The Switch has shown us what it's like to feel the power of a home console in the palm of your hands, but what if you could take some old Nintendo classics from the GameCube and Wii era and play them on a handheld reminiscent of the iconic Game Boy? Well, you can!
GingerOfMods has transformed a real, fully-working Wii console into the handheld system you see before you. This awesome looking device can play both Wii and GameCube games on the go, and its creator says that the console's screen helps the games to look better than ever before.
If you're wondering how this is even possible, you'll want to watch the video below. As it happens, the Wii motherboard can be cut up into smaller pieces, and with some tweaks to remove the need for a disc drive, these smaller pieces can be organised however you see fit. GingerOfMods 3D-printed the shell and used DS Lite face buttons and Switch joysticks to finish the job.
The games themselves are running from a USB drive that's also tucked away inside. It all looks pretty great, we must admit.
If you want one of these for yourself, there are plans for the WiiBoy Color to go on sale in the future, as explained in the video. However, we doubt all of the work and parts involved will come cheap.
A cool little project, huh? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
[source twitter.com]
Comments 62
Are you telling me that back in 2012 we could have this and instead we got Wii Mini?
This is amazing!!! I want it!
Insert appropriate "take my money" here.
Pretty cool looking!
I want to see him playing Skyward Sword or Wii Sports with motion controls with that thing .
Bet he’ll need a wriststrap.
'Tis a thing o' beauty!
I wish these were what the Mini Classic ranges were. Portable systems with pre-installed games on.
Wow.
Looks pretty even i admit i have ever played pirated Wii games long time ago.
Funny that LTT posted a video about said concept just 2 days ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46gNvDLgLdI
Spawnwave did something similar and it has a series on building it on YouTube (he focused on using it for GameCube but it uses the Wii motherboard)
How could the games look better than ever before on a tiny ass screen? Sorry but I'm In my 40's and the eyesight ain't what it used to be. I'd rather just play my regular Wii on my TV.
awesone, cool
Anyone can make one of these. You can buy kits that make it easy to do it yourself.
Here we GOOOOOOOOOo.
@Aurumonado can you send us some photos of the one you're building yourself, then.
I truly admire these guys ! Marvellous
The Wii and GameCube games aren't emulated as they are running on real hardware.
The Wii boy plays Isos on and SD card instead of playing physical games.
The hackers do what nintendon't!
I was waiting for GB footage and when it finally happened boom stretched to 4:3, cool.
But yeah, there's no way the Wii's resolutions can be perfectly portrayed by such a small screen. You'd need at least a 14" screen, at best probably a 20" EDTV.
Then there's also the TV type, does it have low input lag, bad viewing angles, does it have bad overscan, image retention caused by repetitive blinking, or image retention just by leaving a static image on, that kind of stuff.
You probably do want overscan on Wii and GC because many games are not 480 lines long.
@geordie
Ah, funny guy.
The barrier for me is cost but that doesn't make it any less true:
https://store.bitbuilt.net/g-boy-rev-iii-diy-portable-kit/
Now that is rather cool.
This is seriously cool, impressive and VERY beautiful. Hats off to this guy.
As electronics engineering student, i like it. If i had the time and the knowledge to make a 4K Nintendo Switch
This is fantastic. I want one
@Balta666 Yeah but that was a lot bigger than a GBC. This is a step forward but I wander about the size of the battery?
@Zeldafan79 Probably because of pixel density. If you prefer a TV this isn't for you, but for those comfortable with a GBA+ sized screen then the 480p resolution of the wii (probably 640×480) shrunk down to about a 3 inch screen would make the games incredibly sharp and 'HD' in feel. That would calculate at 267dpi/ppi and that is the same sharpness of image as the Switch Lite! So yeah, games would look 'better' if you're more into handhelds rather than TV play.
@Aurumonado big statement there - can you link to that please?
sees 20 seconds Um, Nintendo, can we get one of these? That would be lovely, thanks (though maybe with a slightly larger screen).
I mean there wasn't much graphical power to overcome in the first place.
Jokes aside this is pretty awesome, though I don't personally want one.
This is really cool. I'd legit try one! My only problem is that screen is a bit small for those games IMO. At least there's no bezel.
This is kind of how I imagined a Game Boy Mini would look if one would ever materialize.
Sadly, I don't think I can wavedash/do advanced melee tech with this thing. All jokes aside, This looks really cool! If nintendo just sold this thing for like 100 bucks or so, I'm sure they would make some decent money!
His next project will be WiiBoy Advance, a miniature and truely portable Wii U/ Wii/ Gamecube and homebrew dream system!
Great idea in theory, but what about motion controls? Even Mario Kart Wii had the steering wheel that you shook to do tricks. Where's the infrared sensor? Is all aiming handled by the right stick?
