Game Boy Color FAQ

Game Boy Color FAQ
v3.00, 12/01/99
Created and maintained by Utils ([email protected])

Note: This document is NEITHER a Game Boy FAQ nor is it a Super Game Boy FAQ.
It's a Game Boy CoLoR FAQ. If you need info on the Game Boy or have
questions about it read Marat Fayzullin's FAQ/s at GameFAQs.com If you
have any Super Game Boy inquiries read Jeff Bogumil's FAQ at
GameFAQs.com. You can also find another GBC FAQ there by The Crippler,
which inspired me to get off my lazy ass and update this FAQ =)

This FAQ is Copyright (C) 1998-1999 Utils. Permission is given to distribute
this FAQ in whole (NOT in part), given that NO PROFIT is earned from the
distribution (whether considered minimal "Shareware fees" or otherwise), and
proper credit is given to me, Utils, the author of this FAQ. If you wish to
copy it in part or quote from it, or link to it, please contact me by e-mail.
It's not as if I'll say no! I would very much like to be published anywhere.
But remember to ask me first! That way I can keep track of it all! Even a tiny
little quote!

________________________________
Introduction )
Game Boy has been the most successful game system of all time. It has
surpassed many other game systems in terms of longevity (10 years in fact).
Game Boy has been supporting the Nintendo company ever since it's official
Japanese release in 1988. It was released to the US in 89'. Game Boy has sold
over 65 million units worldwide and over 1000 (closer to 2000) games have been
programmed for it. That number grows steadily.

The Game Boy CoLoR, although NOT the conclusion to Nintendo's long-standing
"Project Atlantis", it's pretty darn close wouldn't you say? Project Atlantis
stands for a portable game system, with color, that fits in your pocket, is
backwards compatible, and has more than enough power to put those 16-bitters
to shame.

I will not discuss it here but Nintendo has just announced plans for a 32-bit
portable. If you ask me, they should stop this habit of releasing a new system
every 2 years. Milk the GBC for all it's worth. I mean, their going to lose
their user base if they keep bringing on the new. I realize it's progress but
still. Not everyone owns a GBC. Shit I know people who STILL own their old
Fatty Game Boys!! Just thought I'd vent...

________________________________
CONTENTS )
1. What's inside the Game Boy CoLoR (GBC)?
2. Does the GBC have any built-in support for Super Game Boy (SGB)?
3. Is it backwards compatible?
4. Are the new GBC games backwards compatible with the old GB?
5. What colors does the casing come in?
6. Any other features?
7. Is it possible to link a GBC to a GBP?
8. How do I link a GBC to a GBP?
9. Do Game Genie and Game Shark work with it?
10. I don't like any of the new colors, can I change them?
11. How do I change colors?
12. How much does it cost?
13. What is the IR. used for?
14. Does it come with any pack-ins?
15. Is it backlit?
16. Do the printer and camera work in full color?
17. What's the best palette to use with _____?
18. Links
19. Thank you
20. Credits
21. Quotes
*@* Other Stuff

_____________________________________________
( *1* What's inside the Game Boy Color (GBC)? )
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CPU: 4/8-bit Z80 work-alike at 8MHz (MAX); It has 2 modes, Single (4MHz)
and Double (8MHz); designed by Sharp

RAM: 32Kb; For carts: 128Kb

ROM: up to 64MBit

VRAM: 16Kb

Sound: 4 Channels FM stereo, Single mono speaker (it turns off when you plug
headphones in), Stereo headphones jack (Author's Note: You might want
to hack and amplify your sound or use phones cuz the sound SUCKS! It
was better on the Fatty models. I swear GBC sound is hella weak!)

Video: Display - 160x144 pixels (dots), Highly reflective Thin-Film
Transistor (TFT) color liquid crystal display made by Sharp
Colors - 32,768 colors; Supports 10,32, or 56 colors on-screen at once
Sprites - 40 sprites of either 8x8 or 8x16 [switchable]; 10 Sprites per
line; Sprites are 4 colors with one always transparent (3
diff colors max on 1 sprite); larger sprites ARE possible
Tiles - 512 on screen (? in memory, I'll find out)

Serial: 512Kbps; up to 4up at a time; Do they still sell those adapters?

Power: Indicator LED - it fades as the battery power runs low
2 AA Batteries (Duracell) - 30+ hours (No Shit!!!)
AC adapter (DC 3V IN) - Infinite (Till a blackout...)

"Caution: Leaving used or dead batteries in the Game Boy Color for extended
periods or time may result in damage to the system."

