One-Horse Race?

Lack of competition is another reason for the Game Boy's unrivalled success. Despite the failings of other hand-helds, there are still companies willing to try: SNK is releasing a 16bit mono NeoGeo (and a colour counterpart), while Bandai is releasing the WonderSwan, a mono hand-held with twice the resolution of the Game Boy.

The real secret is invention, not replication, and Nintendo have wowed gamers with all manner of clever innovations. Take Zelda: Island of Dreams Deluxe, for example - players can use the Pocket Printer to print photos taken during the game. How about the foresight to make the Game Boy Camera compatible with the N64? Or the ability to transfer Pocket Monster data to the N64 and view the creatures in 3D? It's all meticulously planned.


Back to the Future

It's hard to deduce if the success really is down to careful planning or fortuitous timing. Were the Lynx and Game Gear too far ahead of their time? Possibly, but the fact remains that Nintendo gave their limited hardware limitless support. They toned down the technology to keep the machine portable; though this led to compromised sound and graphic quality, it also meant that the gameplay quality shone through.

This produced a wide diversity of titles which ultimately allowed the system to appeal to a wider cross-section. Only when the technology could meet the expectations did they make the switch to colour, being extremely careful not to tamper with a highly successful formula. And, at every stage, they've tried to make the hardware and software as appealing and affordable as possible.

With another astute piece of marketing, Nintendo hopes to penetrate even further; Game Boys will be soon be incorporated into London Underground trains. Targeting commuters who never get to see the TV commercials, they're showing potential punters what they ought to be doing to pass the time, rather than staring bleakly into a stranger's armpit.

There's no reason why this unprecedented success shouldn't continue, but it's difficult to predict where Nintendo will take this amazing machine in the future - every year they manage to put a new, refreshing spin on the product. All we can do is enjoy the fun, and hope it lasts.