Gaming

The Engineering of the Gameboy

How the Game Boy thrived with cheap parts

By: Cooper Choe, Journalist

March 11, 2025

A video about the engineering of the Gameboy

When the Nintendo Game Boy launched in 1989, it wasn’t an instant hit with critics. Compared to other handheld consoles of the time, it was technically underpowered, with no backlight, a simple monochrome screen, and limited memory. But what seemed like drawbacks drove its success.

The Game Boy wasn’t trying to push the limits of technology; it was designed to be affordable, durable, and, most importantly, portable. Many early reviews criticized its compromises, but those design choices made it the go-to handheld for millions. Instead of chasing high-end specs, Nintendo focused on making a gaming system that was lightweight, long-lasting, and easy to use—something no competitor could match.
Despite its simplicity, the Game Boy became the foundation for some of gaming’s most iconic franchises, leading to spin-off TV shows, movies, toys, and even theme parks.
So, what made the Game Boy such an engineering marvel?

A big part of its success came from its compact and practical design. Borrowing elements from the NES, kept controls intuitive while prioritizing portability. At just under 15 cm tall, 3 cm thick, and weighing around 220 grams, it was nearly half the size and weight of its competition.
Battery life was another area where Nintendo outsmarted its rivals. In the early 90s, batteries were expensive, bulky, and single-use, so minimizing power consumption was crucial.
Take the Sega Game Gear for example, it required six AA batteries and burned through them in about three hours. The Game Boy, on the other hand, used just four AA batteries but could last up to 30 hours. That kind of efficiency wasn’t just convenient, it made the Game Boy far more practical for gamers on the go.

One of the biggest reasons for this battery life advantage was the screen. While the Game Gear had a full-color, backlit display that drained power fast, the Game Boy used a simpler monochrome LCD. It could only display four shades of green and was impossible to see in the dark, but it consumed far less power.
This decision wasn’t without controversy. The Game Boy’s engineers insisted on a low-power screen, even though the technology at the time wasn’t perfect. The best available LCDs used a passive matrix system to control pixels, which had limitations.
Despite these trade-offs, Nintendo’s approach paid off. The Game Boy wasn’t the most powerful handheld, but it was the one people could afford and rely on an advantage that made it one of the most successful gaming systems of all time.