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As an aside, are we at a point in democratized hardware where I could buy the right components and a traced PCB to recreate a Gameboy?

by Mtinie 3y ago

Waterluvian 3y ago
I think you’d at best be buying parts taken from old Game Boys and putting one back together. I think I’ve seen an FPGA Game Boy implementation somewhere, which may be the closest you’d get.
fathyb 3y ago
If you don't mind your GameBoy being as fast as a supercomputer when it came out, then I think you could get an ARM SBC running a GameBoy emulator on Linux rendering into an OLED screen for less than $150 and a bit of your sanity. If you're looking for hardware fidelity, I don't think it'd be in the "democratised" price range if you want to build a single unit that fits in a handheld form factor.
TechSquidTV 3y ago
The approach now would be to use an FPGA. See Analogue Pocket, but other kits exist.
lancefisher 3y ago
Some people have done this, but you need to transplant at least the CPU from an original. Those chips weren’t built for anyone else. https://www.reddit.com/r/Gameboy/s/FEAH2VhBRT https://www.reddit.com/r/Gameboy/s/FEAH2VhBRT FunnyPlaying recently came out with an FPGA-based version for an affordable price. https://funnyplaying.com/products/fpgbc-kit?variant=40858870284349 https://funnyplaying.com/products/fpgbc-kit?variant=40858870... They also have a new, populated motherboard for the Game Boy Advance, into which you have to transplant the CPU and RAM.
- bbbbbr 3y ago
  There is a variation on the new-pcb and components approach called the "Ultra Boy Colour" which doesn't require any parts from an OEM Game Boy Color. It can use a clone CPU that was manufactured (until recently?) for the "GBBoy Colour" (and could also be pulled from the sort of failed SGB-like clone called the "Extension Converter for GB"). > I redesigned the Gameboy Color from the ground up > based on the premise that it wouldn't require any > components to be harvested from a real GBC, so it > would be compatible with both the original GBC and > clone hardware taken from a GB Boy Colour- since > the KF2007 clone CPU from the GBBC is practically > a drop-in replacement for the CGB CPU found in a > real GBC- no software compatibility issues at all. https://www.reddit.com/r/Gameboy/comments/w0wrt5/no_this_isnt_a_gb_boy_colour_its_a_totally/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Gameboy/comments/w0wrt5/no_this_isn...

As an aside, are we at a point in democratized hardware where I could buy the right components and a traced PCB to recreate a Gameboy?

by Mtinie 3y ago

As an aside, are we at a point in democratized hardware where I could buy the right components and a traced PCB to recreate a Gameboy?

Waterluvian 3y ago

I think you’d at best be buying parts taken from old Game Boys and putting one back together. I think I’ve seen an FPGA Game Boy implementation somewhere, which may be the closest you’d get.

fathyb 3y ago

If you don't mind your GameBoy being as fast as a supercomputer when it came out, then I think you could get an ARM SBC running a GameBoy emulator on Linux rendering into an OLED screen for less than $150 and a bit of your sanity. If you're looking for hardware fidelity, I don't think it'd be in the "democratised" price range if you want to build a single unit that fits in a handheld form factor.

TechSquidTV 3y ago

The approach now would be to use an FPGA. See Analogue Pocket, but other kits exist.

lancefisher 3y ago

Some people have done this, but you need to transplant at least the CPU from an original. Those chips weren’t built for anyone else. https://www.reddit.com/r/Gameboy/s/FEAH2VhBRT https://www.reddit.com/r/Gameboy/s/FEAH2VhBRT FunnyPlaying recently came out with an FPGA-based version for an affordable price. https://funnyplaying.com/products/fpgbc-kit?variant=40858870284349 https://funnyplaying.com/products/fpgbc-kit?variant=40858870... They also have a new, populated motherboard for the Game Boy Advance, into which you have to transplant the CPU and RAM.

bbbbbr 3y ago
There is a variation on the new-pcb and components approach called the "Ultra Boy Colour" which doesn't require any parts from an OEM Game Boy Color. It can use a clone CPU that was manufactured (until recently?) for the "GBBoy Colour" (and could also be pulled from the sort of failed SGB-like clone called the "Extension Converter for GB"). > I redesigned the Gameboy Color from the ground up > based on the premise that it wouldn't require any > components to be harvested from a real GBC, so it > would be compatible with both the original GBC and > clone hardware taken from a GB Boy Colour- since > the KF2007 clone CPU from the GBBC is practically > a drop-in replacement for the CGB CPU found in a > real GBC- no software compatibility issues at all. https://www.reddit.com/r/Gameboy/comments/w0wrt5/no_this_isnt_a_gb_boy_colour_its_a_totally/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Gameboy/comments/w0wrt5/no_this_isn...