Sure, you could install a backlight into your Game Boy. But why bother, when Nintendo already did it for you?
ATTENTION – I’ve produced a newer video on this very subject, with a much more details write-up, right here.
I love gaming hardware, maybe even more than I love the games themselves. But I especially love portable systems, and that appreciation stems all the way from Nintendo’s original Game Boy.
Even when it came out, its hardware was incredibly outdated, but it still outlasted far more powerful and technically impressive systems, thanks to decent battery life and some incredible games. I didn’t actually have a Game Boy to call my very own, until the Pocket model, released in 1996; but I dabbled with the system for many years prior, thanks to friends and extended family.
Boasting a smaller and lighter form, now requiring only two AAA batteries instead of four AA batteries, the Game Boy Pocket was the perfect size for gaming on the go, and an improved black and white screen was a bit easier on the eyes, with less blur than the original DMG version. But, much like its bigger brother, darkness was the system’s worst enemy.
It was so bad, that a number of third party companies made all sorts of devices that shone a much-needed light onto the non-backlit screen. And we accepted it for many, many years. Even the Game Boy Advance didn’t have a proper lit screen until the Game Boy Advance SP in 2003.
But there is one official Game Boy revision, released in 1998, that never made it outside Japan. And it has a lit screen. Let me introduce you to the Game Boy Light.
Before I even open this box, you’ve probably guessed that this isn’t the standard edition of the Game Boy Light. While the normal models are Gold or Silver in colour, this is an Astro Boy special edition, one of several special edition models made. I understand that not too many of these models were made, and I paid only £50 for mine, which is a bargain compared to modern eBay prices.
Rescue this Game Boy Light from its cardboard prison, and you can see that it’s a wonderful work of hardware art. Clear Game Boys are always gorgeous, but this one is something else, with it’s smooth finish and the subtle Astro Boy design. It’s only a little big bigger than the Game Boy Pocket, and it takes two AA batteries instead of two AAAs.
However, the bigger batteries and slightly larger size are there to accommodate this Game Boy Light’s unique selling point, and that’s tied into this slightly different power switch. As you would normally expect, you can turn it on, or off. But there’s another mode if you push the switch further than the on position, and I think you can probably guess what it does…
Well, look at that. A light, and it’s one of those indiglo lights you usually see on digital watches, as well. Granted, it’s not as bright as the do it yourself backlights you can get, but it’s a really lovely colour.
What’s more, it makes playing Game Boy games that little bit more playable as finally you can enjoy a bit of Tetris in the dark – And who doesn’t want that?
That was the Game Boy Light, and this is the end of my video. Hopefully you liked this video, and by all means ask me any questions you have about this magnificent handheld, or why not tell me what your favourite portable console is – Maybe you’re a lover of the Lynx, or go gaga over Game Gear?
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Thank you so much for making it this far, and until next time, Keep Gaming Positive.
