Great game boy
The Super Game Boy is an add-on module for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and was available in the USA , Europe and Japan . With it it is possible to play games for the Game Boy with the SNES.
Overview
The Super Game Boy was released in 1994. A complete Game Boy is integrated into it, which forwards the video signal to the SNES. Similar to the Game Boy Color later , the gray levels of the original graphics were converted into corresponding color shades. It was also possible to use the SNES to adapt the color palette shown. The Game Boy game was now on the television screen in color and also enlarged. In order to achieve an optimal color representation, the coloring of the games could be adjusted. The player had 52 colors available for this. A maximum of 16 colors could be displayed simultaneously by the Super Game Boy, but more than 4 colors were only achieved by games specially adapted for the Super Game Boy.
The actual game was centered on the screen, besides which one could perceive some special functions of the SNES. A frame was built around the actual game image that could be designed as desired or one of the numerous predefined frames displayed. Some Game Boy games were later delivered with Super Game Boy support, which was expressed in game-specific frames and predefined, possibly changing colors (e.g. for Pokémon red and blue ).
Even if the hardware of the Super Game Boy is the same as that of the Game Boy , games on the Super Game Boy run faster than on the original Game Boy or the GBC or GBA. Since the Super Game Boy does not clock the graphics output itself, but rather the refresh rate is calculated from the clock rate of the SNES processor, Game Boy games are played faster than on all other original platforms. NTSC modules (+ 2.4%) are faster than PAL modules (+1.5%). This is of interest to the Speedrun community, among other things, as the AV signals of the SNES can be picked up better than those from handhelds -Devices. Speedrun times achieved on the Super Game Boy are usually corrected retrospectively in order to be comparable with the other platforms. The clock frequency problem was resolved in the successor model .
The new price on September 6, 2000 in the USA was around US $ 59 and in Germany around DM 99 (equivalent to around € 67 today). The module number for the European modules is SNSP-A-SG (NOE). Also in 1994, Nintendo released the More Fun Set . A SNES, the game Super Mario World and a Super Game Boy were bundled in it. A Game Boy game was not included. The set bears the model number SNSP S CD11 and was sold for 299 DM when it was launched (equivalent to about 218 € today).
compatibility
Nintendo itself reports about 600 Game Boy games that can be played with the Super Game Boy on the SNES. In addition, the Super Game Boy is compatible with selected Game Boy Color modules, namely the so-called dual games, recognizable by a black module housing. Games that are printed with Only for Game Boy Color (have a transparent housing) cannot be read by the Super Game Boy.
Super Game Boy 2
The Super Game Boy 2, released in Japan in 1998, is a slightly improved version of the Super Game Boy, which, unlike the original, has a link port to be connected to other Game Boys for multiplayer games or to accessories such as the Game Boy Printer . Furthermore, two colored LEDs are built into the “Super Game Boy 2” module. A red light indicates that the module is switched on, a green light shows the status of the link port.
The Super Game Boy 2 was sold under the model number SHVC-042, the module itself has the number SHVC-SGB2-JPN.
WideBoy
Before the Super Game Boy went on sale, Nintendo itself and the editorial offices of magazines that had to or wanted to take snapshots of the Game Boy games worked with a modified Famicom or NES module. This module was an oversized circuit board that was equipped with the complete Game Boy hardware, the so-called WideBoy. There was also a connection on the circuit board that allowed a modified Game Boy to be used as a controller. With the WideBoy it was possible to display Game Boy games on a television set and to photograph the image with the means customary at the time or to load it into a computer. Different versions of the Wideboy were made to e.g. B. to color the graphic, which was initially only yellow-green, in order to get better pictures.
A similar device with the same name was developed around 1998 for Game Boy Color games, to display those games on the N64 and snap from there .
Demonstration device
Before the Super Game Boy went on sale, there was a demonstration device in the shops to bring the idea of the Super Game Boy closer to customers. This demonstration device consisted of two components. The main unit was built into a standard electronics housing that you can buy in electronics stores. This main device was connected to the television and with an auxiliary device to the Game Boy. The picture on the television was black and white and flickered. The additional device was inserted between the Game Boy and the game. The game was still controlled via the Game Boy. Basically, this demonstration device was just a video grabber for the Game Boy, as the device offered nothing other than showing the Game Boy display on the television.