The original Pokémon Red and Green games were released for the Nintendo Game Boy.
Nintendo launched the Game Boy in 1989, and its monochrome handheld screen, cartridge format, and Game Link Cable made it an ideal home for Pokémon. The cable allowed players to trade creatures and battle one another, turning the games’ collection idea into a social activity between separate consoles.
The games were designed for the original Game Boy, although they could also be played on later systems with backward compatibility, including the Game Boy Color. This sometimes causes confusion because Pokémon became strongly associated with the Game Boy Color during its international boom. However, the first Japanese releases did not require the color-capable model. Their success helped extend the commercial life of Nintendo’s handheld platform.