Game Boy, Game Boy Color, GBA, GBA SP and Game Boy Micro compared

Updated Consoles, Guides

From the Game Boy on four AA batteries to the 80 g Game Boy Micro, Nintendo’s handhelds changed screens, lighting and power several times. Here is how the five models compare, and which ones play older cartridges.

Grey original Game Boy with its green-tinted screenGame BoyTransparent purple Game Boy ColorGame Boy ColorPurple Game Boy Advance in its horizontal layoutGBABlue Game Boy Advance SP opened in its clamshell formGBA SPSilver Game Boy Micro handheldGame Boy Micro
CPUCustom 8-bit CMOS, 2.2 MHz (as listed by Nintendo UK)[1]8-bit Z80 (as listed by Nintendo UK)[2]32-bit ARM with embedded memory[3]32-bit ARM with embedded memory[4]32-bit RISC + 8-bit CISC[5]
ScreenSTN dot-matrix LCD, 160 × 144, 4 shades of grey[1]Colour LCD, 44 × 39 mm; 32,768 colours, 56 simultaneous[2]2.9-inch reflective TFT, 240 × 160, unlit[3]2.9-inch reflective TFT with switchable front light, 240 × 160[4]2-inch backlit LCD, 240 × 160, 60 Hz; 4 brightness levels[5]
Power4× AA (Game Boy); 2× AAA (Game Boy Pocket)[1]2× AA; approx. 10 hours[2]2× AA (alkaline only); approx. 15 hours[3]——
Battery———Built-in Li-ion; 10 h (light on), 18 h (light off); ~3 h to charge[4]approx. 6–10 h; approx. 2.5 h to charge[5]
Battery lifeapprox. 15 h (Game Boy), 10 h (Pocket)[1]————
Weightapprox. 300 g with batteries[1]138 g[2]140 g[3]143 g[4,6]approx. 80 g[5]

Highlighted rows differ between models.

Photos: Game Boy: Evan-Amos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Game Boy Color: Evan-Amos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; GBA: Evan-Amos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; GBA SP: Evan-Amos, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Game Boy Micro: Evan-Amos, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Screens and lighting

The Game Boy has a 160 × 144 four-shade STN LCD. The Game Boy Color shows up to 56 colours at once from 32,768 on a 44 × 39 mm screen. The Game Boy Advance and GBA SP use a 2.9-inch reflective TFT at 240 × 160. The original GBA has no light, while the SP adds a front light you can switch on and off. The Game Boy Micro has a 2-inch backlit 240 × 160 screen with four brightness levels.

Limitation Nintendo UK lists the Game Boy Color’s resolution as 160 × 140, which conflicts with its own 160 × 144 figure for the Game Boy. Without a second official source, the GBC resolution isn’t stated here.

Power

The Game Boy runs on four AA batteries (about 15 hours) and the Game Boy Pocket on two AAA (about 10). The Game Boy Color uses two AA for about 10 hours. The GBA uses two AA for about 15 hours, and Nintendo says alkaline only. The GBA SP has a built-in lithium-ion battery: about 10 hours with the light on, 18 with it off, and roughly 3 hours to charge. The Micro manages about 6–10 hours with a 2.5-hour charge.

Which cartridges each model plays

  • Game Boy Color plays Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges.
  • GBA SP plays GBA games and, per Nintendo, almost all Game Boy and Game Boy Color games.
  • Game Boy Micro plays Game Boy Advance Game Paks. Nintendo’s page doesn’t mention older cartridges.

The GBA SP has no headphone jack. Headphones need an adapter on the link-cable port. The Micro has a headphone jack built in.

The next handheld generation: Nintendo DS Lite, which also plays GBA games.

Sources

Last checked

  1. Game Boy Nintendo UK · Manufacturer documentation
  2. Game Boy Color Nintendo UK · Manufacturer documentation
  3. Game Boy Advance Nintendo UK · Manufacturer documentation
  4. Game Boy Advance SP Nintendo UK · Manufacturer documentation
  5. Game Boy Micro Nintendo UK · Manufacturer documentation
  6. Game Boy Advance SP – Technical data Nintendo UK Support · Official support

Related

Devices