Original Game Boy gets the Advance treatment courtesy of retro-loving modder

The original Game Boy will forever hold a special place in our hearts, but spend a few minutes squinting at an original model and you'll quickly realize that even nostalgia can't make up for that horrible green screen. That's been banished in this custom version, courtesy of modder CRTdrone, which features GBA SP internals housed in an original GB chassis. This gives it compatibility with Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and of course GBA games, along with a rechargeable battery and even working shoulder buttons inserted into the sides. All we have to go on at the moment is this picture plus a few comments from the man himself, but CRTdrone is promising full details of the mod are to come, which entails "just removing parts and re-wiring basically." They always make it sound so simple.

[garfieldfriends Posted Apr 21st 2010 8:20AM]

Brings back so many memories!!! I still have the original gameboy but it doesnt work anymore... :(

[werty1432k Posted Apr 21st 2010 10:56AM]

@garfieldfriends yeah I have the original as well and it worked for a bit but doesn't now. I still have 2 game boy colours though and they work!

[LiQuiDFuSioN Posted Apr 21st 2010 12:12PM]

This is how the Gameboy should have been released in '89! Full color illuminated screen that's nice and sharp. That would have definitely blown a lot of minds.

Oops, I'm thinking out loud again. :-/

[JiMMaR Posted Apr 21st 2010 3:27PM]

@garfieldfriends still have it and it still works XD
and I still got my GBA SP , workin too

[Extinction Posted Apr 21st 2010 8:59PM]

@LiQuiDFuSioN "This is how the Gameboy should have been released in '89! Full color illuminated screen that's nice and sharp. That would have definitely blown a lot of minds."

It would have cost more than a house

[septentriones Posted Apr 22nd 2010 5:38PM]

@garfieldfriends Same here, I think I have to try and put my beat up but still working game-boy color in my broken game-boy original, maybe with extra batteries or something.

[Vance Posted Apr 21st 2010 8:22AM]

I must have one of those.

[AppleDrank Posted Apr 21st 2010 8:37AM]

@Vance

THen go make it yourself you lazy arse..

its not like the parts are not readily available...

sheet I have a gameboy in a crap box (the place where I store crap)

Whats the point though... iPhones run all games now if you legaly own the game and ie the ROM...

All I want on my iPhone is Haunted Castle (castlevania)... I hope old coin-op peeeps cash in on the iMadness..

[Rohan Posted Apr 21st 2010 8:53AM]

@AppleDrank Did he say he was too lazy to build one?

Leave the man be; and ask yourself why LPs are still popular when MP3s are by far easier to play.

[DiGiC Posted Apr 21st 2010 8:56AM]

@AppleDrank Chillllllllllllllllllllllllll mate

[zeroinfinity2 Posted Apr 21st 2010 8:58AM]

@AppleDrank
Nostalgia, maybe?
There is a world of gadgets and the like outside of the Apple store,you know.

[harrykim23 Posted Apr 21st 2010 9:30AM]

@AppleDrank
Besides, maybe the man wants buttons - you know about tactile feedback, right?

[weeman Posted Apr 21st 2010 10:35AM]

@AppleDrank

Feel the hate!

[John Doe Posted Apr 21st 2010 5:36PM]

@AppleDrank If you expand a post that is voted into oblivion and continue to downrank it will someone show up to the user's house and punch them in the nose?

[MVMNT Posted Apr 21st 2010 8:25AM]

All that effort and they couldnt mod the original grey fascia to suit?well....

[zeroinfinity2 Posted Apr 21st 2010 8:27AM]

As long as the battery life is better than the original, I'd get one.

[TareG Posted Apr 21st 2010 8:29AM]

That is actually a mod Nintendo should have done years ago.

[B3astofthe3ast Posted Apr 21st 2010 8:35AM]

Shoulder buttons???

[sshole Posted Apr 21st 2010 9:21AM]

@B3astofthe3ast Their on the back (Source: comments on the flkr page).

:)

[tomte Posted Apr 21st 2010 8:39AM]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy
It's his 21st Birthday today!

[MowDownJoe Posted Apr 21st 2010 9:24AM]

@tomte Call him Game MAN now!
Seriously, time for the big gray brick to start drinkin'!

