GameBoy:Secrets of Survival

There is little dissension that the GameBoy Advance SP is still very much alive today, thanks to the legions of Pokemon fans. Yeah, especially the kids. The GameBoy handheld has evolved over the past number of years. I have seen the original GameBoy, which eventually gave way to the GameBoy Color, then to GameBoy Advance, GameBoy Advance SP and finally, GameBoy Micro. So the question is:How has the GameBoy been able to survive for so long? Okay, the answer is this:As long as there are kids around, the GameBoy handhelds will not be put out of business. For teenagers and adults, if you are thinking of rushing out to buy one GameBoy Advance SP or GameBoy Micro, don't. The GameBoy handheld is designed solely for kids. Given the very limited power of the GameBoy handheld, most games, if not all, are actually played in 2D and their graphics are generally cartoon-like. Sure, there are some more mature games like Need for Speed Most Wanted and FIFA 06, but I really doubt that these games will play well on the GameBoy handheld. Graphics are outright poor (think very pixellated images) and these games might as well not be released on the GameBoy handheld platform. According to reports, the latest GameBoy games are the Bit Generation games, which (sorry) I think are pretty lame -- at least for teenagers and adults. But no, I have not tried these Bit Generation games, but click here for an article on these games and you will know what I mean. Need further proof that the GameBoy handheld is designed solely for kids? I have it. That can be seen from the price of the GameBoy handheld itself and the prices of the games. The GameBoy handheld is one of the cheapest in the market, and so are the games. You can even find some '2 in 1' or '3 in 1' game packages. All these make it affordable for the kids to get them -- yeah, even without their parents' money. For children who need an introduction to gaming, the GameBoy handheld is a piece of wonderful console to get the kid started. Do you know that for gameplay, the GameBoy handheld has only the 'A' and 'B' buttons? And the X,Y buttons are missing. Simple gameplay. Young minds, simple machines and simple games think alike. Oops, I have revealed the secret (well, not exactly secret) to the GameBoy handheld's success! Kids, Pokemon, real affordable prices, simple gameplay. These are the factors that have kept the GameBoy Handheld breathing. Hey, it is still doing quite well today!