If you're familiar with the world of Game Boy modding and music, then the name Joe Heaton should be known to you. This UK-based tech genius has been featured on the site in the past - both as an interview subject and to offer sagely advise to prospective modders - and he's back with his latest amazing creation.
Heaton has created the ultimate mod by retro-fitting a Bluetooth module to a trusty Game Boy console, allowing it to pair with external Bluetooth speakers for a fuller, richer sound.
In Heaton's own words:
For this mod I took a cheap Bluetooth transmitter from eBay, took it apart, hacked the hardware to run on my Game Boy and squeezed it all inside the console's shell. Operation of the Bluetooth module is all done via the Game Boy's select button.
As you can see in the video below, the mod is so well executed that you'd be forgiven for thinking that you'd somehow stepped into an alternative reality where Nintendo is still making Game Boy systems and is slowly upgrading them with modern features.
In Heaton's case, the mod means he can really show off his chiptune creations - composed under the name Joe Bleeps - as well as gain some extra volume when playing classic Game Boy titles.
You can follow Heaton's marvellous modding exploits on Instagram and Twitter.
Comments 20
Go Joe!
Now you can trade Pokemon...without needing a Link Cable? Now Nintendo really has no excuse not to release the old games now!
Mmmmmm, I gotta start playing with LSDJ again. Awesome mod!
@TossedLlama Only for GBA, as I recall, which came with Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green and was also compatible with Pokemon Emerald. It was Infra Red though, not Bluetooth. The GBC also had an Infra Red transmitter/reciever built in.
He's using a sony bluetooth speaker...
@kamifox1
I know the gba transmitter wasn't bluetooth, but are you sure it was infrared? I could have sworn it was using radio frequencies or something.
This just in: somebody finally finds a use for the Select button!
@TossedLlama No problem.
@Todd102030 It was definitely infrared.
@nintendofwbaby If Nintendo ever made such a thing, I'm sure he'd be using it but alas, they have not. Sony just so happens to be one of the best companies for audio equipment.
Well if the old gameboy had infared and the 3ds has infared,
then there is no excuse not to release pokemon red and blue on the 3ds vc.
@James_mussell98 Yeah, I wish it had Pokemon Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Crystal, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Fire Red and Leaf Green on it (I still think the GBA Virtual Console being on WiiU but not 3DS is ridiculous, handheld games should at least stay on handheld consoles and vice versa, having both on both is ideal but keeping them to their respective platform types should be the bare minimum).
@kamifox1
I'm in engineering at college, meaning I've taken a few classes on circuitry, and have even made my own infrared transmission circuit before. I pulled out my GBA Wireless Adapter to check, couldn't find any infrared LEDs or anything. I couldn't tell for sure what it was, so I looked up it's FCC ID, which is something that every product has to have if it's sending out wireless signals.
http://fccid.net/number.php?fcc=EW4-AGBWA&id=603694#axzz3ZZP9bmV7
It operates in the range of 2426.248 - 2456.576 MHz, meaning it's definitely 2.4 GHz radio frequency, not infrared. It makes sense, cause you can use this device to find nearby players, it doesn't need line of sight to connect with someone else.
@Todd102030 Oh, right. I was just going off what it claimed to be on the game box at the time. I'm pretty sure the built in reciever/transmitter on the GBC was infrared though, since it has that red tint (I'm no engineer or tech whiz lol).
@kamifox1
Yeah, both the GBC and the 3DS have infrared. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure the yet to be launched amiibo pad is the very first thing to ever use that infrared on the 3DS.
@Todd102030 The Circle Pad Pro for both 3DS and 3DS XL used the infrared already.
@Olmectron @Todd102030 I think the "Portal of Power" for the 3DS Skylanders games uses infrared too.
@kamifox1 Correction the GBA Wireless adapter is not Infreedred but a non-blutooth radio system.
@Kawaiipikachu Um, if you scrolled down by, like, 3 comments, you would see I was already corrected on that topic and I already accepted that correction. There's no reason whatsoever to correct me again.
15 minutes of play....then dead batteries
..shoot...forgot to install a USB charger!
Electric engineering, Industrial design, and an dash of computer programming. gotta know your math. I doubt he has real creative advantage
I wish I had the knowledge to do stuff like this just for the fun of it. I've always wanted to mod my N64 to the point where it becomes self aware.
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