Hardware History
The Game Boy Advance: Nintendo's Awkward Middle Child
The GBA never got the respect it deserved — but it might have the best library of any Nintendo handheld ever made.
Pixel Pete
3 Sept 2026
7 min read
Blog
Explore our collection of articles, reviews, and guides about Nintendo's handheld legacy.
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Hardware History
Nintendo DS Lite at 20: The Revision That Saved the Line
The DS Lite launched in Japan on March 2, 2006 and sold out for two straight years. Twenty years on, it is still the most under-told piece of the DS story — and the revision that did the actual work.
Retro Rachel
1 Aug 2026
10 min read
Hardware History
DS vs. PSP: The Handheld War Nintendo Wasn't Supposed to Win
On paper, the PSP was the better handheld. 4.3 inches of widescreen, 24-bit color, an analog stick, UMD movies. The DS had two dim screens and a stylus. The PSP lost anyway. This is the story of how Nintendo won a war it was supposed to lose, and why the win was never really about the hardware.
Pixel Pete
17 Jun 2026
12 min read
Hardware History
The Virtual Boy: Nintendo's Beautiful Failure
The Virtual Boy is usually told as a punchline. The 3D was real, the engineering was careful, the failure was mostly about software and timing — and the next sixteen years of Nintendo handhelds are a long footnote to a 1995 first draft.
Retro Rachel
16 Jun 2026
10 min read
Game Reviews
50 Game Boy Games That Defined the Grey Brick (1989-1993)
The original Game Boy's 1989-1993 library is the foundation everything else on the platform built on. Fifty of the most important cartridges your grey brick ever ran, in order of impact, with the Japan-only picks mixed in for the sharp readers.
Pixel Pete
16 Jun 2026
11 min read
Tech Preservation
Save the Save: Back Up Game Boy Saves Before the Cell Dies
A dying Game Boy battery doesn't always kill the save first — but the moment you touch that soldering iron, the save is on borrowed time. Here's how to clone it to safety before anything else.
Retro Rachel
16 Jun 2026
6 min read
Hardware History
Why the Game Boy's Screen Was Right About Everything
It's been called an embarrassment for 37 years. The kids in the schoolyard knew better — and so did Nintendo. Here's why the green screen was right.
Retro Rachel
16 Jun 2026
7 min read
Hardware History
How Pokémon Red and Blue Made the Game Boy Indispensable
In 1996, two tiny Game Boy Color games turned a console the rest of the industry was ready to retire into the most important handheld ever made. Here's why Pokémon Red and Blue still matter.
Retro Rachel
15 Jun 2026
9 min read
Hardware History
Nintendo DS Launch: How Touching Is Good Changed Handhelds
A strange double-hinged device with two screens, a touchscreen, and a microphone launched in 2004 to polite applause and a 154-million-unit run. Here's what actually happened.
Pixel Pete
8 Jun 2026
10 min read
Collecting Tips
Region Locked: A Collector's Guide to Importing Nintendo
Some Nintendo handhelds are open to any region. Some are locked tight. Here's the actual current state, console by console, plus a step-by-step import workflow for collectors who want the global library.
Retro Rachel
1 Jun 2026
12 min read
Game Reviews
Top 10 DS Games
A decade later, these Nintendo DS titles remain as captivating as ever. Discover our top ten must-play DS games for retro handheld collectors and new fans.
Retro Rachel
3 Mar 2025
12 min
Collecting Tips
Collecting Guide: Game Boy Pocket Editions
A complete guide to the special Game Boy Pocket editions every collector should know about, including rare variants, limited colors, and retro buying tips.
Handheld Hunter
6 Feb 2025
10 min