Input: 8 way D-Pad, 4 buttons, volume dial, power switch, Serial I/O,
Infared I/O, Cart I/O

IR: Less than 2 meters at 45 degrees (Dude that sucks!)

Size: Slightly larger than Game Boy Pocket (GBP)

______________________________________________________________________
( *2* Does the GBC have any built-in support for Super Game Boy (SGB)? )
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I wrote to Nintendo with that question. They said no. It makes no use of the
SGB color presets. I think this was smart, it would be kind of redundant to do
so. Instead, most first-party SGB compatible games should have support built
into the GBC. Put in any Kirby cart, use default colors, and you'll see what I
mean. Do the same with Baseball, it's outstanding :)

_________________________________
( *3* Is it backwards compatible? )
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Your old carts will work fine with the GBC. You can choose from almost 13 diff
color palettes (depending on what game you are playing), to play them in. The
palettes range from 7-10 colors. Games designed for the Game Boy Color will of
course, be more colorful than the 12+ presets. I say 12+ because some games
can be recognized by the system to use a palette OTHER than the presets. Once
again, play Baseball or Kirby to see what I mean.

_________________________________________________________________
( *4* Are the new GBC games backwards compatible with the old GB? )
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I asked Nintendo. Here is what they told me:

"That depends. It is possible for developers to make games which work for both
systems, but they will be limited in the amount colors that they can use. To
take full advantage of Game Boy Color's capabilities, some developers may
choose to make games which only work with Game Boy Color. Be sure to check
the packaging for these compatibility issues before purchasing a new game."

_________________________________________
(*5* What colors does the casing come in? )
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1)Red 2)Purple 3)Yellow 4)Teal 5)Clear Purple 6)Clear 7)Pink 8)Bright Green
Not to mention all the other /Special/ versions. Go to EAGB for closure.

_________________________
( *6* Any other features? )
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It does a lot of cool things for a Z80 run machine. Raster effects are
possible. They were possible on the original Game Boy also. The old GB also
did polygons but they weren't shaded, only REALLY slow vectors. They added IR,
read section 13 for details on it. As for the screen. It's designed to last
longer on batteries and not drain them like Game Gear does. It can connect to
the Nintendo 64. I think the GBP does too, not too sure about that one.

____________________________________________
( *7* Is it possible to link a GBC to a GBP? )
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Yes. I haven't had any trouble doing this so far, but there is a discretion in
the manual. It states:

"Because of differences between the Game Boy Color and other Game
Boy systems, a few two player games may not work properly. Only
connect the cable when you are using two player mode games."

___________________________________
( *8* How do I link a GBC to a GBP? )
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Contrary to what people say about a Universal GameLink Cable (UGC), all you
need is the cable you used to hook up to GBP. But if you don't have ANY cables
THEN you should get the UGC. Of course, if you want to hook up with an old
fatty GB, then a UGC is necessary.

________________________________________________
( *9* Do Game Genie and Game Shark work with it? )
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Game Genie does work with it, but on old games. Here's info on the Game Shark:

"The Game Boy Color works fine with the Game Shark (at least with
Pokemon). You may have to remove the battery cover to prevent
the Game Shark's cartridge slot from bending back when you insert
a game." - Shannon Gates ([email protected])

Thanx for the info Shannon!

____________________________________________________________
(*10* I don't like any of the new colors, can I change them? )
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Nope, the 12 (plus the default), palettes is all you have to play with. I
suggest you use Left+A which makes the screen go back to it's original gray
color. You can't go wrong with gray :)

_____________________________
(*11* How do I change colors? )
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You should read your game manuals, seriously. It clearly states:

1. To change the color palette, first insert a Game Pack and turn
on the power.
2. When the Game Boy logo appears, press the + Control Pad and
button combination shown below for the desired color pallet.

Authors Note: You are not limited in time. You can keep rotating the D-pad and
pressing buttons till the cows come home and you'll still be able to change
colors. But choosing a color should be a snap with the chart I'm compiling in
section 17.
_________________________________________________
|Combo| |Background| |Sprite1| |Sprite2|
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Default Green/Blue Red Red
Up Brown Brown Brown
Up + A Red Green Blue
Up + B Dk. Brown Brown Brown
Left Blue Red Green
Left + A Dk. Blue Red Brown
Left + B Original Original Original
Down R/B/Yellow R/B/Yellow R/B/Yellow
Down + A Red/Yellow Red/Yellow Red/Yellow
Down + B Yellow Blue Green
Right Red/Green Red/Green Red/Green
Right + A Green/Blue Red Red
Right + B Negative Negative Negative

