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

[JVOSS | 1,762]

@samsamsamsmasmasma , the list you provide is that a deep dive on you games or a quick once over?

[samsamsamsmasmasma | 16]

Its a deep dive of my games and also all current ebay auctions. I was still thinking about going back through the sold listings, gameboy database, and a couple of other places to check for something different but haven't done that yet.

Edited November 21, 2020 by samsamsamsmasmasma

[JVOSS | 1,762]

47 minutes ago, samsamsamsmasmasma said:

Its a deep dive of my games and also all current ebay auctions. I was still thinking about going back through the sold listings, gameboy database, and a couple of other places to check for something different but haven't done that yet.

Ahh,  for me unless its in hand i don't count. its best to just count what is in hands ie @samsamsamsmasmasma, @JVOSS, @Splain, @RH and a few other before we go explore the "unverified" carts.

IMO this is how we end up with a list like @Mario_Friend1982 list of some thing? and @creepsthething mockups.

IMO the ones on ebay are not verified as "real" 

IMO as for GB DB that is the last place to verify. Pete has obscured the cart counts so fare left that it's not funny.  don't get me wrong his group has done a bang up job to get the DB up but He is just getting the list and not refining at all.

[samsamsamsmasmasma | 16]

3 minutes ago, JVOSS said:

Ahh,  for me unless its in hand i don't count. its best to just count what is in hands ie @samsamsamsmasmasma, @JVOSS, @Splain, @RH and a few other before we go explore the "unverified" carts.

IMO this is how we end up with a list like @Mario_Friend1982 list of some thing? and @creepsthething mockups.

IMO the ones on ebay are not verified as "real" 

IMO as for GB DB that is the last place to verify. Pete has obscured the cart counts so fare left that it's not funny.  don't get me wrong his group has done a bang up job to get the DB up but He is just getting the list and not refining at all.

The only one that I don't currently have in hand is the Dr. Mario variant which is on it's way and I can post a picture when it arrives. The variant was also accounted for on your list as well, so I am assuming you have this one in hand? If you'd like to post a "real" picture of it before than, you're free to do so.

It seems to be a bit paranoid to reject clear photographic evidence of something, but you do you I guess.

[JVOSS | 1,762]

2 minutes ago, samsamsamsmasmasma said:

It seems to be a bit paranoid to reject clear photographic evidence of something, but you do you I guess.

and injecting false info kills the community effort such as this. a photo is the least likely way to validate so you do you...

[samsamsamsmasmasma | 16]

9 minutes ago, JVOSS said:

and injecting false info kills the community effort such as this. a photo is the least likely way to validate so you do you...

You know.. you're right. I should send you my game collection so you can sign off on all of my checklists for me. That way I know for sure what is real. Thanks for being so generous.

[JVOSS | 1,762]

3 hours ago, samsamsamsmasmasma said:

You know.. you're right. I should send you my game collection so you can sign off on all of my checklists for me. That way I know for sure what is real. Thanks for being so generous.

stop being a smart ass!!!!!!

[samsamsamsmasmasma | 16]

3 hours ago, JVOSS said:

stop being a smart ass!!!!!!

 I mean I could see your point if it was something suspect like a variant that looked fake, or could make someone a lot of money, or didn't follow some kind of trend, or any number of reasons really.

But when there are multiple clear photographic examples of a variant for multiple games from multiple people that you have to be on some spectrum to even notice its existence, and there is a pretty clear production trend... you have to be able to use some kind of discretion.

Literally, the people that designed and implemented the logo change are probably the only other people that aren't on this forum and have read this thread that have ever cared.

