Nintendo's Game Boy turns 25

At 25 years, this boy has indeed grown.

Since it was rolled out on April 21, 1989, the Game Boy - Nintendo's brick-like game console - has spawned a whole new culture around portable video games, The Next Web reported.

The console was the first to connect with a mass audience, it added.

"On April 21, 1989, Nintendo released the original Game Boy in Japan. It was built like a brick and rendered a mixture of black and gray pixels on a muddy green background. The console wasn’t light, slender or powerful, but it was the trigger for a new culture around video games and changed people’s perception of the interactive medium," it said.

Yet despite its ungainly appearance, the Game Boy gained a cult following that paved the way for all future portable gaming consoles. So iconic is the chunky handheld that it even provided the inspiration for the lovable BMO in the Cartoon Network series, "Adventure Time":
 

Part of the reason for the Game Boy's widespread acceptance could be that Nintendo was a trusted brand and that it launched with "Super Mario Land."

In North America, the console was launched with the classic "Tetris," a game with a "timeless" appeal.

Game Boy "grew" a little in 1996 when Nintendo launched the Game Boy Pocket, and in 1998 with the Game Boy Light though in Japan only.

"Both used the firm’s original cartridge system – save files were stored on the game, rather than the console – which meant it was simple to upgrade and build an eclectic game library," The Next Web said.

Other milestones included the Game Boy Color in 1998, debuting with "Pokemon Red and Green," as well as the Game Boy Advance in 2001, Game Boy Advance SP in 2003 and Game Boy Micro in 2005.

Accessories included a camera and printer for the Game Boy.

But the Game Boy era came to an end in 2004, when Nintendo unveiled the DS. — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News