_____________________________
( *12* How much does it cost? )
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Canada - 99.95 Canadian Dollars
Japan - 8900 Yen
Sweden - 850 Sek
Spain - 12,950 Peseta
Taiwan - 2690 NT
U.S.A. - 64.99 Dollars
United Kingdom - 69.99 Pounds
These prices might me less now. It has been six months since I last updated :)

________________________________
( *13* What is the IR. used for? )
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I asked Nintendo. They were quick to reply:

"The Game Boy Color comes equipped with an infrared communications
port located at the top of the case. It allows you to exchange
data from one Game Boy Color to another without purchasing or
carrying a Game Link cable. It will be used for such things as
trading items, sharing custom characters, and exchanging other
types of statistical information. The infrared communications
port will only work with games specifically programmed to take
advantage of it. You will still have to use the Game Link cable
for head to head action, but the cable works much more
efficiently on Game Boy Color than on regular Game Boy."

The manual also states the following:

"Note: The systems must be kept between 1.5" and 2" (4-5 cm) apart
for the communication to work properly.

The triangular marks on the front of the Game Boy Color systems
above the display must be aligned and pointed toward each other.
The infared connection will be more reliable if both Game Boy
Color systems are placed on a stable surface such as a table.

When using the Communications Port feature, please note the following:

- No more than 2 Game Boy Color systems can be used at one time.
- Do not use in direct sunlight, because the bright light will interfere
with the infared transmission.
- The lens over the communication port must be kept clean and free from
scratches.
- Do not place tape or material such as stickers over the communication
port.
- Do not place any object between the communication ports.
- Do not use around any other infared devices, such as a TV or VCR
remote, because they can interfere with each other.
- If the batteries get low on power, the communication feature may not
work properly. Replace the batteries if the Power Indicator LED starts
to become dim.

______________________________________
( *14* Does it come with any pack-ins? )
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All I got was 2 crappy batteries, a cheap assed poster, and a dumb plea to
subscribe to Nintendo Power. Nope, no pack-in :(

_____________________
( *15* Is it backlit? )
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Nope, it's still reflective LCD (TFT if you want to get technical). Another
thing is the screen is smaller. I don't know why Nintendo did this. There is
a backlit Game Boy called the Game Boy Light if you REALLY feel like playing
in the dark. I don't think it's sold in the U.S. Try your local import shop.

____________________________________________________
( *16* Do the printer and camera work in full color? )
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Well, I'm not sure. I'm guessing at least the printer won't be in full color.
It's black and white to begin with no? The camera, I guess you can have
colors, but not like a real camera. In other words the color mode will work
like any other old cart you plug into the GBC. Somebody fill me in.

_________________________________________________
( *17* What's the best palette to use with _____? )
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Note: Game Boy CoLoR games are colored the same regardless of language. So if
I have a color game listed and it's Japanese and you have the American
version it'll work the same anyway. As always there are exceptions to
the rule. For example, the Japanese version of Pokémon Yellow is /not/ a
full color game, but the American version /is/.

