Nintendo Game Boy Color White Console
- Platform: Game Boy Color
- Console Type: Handheld
- Overview
-
Reviews
- Compare Prices
User ReviewRead All Reviews »
My Game Boy Kids- The Nintendo Game Boy Color
Pros
A cheaper more convenient video game unit for your children.
Cons
They now have a updated version called the Game Boy Advance.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
I Highly recommend the Nintendo Game Boy Color to someone who is in the market of purchasing a hand help video game system for their child.
My Game Boy Kids- The Nintendo Game Boy Color
The first Game Boy we owned made its way into our home some 6 or 7 years ago. The Game Boy at that time was a larger more "bulkier" black and white model. (Today my son refers to it as the Vintage Game Boy. Like my son has any idea what "vintage" means) It doesn't get played anymore... the only reason it is still here is because my son is such a PACK RAT that he wont get rid of it. But I guess that is good, because then, every time my kids look at that "old" thing, they can remember how HARD they had it in the "old" days, LOL... sheesh...
Through the years we gradually upgraded to the compact version and then finally to the COLOR version, which is what my boys play with today.
These little game stations are wonderful. My oldest son has had his for quite some time now, but my middle son has just recently become a "proud" owner of his very own on his recent birthday. (Yea!!! No more fighting, everyone has there own)
Colors
You are able to choose different colors for your Nintendo Game Boy Color. Some come in Solid Colors like my middle son's Game Boy which is "Kiwi" Green. (That was his choice, I still have no idea why). Then others come in "See thru" colors. My oldest son has a see thru purple one. (These "see thru" units are actually pretty neat. You can see the microchips and the inner workings of the system through the plastic. They are kind of High Tech looking.)
****Note- Each Nintendo Game Boy Color runs off of two AA batteries. Unless you pay extra and buy the adapter where you can plug it into the wall. These aren't too much money and depending on how often your child plays his Game Boy System, it might be worth investing in one to save money on all the batteries you will continually have to replace.
How to Use
Using a Nintendo Game Boy Color is actually very simple. Even Mom or Dad can do it!!! ; )
The Game cartridge slips into a slot on the back of the system and then turn the power on. (The ON/OFF button is located on the right side of the Game Boy.)
? Volume- The volume dial is located on the left hand side of the Game Boy. Just move dial until you find the level you prefer or turn it ALL the way down to play with no sound at all.
? A Button- This is like a menu button that gives you choices and options of what you would like to do.
? B Button- This button is like Enter
(Both A and B buttons have different purposes "during" an actual game ... what those purposes are depends on what game you are playing. Normally your child will pick up on that on the first time of playing a game.)
Also, both the A and B buttons are located toward the right of the control panel.
? The PLUS shaped button, to the left of the controls, is the button that will move your character, etc... forward, backward, up or down.
?Underneath, to the bottom of the control panel, you have two little buttons. One to start the game and one to select a certain game. Once you press these buttons you will get step by step instructions on what to do.
Games
The Nintendo Game Boy Color has a WIDE variety of games to choose from. Choose from Adventure, Role playing, Action, Simulation, Sports, etc..... The number of games available to buy is actually overwhelming. With such a variety, you will have no problem what so ever finding exactly the kind of game that you would like your child to play.
However, to have the games played in COLOR, you will have to buy the games that are actually for the Nintendo Game Boy Color. You are still able to play ALL the games from the regular Black and White Game Boy. (Which if you are like us and have many, many games from when that was the only version Game Boy out, you will be very pleased.) However, they will still play in Black and White, they WILL NOT be in color even though they are played in the COLOR system.
Price
The unit itself runs about $69- $79. Depending on where you get it. I found Walmart to be one of the most competitive for prices.
The Games are what end up costing so much money. Most of the Brand new games run from about $30.00. (Which you can imagine gets pretty costly just to get a few games.)
What I suggest to do is wait until the games are no longer BRAND NEW and you will be able to find them for a much cheaper price. (Between $15-$20). Also, another little tip..... if you go down to the local pawn shop you can find many of the not so recent games for around $10 each ... that will help you save some money on something that would cost you an arm and a leg to get a collection started.
The one thing that we found really helpful is as my oldest son grew out of and became tired of his older games, we set them aside instead of getting rid of them. Now, my 5 year old, who has just got his own Game Boy, plays all those old games and they are Brand New to him. (Not to mention more age appropriate)
Carrying Cases
Game Boy carries a couple different carrying cases to keep your Game Boy and all your games in. Just go down to any local retailer and see what they have.
