The iconic hand-held console now has thousands of variations
Way back in time, in a year called 1989 some pretty cool things happened. Disney World opened to the public for the first time, the Berlin wall came down, serial killer Ted Bundy got the electric chair and The Simpsons aired the first episode. I was four, so my achievement for that year was probably something like making potty on my own.
1989 was also the year that the world’s most iconic handheld console launched, The Nintendo Game Boy. Over 200 million units sold and multiple iterations later the brand is still fondly remembered by young and old gamers alike. Nintendo, in their infinite wisdom allowed the name to die in 2004 when it was succeeded by the Nintendo DS line of handhelds.
Lately however, the little bundle of joy has been enjoying somewhat of a resurgence thanks to modders. There are literally thousands of variations out there in all the colours of the rainbow and then some. More skillful modders have constructed Game Boys with enhanced back light displays and lithium batteries for extra play time.
Some variations have been enhanced to run Game Boy Advance games and a special mod I’d love to get my hands on can run emulators, allowing the user to play classic N64 and even PlayStation One titles.
Despite the relative simplicity in modifying tech that is almost 30 years old it can be difficult to get into the hobby. There are plenty of tutorials available for budding modders but the lack of components available make it difficult to source all the required elements to create a kick ass Game Boy mod.
If you’re thinking of just buying one from a special build to order site, then you might be surprised to know that a custom-built model will run you up a bill of at least £200. If you have the patience to learn it’ll cost you less to build. In the meantime, you’ll have to content yourself with looking at Game Boy porn like these beauties.
Let us know in the comments if you’ve built a custom Game Boy. Planning to build or buy one? or just think they’re cool.
