Game Boy models... seperate systems?

[Xot]

Just curious on other people's feelings on this. Nintendo like to trump out the "most successful system ever" line fairly often, but this only works if you count anything with Game Boy in its name as one system.

 

The litmus test for me is: Were there ever games designed for the unit that ran ONLY on that unit? If yes, new unit = system. If no, unit = different model of existing system.

 

By this definition, Sega CD and 32x = new systems, while something like Coleco Expansion Model 2 does not.

 

I think the three GBs are all seperate systems; otherwise, you could make the argument that the PS1 and PS2 are the same system, and even the Atari 2600 and 7800.

 

Thoughts?

[JB]

Just curious on other people's feelings on this. Nintendo like to trump out the "most successful system ever" line fairly often, but this only works if you count anything with Game Boy in its name as one system.

 

The litmus test for me is: Were there ever games designed for the unit that ran ONLY on that unit? If yes, new unit = system. If no, unit = different model of existing system.

 

By this definition, Sega CD and 32x = new systems, while something like Coleco Expansion Model 2 does not.

 

I think the three GBs are all seperate systems; otherwise, you could make the argument that the PS1 and PS2 are the same system, and even the Atari 2600 and 7800.

 

Thoughts?

841644[/snapback]

I consider the 32x and SegaCD expansions, not systems. For it to be a system, IMO, it has to be standalone.

 

I consider the GBColor a GBO++ for diffrent reasons. The hardware is almost identical. They made the CPU faster and added color. Big deal. It's 90% the same system.

That's like if the SNES was an NES with 2 background layers instead of 1.

 

 

Sidenote: Models to me implies GameBoy Pocket, GBASP, etc as well as major hardware revisions.

Edited April 22, 2005 by JB

[Seob]

Official Nintendo says that all three units are the same system, only with new features. And made backwards compatible. Even the new nintendo DS is a follow up of the origenal Gameboy. Has backwards compatiblitie. Nintendo currently is working on a whole new model that is going to be the official a new handheld product.

Why is it the same model:

Gameboy: the original release 1989.

Gameboy 2de gen: 1996 only has a smaller size with bigger screen.

Gameboy color: 1998 Only has a as extra the color screen.

Gameboy advance: 2000 step up to 16 bit power, still has a 8 bit processor to play the original gameboy games.

Gameboy Advance SP: 2002 new design and finaly a frontlit display.

Gameboy DS: 2004 because sony now has annouced to come with a portable system Nintendo has to make bigger chances to the Gameboy to make it compatiteve. Since the release of the Gameboy all new versions only had slide improvments. And unforcinally more and more ports from other nintendo systems.

Now they made some more changes to the system stepping up to 64bit graphics, adding dual screen (like that reminds me of the old nintendo game and watch lcd games) Giving the console 3d graphics insted of 2d, and backlit screens, with one touchscreen. And wireless communicatie to other gameboy DS owners.

But still it has backwards compatiblitie so i see it as a new version with improvements rather than a whole new system.

[Jess Ragan]

I consider them three seperate systems. They each have different capabilities and different software libraries, which qualifies them as unique in my eyes. Then again, I'm rather broad in my definition of a game system... I also consider the Sega CD and 32X as their own game systems, despite the fact that they need a host console to function.

 

Not sure where I stand on the Supercharger, though. It comes pretty darned close to being the Sega CD of the early 1980's, offering its host system enhanced capabilities and a higher capacity storage medium. On the other hand, it wasn't released by Atari itself; just a third party company that was never licensed to produce the peripheral.

 

JR

[sega saturn x]

They all play diffrent games so i guess that makes the diffrent systems you wouldent call the psx and ps2 the same console would you?

[Emehr]

I agree with Jess. They are 3 distinct libraries of games and, to me, that's what makes them separate systems.

 

- Jason

[JB]

Gameboy 2de gen: 1996 only has a smaller size with bigger screen.

ACtually, the GameBoy Pcoket DOESN'T have a larger screen. It's an optical illusion.

 

Gameboy advance: 2000 step up to 16 bit power, still has a 8 bit processor to play the original gameboy games.

32-bit, actually.

And the 8-bit processor isn't available while in 32-bit mode.

It's essentially 2 systems in one case. They just happen to share a sound chip.

 

But still it has backwards compatiblitie so i see it as a new version with improvements rather than a whole new system.

So the Genesis is a new version of the Master System?

Good luck selling the world on that.

 

Also note: The DS can only play Advance games. It lacks the processor and alternate voltage hardware for 8-bit games.

[Rhindle The Red]

The key for me is that I don't qualify by "system", but by "format".

 

For instance, I would consider the Genesis (three different models), CDX and Nomad to be different *systems* that all play the Genesis *format*.