My oldest son actually has a large case that holds all of the many games he has. It is not made by Game Boy, but it is a carrying case for hand held video games. We chose that one because of all the extra room it came with. My middle son has one made by Game Boy, which carries his Game Boy and up to 6 games. Not much room in there for anyone who has a lot of games and additional accessories, but it is perfect for the beginner who is just getting started.
Some come in material while others in hard plastic. There are different ones out there on the market, you just have to look around and find what you like best.
Accessories
I am sure there are many other accessories that I an unaware of for the Game Boy. Some of things that I have either purchased for my boys or seen available are:
?Carrying Cases (like I talked about above)
?Power Adapter (to be able to plug into the wall and run from electricity instead of batteries)
?Magnifying Window (Clips onto the top of your game to be able to see the screen larger)
?Light (They have little lights that attach to your Game Boy so that you can play in the dark)
Cleaning
To clean the screen, simply wipe off with a soft cotton towel or eyeglass cleaning clothe. The screen can get scratched easily so be very careful to only use soft materials when cleaning.
Warning Sometimes the game cartridges and the Game Boy unit itself get dust inside. You will know when this starts happening because the game doesn't quite start right and some other small problems will begin to occur, like sticking.
DO NOT (we learned the VERY hard and Expensive way) blow into the Game Boy or the Game cartridges. A couple of year ago, my son started to doing this to clean out the dust. At first it worked great, but eventually the games wouldn't even turn on. When you placed a game in the unit and turn the power on the words would scramble and not turn on all the way. Apparently, the moisture from him blowing inside, caused damage to the microchips. (When you blow, especially when a child blows, spit can be blown into the inside and cause damage.) Which is what happened with our stuff.
Instead, get a can of that "AIR" (the kind you use to blow out the dust on your computer keyboard) and blow out the Game Boy and the Cartridges from time to time. Save yourself a lot of money.... We ended up having to replace the whole unit as well as many of his games.
Overall
Overall we have been so pleased with our Nintendo Game Boy Color. Our children absolutely love their systems.
We found the Game Boy to come in real handy keeping the kids occupied when doing such things as waiting in doctor office waiting rooms, during important meetings, and during LONG Road trips.
Like with any video game, you, the parent, have to give your child whatever limits you feel are appropriate or else they will go WAY too far with it, just like any of us would. But if you find a healthy balance, the Game Boy will be a welcomed and enjoyable electronic for everyone in your house. It is SO much fun that you will even find my husband or myself stretched out in the recliner with the Game Boy from time to time.
: )
I Highly recommend the Nintendo Game Boy Color to someone who is in the market of purchasing a hand help video game system for their child. We have been very happy with ours.
The first Game Boy we owned made its way into our home some 6 or 7 years ago. The Game Boy at that time was a larger more "bulkier" black and white model. (Today my son refers to it as the Vintage Game Boy. Like my son has any idea what "vintage" means) It doesn't get played anymore... the only reason it is still here is because my son is such a PACK RAT that he wont get rid of it. But I guess that is good, because then, every time my kids look at that "old" thing, they can remember how HARD they had it in the "old" days, LOL... sheesh...
Through the years we gradually upgraded to the compact version and then finally to the COLOR version, which is what my boys play with today.
These little game stations are wonderful. My oldest son has had his for quite some time now, but my middle son has just recently become a "proud" owner of his very own on his recent birthday. (Yea!!! No more fighting, everyone has there own)
Colors
You are able to choose different colors for your Nintendo Game Boy Color. Some come in Solid Colors like my middle son's Game Boy which is "Kiwi" Green. (That was his choice, I still have no idea why). Then others come in "See thru" colors. My oldest son has a see thru purple one. (These "see thru" units are actually pretty neat. You can see the microchips and the inner workings of the system through the plastic. They are kind of High Tech looking.)
****Note- Each Nintendo Game Boy Color runs off of two AA batteries. Unless you pay extra and buy the adapter where you can plug it into the wall. These aren't too much money and depending on how often your child plays his Game Boy System, it might be worth investing in one to save money on all the batteries you will continually have to replace.
How to Use
Using a Nintendo Game Boy Color is actually very simple. Even Mom or Dad can do it!!! ; )
The Game cartridge slips into a slot on the back of the system and then turn the power on. (The ON/OFF button is located on the right side of the Game Boy.)
? Volume- The volume dial is located on the left hand side of the Game Boy. Just move dial until you find the level you prefer or turn it ALL the way down to play with no sound at all.
? A Button- This is like a menu button that gives you choices and options of what you would like to do.
? B Button- This button is like Enter
(Both A and B buttons have different purposes "during" an actual game ... what those purposes are depends on what game you are playing. Normally your child will pick up on that on the first time of playing a game.)
