The Game Boy is a fourth-generation handheld console designed to play proprietary videogame cartridges. The successor to the popular Game & Watch, The Game Boy and Game Boy Color sold twice as many units, further helping to popularize handheld gaming. The Game Boy features a monochrome display, four face buttons, a D-pad, and a contrast control knob. It also allowed users to link a Game Boy to a proprietary printer or another Game Boy via a proprietary cable. The Game Boy Pocket, a smaller version with a slightly larger, black-and-white screen, was released in 1996. The Game Boy Color, which was almost completely backwards-compatible, was released November 18, 1998 and featured a color screen and more robust processor.