The Game Boy Camera, and a Short Story of Revenge
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Released on June 5, 2025, the Nintendo Switch 2 had an awkward start to life. A GameStop in New York reportedly ruined most of its launch stock, puncturing screens with receipt staples, while the console’s introductory software – Welcome Tour – requires a 4K TV and $100 in accessories to complete.
Overall, though, Nintendo’s sophomore Switch was well received on both sides of the Atlantic (it’s hard to argue with a new Mario Kart).
Included in the Switch 2’s semi-mandatory accessory set is a camera (there’s also a Piranha Plant version), marking only the third time Nintendo has launched an external capture device. The original Switch had one, and the Wii U had one for Mii Maker. A planned camera for the GameCube wound up cancelled.
The very first Nintendo camera, the Game Boy Camera, is arguably the more charismatic device. It’s also surprisingly affordable on eBay for such an iconic piece of tech.
Human-Human Interaction
The Game Boy Camera entered a vastly different world. Today, webcams are an increasingly important part of the gaming experience, the popularity of YouTube and Twitch ensuring that everybody can put their face to an audience.
Cameras enabled different ways of doing things. The 2020 title Before Your Eyes used blinking as a game mechanic, for example. Cutesy platformer FRU implemented the player’s real-life silhouette into gameplay.
The main draw of a camera is human-human interaction. The microphone leads in this area, but talking with friends and strangers increases immersion and, in some cases, authenticity. This is especially important in another entertainment niche – casino gaming, which had its audience split by a growing interest in online gaming.
For example, while video gaming lost its brick-and-mortar identity (i.e. arcades) when consoles arrived, casinos maintain a significant offline presence in cities worldwide.
The camera helped bring two worlds back together. The Hippodrome Casino in London provides webcam access to its live tables so people playing blackjack online don’t feel left out. The sense of immersion is helped by named dealers – James and Olivia – and one variant features British actor Vinnie Jones.
Gunpei Yokoi
Released in 1998, the Game Boy Camera wasn’t the greatest device technically. It could take grayscale pictures at 128×112 and print them with the (separate) Game Boy Printer. The latter had a surprising amount of support from games like Donkey Kong Country and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2.
The camera could only hold 30 images, and cost $50 at the time. Still, despite its many drawbacks, it sold at least a million units in its first year.
According to the Game Boy Essentials website, in a book called L’histoire de Nintendo, the camera’s birth happened because Game Boy creator Gunpei Yokoi left Nintendo, leaving staff feeling “betrayed”.
Composer and executive Hirokazu Tanaka envisioned the Game Boy Camera as a way to show that Nintendo was more than Yokoi. Again, technically, it’s hard to say whether he succeeded or not with that particular device, but its diminutive size was something special at the time.
A Cult Following
It’s actually possible to use a Game Boy Camera on a PC today, using an Epilogue-branded tool called a GB Operator Dock. It’s fine as a novelty, but not so useful for everyday use with its one or two frames per second.
For such a questionably useful device (even at the time), the Game Boy Camera maintains a cult following among retro enthusiasts.
