Game Boy Light

"A collector's and rich gamer's dream"

 Many people know about the classic Game Boy, heck, many of you might have one or two of these lime-green-screened titans sitting in the back of your closet, collecting dust. A lot of people know about the Game Boy Pocket, the pint-sized wonder that really did fit in your pocket. But, not too many people know about the Game Boy Light, which was released in 1998. Not to be confused with the Light Boy attachment for the big grey brick, this final iteration of the classic Game Boy line was doomed to relative obscurity by the (then) new Game Boy Color. Due to the public's ever-increasing demand for a portable game system with a color screen, demand for this system was, how shall I say... nonexistent. 

But, more than 13 years later, I acquired one of these wondrous little machines to enjoy, then analyze and review. So, without further ado, let's get started!

The Game Boy Light was the final iteration of the classic Game Boy line, and possibly the best. Similar in size and weight to the Game Boy Pocket, this version sported a backlit screen, the first of its kind, Nintendo would not implement this feature again until the Game Boy Advance SP (see my review), which was released in 2003. This version uses standard AA batteries, as opposed to the smaller AAA batteries used in the Game Boy Pocket. This system came in only two colors: gold and silver.

The player only had to flip the power switch from ON to LIGHT to turn on the Indiglo-style backlight. When in use, the battery life was shortened, as is the case with any system with a lit screen. To turn it off, the player simply had to flip the power switch back to the ON position. Due to being doomed to obscurity by the Game Boy Color, Nintendo made relatively few of these systems. Because of this, anyone searching for one of these systems will have to pay upwards of 70 euro to import one; and that's the going rate for a used one! New systems can go for as high as 150-200 euro! Regardless, people find ways to obtain one of these lost legends. I'm glad I still got mine!