Tag Archives: game boy color
Pixel Vision Retro Portable Game System: Game Boy Advance SR
A few months ago we checked out Love Hultén’s PE358, a retro handheld inspired by the Game Boy Advance SP. It seems like that got a lot of people’s attention, because Love is now offering the Pixel Vision, a limited edition production version of the PE358.
Unlike the PE358, the Pixel Vision hides the display cable and has a speaker grill. Inside the walnut case is a Raspberry Pi A+ running RetroArch, a custom made DAC chip, an 8GB flash drive for storage and a 3.5″ LCD display. Love used software to add barrel distortion and a soft shader to the video output, making it look like it’s coming from a CRT monitor.
The Pixel Vision can play games from the Atari 800, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, NES, SNES, Sega Master System, Intellivision, Sega Genesis, SNES and Game Boy Advance. That said, it doesn’t have X,Y, L and R buttons.
Pledge at least ~$460 (USD) on Kickstarter to receive one of only 500 Pixel Vision units as a reward. You can also pledge ~$800 to get one of only 20 Pixel Vision Pearl units, which have a matte black panels, solid brass buttons and d-pad and an inlay on the lid made from Mother of pearl veneer.
They’re extremely expensive, but I think the video above shows how much work Love puts in to make just one of these systems.
Provenance Retro Video Game Emulator for Apple TV: The Past of Television is Here
Here’s the funny thing about video games. It gets harder to get a hold of games from 5 to 10 years ago, but it becomes easier to play games from 30 years ago. Aside from their original consoles, you can play 8-bit and 16-bit games on your computer, mobile device or on your own DIY console. And now we can add the new Apple TV to that ever growing list.
iDownloadBlog‘s video below shows you how to install Provenance, an open source multi-system emulator, on Apple’s new media streaming device. Unfortunately it’s a tedious process. In order to pull it off you need a Mac, a USB-C to USB-A cable, a copy of Xcode and an Apple developer account. Thank goodness for retro consoles eh?
Meanwhile I’m just sitting here praying for Radiant Historia to come to the Nintendo eShop.
[via iDownloadBlog via IBTimes]
Retro Freak Multi Cartridge Console Also Rips Games: Emulator’s Wet Dream
Game backup devices and hardware mods let you extract the data from video game cartridges into playable ROMs, but most of them require deep technical knowledge and are each compatible with only a few – if not just one – consoles. Cyber Gadget may change all that with its upcoming Retro Freak console.
For starters, Retro Freak is a hardware emulator, similar to the Hyperkin systems and other retro consoles. It will let you play cartridges from a variety of old systems, namely the Famicom, Super Famicom, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 and PC Engine SuperGrafx. It also has an HDMI output and supports 720p upscaling, instant saving and cheat codes for certain games.
The console will come with an SNES-style controller, but it will also work with both modern gamepads such as the DualShock 3 and DualShock 4. You’ll also be able to connect classic controllers to the unit, but you’ll need USB adapters for those gamepads.
But what sets it apart from its competitors is the aforementioned ability to make playable software copies of those supported cartridges and save them into its internal memory, and from what I understand this will be a relatively easy process.
Now I might be wrong because I’m only working off of Google Translate here, but it seems the Retro Freak’s internal storage has a small capacity so you’ll need micoSD cards for extra storage if you want to rip a lot of games. That’s supported by Cyber Gadget’s statement that the console has an anti-piracy measure, wherein the ripped copies will only work on the Retro Freak unit that was used to rip them. In other words – probably, in theory – you may be able to save the ripped ROMs elsewhere, but you’ll only be able to play them on one Retro Freak console.
Cyber Gadget hasn’t mentioned a price or release date for the Retro Freak, but if this is legit this is going to be one of the most useful – and controversial – pieces of video game hardware ever made.
[via RetroCollect]
Hyperkin Smart Boy Concept Adds Game Boy Cartridge Slot and Controls to the iPhone 6 Plus
Retro console maker Hyperkin pulled a ThinkGeek this past April Fools, using the day as a risk-free consumer survey. The company released a “fake” press statement about a concept called the Smart Boy, an add-on for the iPhone 6 Plus that adds a Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridge slot and physical controls. Unsurprisingly, it was met with lots of approval, so Hyperkin “decided” to make it a real product.
