game boy Work In Progress: Complete List of NA(US) Game Boy Cartridge Variants

[RH | 4,900]

@JVOSS One more thing.  There are few games that seem to have started production with a the rev "-1" version.  Space Invaders comes to mind.  I've never seen a "DMG-xxx-USA" version of Space Invaders.  "-1" is the first version and "-2" is the final one.  I have never heard of or seen any example of an initial revision, however, if the first version were to ever magically show up, I would add that to the list even though it would be the first release.  This is because it'd be an exceptionally rare variant and worth making note of.

[RH | 4,900]

7 hours ago, Splain said:

Got my Bill and Ted in the mail. Slightly different chip between the 2, but same chip number. In the 3rd pic you can see the stamped 05 on the error cart, and 22 on the non-error. These pics would be better if my error variant were in better condition; the one I just got is very clean. (and if the lighting were any good at all.) Might be worth finding an upgrade just for the sake of a good comparison picture.

Thanks for posting the photos, Splain.  I'll add them to the gallery above.

[0xDEAFC0DE | 1,277]

Sorry to drag up an old debate from NA, but I have new evidence. I recently found a "DMG TR USA" tetris (no dashes) on ebay. It just arrived today, so I compared it to my "DMG-TR-USA" with Made in Japan at the bottom. The printing actually seems pretty good (especially in comparison to the other no dash photos I've seen). But comparing the chips, I noticed something strange. The no dash's date code is later (42nd week of 1990 instead of the 11th week). I would have guessed the opposite was true. @Splain and @JVOSS I think both of you said you have no dash carts. Can you guys post what your date codes are? 

Also if anyone is curious, both are stamped with 23A.

[Splain | 2,561]

1 hour ago, 0xDEAFC0DE said:

Sorry to drag up an old debate from NA, but I have new evidence. I recently found a "DMG TR USA" tetris (no dashes) on ebay. It just arrived today, so I compared it to my "DMG-TR-USA" with Made in Japan at the bottom. The printing actually seems pretty good (especially in comparison to the other no dash photos I've seen). But comparing the chips, I noticed something strange. The no dash's date code is later (42nd week of 1990 instead of the 11th week). I would have guessed the opposite was true. @Splain and @JVOSS I think both of you said you have no dash carts. Can you guys post what your date codes are? 

Also if anyone is curious, both are stamped with 23A.

 

Hmm interesting. Soooo I looked through all of my dupes, checked every GB on my workbench, and I have 6 Tetris carts of this variant (MADE IN JAPAN on the bottom edge) counting the no-dash. This picture isn't great but you can at least see the dates. The no-dash is the bottom-left one. I can show pics of the cart labels if anyone wants proof.

The dates are 8932, 9003, 9019, 9024, 9032, and the no-dash is 9043, one week off yours, and the latest of the bunch. Interested to see what jvoss has, and if there's really something to the missing dashes.

[RH | 4,900]

I stand by what I mentioned and I think it's a bad print run.  That said, if you guys are finding enough with no dashes, I think it's worth counting it as common-enough error variant.  I'll add it to the list.

Using the old NA scale of 1-10, how hard was it for you guys to find your variants?

Edited December 6, 2019 by RH

[0xDEAFC0DE | 1,277]

47 minutes ago, RH said:

I stand by what I mentioned and I think it's a bad print run.  That said, if you guys are finding enough with no dashes, I think it's worth counting it as common-enough error variant.  I'll add it to the list.

Using the old NA scale of 1-10, how hard was it for you guys to find your variants?

I had only been looking for tetris variants for a week or so until I found one. Not sure if I was extremely lucky, or it is more common than we previously thought. I remember JVOSS saying in the other thread that they had only seen one or two in 10 years. 

[RH | 4,900]

29 minutes ago, 0xDEAFC0DE said:

I had only been looking for tetris variants for a week or so until I found one. Not sure if I was extremely lucky, or it is more common than we previously thought. I remember JVOSS saying in the other thread that they had only seen one or two in 10 years. 

Hmm, well, it's hard to make a call then.  He, you and Splain each have a copy so it sounds to me like it can't be that rare, unless you two managed to get really lucky.

[Hybrid | 424]

I know I've asked this before but 

The rescue of princess blobette is listed as an error what's the error

[RH | 4,900]

I’m not sure.  I may need to look that up or check my carts.  I’m not sure where those details came from and if NA list any of that type of info, it might have come from NA.

[RH | 4,900]

11 minutes ago, Hybrid said:

I know I've asked this before but 

The rescue of princess blobette is listed as an error what's the error

I’m not sure.  I may need to look that up or check my carts.  I’m not sure where those details came from and if NA list any of that type of info, it might have come from NA.

