I've been wondering how long it would take to mod the LEGO Game Boy into an actual working console, but I definitely thought it might take longer than 1 day. Still, when it comes to modding, Natalie the Nerd doesn't do things by halves and gets the job done with no messing. You might have seen the fully transparent Game Boy that she made a few months ago, and now she's turned LEGO's newest masterpiece into a fully-functional handheld that actually takes cartridges.
That last bit is important - Natalie has made sure that you can play your original Game Boy cartridges using this mod. There's a custom circuit board inside this thing with real Game Boy chips. It's not secretly running an Android OS or emulating via a Raspberry Pi computer - it's the real deal!
One of the things I love about Natalie's work is that she thinks outside the box and makes brand new components to make her visions come to life. According to an interview conducted with The Verge, she explains that she made a Game Boy board that was actually smaller than a DMG cartridge, and there are still a few things to do like mounting the buttons on a custom LEGO piece she's planning on 3D printing. Still, it's all looking incredibly impressive, especially considering that the LEGO set has only been out for 24 hours at the time of writing!
Natalie has explained that she will release the files to enable others to modify their LEGO kits once she is happy with the final product. It will mean that, if you have the necessary tools, you'll be able to follow her process and create a working LEGO Game Boy of your own to proudly display in your games room or office. Natalie also sells aftermarket components from her website, so I'm sure she'll have all of the necessary parts and pieces for you to purchase once she's ready!
I am a woman of my word.
— natalie (@natalie_thenerd) October 1, 2025
The Lego Game Boy - with a working Game Boy inside (not an emulator) https://t.co/IKORWOhaO4 pic.twitter.com/teMcLtrVLX
I wonder what's next for Natalie? I hope she considers turning the LEGO Genesis controller into a working controller because that would be awesome. Perhaps she could team up with Marky Pi and turn even more of our childhood memories into handheld wonders. The future is retro, and there's never been a better time to be a retro gamer!
