Remember the Gameboy Camera? These Gamers Do.

Everyone remembers the Gameboy: the handheld gaming phenomenon of the 90’s that changed the trajectory of video games, and Nintendo, forever. But not many people remember the Gameboy Camera, the cool photo gadget released in 1998 and quietly retired in 2002. Like most other Gameboy accessories, it worked through the cartridge slot in the top, and with the camera on a swivel, it may be the first piece of tech that actively let you take selfies with ease. Another fun piece of trivia: Neil Young’s 2000 album cover for Silver + Gold was taken with a Gameboy Camera. 

Unfortunately, trying to get your hands on one of these nowadays will run you close to 50 bucks on Ebay, but some creatives that were lucky enough to pull their Gameboy Camera out of storage have started taking the medium more seriously. 

Christopher Graves, who runs GameboyCamera.com, has a beautiful portfolio of photos, as well as projects modifying the Gameboy itself. 

Photos by Christopher Graves via Gameboycamera.com

The camera itself utilizes the 4 color palette of the Gameboy, and is able to save 128x112 pixel grayscale photos. At first glance, that might not seem like a way to take captivating photos, but photographers like the challenge. 

On Twitter, it’s a particularly popular trend - when searching the Gameboy Camera tag, you’ll find dozens of people still using the camera to take fun shots of their pets, selfies, and even concerts! Often, the pictures don’t come out quite as recognizable as Christopher Graves', but the fun of it comes from the low-tech obstacles it presents. 

Surprisingly, for 1998 tech, the Gameboy Camera isn’t just a camera— It also comes with a program where you can edit the photos taken, stitching them together into panoramas or set them on a delay timer like most modern cameras. You can even print out your photos using the Gameboy Printer if you want a keepsake. The versatility of the device is surprisingly vast for one of the first consumer digital cameras— you could even add Nintendo stamp’s or doodle on the images directly, something that we wouldn’t see again in handheld photography until camera phones hit the market. 

Photo by Unknown, via reddit.com/r/retrogaming

So what do you think? Would you experiment with the Gameboy Camera for the challenge of it? Or perhaps just to enjoy a little bit of nostalgia from a simpler time? Check them out on ebay here and show us your photos on social media!