I mean, you're free to use however strict of a guideline you want to keep track of your games and determine when you want to explore other aspects of your collection.. but like that's just your opinion, man

[JVOSS | 1,762]

48 minutes ago, samsamsamsmasmasma said:

I mean, you're free to use however strict of a guideline you want to keep track of your games and determine when you want to explore other aspects of your collection.. but like that's just your opinion, man

@samsamsamsmasmasma what your thoughts on the no dash tetris? or the blank tetris(new one yet to be talked about)

[samsamsamsmasmasma | 16]

12 hours ago, JVOSS said:

@samsamsamsmasmasma what your thoughts on the no dash tetris? or the blank tetris(new one yet to be talked about)

I think tetris is a pretty cool guy. Eh kills aleins and doesnt afraid of anything.

[Splain | 2,569]

On 11/21/2020 at 9:33 PM, JVOSS said:

@samsamsamsmasmasma what your thoughts on the no dash tetris? or the blank tetris(new one yet to be talked about)

Ok fine. Talk about the blank Tetris.

[samsamsamsmasmasma | 16]

Submitting to @JVOSS for request to accept gameboy cartridge into reality. As you can see the game is now in hand.

Anyone find any other 2 player logo variants?

 

Edited November 24, 2020 by samsamsamsmasmasma

[JVOSS | 1,762]

15 minutes ago, Splain said:

Ok fine. Talk about the blank Tetris.

will if watch the video for the Game Boy introduction you will see the tetris that is placed into the gameboy has no "catalog code"  making this a blank USA game cart for tetris. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TI64McyYF4

[creepsthething | 9]

Just found out that there's 2 specific versions of the 1st Players Choice rerelease of Donkey Kong Land 2 (DMG-ADDE-USA-1).

if your copy of DMG-ADDE-USA-1 uses a DMG-DECN-10 PCB (used from 1997 through 1998), then it's from 1998.

BUT, if your copy of DMG-ADDE-USA-1 uses the DMG-DECN-20 PCB, then it's from early to mid-1999. (This was the case for my copy of DMG-ADDE-USA-1, bearing a ROM chipcode of 9934.)

The second revision of the game (DMG-ADDE-USA-2) ALWAYS uses a DMG-DECN-20 PCB, no matter what.

[RH | 4,903]

11 hours ago, JVOSS said:

will if watch the video for the Game Boy introduction you will see the tetris that is placed into the gameboy has no "catalog code"  making this a blank USA game cart for tetris. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TI64McyYF4

Yes there is, but a blurry VHS rip doesn't show it well.  Watch that portion of the vid frame-by-frame.

EDIT

This could be a no-dash copy.  My guess has been that the ones with no dashes isn't a typo error but rather an error in setting the kerning on the font.  The hyphens were to low of a width and didn't print, though they were in the text.  IMHO, those no-dashes look like the text is weak to begin with, so in a video like this where it's fast and there's motion blur, it looks like the code isn't present.  But... it was.

Edited November 24, 2020 by RH

[RH | 4,903]

Another note on the Tetris in that commercial.  The cartridge on the final shot does look like it might not have any serial code, but I don't think that's the case.  I think it just appears to not be present due to the lighting and low video quality.  If you look very, very closely, you can see a faint shadow/darker area but it's not 100% sure.  I think the serial just disappeared do to the setting and not because it's a special blank cartridge.

[acidjaguar | 258]

Everytime I come back to this thread I be like .... 

 

You all are getting crazy up in here. 

[JVOSS | 1,762]

 

1 hour ago, RH said:

Another note on the Tetris in that commercial.  The cartridge on the final shot does look like it might not have any serial code, but I don't think that's the case.  I think it just appears to not be present due to the lighting and low video quality.  If you look very, very closely, you can see a faint shadow/darker area but it's not 100% sure.  I think the serial just disappeared do to the setting and not because it's a special blank cartridge.

That is way cool thanks @RH,  for debunking this one.

@RH, Thoughts on the Brazilian catalog coded / "serial code" USA Carts?  just looking to see if they fit in a sub category of the USA carts or sub category of Brazilian carts.

[JVOSS | 1,762]

1 hour ago, RH said:

Yes there is, but a blurry VHS rip doesn't show it well.  Watch that portion of the vid frame-by-frame.

