With all the discussion of a possible N64 Classic Edition in coming years, perhaps we should discuss the possibility of a Gameboy Classic edition. As it stands, an absurdly long lifespan that began in the late 80's and ended in the early 2000's and not only saw revisions, but a revision with its own separate library, means that a Gameboy Classic isn't quite the easy consideration as the NES, SNES, or even a hypothetical N64 Classic. There's a lot of different ways Nintendo could take this thing, both in the sense of what it would look like, what it is capable of doing, and in what games are included.
The Gameboys
The Iconic Brick Itself
Released in 1989, the legendary grey brick took the world by storm with Tetris as a pack in and a respectable first year of releases that included a number of solid original titles and even some decent console downports.
The original Gameboy Mini
1996 saw the release of the Gameboy Pocket, the first of several revisions to the venerable handheld. Featuring a crisper screen that cut down on the original model's ghosting issues and a drastically lower power requirement, the Pocket was a solid revision to the Gameboy that made it even more portable.
Let there be backlight
There's little to say here. This updated Gameboy Pocket with a backlight released exclusively in Japan in 1998.
The Final Form
Hitting roughly in time for the western explosion of Pokemon, this updated Gameboy, featuring beefier internals, hit stores in 1998. It, of course, added the long awaited feature of Color. Not only would it add limited colors to existing Gameboy games (and even included hidden color schemes for specific original Gameboy games) but it also saw the launch of an entirely separate line of Gameboy Color games. Some of these games could still be played on earlier gameboy models (as noted by retaining the classic gameboy cartridge shape) but others (which had their own cartridge shape) played exclusively on the Color.
The question here, of course, is which line would Nintendo hypothetically go with? The Original is obviously the most iconic, and its existing shell would easily be able to hold the innards that make up the existing NES and SNES Classics. The Pocket lives up to its name by being the most portable version of the system. Likewise, the Color and the Light both retain that increased portability over the original, but the Color also represents a point where a lot of people either got back into the Gameboy due to the partial generation reset and others got back into it because of its proximity to Pokemon. That said, going with those versions of the Gameboy might require more work designing the internals to fit even smaller shells.
The Internals
That all is just the shell. The actual parts to this thing present further questions. Obviously, the Gameboy being a self contained device means cutting down on some parts. There would be no need for separate controllers, cutting down on either the need to sell additional controlers (ala the NES Classic) or bundle multiple (ala the SNES Classic). Likewise, there'd be no need to include a TV out, eliminating a port and also the need to bundle an HDMI cable. The power jack could clearly just be replaced with the same USB port that already powers the existing Classic consoles, so that's no change.
That said, despite those considerations being removed, a GB Classic would require things that weren't needed in the console Classics. Does it include an internal rechargeable battery, taking up precious space and adding to the cost? Or do we see a return to AA/AAA batteries being used to power things. What kind of screens does it use? Do we return to the monochrome screens of the original GB, the Pocket, and the Light or do we get Color? Do they include a backlight? How do they handle multiplayer? Do they make a proprietary cable that handles it, find a way to use USB, or just leave it out entirely? Also, of course, how do they handle getting back to the emulation menu? The NES and SNES Classics both relied on the reset button, which the Gameboy lacks in all of its forms. A button combination could be considered, but that would then introduce the issue of having to figure out what a safe combination would be (as some GB games do tie certain things, including reseting and bringing up specific menus, to specific button combos). Likewise, a button could be added, but that would then obviously change the look of the system (which they seemed to want to avoid, given the lack of a menu button being added to the NES and SNES controllers).
These considerations will drastically change how much it costs to make these things and, ultimately, how much it would cost to the public. The original Gameboy launched at $90, while the Color launched at $70. Releasing something more expensive than either would be really unfortunate.
Of course, this also assumes that a GB Classic would be an actual portable. There is always a possibility that Nintendo does the inexplicable thing of making it another TV box in order to keep costs down.
The Games
As noted before, the Gameboy Color introduced an entirely separate line of Gameboy Color exclusives, ballooning up the list of possible games and also introducing an issue where early GB titles start looking even more inferior to later GB Color games. Seeing as how they can easily field a selection of 20-30 games either way, do they ultimately limit the game list to just original black & white Gameboy games, or do we see games from all across the gameboy's long lifespan?
At the least, first party games seem pretty easy to sort out, here. Most of Nintendo's iconic/important GB games were released for the original Gameboy and also all represent a good assortment of their franchises. There are also few good Gameboy Color first party titles that could/should make it in, but nothing that would be too damning if they were not present.
