Nintendo Game Boy camera

Nintendo Game Boy camera, made by Nintendo in Japan, 1998.

Released in 1998, the Nintendo Game Boy camera could be connected to the Nintendo Gameboy and used to take photographs on the handheld console. The camera utilised the console's cartidge slot and the spherical lens housing has the ability to swivel 180 degrees in order to take both forward and backward facing photos. The camera's 128×128 pixel CMOS sensor records 128×112 grayscale images using the 4-color palette of the Game Boy system. The Game Boy camera helped to introduce photography to gamers around the world and not only gave them the ability to take photos, but also to edit and personalise them using the Game Boy screen and controls. Photos could be printed using a separate printer peripheral, giving players access to a complete, condensed, photo studio. The camera united video games and photography in a fun way that appealed to both video game and photography enthusiasts. The Gameboy camera continues to thrive over 25 years on, with enthusiasts around the world developing 3rd party software and hardware to enhance the quality and experience of using the camera.