DIY Game Boy Pocket Using the Raspberry Pi

Fun & Games Raspberry Pi
DIY Game Boy Pocket Using the Raspberry Pi
Don’t be fooled, this isn’t an actual Game Boy but a Raspberry Pi-based Pocket Pi.
Don’t be fooled, this isn’t an actual Game Boy but a Raspberry Pi-based Pocket Pi.

The Game Boy Pocket hit the market back in 1996 and is still popular with fans of the handheld gaming system that they can still be bought today. Yeah, there’s nothing like gaming on a black and white screen, which was better than the pea-green screen of the original Game Boy. Those who are fans of the Pocket but would like to have a color screen and be able to play games from other systems should take a look at Travis Brown’s Pocket Pi.

All of these parts, including the RPi and modified button pad fit nicely inside the Game Boy case.
All of these parts, including the RPi and modified button pad fit nicely inside the Game Boy case.

Travis designed the Pocket Pi by removing the guts from an old Game Boy Pocket and replaced them with a Raspberry Pi SBC running Retro Pi to emulate Game Boy games. To get it to fit correctly, Travis had to modify the case a little bit in order to pack the Pi, 2.5-inch LCD screen, modified Game Boy game pad and battery pack, however it still looks good with all the electronics packed into the small area. The best part is that the Pocket Pi can play games from other platforms as well, including NES, Sega Master System and even Game Gear using the Retro Pi emulator.

PiGRRL Raspberry Pi Game Boy replica with 3D printed case looks suspiciously like the real thing.
PiGRRL Raspberry Pi Game Boy replica with 3D printed case looks suspiciously like the real thing.

Of course, this isn’t the first time someone has made a Raspberry Pi-based Game Boy replica as Make reported on a 3D printed Replica from Adafruit back in July of this year (make it so). In that case, the Game Boy clone made use of a Raspberry Pi, SNES controller and PiTFT mini kit to play emulated games. The kicker was that it could be had in several different colors using a customized 3D printed case. It just goes to show what Nintendo fans are capable of when they want to get their retro gaming on! A video showing the game selection and play can be viewed below. See more about this build through this link.

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