I Built a Custom Game Boy Color Handheld and You Can Too – Android Police

It’s no secret that I love gaming handhelds. That’s why I’ve turned to covering Android games, and that’s why you’ll see more and more portable content on the site. I simply love portable games. But even I can admit that there is one major caveat that might keep people from jumping into traditional handhelds like I did: cost. Older equipment is becoming more and more expensive, as are games, which can deprive people of the hobby. Sure, the Analogue Pocket is probably the best way to experience old and new Game Boy games, but it’s rarely in stock and quite expensive. Enter FunnyPlaying, a staple of the Game Boy modding scene that recently developed its own Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) kit, and you can build one for less than $100.

And that’s what I did. I’ve created a Funny Playing FPGBC kit to play a host of new indie games developed for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color platforms, and I’m having a blast.

How it started

You have to build a kit, but it’s easy

The first thing I did was order a FunnyPlaying FPGBC kit, which is an FPGA that uses Game Boy Color replacement parts to mimic the original look. You can easily purchase one directly from FunnyPlaying, and it will be the cheapest option, but shipping will take time since the company is based in China. But like many popular Chinese products, resellers exist, and so, being the impatient person that I am, I ordered from an American store paying a markup, which seemed like a fair trade to get my most expensive kit. quickly possible.

Once the kit arrived, I started building, and the build is easy compared to modding the original Game Boy Color hardware. There are nine screws to contend with, three short and four long, the short screws securing the PCB to the front case and the longer screws holding the two case pieces together. You can also customize the FPGBC to your liking, as there are tons of custom buttons, membranes, and shells to choose from. I chose a basic version with a bit of style, so I opted for a black case, black aluminum buttons and black membranes, all to match the black border of FunnyPlaying’s screen.

The build took a few minutes, but it wasn’t time to play a game yet. I knew I needed to update the FPGBC firmware to get my flash cart working reliably (not all are supported load, so be sure to read what’s out there), so I dove into GitHub to grab the latest version. Once downloaded, I used my Windows PC to drag and drop the update bin file onto the FPGBC (it appears as a hard drive when you plug the USB C into a Windows PC), and soon, the kit was flashed with the latest software, and I was off to the races.

Why I use FPGBC

New games, baby!

If you can believe it, I primarily use FunnyPlaying’s FPGBC to play brand new indie games created specifically for the Game Boy. There are many others who love handhelds as much as I do, or probably more; they love them even more, and that’s why new Game Boy games have been popping up left and right. Over the past decade the developer scene has grown a lot, creating brand new Game Boy games for the market, and let me tell you, I’ve been busy collecting as many physical carts as possible. As much as I love playing these games on my Analogue Pocket, I wanted to play on something that felt more like the original hardware, and so FunnyPlaying fulfilled that need perfectly with its FGBC.

Everything is not perfect

But it sure is close enough

Now, I won’t pretend that the FunnyPlaying FGBC is perfect, because there are a few issues, like a speaker that’s way too loud even at the lowest volume and a game speed that never quite matches the original hardware, with some strange compatibility issues with classic games that may require tweaking kit settings to get things looking right. But overall, the experience is pretty grand when you consider the limited options when it comes to FPGA hardware emulation of the Game Boy and Game Boy Color devices. Especially at this price point, where you can easily create an FGBC for under $100.

There’s nothing wrong with a little gush

I’m a geek who likes to share my interests; there’s tons of fun to be had

Overall, I’m very happy with my FPGBC build, which is why I wanted to write this article, to share a new interest that has brought me a lot of joy over the past few days. So if you too love playing classic games or are looking to get into some new indie games made for the platform, the easiest and most affordable way to get the hardware capable of playing carts physical is FunnyPlaying’s FPGBC kit, and speaking from personal experience, the cost of entry is definitely worth it. Continue the game.