Third parties have a similar situation. With just original Gameboy games in consideration, Square, Konami, and Capcom, the three third parties that were present on both the NES and SNES Classics, all have viable original GB titles that represent the franchises they all put on those consoles. Technos and Tecmo, two publishers that were present on the NES Classic but not the SNES Classic, have viable options for the GB. Namco, the remaining third party present for one but not the other, would more likely need Gameboy Color games as an option in order to not resort to just reusing the same arcade games that were present on the NES.
Of course, we also have two giant elephants in the room, both of which were critical to the original and revived success of the Gameboy: Tetris and Pokemon. Tetris is perhaps the most obvious out right now. Nintendo still no longer sells the Gameboy version of Tetris on the eShop. Tetris and Tetris Attack were both missing from the NES and SNES Classics, hinting that the license is still off the table at the moment. It's really unfortunate, because more than any game missing from the NES and SNES Classics, Tetris being absent from a GB Classic would mean a major part of the GB's history is missing.
Pokemon represents a more complicated issue. While Nintendo clearly owns enough of Pokemon to be in no risk of ever losing the franchise, the Pokemon Company being a separate entity that is capable of independently deciding how Pokemon is handled does make the inclusion of Pokemon games a little more complicated than "It's a Nintendo franchise, of course it'll be there." Furthermore, it also introduces the question of which games due to how they were released. The spinoffs represent an easy way in, as they were all stand-alone games, but clearly it'd be the main games that people would want out of these things. Even looking over the question of whether or not Gen 1 or Gen 2 would be included (Gen 1 is the correct answer), you now have the question of how to handle the multiple versions of the games. There's no way Nintendo or TPC would just put all three/four versions of each generation on the system. So do they pick just one game to represent the entire generation (Yellow for Gen 1 and Crystal for Gen 2?) or perhaps do they turn it into a gacha deal where the system comes with a random Pokemon game? Do they keep the multiplayer stuff intact in that case, or are players expected to play through the games without being able to actually 100% them?
____________________________________________________________________
With all that said, what do you all expect out of a Gameboy Classic?
Personally, my guess would be a Gameboy Classic that covers just Original Gameboy games and uses an Original Gameboy shell (perhaps even using the original molds) with a backlit screen that can be toggled between replicating the original GB or GB Pocket's visual styles.
Balloon Kid
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge or Castlevania Legends or Kid Dracula
Donkey Kong '94
Final Fantasy Adventure (giving a double representation for both Final Fantasy and Mana)
Gargoyle's Quest
Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters
Kirby's Block Ball
Kirby's Dreamland
Kirby's Dreamland 2
Kirby Pinball Land
Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Mario's Picross
Mega Man 4 or 5
Metroid 2
Operation C
Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land 2
Wario Land
Wario Land 2
Wario Land 3
Special surprise: fully localized The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls
The Gameboys
The Iconic Brick Itself
Released in 1989, the legendary grey brick took the world by storm with Tetris as a pack in and a respectable first year of releases that included a number of solid original titles and even some decent console downports.
The original Gameboy Mini
1996 saw the release of the Gameboy Pocket, the first of several revisions to the venerable handheld. Featuring a crisper screen that cut down on the original model's ghosting issues and a drastically lower power requirement, the Pocket was a solid revision to the Gameboy that made it even more portable.
Let there be backlight
There's little to say here. This updated Gameboy Pocket with a backlight released exclusively in Japan in 1998.
The Final Form
Hitting roughly in time for the western explosion of Pokemon, this updated Gameboy, featuring beefier internals, hit stores in 1998. It, of course, added the long awaited feature of Color. Not only would it add limited colors to existing Gameboy games (and even included hidden color schemes for specific original Gameboy games) but it also saw the launch of an entirely separate line of Gameboy Color games. Some of these games could still be played on earlier gameboy models (as noted by retaining the classic gameboy cartridge shape) but others (which had their own cartridge shape) played exclusively on the Color.
The question here, of course, is which line would Nintendo hypothetically go with? The Original is obviously the most iconic, and its existing shell would easily be able to hold the innards that make up the existing NES and SNES Classics. The Pocket lives up to its name by being the most portable version of the system. Likewise, the Color and the Light both retain that increased portability over the original, but the Color also represents a point where a lot of people either got back into the Gameboy due to the partial generation reset and others got back into it because of its proximity to Pokemon. That said, going with those versions of the Gameboy might require more work designing the internals to fit even smaller shells.
The Internals
That all is just the shell. The actual parts to this thing present further questions. Obviously, the Gameboy being a self contained device means cutting down on some parts. There would be no need for separate controllers, cutting down on either the need to sell additional controlers (ala the NES Classic) or bundle multiple (ala the SNES Classic). Likewise, there'd be no need to include a TV out, eliminating a port and also the need to bundle an HDMI cable. The power jack could clearly just be replaced with the same USB port that already powers the existing Classic consoles, so that's no change.
