Questions about Game Boy

Short answers, pulled from the story.

When was the Game Boy project canceled by Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi?

Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi canceled the entire Game Boy project in the summer of 1988 after viewing a prototype with a screen so poor it was nearly unusable. The team had spent years developing a successor to the Game & Watch series, but the initial twisted nematic screens produced by Sharp were plagued by ghosting and terrible viewing angles. Only Gunpei Yokoi, the division director who had championed the project, refused to let it die and continued to work in secret.

What date did the Game Boy launch in North America?

The Game Boy launched in North America on the 31st of July 1989. On its release day, 40,000 units were sold, and within just a few weeks, sales reached one million. The console's success was driven by a strategic decision to bundle Tetris with the device in every region except Japan.

When was the Game Boy Light released in Japan?

The Game Boy Light was released exclusively in Japan on the 14th of April 1998. This model introduced an electroluminescent backlight, enabling gameplay in low-light conditions for the first time without external accessories. The backlight emitted a blue-green glow, similar to the illumination used in digital wristwatches at the time.

What date did Nintendo introduce the Game Boy Pocket?

Nintendo introduced the Game Boy Pocket on the 20th of March 1995 as a major revision to the original system. The Pocket required just two smaller AAA batteries and featured a much-improved film compensated super-twisted nematic LCD with a larger viewable area. This revision mostly eliminated ghosting and produced a true black-and-white display rather than the green hues of the original Game Boy.

When was the Game Boy inducted into the U.S. National Toy Hall of Fame?

The Game Boy was inducted into the U.S. National Toy Hall of Fame in 2009. An original 1989 Game Boy is on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History as part of the American Enterprise exhibition. The device remains a cultural icon frequently cited in retrospectives as a foundational device in portable gaming.

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