(J) - Japanese Version
Auto - A different color than that of the default built into the GBC
BIOS specifically for that game (i.e. Baseball).
CoLoR - This game was programmed for GBC ONLY. You can't change colors.
Both - This game was programmed for GBC and GB.
Default - The color you get without pressing anything.
* nameofgame - This means the game is bootleg (In other words, a homebrew)
** nameofgame - This means I played it from a '200 in 1' type cart and if
the game has an automatic pallete I would not know.
__________________________________________________________
|nameofgame| |CoLoR| |Description|
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** All Star Challenge Left+A Players have real skin tone :)
Baseball Auto Team1 = red; Team2 = blue; Amazing!!
Bomberman Pocket(J) Left Blue BG, Green Bomberman
** Bouken Jima 2(J) Left Do I always have to write something?
** Bubble Bobble Right+A The hero is pink like he should be
** Bubble Bobble Junior Up+A Enemies turn blue when pissed off :)
** Chase HQ Left+B Nothing works with this game, too dull
** Roger Clemens MVP Baseball Right Looks like Baseball to me :)
** Detective Conan 1(J) Down+B Dressed as he should be...
** Detective Conan 2(J) Up+A Same as Above :p
** Dodge Ball(J) Up Technos makes the best games, I love SD
** Dodge Danpei(J) Up Same as above :D
** Doraemon 2(J) Left+B Doraemon is _supposed_ to be blue...
** Dr. Mario(J) Left+A Clearer to see
** Felix The Cat Left+A Sprites are better highlighted
Final Fantasy Legend III Up+A Green Fighters
** GB Genjin 2 Up+B Well, rocks are supposed to be brown
Kirby's Adventure Default Kirby=pink, Forest=green/yellow, Sky=blue.
Kirby's Star Stacker Auto All Brown
Kirby's Pinball Auto Yellow/green BG, pink sprites
** Kureyon Shin 4(J) Right This game is the template of Bootleg SMario 4
** Maruko Dxsiata(J) Left Do I have to describe EVERY SINGLE ONE?
** Master Karateka Right+B Black uniform, James Bond Looking :)
Megaman II Down+B Blue Megaman sprite!!!
Mole Mania Auto Slightly darker than default
Nettou King Of Fighters 96'(J) Up+A P1 = green; P2 = blue
Pokémon Blue(J) Auto Red sprites, Blue BG
Pokémon Green(J) Auto Lighter than default
Pokémon Yellow(J) Auto Yellow&Red Sprites/BG (like Down+A)
** Puzzle Bobble GB(J) Right The only combo that works, besides grey
** Real Bout Special 3(J) Left You're red... "BANG!! Blue Mary wins!!
** Rockman World 1(J) Down+B Same game as Megaman Diff. name
** Rockman World 2(J) Down+B Capcom has made over dozens of comics
** Rockman World 3(J) Down+B based on the adventures of Rockman and
** Rockman World 4(J) Down+B his sis Roll. In fact, she came from
** Rockman World 5(J) Down+B the comic book. Very well drawn too :)
** Sailor Moon R(J) Left This palette seems to work the most
** Snow Brothers JR Left+A Really looks like you are in the Arctic
** Sonic 3D Blast 5 Down+B Sonic is blue, what else is new?
** Space Invaders Right+B White monsters, Black BG
* Super Mario 4(J) Right Clearer sprites, the trees flash
Tetris Attack Auto Sprite 2 blue, sprite 1 green
Tetris DX Both The demos are cool, great effects
** Ultraman Ball(J) Right Looks like he does on the show :p
Wario Land 1 Auto Flesh Colored Wario, Light green BG
Wario Land 2 Color(J) Both Everything has been apropriatly colored

____________
( *18* Links )
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Luis Encinas([email protected]) http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/3334/
- Proved to us all how crappy the infared is :)

The Vintage Gaming Network http://www.vintagegaming.com/
- The /authority/ on emulation. Lot's of great info here.

GameBoy (oh boy!) http://server2.ezboard.com/bgbcdojo
- As far as I know, this site doesn't exist anymore. It was great though! All
that remains are the boards...

Nintendo (Japan) http://www.nintendo.co.jp/
- Better than the US site.

Nintendo (America) http://www.nintendo.com/
- For those who can't read Japanese. Their release list sucks!

GameFAQs http://www.gamefaqs.com/
- A kickass Website for game info.

EAGB http://gameboy.s-one.net.sg/
- An excellent Game Boy site. A bit late with some info but still good. You
can also find a copy of the FAQ there.

Freedom's Soapbox http://pages.bolt.com/me/virus2/
- This site is mad funny. This guy is not afraid to make fun of himself! Not
game related though. Look for my own section to appear on this site soon.
Don't worry, it's about video games, not about what /he/ chose to write...

________________
( *19* Thank you )
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Marat Fayzullin - My inspiration for writing this FAQ. Although it isn't as
detailed as his FAQ is, I hope to get more info in the future.

Mom and Dad - Thanks for having sex that night :D It has nothing to do with
this FAQ but hey, ya gave me life!!

Nintendo(US) - They helped me out a LOT in getting this info.

Karl - Corrected my spelling errors and explained Raster effects and
Vectors to me.

Everlyn - A girl that's into videogames as much as I am!! Hey, thanks
for explaining to me how to translate Japanese games!! And
also for haveing your friend translate Pokémon for me. Now I
can do it on my own! Kick Ass!!!

GameFAQs - For letting me put up my FAQ and helping me out in over 100's
of games. I hope GameFAQs stays around forever.

Arturo - For showing me GameFAQs.com Yo e-mail me. You can tell Mike
that I give him permission to give you the 10 ten bucks he
owes me. :)

??? - Who have I missed???

______________
( *20* Credits )
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Daniel Bromley - Colors for kirby's Adventure.
Ice Blue - Submitted the price of GBC in Taiwan.
Luis Angel Encinas - Submitted the price of GBC in Spain, just to name a few
things :)
Michael Bungey - Submitted the price of GBC in the United Kingdom.
Nicklas Larsson - Submitted the price of GBC in Sweden.
Nintendo America - I got a lot of info by e-mailing them.
Nintendo Japan - For info on the diff. GBC casing colors.
Marat Fayzullin - Copied his format for displaying system specs. Got NES
info from his old FAQ.
GBC Dojo - I got many of the questions from the Game Boy (oh boy!)
message boards.

