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Someone squeezed a Nintendo Wii into a Game Boy Color-like case
GingerOfMods used parts from various Nintendo consoles to make the Wiiboy Color work.
This guy attached a telephoto lens to his Game Boy Camera
Nintendo launched the wonderfully weird Game Boy Camera for its beloved handheld console in the late 1990s. It attached like a cartridge and allowed people to capture, edit and, if you had the companion hardware, print blocky images on thermal paper. These days, of course, the camera is out of production, but that hasn't stopped a small community from modifying and shooting with the tiny contraption. Designer Bastiaan Ekeler, for instance, has built a Canon lens adapter which supports a comically large (by comparison, anyway) telephoto lens. The result is a new, whimsical way of shooting landscapes and wildlife from afar.
'Wolfenstein 3D' ported to Game Boy Color on turbocharged cart
Yes, that's a Game Boy Color cartridge sporting the Wolfenstein 3D logo. It's not just cosmetic, because a modder named Anders Granlund has built a playable version of the classic FPS for the ancient handheld console. To give you an idea of the degree of difficulty, Granlund designed and built a custom ARM-powered board to power the graphics, and built it into the cartridge. The final result is playable on any Game Boy Color.
Add-on brings Game Boy cartridges to your Android phone
Hyperkin toyed with gamers last year when it teased a peripheral that would play real Game Boy cartridges on your phone, but it wasn't just kidding around -- it's making good on its word. The company is now taking pre-orders for a Smart Boy Development Kit that lets your Android smartphone play Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges. The $60 peripheral isn't meant for everyday use -- Hyperkin is hoping you'll improve the open source code yourself. Nonetheless, it's likely the closest you'll get to reviving your childhood short of dragging the original hardware out of storage. Just be ready to wait until December 1st to get yours... and while Hyperkin originally talked about an iPhone version, Apple handset users are out of luck so far. [Thanks, Kristy]
Hyperkin Retron 5 combines ten consoles into one on December 10 for $99 (updated)
We love what the Hyperkin Retron 5 brings to the table, namely compatibility with ten classic gaming system cartridges: NES, Famicom, Super NES and Famicom, Sega Master System, Genesis and Mega Drive, and Game Boy original, Color and Advance. The problem is, Hyperkin's played coy about it's price and availability... until now. It'll be available on December 10th, and it'll be on sale in both Europe (for €89.99) and in the US ($99.99). And, it turns out that the Retron 5 that'll go on sale will have a few more tricks up its sleeve than the prototype we played with back at E3. The exterior's been modified to better cool the internal components, and it'll pack a work with the Sega Power Base Converter that lets you play Sega's Master System games in the Genesis slot on top. So, now you can officially start carving out space in your entertainment center for the Retron 5 -- which shouldn't be difficult once you've cleared out all the elder consoles it replaces. Less is more, people. Update: We mistakenly wrote previously that the Retron 5 comes with a Power Base converter, in fact, you'll need to bring your own converter to the party.
Visual Boy Zune brings Game Boy emulation to Zune HD (video)
Once hacked, the Zune HD's rabid fanbase wasted no time in ensuring the device could play Doom. Now, the ZuneBoards want to give it Zelda, too. User BackAtIt has taken the wrappings off the first working emulator for Zune, which is currently capable of playing Game Boy and Game Boy Color ROMs, but little else -- though this "Visual Boy Zune" app is ported from the same VisualBoyAdvance code that's enabled handheld emulation since 2004, it's in early alpha with quite a bit of work left to do. A recent update enabled state save emulation and a ROM selector, but there's no audio output, let alone Game Boy Advance support; BackAtIt says he'll need to rewrite much of the codebase to take advantage of the Zune HD's Tegra architecture. Still, it's never too early for a proof of concept video, and you'll find two blurry ones after the break -- unless you'd rather try it out for yourself at the source link. [Thanks, MK1000]
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.
The Engadget Show: Inside chiptunes and 8-bit visuals
Greetings humans! If you've seen The Engadget Show, then you've been privy to some pretty incredible performances by a group of musicians and artists who eschew familiar instruments in exchange for hacked and modded handheld gaming devices. We grabbed our cameras and got a brief look at the history of the chiptunes movement, the difference between Game Boy music and music from Game Boys, and most importantly, how these artists and visualists make it all happen. Kick back and take a look at the segment (featuring the likes of Glomag, Paris, and Outpt) -- you'll be glad you did! Special guests: Glomag, Paris, and Outpt Produced and Directed by: Chad Mumm Executive Producer: Joshua Fruhlinger Edited by: Michael Slavens Opening titles by: Julien Nantiec Download the Show: The Engadget Show Segment - 005 (HD) / The Engadget Show Segment - 005 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted) Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.
