Game Boy Pocket turns 30 — how it reshaped handheld gaming forever

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30 years ago today, the Game Boy Pocket arrived to show up its '80s DMG sibling. While Ninty's OG brick started the handheld fire way before July 21, 1996, the slimmer, refined portable doubled down on everything that made the original so great while resetting the bar for what a good portable experience feels like to this very day.

Alright, I'll admit that the lack of backlight makes the Game Boy Pocket feel super primitive compared to the best retro handhelds today. Nintendo was seemingly allergic to lighting (outside of its Japan-exclusive Game Boy Light experiment) until the 2000s, when it released the GBA SP, but that doesn't mean it simply slimmed down the DMG.

In fact, side by side, the Pocket makes the 1989 Nintendo Game Boy feel like stoneage tech. By ditching the murky green bogwater screen and swapping to a monochrome LCD with less ghosting and an enhanced polarizing film, Ninty was able to keep the handheld throne from more advanced competitors like the existing Game Gear, Atari Lynx, and the Nomad, Sega's full-blown portable version of the Genesis.

(Image credit: Phil Hayton) Yes, the Pocket was a stopgap until the Game Boy Color arrived on the scene, but it's still arguably more important. Nintendo could have done what many combatants in the gaming handheld scene do today and reactively aim for big specs and features to keep up with its competitors, but instead, it focused on incremental quality-of-life improvements that refined an already great formula rather than pouring it down the sink and trying to brew something punchier.

Even if modern contenders biting at the heels of devices like the Steam Deck OLED aren't with the Pocket's program, Ninty's second handheld has become somewhat of a blueprint. That makes sense given that it directly addressed criticisms with the original, like the aforementioned ghosting, the DMG's bulky brick nature, and better power efficiency, but it's an idea that companies today still embrace.

You could say the storm of emulation handhelds that's been roaring since the arrival of the Bittboy in 2019 is thanks to the Pocket's principles. The whole ecosystem today is still based on that idea of embracing the original Game Boy tech, with portable makers like Anbernic making homages like the RG35XX Plus that do more than Ninty's handheld, but borrow the exact vertical spirit and pockatable vibes.

(Image credit: Future) Sure, the Pocket isn't the only handheld pleasantly haunting the modern handheld scene. Recently, Ayaneo announced a remake of the GBA , and Anbernic already has its and a clamshell RG35XXSP . That's driven by players who used those specific originals back in the day, but the Pocket format persists regardless, and sticking with refining the basics has helped produce some wonderful modern takes.

Some Pocket homages feel obvious by name, but might not actually look like a tribute. I'm specifically thinking of the Super Pocket , a budget Evercade handheld that is designed to provide excellent portable access to Blaze's cartridge ecosystem. It admittedly does squeeze extra shoulder buttons and four face inputs onto its vertical layout, but boons like battery longevity and its pocket-friendly size all link back to Ninty's second Game Boy.

On the premium side of things, the Analogue Pocket feels like an "on the nose" Game Boy Pocket tribute. This time, the name is a massive giveaway, as despite being significantly larger than the Ninty original and boasting a superior modern 1660 x 1440 3.5-inch LCD display, it sticks with the same flat, rectangular design with subtly curved edges.

(Image credit: Phil Hayton) The whole point I'm making is that, despite being a sequel to a more iconic handheld that arrived 30 years ago, the Game Boy Pocket is still making an impact. You can even transform your original portable into something that'll visually trade blows with the top emulation contenders today, thanks to screen mods that are similar to the Game Boy Color AMOLED touchscreen I showcased a few years ago.

TLDR: Happy Birthday, Game Boy Pocket! I'm sure you'll continue to inspire the handheld scene with your pocketability and refined vertical looks as they continue to age gracefully.

Swing by the best retro consoles if you're looking for a way to emulate classics or run original carts.