Handhelds like the Game Boy may be as old as the hills these days but they're being supported by an active community of modders who are adding new features such as screen lights and prosound functionality. We've covered these mods extensively in the past and always wondered why the Game Boy Color never got as much love.
Up until now, modders have been limited when it comes to fitting lights to the console. LED front-lights don't tend to work that well as colour screens really need backlights to make them look their best.
Thankfully, it would seem that we won't have to wait much longer for the perfect Game Boy Color screen modification. BennVenn has managed to get a Game Boy Advance AGS-101 screen to work with the Game Boy Color, and the results are pretty stunning.
It's not quite the final product yet - the difference in screen aspect ratios means that there's quite a lot of blank space around the image - but it's certainly a start and hopefully BennVenn can take things to the next level and somehow get that screen inside a GBC shell.
[source retrocollect.com, via facebook.com]
Comments 20
BennVenn's work is astounding. This guy is able to make a Game Boy home console using a VGA port. He has plans to do the same to the Game Boy Color when he can
It's not that the Game Boy Color didn't get much love from modders, the problem is that the screen is so different from all the other Game Boys.
Very interesting, I want to get a biverted GameBoy as the screens on those look excellent. I already have a front-lit GameBoy Colour but even with that the screen is pretty dark.
I would imagine finding backlit LCD screens that match the GameBoy Colour screen resolution is impossible these days so the GBA screen seems a good compromise.
It's a nice job that he did but seriously if you want to play GBC games with a proper backlight, just buy a GBA SP2. Sure the cartridge sticks out but at least you still had a handheld that display original GB and GBC in crystal clear backlight quality.
@doctorzzim Of course. But sadly, by far most GBA-SP models don't have the superior AGS-101 screen (including mine) but have the front light instead. Also, I prefer the form factor of the Game Boy Color to the GBA-SP's.
The GBC still has one of the best type of screens to use under natural sunlight- it's visibility is actually improved under it! So the GBC honestly doesn't need a backlight. (Except maybe at nighttime, but that's console/PC time, or if you're out and about, you're probably going to try to go indoors when you play, anyways.)
Have a gba sp.
And frankly a decent chunk of game boy color did make it to the 3ds virtual console.
This news is interesting but doesn't mean anything at all.
Those screens are really hard to find now so it makes very little difference to modders like me as you still need a bank of parts. I've got a stack of game boy colours at home and tons of gameboy advance models all waiting for screen mods.
The hard part is finding back-lit mod packs (mostly discontinued) or finding an advance sp with the better screen inside at a good enough price to afford to butcher it!!
Please tip me off if anybody has any links but I'm REALLY struggling for screen and MOD parts right now. Pokemon go blowing up is not helping retro handheld collectors 😜
the thing is now we need a source of backlit screens that in not the gba sp 101
@Clownshoes That might be interesting... Trying to carry a SNES in one arm, a portable power supply in the other arm, and a portable TV in one hand, and the controller in the other hand. Oh yeah, and don't trip over the cables... Too bad you can't play GBC exclusives like Shantae that way.
Cool.
Still, if I wanted to play Game Boy Color games I'm just go out and get the much slicker Game Boy Advance SP, or maybe even the GBA Micro.
@impurekind The Game Boy Micro is not backwards compatible with original Game Boy and Game Boy Color games though. Your best options for GBC games on a backlight portable is either a clone device like the Revo or GB Boy, a PSP with GBC emulator, a modded backlight GBA, or the GBA SP2.
It's interesting as a proof of concept. It's not a practical solution for offering mod services for those wanting backlit GBCs, as the supply of those screens is already quite limited. It would make little sense to use those when GBAs already play GBC. As someone said above, what's needed for this and even for modding GBAs is a solution that doesn't rely on AGS-101 screens. That's easy to say.
I imported an ags-101 gba sp from the united states. No modeing required all gamebiy games supported in bequtiful backlit wonder. I want an original gbc for my collection though, wouldnt bither moddingnit due to the sp being the only way to play.
@retro_player_22 Well, just the GBA SP then; that is compatible with all the GB game from the original up until that point. But, this backlit GBC is probably just as good if you prefer the form factor and it's not any more expensive than the SP.
@impurekind Yeah if you don't like how the cartridge sticks out then I guess modding the GBC for a backlight is the only way to go.
@impurekind The Game Boy Micro only plays GBA games. It's like the GBA function from the DS.
I'm way older than the GameBoy. So I'm like as old as the glaciers. 👴🏻
@NickOfTime90 Yeah, I corrected that err on my part in a later comment.
@retro_player_22 Yeah.
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