Editing Game Boy Color (section)

=== Cartridges ===
{{Multiple image
| direction         = horizontal
| total_width       = 300
| image1            = Nintendo-Game-Boy-Cartridge.jpg
| caption1          = Original Game Boy Game Pak
| image2            = Nintendo-Game-Boy-Cartridge-Black.jpg
| caption2          = Color enhanced Game Boy Game Pak
| image3            = Nintendo-Game-Boy-Color-Cartridge.jpg
| caption3          = Game Boy Color Game Pak
}}
[[file:GBC keypad palettes.png|thumb|Samples of the color palettes and the key combinations to select them on an original Game Pak]]

Games are stored on cartridges called [[Game Boy Game Pak]]s, using [[read-only memory]] (ROM) chips. Due to the limitations of the 8-bit architecture of the device, the maximum ROM size the processor could access at any time was 32&nbsp;KB. Nintendo overcame this limitation with a ''Memory Bank Controller''&nbsp;(MBC) in the cartridge. This chip sits between the processor and the ROM and can [[Bank switching|switch between banks]] of 32&nbsp;KB ROM. Using this technology, Nintendo created Game Boy Color games up to 8&nbsp;[[megabyte]]s in size. Game Paks can also provide additional functionality to the Game Boy system. Some cartridges include up to 128&nbsp;KB of RAM to increase performance, which can be battery-backed to save progress when the handheld is off, [[real-time clock]] chips can keep track of time even when the device is off, and [[Rumble Pak]] cartridges added vibration feedback to enhance gameplay.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Byers |first=Brendan |title=Exploring the Gameboy Memory Bank Controller |url=https://b13rg.github.io/Gameboy-MBC-Analysis/ |access-date=April 29, 2024 |website=Brendan's Website |language=en-us}}</ref><ref name="Game Boy Programming Manual" />{{rp|299}}

The Game Boy Color has backward compatibility with all original Game Boy games. Three main Game Pak cartridge types for the handheld were released:

* Original Game Boy Game Pak (gray case): The classic Game Boy cartridges. The Game Boy Color applies a limited color palette (often dark green) using four to ten colors to enhance games originally intended to be presented in four shades of gray.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Changing the Color Palette on Game Boy Advance Systems |url=https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/gameboyadvance/colorchange.jsp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113001631/http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/gameboyadvance/colorchange.jsp |archive-date=January 13, 2009 |access-date=January 4, 2009 |website=Customer Service |publisher=Nintendo}}</ref> The Game Boy Color's "bootstrap" ROM was programmed with default color palettes for more than 90 titles, mainly first-party releases and popular games from other publishers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carroll |first=Martyn |title=The Handheld Gaming Collection |publisher=Future Publishing |year=2023 |edition=1 |location=Bath, UK |pages=83}}</ref> For games without a default, users can choose from 12 different palettes, including one which replicates the original Game Boy's grayscale experience, by pressing down a combination of buttons at startup.
* Color enhanced Game Boy Game Pak (black case): These cartridges can use the full-color capabilities of the console (56 colors simultaneously out of a palette of 32,768) while remaining compatible with the original Game Boy where they are presented in four shades of gray. This compatibility comes at the expense of not being able to utilize the Game Boy Color's increased processing speed and memory.<ref name="Day 2016" />
* Game Boy Color Game Pak (clear case): Designed specifically for the Game Boy Color, these cartridges feature the full-color range (56 colors simultaneously out of a palette of 32,768) and benefit from the increased processing speed and memory of the Game Boy Color.<ref name="Day 2016" /> Because of this reliance on newer hardware, these games are incompatible with the older monochrome Game Boy models.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Game Pak Troubleshooting – All Game Boy Systems |url=http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/gameboy/trouble_game.jsp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928055842/http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/gameboy/trouble_game.jsp |archive-date=September 28, 2017 |access-date=September 27, 2017 |publisher=[[Nintendo of America]]}}</ref>