 

But within the three primary Game Boy formats (GBA, GBC, GB) there are sub-formats. The types of Game Boy games are as follows:

 

Game Boy Games (grey carts)

Game Boy Games w/ Super Game Boy functionality (grey carts)

Game Boy Games w/ Game Boy Color functionality (black carts)

Game Boy Color Games (clear carts)

Game Boy Color Games w/ Game Boy Advance functionality (clear carts)

Game Boy Advance Games (dark grey carts)

Game Boy Advance Movies w/out Game Boy Player functionality (light grey carts)

 

I think there are also Game Boy Games with Super Game Boy *and* Game Boy Color functionality, but I haven't been able to confirm this.

 

There are also Game Boy (black) and Game Boy Color (clear) carts that feature rumble and one Game Boy Color cart and one Game Boy Advance cart that feature some form of motion detection.

 

But basically, I categorize a game based on it's lowest level of functionality (not what it says on the box). So any game that plays on the original Game Boy is a Game Boy game. Any that plays on the GBC, but not the original Game Boy is a Game Boy Color game. And Game Boy Advance games are obvious. Since there are no games that *require* the Super Game Boy, it is not it's own "format".

 

The DS, as stated, is *not* part of the Game Boy line, which is why it is *not* the "Game Boy DS".

[AlexKIDD]

I'd say the game buy,game boy color and game boy advance are all separate systems. None of them are add-ons and they all play different games (along with being backwards compatible). The game boy pocket and gba sp on the other hand are not different systems. Just different models of the game boy and the gba.

[Video]

I look at it like this. The Game boy, and the Game Boy Pocket, were the same system. The Pocket just had a better screen. (to a certain extent, this is the same with the Super Game Boy, since only one exclusive game was made for it, and it's cardtridge was still compatible with regular GameBoy)

 

GameBoy Color is the first new system. Fully backwards compatible, but there were some games that were exclusive due to some problems. It's like the difference between Commodore 64 and 128, they're the same, but at the same time, not.

 

GameBoy Advance, clearly a different sytem. It's got the 32 bit capabilitys and can do lots of stuff older models can't do. However, the GameBoy SP is just a new design for old hardware, like SNES and SNES2

 

So there were three gameboy's, though the Color was iffy, cause I don't truely believe the games wouldn't run on a regular gameboy, they were just rigged so you had to play them on the color for whatever reason.

[JB]

GameBoy Color is the first new system.  Fully backwards compatible, but there were some games that were exclusive due to some problems.  It's like the difference between Commodore 64 and 128, they're the same, but at the same time, not.

GBC exclusive titles made use of the faster processor, the added address space, or just >4 colors, and didn't program an alternate compatible game into the cart(most dual-mode games actually have 2 totally seperate pieces of software on the cart, with a bit of "loader" code to select which version should be run at boot).

 

So there were three gameboy's, though the Color was iffy, cause I don't truely believe the games wouldn't run on a regular gameboy, they were just rigged so you had to play them on the color for whatever reason.

Because there were hardware changes that made the Color a more powerful system.

...

I was probably being unfair earlier to classify it as the same thing as a GBO. Just a bit bitter that they released such a blatantly half-assed upgrade.

[sega saturn x]

The ds isint the next game boy is it? I thought it was just a whole new line of handhelds sine dosent the new game boy come out at the end of 05?

[Seob]

@sega saturn x,

 

That's the samething i have read about the DS and the new gamboy to come.

It was in an article of a dutch gamemagazine that normaly doesn't print anything that isn't true.

[Room 34]

The ds isint the next game boy is it?  I thought it was just a whole new line of handhelds sine dosent the new game boy come out at the end of 05?

850997[/snapback]

I recall hearing something about a new GameBoy model coming later this year. But then again, the DS does play GBA games. I really don't understand why Nintendo would carry on with two (semi-)distinct handheld lines.

[beamrider2600]

They're all different, I didn't know there was any debate about it.... The Game Boy and Game Boy Pocket are the same, and the GBA and GBASP are the same but apart from that, all different. There are different games for a start.

[LocalH]

I think there are also Game Boy Games with Super Game Boy *and* Game Boy Color functionality, but I haven't been able to confirm this.

You are correct. I just tested Zelda:DX on my hardware SGB, and it does indeed include a border (although that seems to be the only SGB enhancement, unless there are sound samples somewhere in the game).

 

Also, I would differ with you on the SGB statement - since no other system supports SGB enhancements, I would consider SGB games to be their own format (with the knowledge that the work on a regular Game Boy with reduced functionality). Especially considering that there was at least one game (Space Invaders) that included a version of the game in native 65186 code that could use the full SNES graphics and sound capability, which means that these games only run to their fullest on a SNES+SGB.

Edited May 9, 2005 by LocalH

[Famicoman]

If I think of all the Genesis as different systems, I think the same way for this too.