Hello world! As many of you know, I collect a bunch of video game stuff and as such have some pretty interesting/rare/obscure items. I recently had an idea to share some of these items with you folks to show off these parts of gaming history. Depending on how well this goes, I might make these articles a weekly/monthly thing.

For this first one, I decided to go with the GameBoy Light.


Nintendo GameBoy Light

The GameBoy light was released in Japan on April 14th 1998 with an MSRP of ¥6,800 (~$88 USD). The GameBoy Light in a nutshell is essentially a GameBoy Pocket with a backlit-screen. The system was available in Gold and Silver (*insert your own Pokémon 2nd gen joke here*) along with a few special editions.

The gold GameBoy Light system with Pokémon Gold

Cosmetically, the GameBoy Light is very similar to a GameBoy Pocket. Only differences include a larger battery cover (Pocket uses two AAA batteries while the Light uses two AA batteries) and a slightly larger housing (about the same as the GameBoy Color).

Styled the same as the GameBoy Pocket

Same size as the GameBoy Color

Obviously with the name Light, the main feature of this system is the backlit screen. It uses a electroluminescent backlight, which some of you many remember from old cell-phones/pagers during the 90s and is still commonly used today in watches.

GameBoy Light with backlit screen on.

As you can clearly see, the light gives the screen a green tint. While the light doesn't provide much use during the day, it certainly helps at night. I'm sure many of us have memories of bedtime meaning hiding under the blanket with a GameBoy and a flashlight/light add-on, and this system certainly would have made things easier.

GameBoy Light in the dark.

The light itself can be controlled with the main power switch. Unlike the pocket which had two settings (OFF/ON), the Light has three (OFF/ON/LIGHT). ON powers the system with the standard non-lit screen, and LIGHT turns on the backlit light. While this is helpful for turning on/off the light to conserve battery power (gets about 20 hours with light off and 12 with light on), it is easy to over-shoot the ON setting and go straight to OFF when turning off the light.

While the GameBoy Light is a nice system, it still raises two questions: Why wasn't it released outside of Japan and why didn't the built-in light not return until later?

The Light was released in 1998, which was also the same year as the GameBoy Color. Marketing a "less technical" system alongside a new one that's only a little more expensive generally doesn't do well from an economic view. Remember the GameBoy Micro? It was released around the same time as the (then-new) Nintendo DS which was only $50 more then the Micro, and the DS was able to play both new DS and classic GBA games. This is essentially the same situation with the Light. Since many people were looking forward to the new GameBoy Color, Nintendo decided not to produce the system for sale in other countries since it wouldn't be worth their time/resources.

While the system itself wasn't carried over, why didn't the technology at least continue on? Nintendo is known for making affordable electronics. At the time of the Color's release, LCD lights were still fairly expensive and would drive the system's cost up more. The Sega Game Gear (released in '97) had a built-in light, but the system sold at almost twice the price as the GameBoy and would suck up 6 AA batteries after a mere four hours. Using the electroluminescent light on the GameBoy Color would have just given the screen a green/blue/whatever tint, and thus defeating the purpose of having a GameBoy display in color. The price of LCD lighting didn't come down enough for Nintendo to adopt it until 2003 (5 years later) with the introduction of the GameBoy Advance SP.

GameBoy Light and the GameBoy Advance SP

Looking to get one of these for yourself? Since they didn't have a US release, the easiest way to acquire one is through online sources. Searching through eBay, there are some systems available. Loose systems go for about $40-100 depending on the condition and can get very expensive for limited edition systems and those with their original boxes. Many other online retailers such as Amazon or stores that specialize in retro/import gaming may have them as well, however their prices tend to be a bit higher. If you do decide to track one down, be prepared to do some combing through search results since searching "gameboy light" will result in mostly light add-ons for the other GameBoy systems. My system was actually purchased from another collector on DigitPress for $30. As with all the other GameBoy systems, they are region free so they will play games from anywhere.

In conclusion, the GameBoy Light is a great system. However, it didn't get the popularity it should have due to be released too late during the black/white GameBoy era. If you are just looking to play GameBoy games in the dark, the SP/Micro/DS are still better alternatives. However, if you are into collecting Nintendo systems or just want something that most people don't even know about, the GameBoy Light would make a nice addition to your collection.


The entire line of GameBoy systems

Links: Wikipedia
Official page for the GameBoy Light (Gotta love Nintendo of Japan for keeping their retro stuff up )

My sister has always wanted one of these, since she insists on using her Pocket for all original GB games.

Ah, the good ol' days of the Gameboy... I miss my Gameboy Color.... I might find a Gameboy Light once I get the money and play through Blue using Light for some epic nostalgia.

Oh, dude! We have the same Atomic Purple GBC, and the same Game Boy Micro (faceplate and everything).

I must also mention that electroluminescent backlighting is also the heart of Indiglo on Timex wristwatches released between 1995 and the present day. And of course, Casio calls it, simply put, "Light".