Game Boy is a line of handheld game consoles made by Nintendo.
The very first Game Boy came out back in 1989, and it’s still popular today among retro gaming and chiptune fans.
Even at launch, these handhelds were far from technically perfect. The screens have no backlight, for example, and playing on one today isn’t exactly comfortable. That’s why all sorts of mods exist now: better screens with backlight support, rechargeable batteries instead of disposable ones, improved sound.
In April 2019, I won my first Game Boy Pocket on an eBay auction and decided to mod it. It grew into a hobby from there.
A few of the Game Boys I’ve modded are below.
Game Boy & Cuphead
Had a print shop UV-print the main characters from Cuphead onto a new shell. The button colors are a nod to the Nintendo Switch. Swapped in a new lens, buttons, and membranes, and installed a bright LCD screen.
Game Boy & Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
A classic Game Boy DMG-01. Everything’s original except for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles print, also done at a print shop. The shell was whitened with hydrogen peroxide.
Game Boy & Mario
A Game Boy built to order for a friend. Printed a design on a new shell, installed a green backlight and a bivert chip for better contrast, and swapped in a new lens, buttons, and membranes.
Game Boy Color & The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
My very first attempt at UV printing on a shell. Also coated the whole shell in matte varnish so the print wouldn’t wear off. Swapped in a new lens and buttons, kept everything else original.
Game Boy Color
Built in the style of the classic Game Boy. Ordered a bright TFT screen from Germany, buttons from the UK, a shell from China, a speaker from the US, kept the original board from Japan, and had a custom print on the lens made in Russia.
Game Boy Advance
Similar to the Game Boy Color, built in the style of the Game Boy DMG-01. Shell and board are original, buttons and lens are custom. Fitted with a bright screen from the Game Boy Advance SP AGS-101.