[John Doe Posted Apr 21st 2010 5:20PM]

@tomte *nods* Gotcha covered.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RpwwZa0mUwCtOeqWS_Tvpg?feat=directlink

[Mike Vick Posted Apr 21st 2010 8:46AM]

This thing is tight!!! Im loving this

[in5ane Posted Apr 21st 2010 8:48AM]

In a week where the new iphone was outed, I can still say this is the best thing I've seen all month!

I'd love to have a go at making one, but it would be better if Nintendo released something similar under the guise of an anniversary model.

[DiGiC Posted Apr 21st 2010 8:57AM]

Wow, its like he stole my dreams and made it a reality! Gotta look into making one of these tings!

[bhunterr Posted Apr 21st 2010 9:10AM]

What about the shoulder buttons?

[Ethan Posted Apr 21st 2010 9:11AM]

Putting a ten year old console into a twenty year old one? Must really love those diagonal menu buttons.

[infinityPlusOne Posted Apr 21st 2010 9:11AM]

I remember being one of the very first kids in my city to have a Gameboy. I got one as a gift when I was traveling in Japan and returned to Canada where it hadn't even been released yet and wouldn't be for another few months.

I remember protecting that thing with my life when I brought it to school for show and tell. My friends were quite jealous.

[phobic99 Posted Apr 21st 2010 9:22AM]

I still remember the day I left my Gameboy on top of my dad's car only to realize 5 minutes later that it probably ended up on the side of I-35 in Dallas.

I still miss it. :(

[n2whyteguyz Posted Apr 21st 2010 9:32AM]

Where'd he get such a pristine chassis?

[Mtmrob Posted Apr 21st 2010 9:36AM]

Kinda wish I still had my sega game gear. 6 double AA batteries and thing still died fast. Good times

[rpkone26 Posted Apr 21st 2010 10:18AM]

I miss my Brick -.-* shouldn't have given it to my cousin.

[weeman Posted Apr 21st 2010 10:37AM]

I just turned my GB on, after reading this article. Pokemon Red still works.

[Neosubu Posted Apr 21st 2010 10:38AM]

This is such an epic mod.. It's one of those things you wonder why its never been done before.

Awesome.

[stridermt2k Posted Apr 21st 2010 10:40AM]

That thing is just jam-packed full of AWESOME!

[01 Posted Apr 21st 2010 10:46AM]

"just removing parts and re-wiring basically."

That's the same, tired shit that Ben Heck does. Come on modders, get original for once!

[atc9000 Posted Apr 21st 2010 11:16AM]

I Stilk have the first version if the gameboy but the clear one, Still have a gameboy color too.
but I did love the atari lynx version 2 and turbo sub on linkup. And really liked APB...goid times, when petrol was 45p per litre or there abouts lol

[tacovsgrilledcheese Posted Apr 21st 2010 11:21AM]

Bought one of these for £3 at GameStation. Has multiple lines of dead pixels and a screen cover that fell off (I fixed it using my school's DT supplies). It can't run Crysis but it CAN run Pokemon blue!

[Springdaddy Posted Apr 21st 2010 11:30AM]

Man, I remember my GB. This thing is so tight; I only wish I knew how to mod shit. Oh well...

[xdeiri Posted Apr 21st 2010 12:13PM]

best days

[TheMike Posted Apr 21st 2010 2:29PM]

That is a really really darn good job.

[John Doe Posted Apr 21st 2010 4:56PM]

Bing back the Game Boy damn it! Enough of this DS crap! Oh O like my DS enough. But I miss the game boy name.

[John Doe Posted Apr 21st 2010 5:21PM]

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RpwwZa0mUwCtOeqWS_Tvpg?feat=directlink

PARTY TIME.

[thedsm Posted Apr 21st 2010 5:53PM]

Virtual Boy buttons? Nice!

[thedsm Posted Apr 23rd 2010 12:26AM]

@thedsm

totally nes buttons, my bad.

[ProjectXero Posted Apr 21st 2010 7:04PM]

I need to go do this. Right now.

[krandall23 Posted Apr 21st 2010 8:06PM]

looks cool wish I could get one ..

[Blueberry Posted Apr 23rd 2010 5:19AM]

Good memories, got mine jacked when i was younger...
still bulky as ever

[SoulinEther Posted Apr 27th 2010 9:59AM]

What, did nobody else love Harmony of Dissonance despite its confusing two castle system that didn't make sense until the very end of the game? It wasn't a sad aria and it sure as hell wasn't the Castletroid swan song...

While I like the aesthetics, I still prefer the micro in terms of practicality. Which is totally not what people make these mods for.