VisualBoyAdvance turns your Palm Pre into a Game Boy emulator
A certain UK bank operates a delightfully dorky advertising campaign whose slogan is "we give you extra." Well, in the case of mobile software communities, that's exactly the case. From jailbroken iPhones to PS One-emulating HD2s to multitouch-enabled browsing on the Nexus One, the one group of people we know we can truly rely on are other geeks. So let's salute those heroes once more, in recognition of the VisualBoyAdvance -- a webOS-based emulator for Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance games. The former two categories are said to play smooth as you like, whereas the Advance stuff suffers from slight slowdown at present. We've only seen it playing on a Pre, but there should be no reason why your Pixi wouldn't be allowed in on this party. A quick video demo awaits after the break, and the source link has all the installation details you'll need.
Portable NES modded into a cartridge, hearts modded into love
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Portable_NES_modded_into_a_cartridge_hearts_modded_into_love'; We've seen NES mods that incorporate a screen and controls into a cartridge in the past, but this example from Airz in BenHeck's forums is just so clean and well-polished that we had to give it some love. Inside Airz says it's just a generic Chinese media player that can play NES, Gameboy, and Gameboy Color ROMs, along with the relevant controller bits, a 2.8-inch LCD, 4GB of storage, and a rechargeable battery. Oh, and if you're feeling particularly retro, you can hook it up over TV-out and play on the big screen. Not bad -- and it's for sale if you're as in love as we are. Video after the break.[Via 8bitfix; thanks, Gusto]
Gemei ups the PMP / gaming ante with the X760+
Finally we can toss out that old, boring Gemei X760 we've been fooling around with, and step up to some legitimate action. That's right, the X760+ is on the scene, and that + isn't just for show. The new iteration of the Chinese-made PMP / game playing device boasts 4GB of onboard storage, a 3-inch, WQVGA screen, a 400MHz CPU, FM tuner, and a TV output. The handheld is capable of playing MP3, WMA, APE, RM, MPEG, FLV, AVI, and VOB files (amongst others), but the main selling point here seems to be its built-in ability to emulate the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, as well as play "3D games." The price? 599 yuan (or about $87). Availability? Call an importer.[Thanks, Raz]
GBC cult classic 'Toki Tori' coming to Wii Ware
You could be forgiven for missing out on Toki Tori, a cute little Game Boy Color puzzle-platformer released in 2001, just as the Game Boy Advance was swallowing up everyone's portable gaming attention. You'd also be forgiven for missing last week's trailer announcing that the game is being revamped for Nintendo's Wii Ware service. We sure did!Despite the week-old trailer, Netherlands-based developer Two Tribes for some reason waited until today to issue a press release officially revealing the new game's "Dozens of Levels" and "New Wii Remote Controls." Strangely enough, now that the press release is out, the game's official web site seems to be down for maintenance and a project page about the game on the Two Tribes site is similarly inaccessible. Come on guys ... this is no time to shrink from attention. Get that cute little yellow face out there to the public! Gallery: Toki Tori
Fly Mobile intros the MC100, doesn't mind how many laws you break
We've seen a lot of phones float our way over the years, and some of them have had emulation capability, but it's rare when you see a mobile phone-maker actually advocating that you pirate ROMs for their device. Of course, that's exactly what Fly Mobile is doing when it comes to its MC100 handset. The phone has all kinds of regular features we're sure you'd be interested in, like a 240 x 320 display, AAC, MP3 and MPEG4 playback, a microSD slot, and that handsome, "noble" dark brown finish. It all sounds good, but we know there's only one set of qualities you'll be laying down cash for: the phone's ability to play SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and NES ROMs. Just remember, your favorites "can be freele [sic] downloaded frim [sic] Internet." $270 and it's yours.[Via Mobile Magazine]
A DS sequel to Shantae rests in our hands
Remember Shantae? WayForward certainly does -- the Contra 4 developer spent two years producing the delightful Game Boy Color platformer, only to see it die a death at retail, its chances cruelly crushed by the increasing obsolescence of its host platform, as well as the rise of the newly released Game Boy Advance. Boasting an engrossing mix of Metroid-style puzzles and neat visual tricks, the game was an unsung gem that emphatically failed to register on the gaming public's radar.A sequel was planned for the Advance, only for the project to be inexplicably shelved with the game 50% complete, but WayForward hasn't forgotten about the series entirely. With the all-conquering Contra 4 now out on store shelves and begging to be bought, the developer has posted a poll on its site, asking whether or not we'd be interested in purchasing a Shantae follow-up, and what platform we'd like it to appear on.Hence, we implore all of you to hit the link below and get your vote on. If you're still wavering about giving thirty seconds of your time to one of the best DS-related causes we've heard of in ages, go past the break for footage of the canned GBA title.Then go and get your vote on.
