Released in September of 1998, the Game Boy Camera was actually deemed the world’s smallest digital camera by none other than the Guinness Book of World Records in its heyday. Created to be an official accessory of the then-revolutionary Nintendo Game Boy device, the camera was capable of capturing images with a resolution of, hold on to your hats ladies and gentlemen, 256×224 pixels.

Using the limited 4-color palette the Game Boy’s device offered, the approximately 50mm focal length captured some fun if now unimpressive images, thirty of which you were able to have saved at any given time. As digital cameras became smaller and more powerful though, the Game Boy Camera went from an incredible piece of technology to a novelty of the past.

But in the eyes of photographer David Friedman, it was a novelty whose characteristics made it perfect for creating a series of photographs in the Big Apple. Back in 2000, Friedman went around New York capturing the scenery and view that New York City had to offer, all on his handy little Game Boy Camera.

Professional shutterbug David Friedman offered his argument via his blog, Ironic Sans. According to Friedman, “Back in 2000, I was playing around with a Game Boy Camera, trying to use it to take color photos. […] When I first got the camera, I took a walk through midtown taking pictures. I just came across the images and thought I’d share them here for posterity (scaled up to 200% for visibility on our fancy modern displays).”

The images below present a New York at an earlier time. Gone are the iPod headphones, electronic train trackers, and most of Brooklyn’s current wave of residents, replaced instead with the oddly serene aura of greyscale, pixelation, and attached memories of one of Game Boy’s long lost (but still beloved) apps.
(via Vice)

More info on Ironic Sans’ website.