| Manufacturer: | Nintendo |
| MSRP: | $59.95 (US) |
| Country: | USA, Europe, Japan |
| Licensed: | Yes |
| Year: | ~1994 |
| Super Game Boy FAQ | click here |
| Internal Schematic: | click here |
The Super Game Boy is definately one of the most unique accessories for the SNES. It is an adapter that allows you to play Game Boy games on your SNES! Instead of playing Game Boy games on a tiny screen, you can play them on your TV, with SNES controllers! It is more that just an "adapter", though, it enhances your Game Boy experience. You can now add color to Game Boy games, by replacing the four shades of greyscale (greenscale, on the Game Boy itself), with any color of your choice. Some Game Boy games released after the Super Game Boy, were specially enhanced with built-in colors and backgrounds.
The Super Game Boy is about twice the size of a regular SNES cart. In the top is a slot, where you insert the Game Boy cart, and the bottom is just like a SNES cart, which of course, plugs into the SNES. You insert your GB cart into the unit, insert the unit into the SNES, and turn on the SNES.
Since the Game Boy unit and a television set have different screen size ratios, you have to play your Game Boy games on your TV in a window. Unfortunately, this window does not use as much of the screen as it probably could. On a 25" TV (diagonally), the playing window is 17" (diagonally) The area around the window is a background which is adjustable. When you first start up the Super Game Boy, it defaults to a background that looks like that of a real Game Boy, except it says "Super Game Boy" instead of just "Game Boy". The unit comes with several interesting backgrounds; some look better than others when playing certain games. It also comes with a "mini" art program, where you can draw and make your own background art, and you can also draw on the existing backgrounds. In my opinion, this seemed rather unnecessary, especially since you can't save the backgrounds you make!
The Super Game Boy's options were in a menu system you called up when you pressed the L and R buttons simultaneously. This brought up a menu with little icons, where you could choose the following; choose preexisting color schemes available, make your own color scheme, the background art program, preexisting backgrounds, and change controller setup. The whole menu and options selection system is dog slow, and the arrow cursor is awkward to control (at least it is with a SNES control pad, I don't know how it is with the SNES Mouse).
Some GB games that were released after the Super Game Boy hit the market, featured special SGB enhancements, which are built-in color schemes and backgrounds for the game, as well as the ability to display more than four different colors. All SGB enhanced games have a special colorful little insignia on the game and box that says, "Super Game Boy Enhanced". In the Super Game Boy manual, it says that SGB enhanced games can display 16 unique colors, and in the future, some games will show up to 256! However, I don't think any SGB enhanced game ever had this many unique colors. Also, some games with these enhancements may override your ability to change the colors and backgrounds. An interesting note about this, is that Nintendo's own games, released before the SGB, will each display a unique, appropriate color palette other that the default palette at startup! For instamce, Super Metroid has a default green-orange color scheme, and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening had a default scheme of green and black, both of which were very appropriate for each game. Was the SGB designed to detect these games and display their respective palettes? Anybody know? This fact does not appear in the SGB manual, or any of the publications I have from Nintendo.
The best thing about the Super Game Boy is that you don't have to play your Game Boy games on a Game Boy anymore! No more blurring! And, despite the limited window size, playing is sooo much easier on the eyes! You can play your GB carts in comfort, for hours on end! And, you can hear the sound on your TV or stereo speakers as opposed to that little crappy speaker that is built into the Game Boy. You can actually hear the stereo sound that Game Boy can produce, in stereo! Okay, since most Game Boy games' sound is little more that simple "Pings" and "Beeps", this may not be such a big deal, but it is, however, a nice touch. Oh, and you can take advantage of any turbo controllers you have for the SNES in your Game Boy games! Rapid fire for the first time in a Game Boy game!
There are a lot of drawbacks with this device, however. While you can create your own color schemes for games, there is NO battery backup in the unit itself! Instead, you get a "password", which when you go to play the game again, you can enter and restore your color scheme. Sorry guys, this is LAME.
Also, as you probably know, the Y and B buttons are used in the way, in most games, as the B and A buttons are used on the NES and the Game Boy. In other words, jump 'n fire. For some reason, the default for the Super Game Boy is the reverse; you can adjust this by selecting the other button configuration. But, having to change it every time you play a new game is ANNOYING. Of course, since there is no battery in the unit, you can't save your controller scheme preference.
What about 2 player games? Only the Super Game Boy 2 has a game link (using 2 SGB/SNES/TVs) option. This one player only.
Finally, there are problems when using the Super Game Boy with various NES-to-SNES and foreign cart adapters and backup devices that cause interference with the Super Game Boy. The problems vary from device to device. Please note, all Game Boy games, regardless of country of origin, will work in the Super Game Boy, since there are no lockout schemes used in Game Boy games. However, if you want to use a PAL SGB on a US SNES, or vice versa, you will run into the same problems of regional lockout as with PAL and US cartridges. (See the SNES FAQ for more info on this.) So, the best solution would be to just get a SGB that is designed your SNES/SFC deck. (If anyone knows of specific problems with the SGB and the various NTSC/PAL adaptor carts, please let me know.)
The Super Game Boy, when released in 1994, sold for $59.95! You could get a Game Boy then for $49.95! And, no pack-in game! They released a new version of Donkey Kong, specially enhanced for the Super Game Boy, which was prominently featured on the box, and was marketed simultaneously with the SGB. Later on, Nintendo sold the SNES and the SGB together in a special set; I remember the Super Game Boy being taped onto the box of the Super Nintendo, and on the SGB box was written "Not for sale separately".
Compatibility issues:
