Game Boy Color

In the early 1990s, a team led by Satoru Okada built a colour prototype, Project Atlantis, with a 32-bit Sharp processor, but shelved it because the results were unsatisfying. In October 1997 news broke of Bandai's WonderSwan, a project led by Gunpei Yokoi, and Okada returned to the idea. To reach stores sooner and keep compatibility, he replaced the 32-bit chip with a faster version of the Game Boy's 8-bit processor.

Nintendo announced the system in March 1998. It launched in Japan on October 21 and in other markets during November: the 18th in North America, the 23rd in Europe and the 27th in Australasia. The US price was $79.95. Its colour TFT screen has no backlight, and the processor can double its clock speed. Critics praised the colour, the sharper display and the backward compatibility; some magazines wanted a bigger technical leap and a screen usable in poor light.

It launched with three exclusives, Pocket Bomberman, Tetris DX and Wario Land II, plus the entire Game Boy library. Nintendo did not accept simple colourised re-releases: DX versions such as The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX had to add new content. Cartridges came in grey Game Boy, black dual-mode and clear Color-only cases. Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal were its best-selling games, and in Japan the Mobile Adapter GB connected the console through a mobile phone.

Its commercial life was short: the Game Boy Advance replaced it in 2001 with the 32-bit power Project Atlantis had aimed for. It stayed on sale as a budget option until Nintendo discontinued it in 2003. The last game, Doraemon no Study Boy: Kanji Yomikaki Master, came out in Japan on July 18, 2003. It is often seen as an incremental Game Boy upgrade carried by backward compatibility, though IGN and Retro Gamer highlight its library, especially third-party and import titles.