Editing Game Boy Color (section)

== Hardware ==
[[File:Nintendo-Game-Boy-Color-Motherboard-Bottom.jpg|thumb|The Game Boy Color motherboard<br />([[commons:File:Nintendo-Game-Boy-Color-Motherboard-Bottom.jpg|annotated version]]) ]]

The Game Boy Color uses a custom [[system on a chip]] (SoC), integrating the CPU and other major components into a single package, named the CPU&nbsp;CGB by Nintendo and manufactured by the [[Sharp Corporation]]. While the CPU&nbsp;CGB was a new design for the Game Boy Color, the technology inside was largely an evolution of the then ten-year-old DMG-CPU SoC used inside the original Game Boy.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Copetti |first=Rodrigo |url=https://www.copetti.org/writings/consoles/game-boy/ |title=Game Boy / Color Architecture - A Practical Analysis |publication-date=February 21, 2019 |language=en |asin=B0B7KD7XZF}}</ref>

Within the CPU&nbsp;CGB, the main processor is the same ''Sharp SM83'' which powered the original Game Boy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Javanainen |first=Joonas |date=April 23, 2024 |title=Game Boy: Complete Technical Reference |url=https://gekkio.fi/files/gb-docs/gbctr.pdf |website=gekkio.fi}}</ref> A hybrid between two other [[8-bit computing|8-bit]] processors: the [[Intel 8080]] and the [[Zilog Z80]], the SM83 has the seven 8-bit [[Processor register|registers]] of the 8080 (lacking the alternate registers of the Z80) but uses the Z80's programming syntax and extra [[bit manipulation]] instructions, along with adding new instructions to optimize the processor for certain operations related to the way the hardware was arranged.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 2, 2013 |title=The Nintendo Game Boy, Part 1: The Intel 8080 and the Zilog Z80. |url=https://realboyemulator.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/the-nintendo-game-boy-1/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220510190547/https://realboyemulator.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/the-nintendo-game-boy-1/ |archive-date=May 10, 2022 |access-date=August 29, 2017 |publisher=RealBoy}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=CPU Comparison with Z80 |url=https://gbdev.io/pandocs/CPU_Comparison_with_Z80 |access-date=April 29, 2024 |website=Pan Docs |language=en}}</ref> While in the original Game Boy the SM83 operated at a [[clock rate]] of 4.194304 [[megahertz]]&nbsp;(MHz), games on Game Boy Color exclusive cartridges can command the processor to operate in "dual-speed mode," doubling its frequency to run twice as fast at 8.388608&nbsp;MHz. This allowed developers to get double the processing power out of the device when creating games exclusively for the Game Boy Color while allowing the hardware to retain [[backward compatibility]] with existing games.<ref name="Game Boy Programming Manual">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/GameBoyProgManVer1.1 |title=Game Boy Programming Manual |date=December 3, 1999 |publisher=[[Nintendo]] |access-date=November 21, 2024 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>{{rp|12}}

The CPU&nbsp;CGB incorporates the ''Picture Processing Unit'', a basic [[GPU]] that renders visuals using 16&nbsp;[[kilobyte]]s&nbsp;(KB) of [[Video RAM (dual-ported DRAM)|Video RAM]], twice as much as the original Game Boy.<ref name="Game Boy Programming Manual" />{{rp|16}} Games developed specifically for the Game Boy Color could fully utilize this additional memory, enabling enhanced effects and displaying up to 56 colors simultaneously out of a selection of 32,768 colors.<ref name="Game Boy Programming Manual" />{{rp|49}} Programmers later developed the "high color mode" technique, which involved rapidly switching color palettes to display over 2,000 colors at once. This feature was utilized in games such as ''[[The Fish Files]]'', ''[[The Addams Family (video game series)#The New Addams Family|The New Addams Family]]'' and ''[[Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare]]''.<ref name="IGN 2000">{{Cite web |date=August 4, 2000 |title=First Alone in the Dark Screenshots for Game Boy Color |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/08/05/first-alone-in-the-dark-screenshots-for-game-boy-color |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403134639/http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/08/05/first-alone-in-the-dark-screenshots-for-game-boy-color |archive-date=April 3, 2015 |access-date=March 24, 2015 |website=[[IGN]]}}</ref><ref name="2kcolours">{{Cite web |date=October 19, 2001 |title=Graphic Adventures on Game Boy Color |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/10/19/graphic-adventures-on-game-boy-color |access-date=September 19, 2024 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref> When a Game Pak compatible with the original Game Boy is inserted, the additional Video RAM is disabled.<ref name="Game Boy Programming Manual" />{{rp|49}} 

