Super Game Boy: Official Nintendo System Palettes

The Super Game Boy is a game accessory that plays original monochrome Game Boy games as well as black Game Boy Color games using the SNES console as an input interface with audio and video output display to the TV. The focal point was allowing players finally being able to play Game Boy games on a more accessible bigger screen, as well as having the ability to assign all 4 of the monochrome palettes to a 15-BIT value.

Games could also be developed to take advantage of the additional functions of the SNES, though they were almost completely wasted in games. Most developers just opted to throw up a border and palettes that were often incomplete and weren’t very good, as well as often locking out the player from changing palettes and or controller settings. Games could allow up to 4 players to play limited modes by plugging in a SNES Multitap accessory allowing Bomberman deathmatches, Street Fighter 2 tournaments and even the more obscure turn-based board games would be setup to work without passing a single controller to other players.

A small number of games offered alternate soundtracks using the SGB sound driver, games even uploaded their custom own sound samples and that was much less common. Only one game, Space Invaders actually uploaded an early version of the game running in the SGB’s RAM. The ability to write custom hooks in both RAM and ROM were also possible though never actually used in any meaningful way.

All official Nintendo system palettes spanning their various emulators, demo units and Game Boy handheld models and revisions are included in this modification of the Super Game Boy / 2 palette selection.

The idea is to port all of the official palettes that Nintendo used in their official Game Boy hardware and emulators as accurately as possible within the limitations of 15-BIT RGB.

Palettes for games that were assigned to them were not changed because it would break consistency and compatability with the games. Games affected are Super Mario Land, Tetris, etc.

This patch does not specifically focus towards the Game Boy Color palettes because all settings are not possible due to the fact that the SGB cannot disaply OBJ assigned palettes that is possible with the GBC. One GBC palette is included because there was space for only one additional palette; the GBC Reverse palette was chosen because the SGB includes a single dark or night palette and adding a second setting was perfect.

A Virtual Boy palette was also included because there was only one more palette and it seemed appropriate since only three shades of red and one black was possible for the final palette setting.

A list of palettes that have been ported and implemented are included in the readme file; additional palettes listede were not included in this set because of the limited number of palette slots available (32).

All official Nintendo system palettes spanning their various emulators, demo units and Game Boy handheld models and revisions are included in this modification of the Super Game Boy / 2 palette selection.

The idea is to port all of the official palettes that Nintendo used in their official Game Boy hardware and emulators as accurately as possible within the limitations of 15-BIT RGB.

Palettes for games that were assigned to them were not changed because it would break consistency and compatability with the games. Games affected are Super Mario Land, Tetris, etc.

This patch does not specifically focus towards the Game Boy Color palettes because all settings are not possible due to the fact that the SGB cannot disaply OBJ assigned palettes that is possible with the GBC. One GBC palette is included because there was space for only one additional palette; the GBC Reverse palette was chosen because the SGB includes a single dark or night palette and adding a second setting was perfect.

A Virtual Boy palette was also included because there was only one more palette and it seemed appropriate since only three shades of red and one black was possible for the final palette setting.


Here is a list of palettes I have ported and implemented; additional palettes listede were not included in this set because of the limited number of palette slots available (32).

Modified palette settings include:
1H - Game Boy Color Reverse
2B - Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2 GB Tower Unused Palette for GB games that do not support SGB palettes
2E - DMG Original true Game Boy
2H - GBP Game Boy true Pocket
4B - MGB Game Boy true Light (on; turning off the backlight is identical to a GBP screen)
4C - Famicom Wide Boy / Demo Boy / Demo Boy 2 / Unofficial NES Retrovision Default
4E - Famicom Wide Boy 3
4H - Virtual Boy

ROM notes: Replace 8 with 0 for use with bsnes / higan.

SGB Palette A1
828000??
828001??
828002??
828004??
828005??
828006??
828007??
828008??

Set SGB Palette A1 to true DMG palette

https://twitter.com/nensondubois_/status/160865740245870182582800035

8280010F
8280028C
8280030E
828004C8
82800521
82800623
82800725


Set SGB Palette H2 to GBP Game Boy Pocket (revision 1)
8280785A
8280796B
82807A14
82807B42
82807C10
82807D21
82807E88
82807F0C

Set SGB Palette H2 to GBP Game Boy Pocket (revision 2; most accurate)
8280787C
8280795B
82807AB6
82807B3E
82807CB0
82807D21
82807E0A
82807F15

Set SGB Palette H4 to MGB Game Boy Light (on)
8280F8C0
8280F942
8280FA60
8280FB3A
8280FCA0
8280FD25
8280FE20
8280FF1D

Set SGB Palette H1 to GBC-reverse
82803800
82803900
82803A00
82803B42
82803C7F
82803D03
82803EFF
82803F7F

Set SGB Palette C4 to Virtual Boy
8280D000
8280D100
8280D210
8280D300
8280D416
8280D500
8280D61F
8280D700

Set SGB Palette B4 to White Red Brown black
8280C8FF
8280C97F
8280CA1F
8280CB00
8280CC08
8280CD01
8280CE00
8280CF00

Set SGB Palette B2 to custom palette (white yellow red black)
828048FF
8280497F
82804AFF
82804B03
82804C1F
82804D00
82804E00
82804F00

Set SGB Palette B2 to custom palette
828048
828049
82804A
82804B
82804C
82804D
82804E
82804F

Set SGB Palette E2 to custom palette (white light blue dark blue black)
828060FF
8280617F
8280628A
8280637E
82806400
8280657C
82806600
82806700

Set SGB Palette E4 to custom palette (light blue, green, red, black)
8280C8EE
8280C97F
8280CAA0
8280CB13
8280CC5F
8280CD00
8280CE00
8280CF00

Set SGB Palette H2 to GBP Game Boy Pocket (Revision 1)
8280785A
8280796B
82807A14
82807B42
82807C10
82807D21
82807E88
82807F0C

Set SGB Palette H2 to GBP Game Boy Pocket; most accurate (Your contrast potentiometer may beg to differ. I don't actually own a Game Boy Pocket unit to verify-this was done by memory from 22 years ago.)
8280787B
82807953
82807AD6
82807B3E
82807C11
82807D22
82807E6C
82807F15

Revision 3 (FINAL) (Higher contrast potentiometer wheel tuned slighly up)
82807878
8280795B
82807A11
82807B43
82807C6A
82807D26
82807EC9
82807F1D

Set SGB Palette H4 to MGB Game Boy Light (on)
8280F8C0
8280F942
8280FA60
8280FB3A
8280FCA0
8280FD25
8280FE20
8280FF1D


Set SGB Palette H1 to GBC-reverse
82803800
82803900
82803A00
82803B42
82803C7F
82803D03
82803EFF
82803F7F

Set SGB Palette B4 to White Red Brown black
8280C8FF
8280C97F
8280CA1F
8280CB00
8280CC08
8280CD01
8280CE00
8280CF00

Set SGB Palette E4 to custom palette (light blue, green, red, black)
8280C8EE
8280C97F
8280CAA0
8280CB13
8280CC5F
8280CD00
8280CE00
8280CF00

Set SGB Palette B2 with Game Boy Color Orange
828048FF
8280497F
82804AFF
82804B03
82804C1F
82804D00
82804E00
82804F00


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Database match: Super Game Boy (Japan, USA)
Database: No-Intro: Super Nintendo Entertainment System (v. 20210222-050638)
File/ROM SHA-1: 6ED55C4368333B57F6A2F8BBD70CCD87ED48058E
File/ROM CRC32: 2E35EDBB