New Arrival: The Black Limited Edition Game Boy

After a shelf full of bright reds and yellows, this arrival is a deliberate change of tone. It is the black console from Nintendo's European Limited Edition colour series, one of the more understated finishes in a run that was otherwise all about standing out.

What It Is

Nintendo offered this European Limited Edition line in red, green, black, yellow, white, blue and clear, and black is the reserved member of the family, a sober counterpoint to the brighter shades sold alongside it. As with every console in the series, the colour is the only thing that changed. Underneath it is an ordinary DMG-01: the same monochrome green screen with no backlight, the same controls and the same four AA batteries that powered every original Game Boy. It is a familiar machine in a smart new suit.

Same DMG-01 underneath, just wearing its most serious suit.

Why It Joined the Collection

The collection documents every colour in this European run, and the black unit is another entry ticked off toward that complete set. There is a real point to gathering the whole series rather than a favourite or two: seen together, the colours show exactly how Nintendo used nothing more than a change of casing to keep a maturing console feeling fresh and collectable. Black may be the least flashy of them, but a set is only complete when the quiet members are present too, and it earns its place precisely by being the restrained one in the line.

The quiet one in a very loud crowd of coloured Game Boys.

The black Limited Edition console is documented, with photographs, on its own page in the collection.