_____________
( *21* Quotes )
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"For years, our players have asked us for a Game Boy that could
play their favorite games in color. But the technology, and
the high demand on battery life, made it impossible. As the
first to surmount the technical obstacles, we’re able to
introduce a whole new generation of color games to the millions
of people who love Game Boy." - Howard Lincoln, chairman, NOA

"Since its initial release in 1989, Game Boy has dominated the
worldwide market for handheld video game units, selling more
than 60 million units in less than 10 years time. In North
America, Game Boy products claimed nearly 90% of all category
revenues in 1997." - Nintendo Of Canada, Ltd.

"Note: a few monocrome Game Boy games may not work properly when
used with the Game Boy Color system" - GBC Manual
[Author's note: I'll try to find out which games these are.]

_________________
( *@* Other Stuff )
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Oh yeah, and for those of you wondering, Game Boy /is/ two words.

Another thing, the Game Boy will NEVER display more than 160x144x56 colors.
I'm talking about that Ken Griffy Jr cart that supposedly displays more than
56 colors. To quote NOA, hundreds. That's BS. The technical term for what you
got going there is _gradients_. Plain and simple. I've seen demos for the NES
that basically do the same thing.

______________
FROM: Justin )

> Hi there

> Very nice FAQ, it answered lots of my questions regarding my Gameboy
> Color, however...I was wondering. Can someone test this:

> Try a Japanese GAMEBOY COLOR game in a U.S Gameboy color (note...Gameboy
> Color game..not just a regular game).

> Does it work?

> THANKS!

> Justin ([email protected])

- Yes Justin, it works :)
___________
FROM: Zig )
> I wanted to point out that on screen because the screen is 18 x 20 tiles
> large the max nuimbers of tiles is 360 just due to viewing size the
> screen in memory is 256 x 256 though so these extra tiles really help
> out regardless the amount of tiles in memory possible is actually 768
> though only 512 of these are usable as sprites or background if you use
> 512 for sprites then you only have 256 unique tiles to use for
> background or vice versa if you have any other questions Im known as
> wombatman on undernet and sometimes efnet just whois me

- You learn something new everyday folks. Thanx zig! ([email protected])

__________________________
FROM: Luis Angel Encinas )
I apologize by a little mistake:
Price in Spain is 12,950, NOT 13,500. I'm very sorry. At least, the error
is not big: less than $4.

To get your pardon, I'll share with you my last expericences about what yo
say at the FAQ:

>> Infared: Have not tested the distance yet. Couldn't if I wanted to.

I've developed an infared remote controller based on the CGB. Usable
distance is less than 2 meters at 45 degrees. My Stereo is about 3 meters
long from the sitting place, and I thought that was so stupid the need for
leaving the sofa .... you understand, don't you?

After testing the CGB IR circuit, I discovered the Nintendo engineers
giving as little as 25 mA for the IR led. Usual IR remote controllers put
50 mA or more on the IR led.

The diode current could be easily raised selecting a lower value for R9,
but this increments the current draining from the +5V supply, causing the
DC converter to shut up (and reseting the Gameboy, of course).

The soluton is to feed the diode directly from the battery, using the same
transistor (Q3) and a 2,2 ohm resistor.

THIS WORKS! Tested! I can use it up to 5 meters at 45 degrees.

My only doubt is about the healthly operation of Q3 with 54 mA (or 84 mA if
you use 1,5 V batteries; I use rechargeable 1,2 V cells), and, the worst,
if some software puts the led on continously (IR remote signals are 40 KHz
pulses). This could burn Q3.

All this has been tested 10 minutes ago. I'll put it to normal work and see
what happens. And if I can get the transistor characteristics... could be
it supports the current!

If you're interested, I could send you the details (as soon as I have it
drawn). By the moment, here is a screenshot of the remote controller.
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For those of you that are lost, this dude created a remote control emulator
with his Game Boy Color! That's pretty damn cool! Thanx a lot guy, I'd love
to hear more! Sorry but I lost that pic when I changed my e-mail. Damm, juno
kinda sucks.

____________
( DISCLAIMER )
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Nintendo of America nor affiliates neither endorses This FAQ. All information
is provided without guarantee, nor is the information under warranty. I am not
responsible for any damage done to your Game Boy or Game Boy CoLoR after
reading this FAQ. All trademarks and copyrights are recognized. I take no
responsibility for any false information contained in this document. If any of
this information is false, do tell me immediately. My intentions are neither
to mislead nor to withhold the truth.