Also, both the A and B buttons are located toward the right of the control panel.
? The PLUS shaped button, to the left of the controls, is the button that will move your character, etc... forward, backward, up or down.
?Underneath, to the bottom of the control panel, you have two little buttons. One to start the game and one to select a certain game. Once you press these buttons you will get step by step instructions on what to do.
Games
The Nintendo Game Boy Color has a WIDE variety of games to choose from. Choose from Adventure, Role playing, Action, Simulation, Sports, etc..... The number of games available to buy is actually overwhelming. With such a variety, you will have no problem what so ever finding exactly the kind of game that you would like your child to play.
However, to have the games played in COLOR, you will have to buy the games that are actually for the Nintendo Game Boy Color. You are still able to play ALL the games from the regular Black and White Game Boy. (Which if you are like us and have many, many games from when that was the only version Game Boy out, you will be very pleased.) However, they will still play in Black and White, they WILL NOT be in color even though they are played in the COLOR system.
Price
The unit itself runs about $69- $79. Depending on where you get it. I found Walmart to be one of the most competitive for prices.
The Games are what end up costing so much money. Most of the Brand new games run from about $30.00. (Which you can imagine gets pretty costly just to get a few games.)
What I suggest to do is wait until the games are no longer BRAND NEW and you will be able to find them for a much cheaper price. (Between $15-$20). Also, another little tip..... if you go down to the local pawn shop you can find many of the not so recent games for around $10 each ... that will help you save some money on something that would cost you an arm and a leg to get a collection started.
The one thing that we found really helpful is as my oldest son grew out of and became tired of his older games, we set them aside instead of getting rid of them. Now, my 5 year old, who has just got his own Game Boy, plays all those old games and they are Brand New to him. (Not to mention more age appropriate)
Carrying Cases
Game Boy carries a couple different carrying cases to keep your Game Boy and all your games in. Just go down to any local retailer and see what they have.
My oldest son actually has a large case that holds all of the many games he has. It is not made by Game Boy, but it is a carrying case for hand held video games. We chose that one because of all the extra room it came with. My middle son has one made by Game Boy, which carries his Game Boy and up to 6 games. Not much room in there for anyone who has a lot of games and additional accessories, but it is perfect for the beginner who is just getting started.
Some come in material while others in hard plastic. There are different ones out there on the market, you just have to look around and find what you like best.
Accessories
I am sure there are many other accessories that I an unaware of for the Game Boy. Some of things that I have either purchased for my boys or seen available are:
?Carrying Cases (like I talked about above)
?Power Adapter (to be able to plug into the wall and run from electricity instead of batteries)
?Magnifying Window (Clips onto the top of your game to be able to see the screen larger)
?Light (They have little lights that attach to your Game Boy so that you can play in the dark)
Cleaning
To clean the screen, simply wipe off with a soft cotton towel or eyeglass cleaning clothe. The screen can get scratched easily so be very careful to only use soft materials when cleaning.
Warning Sometimes the game cartridges and the Game Boy unit itself get dust inside. You will know when this starts happening because the game doesn't quite start right and some other small problems will begin to occur, like sticking.
DO NOT (we learned the VERY hard and Expensive way) blow into the Game Boy or the Game cartridges. A couple of year ago, my son started to doing this to clean out the dust. At first it worked great, but eventually the games wouldn't even turn on. When you placed a game in the unit and turn the power on the words would scramble and not turn on all the way. Apparently, the moisture from him blowing inside, caused damage to the microchips. (When you blow, especially when a child blows, spit can be blown into the inside and cause damage.) Which is what happened with our stuff.
Instead, get a can of that "AIR" (the kind you use to blow out the dust on your computer keyboard) and blow out the Game Boy and the Cartridges from time to time. Save yourself a lot of money.... We ended up having to replace the whole unit as well as many of his games.
Overall
Overall we have been so pleased with our Nintendo Game Boy Color. Our children absolutely love their systems.
We found the Game Boy to come in real handy keeping the kids occupied when doing such things as waiting in doctor office waiting rooms, during important meetings, and during LONG Road trips.
Like with any video game, you, the parent, have to give your child whatever limits you feel are appropriate or else they will go WAY too far with it, just like any of us would. But if you find a healthy balance, the Game Boy will be a welcomed and enjoyable electronic for everyone in your house. It is SO much fun that you will even find my husband or myself stretched out in the recliner with the Game Boy from time to time.
: )
I Highly recommend the Nintendo Game Boy Color to someone who is in the market of purchasing a hand help video game system for their child. We have been very happy with ours.
