The video is a retrospective on the Nintendo Gameboy, highlighting its impact and longevity in the gaming industry. It mentions the Gameboy's success despite having monochrome graphics and being less technically advanced than its competitors. The video also covers various accessories, both practical and bizarre, that were made for the Gameboy, including a camera, printer, and various lights and magnifiers. It concludes by noting the Gameboy's versatility and durability, with anecdotes of it surviving extreme conditions and being used in unusual ways, such as in hospitals or for fishing.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The Nintendo Gameboy was first released in 1989.
2. The Gameboy was not the first portable game console, but it was the first to make a big impact.
3. The Gameboy was hugely successful and had a lifespan of 14 years before being discontinued in 2003.
4. The Gameboy had exclusive games like Link's Awakening.
5. Many of the Gameboy games were poor versions of NES titles and watered-down arcade games.
6. The Gameboy had monochrome graphics, not black and white, but rather four ugly shades of green.
7. The Gameboy screen had no light, making it impossible to play in the dark.
8. The Super Gameboy was an adapter that allowed playing Gameboy games on a TV with colorized graphics.
9. The Gameboy had a rechargeable battery pack that could be purchased separately.
10. A soldier in the Gulf War had a Gameboy that survived a bomb blast and still powered on.
11. Gameboys were released in different colors, including black, red, yellow, and transparent.
12. A whole lineage of Gameboy consoles was started, including the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and Game Boy Advance SP.
13. Many add-ons were made for the Gameboy, mostly by third parties, including a link cable, four-player adapter, and game genie.
14. A solar charger was available for the Gameboy.
15. A light accessory called the Newbie Light was available for the Gameboy, which allowed playing in the dark.
16. A magnifying glass accessory called the Light Boy was available for the Gameboy.
17. A device called the Handy Boy was released, which had a light and magnified the Gameboy screen.
18. A controller add-on was available for the Gameboy.
19. A Gameboy camera was released, which allowed taking pictures and saving them to albums.
20. A Gameboy printer was available for printing pictures taken with the Gameboy camera.
21. A Game Boy FM radio was released as an accessory.
22. A Work Boy was released, which allowed plugging in a keyboard and turning the Gameboy into a personal computer.
23. A Hudson Soft Kiss Link was released, which allowed connecting the Gameboy to the internet and downloading exclusive content.
24. A Barcode Boy was released, which was a barcode scanner with games included.
25. A Gameboy Pocket Sonar was released, which allowed detecting fish underwater.
26. A sewing machine was released as a Gameboy accessory.
27. Gameboy shoes were released, which had spaces to fit a Gameboy Color.
28. A Pet ISA was released, which was intended for hospitals to help children relax before surgery or medical procedures.
29. Astronauts took the Gameboy into space.
30. The Gameboy could withstand bomb blasts.