The Game Boy: In Need Of Drastic Improvement

By Contributing Writer Jimmy Payne
   The Game Boy has stood the test of time and is the best-selling video
game system ever, and it's still selling well worldwide, but how much 
longer can this last?
   When I look at a Game Boy (excuse me, a Color Game Boy) nowadays, I 
can't help but think "NES." How could you blame me when it's no more 
powerful than the ancient system and its only advantage is its compact 
size? Then I ask myself if a tiny, portable NES is worth the hefty price of
$80, and my answer is a definite "no."
   I am confused as to why Nintendo re-released the Game Boy two times 
while still only making minor improvements.  Who cares if I can fit it in 
my pocket?  I want quality games, not convenient size. And why have they 
done so little to improve the system's graphics? For crying out loud, there
are portable DVD players out on the market and all Nintendo can give us is 
a bunch of tiny systems that show colored pixels? With the technology out 
there these days, Nintendo could at least give us a portable gaming system 
with power comparable the Super Nintendo.
   I am also getting sick of Nintendo making a profit by attracting the 
casual gamer with different colored systems. These people really need to 
open their eyes.  Has anyone ever told them that it's what's on the inside 
that counts? Apparently not because whenever a new color for the same old 
Game Boy comes out, I always end up hearing some stupid kid yell, "Oh my 
God, that Game Boy Pocket is neon green!  I gotta have it!" It's pathetic 
that Nintendo feels they have to use this kind of marketing to make a 
profit, and they should be ashamed of themselves. 
   The portable gaming market has endless possibilities, and those 
possibilities are there for the taking. I would like to see a company try 
their hand at a portable gaming system with some real power, and I would 
also like Nintendo to realize that all they're doing is giving us re-hashes
of a system that probably should have died five years ago. Hopefully 
Nintendo will eventually realize that we're approaching the 21st century 
and give us something we'll all be happy to pay $80 for.
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