I'm sure all of these questions are answered in his video, just too lazy to watch it.
It looks really nice, but how do you play the motion sensor games like Skyward Sword and Metroid Prime 3?
FYI, in the comments of that video, the creator states that you can message him to commission one of these and he mentioned ~$1000. That’s pretty fair for the amount of time and innovation that went into creating this, but a little too rich for my blood.
Very classy build!
I will never understand why with these custom handheld, so many creators opt for the cramped vertical layout of the original Game Boy/GBC when the horizontal layout of the original GBA is so much more comfortable, hence why most handheld since have opted for the same layout (PSP, Vita, Switch, DS and 3DS (granted all DS systems also have a verticality to them, but you still have a screen between where your left and right hands rest, giving them more space for a more comfortable playing experience)).
@duffmmann because the vertical layout is extremely nostalgic for millions of Nintendo fans who grew up with Game Boys / GBC's. I still prefer the GBA SP over the OG because the clamshell unfolds to a vertical layout.
That is so impressive!
It looks like someone modded an iPod.
@Ulysses yeah nostalgia is nice and all, but I much prefer practicality. Instead of being a handheld I'd want to use and bring with me on the go, this instead just exists as a novelty because of nostalgia superceding playability.
Also, if I want a clampshell design for GBA gaming, I much prefer using my DS Lite over my GBA SP as it gives me hands so much more comfort. Only good SP is for me at this point is multiplayer GBA gaming (like that still happens) and playing GameCube games with GBA connectivity. And even then, I'd prefer to mod out my OG GBA with one of those backlight mods, but I play actual GBA carts so rarely anymore, that it's just not worth the investment. My SP is fine enough, but it really is too cramped at the end of the day.
I love the engineering that has gone into this and hats off to the "engineer".
However, I always preferred the GBA design. A minor quibble though.
Nintendo Sue-Wii-it ®
My God!!! I want one yesterday!!! Lol. Seriously, I'd pay up for that beauty. Awe inspiring skill - truly amazing. Well done, sir, and sell me one please!
That's a long project. I know dissecting and relinking the Wii main board has been documented a few times but still that's a whole load of prototyping to produce that level of polish in the unit. With that as his CV, I would hire him a flash.
@Zeldafan79 No problem, ask him to build a Wii boy Lense, just what we had for the classic Gameboy 😂
@RPGamer he provided a link. Costs $325 though...
@andykara2003 he did, pretty awesome kit, but very expressive. Also, since having the Switch, it would be awesome if they would somehow make it possible not still use it like a normal Wii and hook it up to the TV. Maybe via a USB-C Dongle?
A good job but some of the compromises are unfortunate. I think overall it came out good.
That looks brilliant. I’d love to play those games on the go
All the more reason for Switch to get GameCube and possibly Wii games akin to the NES and SNES collections
Isnt this just the Gboy?
@Sun_wukong you mean Wii/GameCube, the Wii U was such a massive failure, Nintendo has erased it from all history.
@RPGamer Yeah that thought came to my mind, too, because it's named G-Boy, not Wii-Boy, but this Video shows a little more. Around minute 8 they talk about the different consoles it can play (currently only GameCube and Wii, no VC, yet):
https://t.co/5YVVsgK7oW?amp=1
I've seen a bunch of these over the years. They are a massive amount of work but they are very cool.
That’s a really good looking case, very professional. Hopefully they figure out how to get VC games working on it, that would be a dreamy handheld!
@RPGamer No, I think definitely not. On the Twitter Page of G-Boy they actually retweeted this guy's post here. Seems to be a healthy Hy community that supports each other.
Actually y I like this new version better, it has more "Wii-Look" and I think the Display is of higher quality compared to G-Boy.
Anyway, I'm not brave enough to cut my Wii and spend over 300 bucks for this...
Oooh l do have 2 wii consoles, one is older and the other is newer. I could take my older one and make a mini wii console too.
Can't wait till this guy makes a portable Switch.
Would love to play so many of the games locked to the system without motion controls. Makes it much harder for me to want to return to some of these games knowing i'll be physical shaking a pair of controllers as a grown adult. (Fragile Dreams, MadWorld, Tatsunoko, Pandora's Tower, Epic Mickey, Skyward Sword, etc.)
Nintendo: "that's some mighty fine work.... cease and desist."
@RPGamer I always like to believe I am capable of doing this with a good instruction. But I already messed up some smaller things, so my hit and miss rate is roughly 80%. Maybe I should look for a second hand Wii on eBay and give it a try
The problem with all of these mini handhelds that are directly cut down from normal consoles is the heat and the battery life, because it's just using what was supposed to be plugged into a wall with a fan the heat output is nasty and it drains whatever batteries you can put in there VERY quickly.
Yet he ruined it with Joy con sticks that will definitely drift. Would have bought it, but no way, now!
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