Nintendo Game Boy Color Gold & Silver Handheld

Growing up I always wanted a Gameboy. Nowadays that's easy so I did some research on the various models and picked up a Color model as well as an Advance SP (not reviewed but I'll draw some parallels).

The GBC is the best of the Gameboy series IMHO because it keeps the older model's form factor while keeping the weight down, requiring fewer batteries and having a color screen while playing all of the previous generation's games.

The keys are responsive, the unit is comfortable and the screen has a nice contrast to it in most decent lighting situations and with a decent size (even tough it's smaller than the Pocket and Advance versions).

On older games (BW/Type 1) you can also change the color palette by pressing the D-pad and A and B buttons. A nice touch.

The whole unit is also rock solid, the outer shell is marked ABS but people just call it Nintendium and I know now why. My model came second hand so I disassembled it for cleanup and analysis (I want/ed to mod it so it has frontlight - more on that later) and it looks like it's been built to last.

Sadly, it has no lighting solution. Sure, you can buy snake lights and illuminating magnifiers but that's just awful. There is a mod you can do using an advance sp unit that I intend to perform on it to correct that but this review is about the unit as is and if being limited to playing in light is something you're not keen on then pass this unit for the SP.

You should also be warned that the battery cover is extremely easy to lose as it doesn't really hold up that well. Sure, you can play without it dropping but the latch is too weak and you'll find a lot of GBCs with no bat. cover. Not a big deal but you should be aware of this when you replace your batteries. Replacements are available in all colors and they aren't expensive but I'd rather not pay 5€ (counting shipping) for a piece of plastic.

The audio volume is also pretty low, even at it's maximum. This is fine by me as I don't like to play it loud (going against the ads if you remember them).

All of these things were known before purchase and I accept them as a product of the era and Nintendo's product philosophy (they could have added a front light but chose not to to prolong the battery life).

Someone purchasing this is probably buying it for nostalgia reasons or as a backup gaming system but they must be aware of these details. They are cheap systems with the games actually costing more but still quite worth it and the best way to get some old-school Pokemon action outside of emulators.

As you probably guessed I picked up a SP to use as a donor but after playing around with it it could have been my first pick if it weren't for the fact that it uses proprietary rechargeable batteries which I hate because when they die off they might not be found (already ordered a couple new ones) and the charger is one more thing to lose. The fact that it doesn't come with a 3.5mm audio jack is also a big mistake in my opinion and using a special adapter to plug in your headphones is less than ideal.

In the end I decided to play the GBA SP (gotta get FF Dawn of Souls, and Pokemon Emerald for it) and wait for it to die off so I can strip it's frontlight (model AGS-001 is the one you want to this). It's not as robust feeling as the Color model and I think it will break down eventually whereas the Color... well, let's just say I think my grandkids might still play some Tetris on it a few years from now.

Happy retro-gaming!

brilliant durable piece of brilliant technology probably one of the better consoles from Nintendo! you can play a good range of good retro games love the product if you have kids that like to game but also seem to break things this is better than the ds its a great first time console and its great to bring back the memories of the playground =] had brilliant fun with this well recommended to anyone wanting a good old retro gaming session

There is nothing that brings back my childhood more than some retro gaming... I spied this on here and thought I would just get back some of the glory days...The Gameboy colour doesn't have all the fancyness of the newer, more technologically advanced handheld consoles, however, it still has that wow factor that i had back in the good old days, with its easy-to use buttons, long battery life (I wish my Nintendo DS lasted as long as this does before having to charge it up again!!)and a vast range of games to play.. including my all time favourite pokemon!! Even after all these years, the gameboy still works perfectly, compared to other consoles ive got and broken not even a year later. The Gameboy Colour stands the test of time, and something that every 80's and 90's child should relive!

I like GBC- in general. 2 AA batteries instead of 4 with almost the same gaming time lenght as the predecessor GB had. Console colors are nice, atomic purple being my favorite. There is nothing to hate about GBC if you are a handheld gaming freak. Nice graphics, you can take it anywhere you like ( not underwater though ), lot of gadgets has been made over the years ( printers, network cables, magnifier glass thingy with light and so on ). Only small wantage is that over 20 years they havent improved the backlight. that seems to be the theme if you ask what you dont like or want to have on GB(C)!

overall 9 out of 10

I've purchased this console for purpose of using it with LSDJ music tracker software. The console was good at the time of it's release but nowdays there's all sorts of things that a portable console can have. As a fan of retro consoles I can say that Game Boy color is a decent hand held device that looks stylish and has a big variety of cartridges that could be found on e-bay for a low price.

The only disadvantage that I would like to note is the lack of backlight. Without direct source of light pointed straight to the screen it's almost impossible to read the in-game text. I am planning to install a backlight and a Pro-sound mod myself for LSDJ purposes. If you're looking for a gameboy in order to write music, consider the above and do your research!

Goog luck.