Do you remember the retro days of classic games consoles? When Nintendo ruled the roost with their portable Game Boy console? What about the Game Boy Printer or Pocket Printer as it was known in Japan which they released to enhance things further?
There have been lots of developments in the world of technology and entertainment – including improvements to inkjet printers, games and music players – but without past models such as those mentioned above there would be no foundations on which to build this positive legacy.
Whatever the modern world might have in store for printers, games and electronics, here’s a look back at our past with a run-down of five Pocket Printer compatible games.
1. Pokémon Gold/Silver
Take on the persona of Ash Ketchum and do your best to follow the Pokémon mantra to “catch ‘em all”. Released in 2000, this was a later entry in the Game Boy Pokémon franchise and followed numerous popular titles – including the original red and blue versions released in the late 90s.
What you could print: print out copies of your Pokédex to hold individual data for all your Pokémon in your hands or use the Photo Studio to print snaps of your favourite Pokémon.
2. Alice in Wonderland
Also released in 2000, Alice in Wonderland was a fantastic game that really encapsulated the mood of this 
famous children’s story. The game was considered a great action-adventure for kids who loved Lewis Carroll’s famous creation.
What you could print: although the Game Boy Printer function had nothing to do with the actual gameplay for Alice in Wonderland, it was still a great addition. By entering the “Alice’s Art Gallery” mode you could collect and print collections of pictures of the story’s best characters.
3. Disney’s Tarzan
A popular title released in 1999, Disney’s Tarzan was a fantastic game which was based around the classic tale of a wild man falling for a British beauty.
What you could print: as with Alice in Wonderland, gameplay and printing functionality were not connected on this game. Instead, players could enter a “paint and print” mode which allowed them to make their own pictures with Tarzan-themed content before printing them out.
4. Perfect Dark
A first-person shooter with plenty of bite, Perfect Dark for the Game Boy Colour was released as a 
supplement to the main game of the same name released on the Nintendo-64.
What you could print: similar to Pokémon, gamers could print pictures and profile data for the characters in the game. The twist here was that you had to meet the characters in the game before your could print out their data.
5. Super Mario Bros Deluxe
Just one entry in the famous series, this game came with plenty of positive features and familiar characters. Super Mario games always tended to do well but this particular version came with plenty of Pocket Printer compatible features – making it even more worthy of your time.
What you could print: during play you could earn special pictures, awards and artwork to print our and also create your own banners and visual content for printing.
About the Pocket Printer
A thermal printer accessory which was released by top games manufacturer Nintendo in 1998, the Game Boy Printer stopped being manufactured early in 2003 – but not without making a splash in the industry.
Compatible with a number of late generation Game Boy and Game Boy Colour games, it was a revolutionary piece of kit for its time. Intended for use with the Game Boy Camera, it blurred many of the lines surrounding personal electronics and entertainment devices – a trend still witnessed in the industry today.
