B-Algorithm
4-bit	O
wave	O
sample	O
(	O
64	O
4-bit	O
samples	O
played	O
in	O
1×64	O
bank	O
or	O
2×32	O
bank	O
)	O
channel	O
,	O
1	O
noise	O
generator	O
,	O
and	O
one	O
audio	O
input	O
from	O
the	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
21	O
,	O
1996	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
released	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Pocket	O
for	O
US	O
$69.99	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
September	O
3	O
,	O
1996	O
,	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
:	O
a	O
smaller	O
,	O
lighter	O
unit	O
that	O
required	O
fewer	O
batteries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
space	O
for	O
two	O
AAA	B-Algorithm
batteries	I-Algorithm
,	O
which	O
provide	O
approximately	O
10	O
hours	O
of	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Pocket	O
has	O
a	O
smaller	O
link	O
port	O
,	O
which	O
requires	O
an	O
adapter	O
to	O
link	O
with	O
the	O
older	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
port	O
design	O
is	O
used	O
on	O
all	O
subsequent	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
models	O
,	O
excluding	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Micro	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
screen	O
was	O
changed	O
to	O
a	O
true	O
black-and-white	O
display	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
the	O
"	O
pea	O
soup	O
"	O
monochromatic	O
display	O
of	O
the	O
original	B-Device
Game	I-Device
Boy	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
,	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Pocket	O
(	O
GBP	O
)	O
has	O
a	O
larger	O
screen	O
than	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Color	I-Device
(	O
GBC	O
)	O
that	O
later	O
superseded	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
like	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Pocket	O
has	O
no	O
backlight	O
to	O
allow	O
play	O
in	O
a	O
darkened	O
area	O
,	O
it	O
did	O
notably	O
improve	O
visibility	O
and	O
pixel	B-Algorithm
response-time	O
(	O
mostly	O
eliminating	O
ghosting	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
soon	O
added	O
due	O
to	O
public	O
demand	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
new	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Pocket	O
units	O
of	O
different	O
colors	O
(	O
released	O
on	O
April	O
28	O
,	O
1997	O
)	O
,	O
some	O
of	O
them	O
new	O
to	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
line	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
were	O
several	O
limited-edition	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Pockets	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
gold-metal	O
model	O
exclusive	O
to	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
several	O
publishers	O
took	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
surge	O
in	O
new	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
users	O
that	O
came	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Pocket	O
by	O
re-releasing	O
older	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
games	O
,	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Pocket	O
was	O
not	O
a	O
new	O
software	O
platform	O
and	O
played	O
the	O
same	O
software	O
as	O
the	O
original	B-Device
Game	I-Device
Boy	I-Device
model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Light	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
April	O
14	O
,	O
1998	O
,	O
and	O
only	O
available	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Pocket	O
,	O
the	O
system	O
was	O
priced	O
at	O
¥	O
6,800	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
uses	O
two	O
AA	B-Algorithm
batteries	I-Algorithm
,	O
which	O
give	O
it	O
approximately	O
12	O
gameplay	O
hours	O
with	O
the	O
light	O
on	O
and	O
20	O
with	O
it	O
off	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
edition	O
was	O
also	O
limited	O
to	O
5000	O
units	O
,	O
like	O
the	O
first	O
Model-F	O
.	O
Astro	B-Application
Boy	I-Application
edition	O
with	O
a	O
clear	O
case	O
and	O
a	O
picture	O
of	O
Astro	B-Application
Boy	I-Application
on	O
it	O
,	O
an	O
Osamu	O
Tezuka	O
World	O
edition	O
with	O
a	O
clear	O
red	O
case	O
and	O
a	O
picture	O
of	O
his	O
characters	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
solid	O
yellow	O
Pokémon	O
Center	O
Tokyo	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
was	O
released	O
alongside	O
six	O
launch	O
titles	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
listed	O
in	O
the	O
table	O
below	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
it	O
was	O
less	O
technically	O
advanced	O
than	O
Sega	O
's	O
Game	O
Gear	O
,	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
's	I-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
and	O
other	O
competitors	O
,	O
notably	O
by	O
not	O
supporting	O
color	O
,	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
's	O
lower	O
price	O
along	O
with	O
longer	O
battery	O
life	O
made	O
it	O
much	O
more	O
successful	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
than	O
118.69	O
million	O
units	O
of	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
and	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Color	I-Device
combined	O
have	O
been	O
sold	O
worldwide	O
,	O
with	O
32.47	O
million	O
units	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
44.06	O
million	O
in	O
the	O
Americas	O
,	O
and	O
42.16	O
million	O
in	O
other	O
regions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
Japanese	O
fiscal	O
year	O
1997	O
,	O
before	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Color	I-Device
's	O
release	O
in	O
late	O
1998	O
,	O
64.42	O
million	O
units	O
of	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
had	O
been	O
sold	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
a	O
March	O
14	O
,	O
1994	O
,	O
press	O
conference	O
in	O
San	O
Francisco	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
vice	O
president	O
of	O
marketing	O
Peter	O
Main	O
answered	O
queries	O
about	O
when	O
Nintendo	O
was	O
coming	O
out	O
with	O
a	O
color	O
handheld	B-Application
system	O
by	O
stating	O
that	O
sales	O
of	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
were	O
strong	O
enough	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
decided	O
to	O
hold	O
off	O
on	O
developing	O
a	O
successor	O
handheld	B-Application
for	O
the	O
near	O
future	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1995	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
of	O
America	O
announced	O
that	O
46%	O
of	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
players	O
were	O
female	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
higher	O
than	O
the	O
percentage	O
of	O
female	O
players	O
for	O
both	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
(	O
29%	O
)	O
and	O
Super	B-Application
Nintendo	I-Application
Entertainment	I-Application
System	I-Application
(	O
14%	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2009	O
,	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
was	O
inducted	O
into	O
the	O
National	O
Toy	O
Hall	O
of	O
Fame	O
,	O
20	O
years	O
after	O
its	O
introduction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
June	O
6	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
and	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Color	I-Device
games	O
are	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
service	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
's	O
Nintendo	B-Application
eShop	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
1997	O
year-end	O
review	O
,	O
a	O
team	O
of	O
four	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
editors	O
gave	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
scores	O
of	O
7.5	O
,	O
7.0	O
,	O
8.0	O
,	O
and	O
2.0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sushi-X	O
(	O
who	O
contributed	O
the	O
2.0	O
)	O
panned	O
the	O
system	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
black-and-white	O
display	O
and	O
motion	O
blur	O
,	O
while	O
his	O
three	O
co-reviewers	O
praised	O
its	O
long	O
battery	O
life	O
and	O
strong	O
games	O
library	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
sleek	O
,	O
conveniently	O
pocket-sized	O
design	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Pocket	O
model	O
.	O
</s>
