Game Boy Revived With 3D-Printed "Game Girl"

StewShearerOld

Geekdad News Writer
Jan 5, 2013
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Game Boy Revived With 3D-Printed "Game Girl"


AdaFruit is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Nintendo's Game Boy by releasing instructions for a do-it-yourself modernized version.

There's really no understating just how important the GameBoy was to gaming as we know it. For Nintendo, it was the device that essentially cemented it as the (still reigning) king of the handheld market. For games in general, it proved that a portable experience could be something just as meaty and substantial as the sort of thing you'd normally expect from a console.

All of that said, the original Game Boy is turning 25 this year. It's an anniversary that's understandably led some to wax nostalgic for the days of brick-sized portables and visuals made up entirely of the color green. Some of these same fans are, in turn, celebrating the legendary portableby crafting their own, modernized take on it.

Created by AdaFruit, the "Game Girl" combines a Raspberry Pi Linux computer and a broken down SNES controller inside a custom 3D-printed chassis to create a retro-styled ROM player that looks the part of the original Game Boy while also outstripping it in terms of capability. Gamers interested in building their own Game Girl can find instructions as well as 3D printing schematics <a href=https://learn.adafruit.com/pigrrl-raspberry-pi-gameboy?view=all>at AdaFruit.

Now granted, the Game Girl definitely lacks some of the charms of Nintendo's original. There's no cartridges, the screen is multi-colored and we're pretty sure it doesn't have what it takes to survive an explosion. That being the case, it's still a nifty little project and would be far from the worst way we could think of to celebrate the quarter century anniversary of one of the most popular and influential gaming devices of all time.

Source: <a href=https://learn.adafruit.com/pigrrl-raspberry-pi-gameboy?view=all>AdaFruit


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Fappy

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Jan 4, 2010
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If I had any kind of crafting skills like this I'd totally make myself a portable SNES or something. Shit would be so fly. You could do the same with this, you'd just have to cut out two extra holes for the X and Y buttons.
 

Eiv

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Oct 17, 2008
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That looks TERRIBLE. Really really terrible. Thank god I still have my original.
 

Batou667

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Oct 5, 2011
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Is it considered "size shaming" to point out that the GameGirl is so chunky it's barely pocket-portable?
 

Eiv

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Oct 17, 2008
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Batou667 said:
Is it considered "size shaming" to point out that the GameGirl is so chunky it's barely pocket-portable?
YOUR A BAD BAD PERSON, YOU KNOW I MEAN THIS BECAUSE I WROTE IT IN CAPS.

But ya, discrimabot will hunt you down and chastise you.
 

Major_Tom

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Jun 29, 2008
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Awesome, but I think I lack a few of the required components. Also, what's with the retarded comments?
 

Micah Weil

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Mar 16, 2009
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In before Nintendo's lawyers catch wind. :p
Interesting little project. Then again, I managed to grab both a pocket and a color at a thrift store for dirt cheap today, so I'm not in any rush...
 

Big_Boss_Mantis

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May 28, 2012
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Fappy said:
If I had any kind of crafting skills like this I'd totally make myself a portable SNES or something. Shit would be so fly. You could do the same with this, you'd just have to cut out two extra holes for the X and Y buttons.
Or, if you had 70 bucks you could just buy a SupaBoy:

http://www.google.com.br/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&docid=_mxu2hYLCziMhM&tbnid=FwdhkSD2y72c3M:&ved=0CAMQjhw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmuralgamer.com%2Farquivos%2F2475&ei=VBO7U7GhPM3esATdkoII&bvm=bv.70138588,d.cWc&psig=AFQjCNFAmP8b-0Fo6i-yeGOAKVhrV6p0mw&ust=1404855499158849

Ain't that a beauty? If I didn't spent so much of my disposable income in new games, and didn't own an working PSP and an Xperia Play for my emulation needs, I would probably give in to temptation and get on of these bad(supa)boys.

EDIT: Actually I don't think it is that hard to find a working Game Boy somewhere. When those things fell down, the ground probably took more damage than they did.
The Game Gear, on the other hand, is almost completely extinct (to my best knowledge) and, if by some miracle, you'd find a working one, the asking price would probably be indecent.
And it really saddens me to know that I am never gonna see a Game Gear in action...
 

