Nintendo's first Game Boy ads from 30 years ago are a real trip

Nintendo's Game Boy turns 30 on April 21, 2019 so we took a look at some of the company's earliest ads for the then-embryonic mobile gaming market.
By Adam Rosenberg  on 
Nintendo's first Game Boy ads from 30 years ago are a real trip
A boy playing on one of the first Nintendo Game Boy computers Credit: Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images

It's April 21, 2019 and that means Nintendo's Game Boy is officially a thirtysomething.

The chunky portable gaming system launched exactly 30 years ago, ushering in a new era of portable entertainment that today accounts for the industry's biggest market. Gaming on the go was mostly restricted back then to standalone handhelds with simple play mechanics that couldn't hope to compete with the console games of the moment.

Game Boy changed everything. You could swap games anytime you wanted, so long as you had the right cartridge. The screen was small, the monochrome graphics weren't quite up to NES standards, and a dependence on batteries made it a relatively expensive toy over long-term use.

But it was also a gaming console that could fit in your backpack. It was like nothing that had come before. That's a quaint thought now, in this era of explosive popularity for mobile gaming. But looking back at Nintendo's earliest Game Boy ads from the vantage point of 2019 gives you a sense of just how this product was so revolutionary.

The first ad, the one with Tetris

Here's the thing about Game Boy: it wasn't just a first taste of what console-style gaming could deliver on the go. It was also the hardware that popularized one of the most enduring success stories in all of gaming: Tetris.

This commercial -- the first released for Game Boy -- hypes them both. They go hand-in-hand, really. Tetris was bundled in alongside the Game Boy when it launched, so if you bought the latter you were getting the former by default. And for whatever reason, Nintendo felt the best way to lock in your purchase was with some kind of mute RoboCop lookalike.

The Game Boy infomercial

These days, Nintendo communicates directly with fans via Nintendo Direct broadcasts that essentially boil down to fan-focused infomercials. But there was no internet in 1989 (not the way we think of it, at least). Instead, we got stuff like this.

Nintendo's three-and-a-half minute Game Boy ad breaks down the new technology and explains the appeal in simple, stark terms. It's extremely a product of its time -- there's even a rap? But it effectively shows of the hardware's capabilities and lays out the data behind the market's excitement for this new product.

Game Boy, a toy for real adults

Forget any notion that games struggled to cement their place in pop culture early on because they were dismissed as kid's toys. Adults were the real early adopters, especially during the '80s when any kind of gaming buy-in involved a pricey investment in new technology.

Nintendo knew that Game Boy represented an exciting proposition for daily commuters, among others. This ad made a strong pitch, highlighting the different kinds of places that handheld gaming could slot into and enhance everyday life.

Also for kids, though

Look at all this chaos. All this noise. All this fun!

If the previous commercial focused on convincing adults to buy into Nintendo's new approach to gaming, this one is all about the teens. From the chaos of the scene to the rock-like music to the graffiti-style graphic at the end, this kid-friendly pitch attempts to sell the idea of handheld gaming as the life of the party.

It's an idea that Nintendo has never really gotten away from.

The real Game Boy debut

The Game Boy's April 21, 1989 launch date applies specifically to Japan; it didn't come to the U.S. for another few months. So this Japanese commercial (and another one that arrived alongside it) are really the world's first taste of Nintendo's on-the-go gaming system.

I have no idea what's being said here, who provided the music, or why both commercials made the decision to center the same three white Australian boys. But there's plenty of historical value in looking at one of Nintendo's earliest Game Boy pitches for the company's home audience.

Topics Gaming Nintendo

Mashable Image
Adam Rosenberg

Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.


Recommended For You
Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried arrives for a bail hearing at Manhattan Federal Court on August 11, 2023 in New York City. Federal prosecutors are asking U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan to revoke Bankman-Fried's bail and to be jailed until his October criminal trial. Bankman-Fried who has pleaded not guilty to multiple conspiracy and fraud charges was accused of witness tampering after the New York Times published a story featuring personal documents of Caroline Ellison, former Alameda Research CEO. Judge Kaplan will also hear arguments on the gag order placed on Bankman-Fried that was placed as part of his bail agreement for the alleged witness tampering.

Meta and Google fuel abortion misinformation across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, report finds
In this photo illustration, a person looks at an Abortion Pill from Mifepristone displayed on a computer.


Amazon Pharmacy launches same-day prescription delivery in New York and LA
A photograph of an Amazon box with medicines.


More in Entertainment
Trans people are turning to VR as society fails them
pink person inside a cracking egg surrounded by screens

Celebrate spring blooms with flowery Lego sets on sale for 20% off at Amazon
a woman builds a bouquet of lego flowers




Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for March 29
A phone displaying the New York Times game 'Connections.'

Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for March 29
a phone displaying Wordle

NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for March 28
A phone displaying the New York Times game 'Connections.'


NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for March 27
A phone displaying the New York Times game 'Connections.'
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!