The display itself is a 2.3-inch (diagonal) [[thin-film transistor]] (TFT) color [[liquid-crystal display]] (LCD), measuring {{Convert|44|mm|sp=us}} wide by {{Convert|40|mm|sp=us}} high. The screen [[aspect ratio (image)|aspect ratio]] and resolution remain identical to the original Game Boy at 160 [[pixel]]s wide by 144 pixels high in a 10:9 format. Like the original Game Boy and Game Boy Pocket before it and the Game Boy Advance after it, the screen is passively reflective, with a surface behind the screen that sends light back through the liquid crystal pixel elements to the viewer. Because there is no [[backlight]], the device can be hard to use in dark environments.<ref name="Total Games Guide" /><ref name="Pavlacka 1998" />

Additionally, the SoC contains a 2&nbsp;KB "bootstrap" ROM which is used to start up the device,<ref>{{Cite web |last=GameBoy Development Wiki |date=November 12, 2009 |title=Gameboy Bootstrap ROM |url=http://gbdev.gg8.se/wiki/index.php?title=Gameboy_Bootstrap_ROM&oldid=192 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818180456/http://gbdev.gg8.se/wiki/index.php?title=Gameboy_Bootstrap_ROM&oldid=192 |archive-date=August 18, 2010 |access-date=October 24, 2010}}</ref> 127&nbsp;B of High RAM that can be accessed faster (similar to a [[CPU cache]]), and the ''Audio Processing Unit'', a [[programmable sound generator]] with four channels: a [[pulse wave]] generation channel with frequency and volume variation, a second pulse wave generation channel with only volume variation, a wave channel than can reproduce any [[waveform]] recorded in RAM, and a [[white noise]] channel with volume variation.<ref name="Game Boy Programming Manual" />{{rp|79}}<ref name="GBA Service Manual">{{Cite web |title=Game Boy Advance Service Manual |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IpKe2BRdcZLUURvhrvxnleMZf3MEI6tc/view?usp=embed_facebook |access-date=May 27, 2024 |publisher=[[Nintendo]] |page=3 |language=en |edition=2nd}}</ref><!-- The Game Boy Advance manual explains the operation of Game Boy-compatible audio. --> The motherboard of the Game Boy Color contains a 32&nbsp;KB "work" [[Random-access memory|RAM]] chip, four times more than the original Game Boy.<ref name="Game Boy Programming Manual" />{{rp|16}}

The Game Boy Color features a [[D-pad]] (directional pad), four action buttons ('A,' 'B,' 'START,' and 'SELECT'), and a sliding on-off switch on the right side of the device. The volume is adjusted by a [[potentiometer]] dial on the left side of the device. The left side also has a [[Game Link Cable]] port for connecting to up to four Game Boy devices for multiplayer games or data transfer.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Masuyama |first=Meguro |title=''Game On'' |title-link=Game On (exhibition) |publisher=Universe Publishing |year=2002 |isbn=0-7893-0778-2 |editor-last=Lucien King |location=[[New York City|New York, NY]] |page=39 |chapter=Pokémon as Japanese Culture? |quote=''Pokémon'' allowed more than metaphorical communication; it made use of a system that created actual communication — a network game.}}</ref> The port used on the Game Boy Color is of a smaller design first introduced on the Game Boy Pocket, and requires an adapter to link with the original Game Boy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Link Cable Adapter |url=https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Support/Game-Boy-Pocket-Color/Accessories/Link-cable-adapter/Link-cable-adapter-619614.html |access-date=May 11, 2024 |website=Nintendo of Europe |language=en-GB}}</ref> The Game Boy Color also offered a "high-speed" mode that would allow data to be transmitted up 64 times faster over the Game Link Cable than on the original Game Boy.<ref name="Game Boy Programming Manual" />{{rp|28}} The Game Boy Color added an infrared communications port for wireless data transfer, but it was only supported by a small number of games and consequently was not included on the later [[Game Boy Advance]] line.<ref name="GBA Service Manual" />