FogHornG36

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Jan 29, 2011
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Major_Tom said:
Awesome, but I think I lack a few of the required components. Also, what's with the retarded comments?
I don't know what your talking about, yours seems to be the only one so far.

OT: this is alright, the base idea is why i bought a cannoo, but i can play gameboy, GBA, Nes, Snes, and sega games on it.
 

Jumwa

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Jun 21, 2010
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Major_Tom said:
Awesome, but I think I lack a few of the required components. Also, what's with the retarded comments?
It doesn't take much to threaten some children.
 

Roxas1359

Burn, Burn it All!
Aug 8, 2009
33,758
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Jumwa said:
It doesn't take much to threaten some children.
Thing is though, leave a kid with a pillow and you'll see they'll find some way to injure themselves. Best example I remember is back when Burger King used to have those Pokeballs, but they had to stop giving them out because kids were choking on them. The Pokeballs, as I still have one, fit inside my hand... >.>
 

Mr.Mattress

Level 2 Lumberjack
Jul 17, 2009
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Micah Weil said:
In before Nintendo's lawyers catch wind. :p
I was just about to say, wouldn't this be considered a form of Piracy or Theft? Then again, I don't think she's selling them to other people, but I still think she could get sued.

Still, it's a nice gesture, but I'll stick with my Gameboy Pockets (I got 2; a broken Grey one and a still working Black one) or my GBASP if you don't mind...
 

weirdee

Swamp Weather Balloon Gas
Apr 11, 2011
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watching a saw cut into a SNES controller circuit board makes me wince

also, butt shots with a system that can't fit in a butt pocket
 

jayzz911

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Nov 9, 2010
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Big_Boss_Mantis said:
Fappy said:
If I had any kind of crafting skills like this I'd totally make myself a portable SNES or something. Shit would be so fly. You could do the same with this, you'd just have to cut out two extra holes for the X and Y buttons.
Or, if you had 70 bucks you could just buy a SupaBoy:

http://www.google.com.br/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&docid=_mxu2hYLCziMhM&tbnid=FwdhkSD2y72c3M:&ved=0CAMQjhw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmuralgamer.com%2Farquivos%2F2475&ei=VBO7U7GhPM3esATdkoII&bvm=bv.70138588,d.cWc&psig=AFQjCNFAmP8b-0Fo6i-yeGOAKVhrV6p0mw&ust=1404855499158849

Ain't that a beauty? If I didn't spent so much of my disposable income in new games, and didn't own an working PSP and an Xperia Play for my emulation needs, I would probably give in to temptation and get on of these bad(supa)boys.

EDIT: Actually I don't think it is that hard to find a working Game Boy somewhere. When those things fell down, the ground probably took more damage than they did.
The Game Gear, on the other hand, is almost completely extinct (to my best knowledge) and, if by some miracle, you'd find a working one, the asking price would probably be indecent.
And it really saddens me to know that I am never gonna see a Game Gear in action...
My girlfriend has a game gear somewhere, also after looking them up on ebay it would seem that you could buy them for about $20
OT: Game boy revived? I think it's harder to find one that actually died from old age than a living one, I doubt they needed reviving.
 

Kameburger

Turtle king
Apr 7, 2012
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Of course, there is an element to this that is really cool, although as I don't have a 3D printer, and I'm not exactly going to buy one any time soon. But I like the idea overall, even if the name GameGirl does sound a little forced.

But I collect special colored handhelds as a hobby, and I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one of these if someone was selling one.
 

Lady Larunai

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Nov 30, 2010
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Kameburger said:
Of course, there is an element to this that is really cool, although as I don't have a 3D printer, and I'm not exactly going to buy one any time soon. But I like the idea overall, even if the name GameGirl does sound a little forced.

But I collect special colored handhelds as a hobby, and I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one of these if someone was selling one.
Given the range of printable plastic colors you could probably get a good 30 odd colored gamegirls

Personally I'm after the licenced ones at about 14 game boys I'm still ages behind

http://www.consolecolors.com/nintendo.html#gb