Last year, LEGO released the LEGO Game Boy, a fantastic little device that allowed customers to build a 1:1 model of the original Nintendo Game Boy DMG. The only problem? It didn’t actually play any Game Boy games, but rather, it came with pseudo-cartridges of Zelda and Mario and accompanying “gameplay shots” that could be inserted into the front. A beautiful shelf queen, but many wanted more.
Not too long after, Natalie Cursio (also known as Natalie the Nerd) managed to get a Game Boy DMG PCB working within the LEGO version over on her blog page, which included the fantastic ability to use your own cartridges to play actual games on the LEGO Game Boy.
When asked about the possibility of this being made available to the public, Natalie responded that Build A Boy (the name of the project) would be available soon on Crowd Supply for release. Well, we now have a launch page for the Build A Boy.
Crowd Supply Launch Page
While the page still states “Coming Soon”, consumers can subscribe to be notified when the page goes live. Additionally, the Crowd Supply page shares some features and specifications on the upcoming kit:
- Compatible with the Lego Super Mario Game Boy set (#72046), not included
- Authentic DM/SGB/MGB CPU
- Compatible with original Game Boy and backwards-compatible Game Boy Color games (not compatible with Game Boy Color or Advance cartridges)
- Optional link port for multiplayer gaming
- Optional display-out functionality
- 2.73-inch, 320 x 320 TFT backlit display, with 2x integer scaling and built-in color palates
- 800 mAh Li-Po battery
- USB Type-C port for charging, with battle-tested charging circuitry design
- Panasonic tactile buttons with 0.8 mm travel rated for 100,000 cycles
- PCB footprint: 52 x 42 mm (2.04 x 1.65 in)
The page also mentions the intention to release screen driver software, schematics, and bill of materials at a later date on GitHub, which will allow users to modify and improve their devices even further. Depending on what is released, we could see even more options outside of those listed above for tech-savvy users who get their hands on this kit.
With the launch page being active, we are now one step closer to realizing a dream I’m sure many of us have had since last year: playing actual Game Boy cartridges on our Game Boy LEGO!
