Game Boy: Jan.-Mar. 1989

First Look at the Game Boy

Details about Nintendo's new handheld machine were finally given early in 1989, as the Game Boy was set for an April 21 release that year. Set to sell alongside the GB were 4 titles: Super Mario Land, Alleyway, Yakuman, and Baseball.

To the right is possibly the first [stock] photo of the Game Boy from Nintendo, as it uses a system mock-up which is missing its power switch (and corresponding ON-OFF indentation) and which has an uncharacteristically clear greyscale image on its "screen."

The only thing of note in this press release is the early announcement of F-1 Race. Although the game was probably well into development at this time, it didn't see a release until November 1990, probably since the game needed some kind of gimmick (4-player adaptor) to actually be worth selling.

Some early pictures from Nintendo's Game Boy ad campaign:

And here's an odd pair of items from snack maker Nagasaki-Ya: candy that comes in a plastic GB model case, and wafer snacks that come with a GB keychain as a bonus. It certainly would be a fun consolation prize for kids who don't yet have or can't get a real Game Boy system.

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