Singapore Airlines passengers get emulated GBC games
While riding the friendly skies with Singapore Airlines, one of the crew over at Siliconera found themselves in for a treat. Well, kind of. See, the airline offers emulated Game Boy Color games for use during your flight, to help you stab that foul beast called boredom directly in its disgusting, black heart. While a nice gesture, it turns out the emulation software has some issues.First of all, there are only two categories of play: Pokemon and Adventure. Also, the titles under the Adventure category suffer from choppy frame rates and overall sluggish play. As far as the Pokemon games go, there is no save feature, hardly making an effort to actually progress in the game a meaningless one. Other flights, however, featured different titles. Some flights featured The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Wario Land 3. Others even had Picross 2. All in all, seems like a good idea executed somewhat poorly.
Unreleased Game Boy Color RPG resurfaces
Planned for release in 2001, Affinix Software was ready to put the final touches on Infinity, a role playing title for the Game Boy Color. Unfortunately publishers were already looking ahead to the Game Boy Advance and all the pretty pictures it could display. Infinity was never released, Affinix was eventually dissolved, and the game was left to sit on its creators' hard drives for years. But a Lost Levels forum member unearthed a video of the game in action (watch it after the jump) and suddenly Infinity finds itself the recipient of some well-deserved attention.In early February a news post on the Affinix website mentioned the possible release of an Infinity ROM. We contacted project leader Justin Karneges to get an updated status on the game. According to him, Infinity is very close to being complete and just needs a few story points linked together, spells filled in, and a final boss programmed. In addition to himself, one more team member is needed to tie up the loose ends, everything else is ready to roll. You can even download the full soundtrack from composer Eric Hache's website. As for the ROM: "There's no need to talk us into releasing a ROM. If we had a finished game, it would be released.". Infinity could be a breathtaking game, or it could turn out to be a dud. We won't know until we get to play it, and we're itching to take her for a spin. If you need us, we'll be consulting our astrologers to make sure the stars are in perfect alignment to get this game into the wild.[Via Insert Credit]
DS Daily: The lost Color
Backwards compatibility has always been a mainstay for Nintendo's portable systems, with every single new iteration reaching back toward the past to play legacy content. Even the Nintendo DS, third cousin twice-removed of the original Game Boy line, has a convenient second slot to play GBA titles, but it's not perfect. The slot is unable to play original Game Boy or Game Boy Color games, and for us old-schoolers, that's a bit of a buzzkill.Does this even matter to you? Remember, the original Pokemon Red/Blue titles were original GB titles, as were classics such as Metroid II, Super Mario Land, and even the very first Tetris. We also miss out on the brilliant duo of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Zelda: Oracle of Seasons for the Game Boy Color, that system's final swan song. Do you still keep around a GBA (or older) system for playing these titles, or did you trade it in for store credit for your shiny new DS? Which game from the GB/GBC era was your favorite? And remember, if you answer ... we know you're old.
Nerd in a tux? Try Game Boy cufflinks
Unfortunately prom season is over, though we suspect anyone who'd be interested in wearing these Game Boy Color Pocket cuff-links probably spent prom night at home with Princess Peach and pals. Seriously, what kind of nerd would wear red Game Boy Pocket cuff-links? We'd only be caught wearing original gray Game Boy cuff-links on our powder blue rental tux! Alright, original gray or maybe the GBA ... DS Lite cuff-links would be sweet ... we'd also wear PSP cuff-links ... and Pac-Man themed ones ... Pac-Man or Galaga ... [Via Engadget](Update: The myriad Game Boy models have proven too much for me to remember. These are indeed Game Boy Pocket cuff-links. Thanks Smith and deft!)