=== Technical specifications ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Height
| {{cvt|133.5|mm|frac=8}}
|-
! Width
| {{cvt|78|mm|frac=8}}
|-
! Depth
| {{cvt|27.4|mm|frac=8}}
|-
! Weight
| {{cvt|138|g}}
|-
! Display
| 2.3-inch (diagonal) reflective [[thin-film transistor]] (TFT) color [[liquid-crystal display]] (LCD)
|-
! Screen size (playable)
| {{cvt|43|x|39|mm|frac=8}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Game Boy Versions |url=https://www.retrorgb.com/gbversions.html |access-date=May 6, 2024 |website=RetroRGB |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
! [[Display resolution|Resolution]]
| 160&nbsp;(w)&nbsp;× 144&nbsp;(h) [[pixel]]s (10:9 [[aspect ratio (image)|aspect ratio]])
|-
! Graphics
| {{Unbulleted list
   | Maximum [[Sprite (computer graphics)|sprites]]: 40 total, 10 per line, 4 colors each (one transparent)
   | Sprite size: 8 × 8 or 8 × 16
   | Tiles drawn: 512 (360~399 visible, others off-screen as a scrolling buffer)
   }}
|-
! [[Frame rate]]
| 59.727500569606 [[Hertz|Hz]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Platform Framerates |url=http://tasvideos.org/PlatformFramerates.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229184750/http://tasvideos.org/PlatformFramerates.html |archive-date=February 29, 2020 |access-date=February 29, 2020 |website=TASVideos}}</ref>
|-
! Color support
| 32,768 colors, up to 56 simultaneously
|-
! [[System on a chip]] (SoC)
| Nintendo CPU&nbsp;CGB
|-
! CPU
| Sharp SM83 (custom [[Intel 8080]]/[[Zilog Z80]] hybrid, [[8-bit computing|8-bit]]) @ 4.194304 or 8.388608&nbsp;MHz
|-
! Memory
| {{Unbulleted list
  | '''On SoC:''' 2&nbsp;KB&nbsp;ROM, 127&nbsp;B&nbsp;High&nbsp;RAM, 16&nbsp;KB&nbsp;[[Video Random Access Memory|Video&nbsp;RAM]], 128&nbsp;B&nbsp;Audio&nbsp;RAM, 1.12KB&nbsp;object&nbsp;attribute&nbsp;RAM
  | '''Internal:''' 32&nbsp;KB&nbsp;[[Random-access memory|RAM]]
  | '''External:''' (in the game cartridge) up to 8&nbsp;MB ROM, up to 128&nbsp;KB RAM
  }}
|-
! Power
| {{Unbulleted list
   |'''Consumption:''' 70–80 [[mAh]]
   | '''Internal:''' 2 × [[AA batteries]]<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=May 1998 |title=Adding Color to Game Boy |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |page=26 |issue=106}}</ref>
   | '''External:''' 0.6&nbsp;W at 3&nbsp;V&nbsp;DC from 2.35&nbsp;mm&nbsp;×&nbsp;0.75&nbsp;mm [[coaxial power connector|coaxial connector]]
   }}
|-
! Battery life
| Up to 10 hours
|-
! Sound
| {{Unbulleted list
   | '''Channels:''' 2&nbsp;pulse&nbsp;wave, 1&nbsp;wave, 1&nbsp;noise
   | '''Outputs:''' Built-in [[Monaural|mono]] speaker, stereo [[3.5mm headphone jack]]
   }}
|-
! [[Input/output|I/O]]
| {{Unbulleted list
   | [[Game Link Cable]] (up to 512&nbsp;[[kbit/s]], between up to 4 devices)<ref name="Game Boy Programming Manual" />{{rp|28}}
   | [[Game Boy Game Pak]] slot
   | Infrared (up to 9.5&nbsp;kbit/s,<ref name="Game Boy Programming Manual" />{{rp|45}} usable at distances less than {{cvt|2|m}} and within 45°)
   }}
|-
! Controls
| {{Unbulleted list
   | Eight-way [[D-pad|control pad]]
   | Four action buttons (A, B, START, SELECT)
   | Volume [[potentiometer]]
   | Power switch
   }}
|-
|colspan=2|{{Small|References:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nintendo Game Boy Color Console Information – Console Database |url=http://www.consoledatabase.com/consoleinfo/nintendogameboycolor/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110702131325/http://www.consoledatabase.com/consoleinfo/nintendogameboycolor/ |archive-date=July 2, 2011 |access-date=February 19, 2011 |publisher=ConsoleDatabase.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Technical data |url=https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Support/Game-Boy-Pocket-Color/Product-information/Technical-data/Technical-data-619585.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207100304/https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Support/Game-Boy-Pocket-Color/Product-information/Technical-data/Technical-data-619585.html |archive-date=February 7, 2023 |access-date=May 24, 2017 |website=Nintendo of Europe GmbH}}</ref><ref name="Game Boy Programming Manual" />{{rp|16}} }}
|}

=== Model colors ===
{{Multiple image
| perrow            = 3
| total_width       = 250
| image1            = Game Boy Color.png
| caption1          = Berry
| image2            = Game Boy Color Purple.jpg
| caption2          = Grape
| image3            = Game Boy Color (green).png
| caption3          = Kiwi
| image4            = Game-Boy-Color-Yellow.jpg
| caption4          = Dandelion
| image5            = Gameboy color.jpg
| caption5          = Teal
| image6            = Game-Boy-Color-Purple.jpg
| caption6          = Atomic Purple
}}

Nintendo had seen success selling colored variations of the Play It Loud! Game Boy and the Game Boy Pocket, so the company released the Color in several case variations.<ref name="Day 2016" /> 

The logo for Game Boy Color spells out the word "COLOR" in the five original colors in which the unit was manufactured: Berry (C), Grape (O), Kiwi (L), Dandelion (O), and Teal (R). Another color released at the same time was "Atomic Purple", made of a translucent purple plastic. Other colors were sold as limited editions or in specific countries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Game Boy Color |url=http://www.nintendo.com/systems/gbc/gbc_overview.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011214000944/http://www.nintendo.com/systems/gbc/gbc_overview.jsp |archive-date=December 14, 2001 |access-date=May 2, 2024 |website=Nintendo}}</ref>