EDIT

This could be a no-dash copy.  My guess has been that the ones with no dashes isn't a typo error but rather an error in setting the kerning on the font.  The hyphens were to low of a width and didn't print, though they were in the text.  IMHO, those no-dashes look like the text is weak to begin with, so in a video like this where it's fast and there's motion blur, it looks like the code isn't present.  But... it was.

@RH, are you thinking of excluding the no-dash as a variant?

[RH | 4,903]

2 minutes ago, JVOSS said:

@RH, are you thinking of excluding the no-dash as a variant?

If it was just me, I probably would.  However, I think it was a manufacturing design flaw, and I think it's something they learned by when they saw the text was too light.

With that, I don't call it a "variant" per se, but more of an error, which I do catalog.

[JVOSS | 1,762]

1 minute ago, RH said:

If it was just me, I probably would.  However, I think it was a manufacturing design flaw, and I think it's something they learned by when they saw the text was too light.

With that, I don't call it a "variant" per se, but more of an error, which I do catalog.

so keep it on both tetris list and the variant list?

[RH | 4,903]

5 minutes ago, JVOSS said:

so keep it on both tetris list and the variant list?

Well, it's on my master list here.  Feel free to add it to a Tetris list if you want.  You can make that choice but keep in mind we really can make lists so specific that practically every single game copy is unique.  Maybe not literally, but it wouldn't surprise me if we could find markers and identifiers so specific that we could have variants for every single manufacturing lot.  Is it really worth cataloging details that specific? Not to me, personally.

This is why that even though I set with the goal of cataloging label variations, I excluded the pressed IDs.  I assume those digits are manufacturing line IDs, but I'm not sure.  That's just my guess from working in manufacturing and lot code IDs, and seeing the consistency with GB games, and other Nintendo cartridge games. Regardless, trying to track every print label variation PLUS the pressed ID increases the total amount of carts by a very large magnitude.

I do think it could be fun to track those IDs though, but I would consider that a separate list, especially since the pressed lDs on the cover can also delineate which ROM is on the cartridge.

I know I'm saying a lot about this research but, in my opinion, I think you have to start with a very intentional purpose when making these extremely nuanced lists.  What is the purpose?   What is your goal?  If you make it to broad, you'll end up having many, many spreadsheets and every game has 20-50 variations.  Holy cow! If you love that type of work and going into those details, be my guest.  I'd love to peruse those details and learn from your expertise but for me it's not THAT important.  I'd just like to get a copy of every game and specific label variation.

But, even that's not a perfect goal.  I personally ignore certain variations that come from, say, cases where printers might have had slightly-different shades of one of the CYMK colors causing two labels to look slightly different.  I also don't care if the font weight on the serials is slightly lighter or darker.  That's just minor variation in the manufacturing process, but the end result is the same.  However, we do see this one sole example of Tetris.  This is a case where there is manufacturing variation but it resulted in an error. Since the printing made an error, I count that as a notable error for the list.

That's my personal philosophy of what I'm concerned about.  Again, @JVOSS feel free to manage your lists, even the publicly shared ones, as you see fit.  I like working together with you, and everyone, on these fine details but at the same time, I think it makes sense to have a bit of unified focus on the purpose of this list on this thread.

[Splain | 2,569]

Sooo, these 2-line vs. 3-line prints... which ones came first? Which ones are originals and which are variants?

[JVOSS | 1,762]

this is just what i have found for the NA releases.

take note this is only showing on the 2 player games that have link capabilities.

3 lines (ie 2 player, Linked games) are first print runs.  if they did a second print run they "may have" update to the 2 line version. best example is tetris there are 3 (2 if are not counting the no dash version)  updates before a -1 version.

not all games were update to the 2 line version.  off course there are exceptions like the Nintendo Baseball it was never updated to the 2 lines (that i have found, not to say that did.)

Edited November 27, 2020 by JVOSS

[0xDEAFC0DE | 1,277]

I found a good condition BIN of the Link's Awakening -3 cart if anyone is interested. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/353297012200