Meet the Smart Boy, an upcoming Game Boy-compatible device for the iPhone 6 Plus (with more compatible smartphones to…
Posted by Hyperkin on Tuesday, March 31, 2015
A lot of you were speculating that the Smart Boy is an April Fools’ Joke. Well, it sort of was. We “leaked” it with the…
Posted by Hyperkin on Wednesday, April 1, 2015
The flip side of this coy ploy is that it’s risky as well. It’s easy for us to say we’ll buy something or that we want a concept product to be real, but actually following through on the hype is another matter. Then there’s the product’s incredibly small niche. As it is, the Smart Boy only with the iPhone 6 Plus and only on Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. The concept looks cool and all, but I think Hyperkin might be better off just making a Raspberry Pi retro console.
[via TechEBlog]
My Retro Game Box Sends You Classic Video Games Every Month: For Casual Collectors
While some geeky gift box subscriptions offer merchandise related to your favorite games, the new UK-based My Retro Game Box actually sends video games, albeit used ones from classic systems.
For about $35 (USD) you’ll get one to three used games from cartridge-based consoles every month. Fortunately you can tell the company what games you already have and what your preferences are to ensure that your mystery package will always be a good surprise.
My Retro Game Box currently delivers games for the NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Sega Master System and the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It will occasionally send stickers and other small trinkets as well. Here’s YouTuber Odd pod’s mystery box last month:
Sadly My Retro Game Box isn’t accepting new subscribers as of this writing. Leave your email on its store page so you’ll be notified when they can accommodate more subscriptions.
[via ThisIsWhyImBroke]
Pascali Raspberry Pi Portable Retro Console: Ghosts of Consoles Past
We’ve featured several DIY classic console emulators based on the Raspberry Pi. If you’d rather buy than build one, keep an eye on Rose Colored Gaming’s Facebook page. The console modding shop will soon release a Raspberry Pi handheld system, with a case based on the original Game Boy.
Speaking with commenters, Rose Colored Gaming says the Pascal will have a colored screen and will have optional customization options, including different case colors and laser etching.
Rose Colored Gaming is shooting for a late February release, with the base price between $200 to $300 (USD). Keep an eye on its website or Facebook page for updates.
[via GoNintendo]
Game Boy Color Costume Actually Plays Game Boy Advance Games: Tricky Treat
Back in 2009 we saw a dude who went as a playable Game Boy for Halloween. This year YouTuber MikeHandidate went as an updated version: a Game Boy Color. Perhaps realizing how awkward it would be to have the handheld’s buttons on his body, he chose to place the controls on his hands. Oh wait.
Even though it’s not very polished in terms of appearance, I’m still impressed with Mike’s costume. But eagle-eyed Nintendo fans will dock him a few points, and not because it looks like a fifth grader cut and pasted most of his costume. It’s because he chose to run a Game Boy Advance game – I think it’s Pokémon FireRed/LeafGreen – on his costume. Mike said it’s because the screen on his costume has a 16:10 aspect ratio, so he thought a Game Boy Advance game would look better on it compared to a stretched out Game Boy Color game.
Now that’s a handheld game console.
[via Say OMG]
Verso Game Boy Pillows: Now You’re Sleeping with Nostalgia
We’ve seen a Game Boy pillow before, but these “GameKid” pillows by Brazilian shop Verso are soooo much cuter. They come in different colors and are even printed with different games on the back. Here’s the original dirty white model putting on his best Old Snake impression:
The pillows have a suede cover and polyester fiber filling. Check out the other GameKids in the gallery below:
Awwww. Ain’t that a bundle of childhood memories and lawsuits. You can order them from Verso’s online store for R$ 120 (~$56 USD) each. Super Verso Land not included.
Game Boy Color External Hard Drive: 8 Trillion Bit Handheld
The Game Boy Color can only store a few megabytes of data in its memory, but these carcasses of the handheld contain nothing but a 1TB hard drive. They can probably store all of the games that have ever been released for all of Nintendo’s handhelds and still have some room left for your homework.
Jason Roach sells these colorful external hard drives on his Etsy shop 8-Bit Memory. He usually fits them with a 1TB USB 3.0 Western Digital hard drive, but he says you can also ask for a 500GB drive. He can also look for other colors if you don’t want the ones he’s offering. If you want to go older school, then get the Game Boy hard drive. It also has a 1TB USB 3.0 hard drive. All of the hard drives are powered via USB so you won’t need an adapter for them.
Head to 8-Bit Memory on Etsy to order the drives. The Game Boy drive sells for $140 (USD), while the Game Boy Color drives go for $160 each. Jason is also selling a couple of slightly damaged Game Boy Color drives for $10 less.
[via GoNintendo]