Lego Game Boy Modded to Play Real Games
▼ Summary
– The Lego Game Boy officially launched today and is surprisingly good, but an Australian modder has created a more impressive version.
– Natalie the Nerd designed a functional Game Boy using real cartridges, chips, and a custom circuit board she created herself.
– She built a complete Game Boy board smaller than a cartridge to fit inside the Lego shell, though she had to remove some bricks for the screen.
– The project is not yet complete, as the buttons aren’t mounted on a PCB but will be fitted on a custom 3D-printed Lego piece.
– Natalie plans to share her design publicly and sells modding components, making it possible for skilled individuals to replicate her work.
While the official Lego Game Boy set has just launched to much fanfare, a remarkable Australian creator has already taken the concept to an entirely new level. Natalie the Nerd, a self-taught electronics expert known for her stunning transparent Game Boy mods, has engineered a fully functional version that plays authentic games. This isn’t a simple emulator or a Raspberry Pi project; it’s a genuine Game Boy system cleverly integrated into the Lego shell.
The achievement lies in the intricate hardware. Natalie designed and soldered a custom circuit board, complete with real Game Boy processor chips, that is actually smaller than a standard Game Boy game cartridge. This miniaturized motherboard allows genuine cartridges to be inserted and played. She also incorporated tactile buttons that respond just like the original console’s controls. To accommodate “the smallest screen kit available,” a few Lego bricks had to be removed from the housing, a minor modification for such a significant functional upgrade.
This ambitious project is still a work in progress. The functional buttons, for example, are not yet fixed to a printed circuit board. The plan is to mount them onto a custom 3D-printed Lego-compatible piece for a perfect fit. Power is supplied through a modern USB-C port, which Natalie has already successfully wired into the system, moving away from the original’s battery requirements.
For those wondering if this is a unique prototype or a feasible DIY project, the outlook is promising for skilled hobbyists. Natalie operates a business selling aftermarket parts for Game Boy modifications and frequently shares her circuit board designs with the community. She has confirmed her intention to release the design files for this Lego Game Boy mod once she is completely satisfied with the final product. This means that with the right expertise and components, others could potentially build their own playable Lego Game Boy.
(Source: The Verge)
