36 Years Later, No Handheld Console Beats the Game Boy

The Nintendo Switch 2 is the handheld console that’s getting all the attention lately, especially with the price point for its games, which overshadowed the 36th anniversary of the original Game Boy’s release, as it first launched in Japan on April 21, 1989. When you compare it to modern handheld options, such as the Switch and Steam Deck, the Game Boy doesn’t seem impressive. However, nostalgia is powerful, and when you consider the technology at that time, the Game Boy felt amazing. The popular games that were released for it definitely helped, since you had options like Tetris and Pokémon Red and Blue.

It’s common now to have an assortment of gadgets to entertain you while you’re on a road trip, traveling, or spending a night away from home. They have the power to let you watch shows, movies, read novels, or play games without having to lug around physical books or DVDs. It almost seems unbelievable that there was a time when you would bring along a Game Boy for entertainment instead, making sure you had all the games you wanted to play packed up while also adding some batteries in case you needed to swap them out.

How the Game Boy’s Limitations Improved Sales

At its launch, the Game Boy was actually not as advanced in terms of technology compared to competitors like the Sega Game Gear. Instead, its design went with options that allowed it to be sold at a lower price than its competitors, which helped with its success. It also contributed to the longer battery life of the Game Boy. Of course, these choices led to some criticisms, mostly regarding how the Game Boy didn’t have backlighting and went with a monochrome screen rather than color images.

The Game Boy Color addressed one criticism as you could actually buy a third-party item that would light your screen, meaning you were able to play in low light without having to turn on lights. Many of the Game Boy Color games were also backwards compatible, which meant that you didn’t need to buy one in order to keep enjoying Game Boy games if you had the original. All together, it was made with consumers in mind, and that made it more than worth the cost to purchase.

The Game Boy Is a Symbol of Childhood for a Generation

Like many others, the original Game Boy was a big part of my childhood. Now, we take phones and other pieces of technology for granted, especially the way that they can make traveling pass by faster and more comfortably by entertaining us with not only games, but movies, shows, and books. Before smartphones and handheld consoles like the Steam Deck, the Game Boy was a necessary item to take on trips.

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It felt a lot simpler. You needed the console, games, and batteries. Plus, you could get carrying cases that held those items, making it easy to grab and go as needed. It helped that it had some classic games that even hold up today, with the Pokémon options lingering in my memory even today. At that time, the biggest question was whether I would play Red or Yellow first.

36 years has changed the handheld console scene completely, but maybe we need the option for more simplicity moving forward. It feels like there are too many requirements for handheld games now. If you don’t have physical copies of your games, you can only have a limited number installed at one time. Then, if you want to change the games you have installed, you generally need internet access. On top of that, battery life feels much shorter than it used to, as the technological demands of modern games tend to drain battery power faster than less demanding games. While you have more intense entertainment and plenty of options, it can feel like a hassle at the same time.

In the end, no handheld console has been able to replace the magic of the Game Boy, which was helped by the time it was released. The constant presence of technology takes away the magic of console gaming, turning it into an expectation rather than a treat. While I love both new and old games—and I’m always willing to see what gaming has to offer using new technology—it feels like the charm of the Game Boy era has faded, which is rather sad to reflect on after all these years.