EDIT

I spotted it. The first version is missing the second dash in the serial number.  It’s the most common copy. Apparently there is a revised label, it is a properly formatted serial and has a -1 on the end. I don’t have the corrected copy, but when I searched eBay for samples, I remembered the error when I saw all of the carts.

Edited December 8, 2019 by RH

[RH | 4,900]

Here’s the only image I found on Google for the rev-1 copy.

 

[Hybrid | 424]

Ok thanks for the info 

[RH | 4,900]

Ok, I took the time to take side-by-side photos of my Castlevania carts.  Here they are, and I'll add them to the gallery shortly.

  

 

      

[Splain | 2,561]

Great pics, nice clean carts. Weird that the boards are different.

[RH | 4,900]

4 minutes ago, Splain said:

Great pics, nice clean carts. Weird that the boards are different.

Agree, but I think it's just an early GB cartridge.  I've never retained in my brain how to read the date codes.

[0xDEAFC0DE | 1,277]

1 hour ago, RH said:

Agree, but I think it's just an early GB cartridge.  I've never retained in my brain how to read the date codes.

Most of them are (Y)YWW, where (Y)Y is the last one or two digits of the year and WW is the week number of the year. For example the one on the far right is 9639 or the 39th week of 1996. The one on the far left I think might be something else, but I do think the leading 9 means 1989 (it might be the first week of the 10th month of 1989 but I'm not sure).

[Splain | 2,561]

Finally bagged this guy; been looking for this one for a long time.The label is a little crooked, but it's otherwise decently clean and I would have put up with a lot worse. I had a hard time even finding a picture of this variant online, so I jumped on the first one I saw for purchase.

[RH | 4,900]

9 hours ago, Splain said:

Finally bagged this guy; been looking for this one for a long time.The label is a little crooked, but it's otherwise decently clean and I would have put up with a lot worse. I had a hard time even finding a picture of this variant online, so I jumped on the first one I saw for purchase.

That looks better than my copy.  I'll also add the photo to the gallery.  If the other is near by, you care to take a side-by-side?

[Splain | 2,561]

5 hours ago, RH said:

That looks better than my copy.  I'll also add the photo to the gallery.  If the other is near by, you care to take a side-by-side?

Yeah, I can do that when I'm back in town.

[Splain | 2,561]

Ok, here's Side Pocket and my most recent pickup. I need a cleaner copy of rev-0 Blobette. The rev-1 isn't in great shape either but it's definitely the nicest one I've ever seen in person.

Edit: Wow, I should have at least run my fingernail across some of those ridges on Blobette. Gross.

 

Edited December 29, 2019 by Splain

[RH | 4,900]

I’m not sure if any of you guys are still looking for this one, but here’s another Rev-2 (Rated E) Super Mario Land 2 for auction.

It’s definitely ugly as can be, but the “Rated E”, and the serial are highly visible. This one took me a long time to get.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F233458806994

[Splain | 2,561]

Finally landed this bugger:

[RH | 4,900]

4 minutes ago, Splain said:

Finally landed this bugger:

Dang it, Splain!!! I’ve been searching for that one for over a year!

Where did you pick it up?

[Splain | 2,561]

38 minutes ago, RH said:

Dang it, Splain!!! I’ve been searching for that one for over a year!

Where did you pick it up?

Same, I've been looking ever since it came up on NA. I happened to see it on ebay while I was pumping gas. You can see it in the Sold listings. The description didn't specify that the item in the picture was the exact item, but I was so amazed that I decided to take my chances, rather than ask and wait. I figure if the seller wanted to use a stock photo, there's a million more accessible ones than a rev-2 photo. (but I've been burned using that logic before) If I see another one I'll tell you. There's still so many HTF variants I need...

[RH | 4,900]

Just now, Splain said:

Same, I've been looking ever since it came up on NA. I happened to see it on ebay while I was pumping gas. You can see it in the Sold listings. The description didn't specify that the item in the picture was the exact item, but I was so amazed that I decided to take my chances, rather than ask and wait. I figure if the seller wanted to use a stock photo, there's a million more accessible ones than a rev-2 photo. (but I've been burned using that logic before) If I see another one I'll tell you. There's still so many HTF variants I need...

Yeah, in the mean time I found it.   I had my saved eBay searches to tight because there are just so many SMLs coming up.  Ugh... Anyway, if you'd consider and if I find one in lesser condition, I might throw some cash your way to make a trade if you'd take a down-trade.  That's a nice copy!