Admittedly, I haven’t really gotten into the FPGA scene, but there’s a good chance that might change thanks to Zu’s latest video. In the most recent episode of “Zu Reviews,” the Game Bub handheld arrives at Zu’s doorstep, aiming to offer an open-source alternative to the Analogue Pocket and ModRetro Chromatic.
As you might suspect, the Game Bub lets you play all of your original Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges. But there are a few added bonuses, such as the Game Bub also being compatible with Game Boy Advance cartridges, along with even accessing the save files, so you can party like it’s 1998 all over again.
Before diving too deep, Zu quickly points out that, unlike some of the other products that we see covered, the Game Bub he’s using is a “legitimate prototype.” Zu says the handheld is using different materials than what we’ll find on the finished version, which is great considering that the prototype in the video is using 3D printed buttons. Not that it looks bad, by any means, but that’s probably not something you would want on a handheld out of the box.
Moving onto performance, the Game Bub is using an “AMD Artix 7 XC7A100T FPGA” core, which Zu says is quite a bit “more powerful than it needs to be.” However, the Game Bub creator says this is done intentionally, “with an eye towards expandability.” At this point, Zu fires up some Celeste and talks about the specs, so let’s run down the rest of what this handheld offers:
Game Bub Specs
- Display: 4-inch, 720×480, IPS LCD
- FPGA: AMD (Xilinx) XC7A100T w/ 101,400 logic cells
- Block RAM: 607.5 KiB
- MCU: ESP32-S3 microcontroller
- Memory: 32MiB SDRAM + 512KiB SRAM (FPGA)
- Connectivity: 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE
- Storage: microSD Card Slot
- Audio: Stereo 1 W speakers, TRS headphone jack
- Input: 12 buttons for the FPGA, 4 additional system buttons for the MCU only
- Expansion: PMOD header
- Power: USB Type-C charging, 3000 mAh battery with 14+ hour in-game time
- Optional Dock: Digital video output and wireless controller compatibility, simultaneous charging
- Extras: Real-time Clock, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Rumble
- Dimensions: 85 x 174 x 19 mm (3.35 x 6.85 x 0.75 in)
- Weight: 250 g (8.82 oz)
Obviously, with something like the Game Bub, this isn’t going to be a retro handheld for everyone. Not everyone has a bunch of old Game Boy cartridges lying around, but also, this bad boy will set you back about $250, or $300 if you want the Transparent Purple version.
Compared to the Anbernic RG40XXV’s and Miyoo Mini Plus’ of the world, that might seem like a steep price. But compare that to the Analogue Pocket or ModRetro Chromatic, and it suddenly becomes a bit more palatable. Not to mention that you don’t have to worry about dipping your toes in an “arms race.” It’s also worth pointing out that there’s a “Game Bub Dock” available over at the CrowdSupply page, which adds video output and wireless controller support, for another $60 or so.
Beyond that, Zu found the overall experience pretty enjoyable, even for someone who needs the various features, like save states, offered by the retro handhelds we’re used to. Keeping in mind that this is a prototype, Zu also offered a few ideas for improvements, such as using a display that doesn’t have bezels as thick as Rob’s moustache. He suggested that maybe some grip pads on the back would be helpful too, as the prototype is just using a smooth plastic.
There’s one last thing here that I haven’t mentioned yet (although Zu did in his video). Unlike Analogue and ModRetro, the Game Bub isn’t coming from some random factory in the world, with developers getting little to no support. The entire project is open-source, meaning that if you want to modify this to be a vertical handheld, you can do exactly that, and more.
Game Bub was created and developed by a man by the name of Eli Lipsitz, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who made all of the files available for everyone to poke and prod. Or, create something completely different from what Eli’s made, with the benefit of the work that Eli has already done. I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty damn awesome to me.
Hit the button below to learn more about the Game Bub and maybe even back the project yourself.
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