Game Boy Color
The Game Boy Color (commonly abbreviated as GBC) is an 8-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on October 21, 1998 and to international markets that November. It is the successor to the Game Boy and is part of its product line. Critics like IGN consider it more akin to a hardware revision than a next generation product.
The Atomic Purple version | |
| Also known as | GBC / CGB-001 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Nintendo Research & Engineering |
| Manufacturer | Nintendo |
| Product family | Game Boy |
| Type | Handheld game console |
| Generation | Fifth |
| Release date | |
| Introductory price | US$79.95 (equivalent to $140 in 2022) |
| Discontinued | Yes; date undisclosed |
| Units shipped | 118.69 million (including the Game Boy) |
| Media | Game Boy Game Pak Game Boy Color Game Pak |
| CPU | Sharp LR35902 core @ 4.19/8.38 MHz |
| Memory | 32 KB RAM 16 KB VRAM |
| Display | TFT LCD 160 x 144 pixels, 44x40 mm |
| Online services | Mobile System GB |
| Best-selling game | Pokémon Gold and Silver, approximately 23 million units |
| Backward compatibility | Game Boy |
| Predecessor | Game Boy |
| Successor | Game Boy Advance |
The handheld features a color screen rather than monochrome, but it is not backlit. It is slightly thicker and taller and features a slightly smaller screen than the Game Boy Pocket, its immediate predecessor. As with the original Game Boy, it has a custom 8-bit processor made by Sharp that is considered a hybrid between the Intel 8080 and the Zilog Z80. The American English spelling of the system's name, Game Boy Color, remains consistent throughout the world.
The GBC is part of the fifth generation of video game consoles. The Game Boy and the Game Boy Color combined have sold 118.69 million units worldwide making them the fourth best-selling system of all time. Its best-selling games are Pokémon Gold and Silver, which shipped 23 million units worldwide.