That said, despite those considerations being removed, a GB Classic would require things that weren't needed in the console Classics. Does it include an internal rechargeable battery, taking up precious space and adding to the cost? Or do we see a return to AA/AAA batteries being used to power things. What kind of screens does it use? Do we return to the monochrome screens of the original GB, the Pocket, and the Light or do we get Color? Do they include a backlight? How do they handle multiplayer? Do they make a proprietary cable that handles it, find a way to use USB, or just leave it out entirely? Also, of course, how do they handle getting back to the emulation menu? The NES and SNES Classics both relied on the reset button, which the Gameboy lacks in all of its forms. A button combination could be considered, but that would then introduce the issue of having to figure out what a safe combination would be (as some GB games do tie certain things, including reseting and bringing up specific menus, to specific button combos). Likewise, a button could be added, but that would then obviously change the look of the system (which they seemed to want to avoid, given the lack of a menu button being added to the NES and SNES controllers).
These considerations will drastically change how much it costs to make these things and, ultimately, how much it would cost to the public. The original Gameboy launched at $90, while the Color launched at $70. Releasing something more expensive than either would be really unfortunate.
Of course, this also assumes that a GB Classic would be an actual portable. There is always a possibility that Nintendo does the inexplicable thing of making it another TV box in order to keep costs down.
The Games
As noted before, the Gameboy Color introduced an entirely separate line of Gameboy Color exclusives, ballooning up the list of possible games and also introducing an issue where early GB titles start looking even more inferior to later GB Color games. Seeing as how they can easily field a selection of 20-30 games either way, do they ultimately limit the game list to just original black & white Gameboy games, or do we see games from all across the gameboy's long lifespan?
At the least, first party games seem pretty easy to sort out, here. Most of Nintendo's iconic/important GB games were released for the original Gameboy and also all represent a good assortment of their franchises. There are also few good Gameboy Color first party titles that could/should make it in, but nothing that would be too damning if they were not present.
Third parties have a similar situation. With just original Gameboy games in consideration, Square, Konami, and Capcom, the three third parties that were present on both the NES and SNES Classics, all have viable original GB titles that represent the franchises they all put on those consoles. Technos and Tecmo, two publishers that were present on the NES Classic but not the SNES Classic, have viable options for the GB. Namco, the remaining third party present for one but not the other, would more likely need Gameboy Color games as an option in order to not resort to just reusing the same arcade games that were present on the NES.
Of course, we also have two giant elephants in the room, both of which were critical to the original and revived success of the Gameboy: Tetris and Pokemon. Tetris is perhaps the most obvious out right now. Nintendo still no longer sells the Gameboy version of Tetris on the eShop. Tetris and Tetris Attack were both missing from the NES and SNES Classics, hinting that the license is still off the table at the moment. It's really unfortunate, because more than any game missing from the NES and SNES Classics, Tetris being absent from a GB Classic would mean a major part of the GB's history is missing.
Pokemon represents a more complicated issue. While Nintendo clearly owns enough of Pokemon to be in no risk of ever losing the franchise, the Pokemon Company being a separate entity that is capable of independently deciding how Pokemon is handled does make the inclusion of Pokemon games a little more complicated than "It's a Nintendo franchise, of course it'll be there." Furthermore, it also introduces the question of which games due to how they were released. The spinoffs represent an easy way in, as they were all stand-alone games, but clearly it'd be the main games that people would want out of these things. Even looking over the question of whether or not Gen 1 or Gen 2 would be included (Gen 1 is the correct answer), you now have the question of how to handle the multiple versions of the games. There's no way Nintendo or TPC would just put all three/four versions of each generation on the system. So do they pick just one game to represent the entire generation (Yellow for Gen 1 and Crystal for Gen 2?) or perhaps do they turn it into a gacha deal where the system comes with a random Pokemon game? Do they keep the multiplayer stuff intact in that case, or are players expected to play through the games without being able to actually 100% them?
____________________________________________________________________
With all that said, what do you all expect out of a Gameboy Classic?
Personally, my guess would be a Gameboy Classic that covers just Original Gameboy games and uses an Original Gameboy shell (perhaps even using the original molds) with a backlit screen that can be toggled between replicating the original GB or GB Pocket's visual styles.
Balloon Kid
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge or Castlevania Legends or Kid Dracula
Donkey Kong '94
Final Fantasy Adventure (giving a double representation for both Final Fantasy and Mana)
Gargoyle's Quest
Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters
Kirby's Block Ball
Kirby's Dreamland
Kirby's Dreamland 2
Kirby Pinball Land
Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Mario's Picross
Mega Man 4 or 5
Metroid 2
Operation C
Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land 2
Wario Land
Wario Land 2
Wario Land 3
Special surprise: fully localized The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls
