The Nintendo Gameboy is an iconic handheld, and one many modders from the around the world see themselves modifying. But the ArcadeBoy is by far one of the craziest modifications we’ve seen in a long time. Thomas from Oktoretrolab on Instagram has been working on this project for over two years, with many changes before he got to this final edition.
This is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, and it’s a very unique way to play the vast catalogue of Gameboy games on a wonderful modded handheld.
Thomas was kind enough to send this over for us to test out, and we were blown away by how good it feels to play Pokemon on a portable arcade cabinet with an incredibly crispy IPS display.
Thomas used a 3D printer and used PLA plastic in order to create 7 different sections of the ArcadeBoy. He then removed an old original Gameboy and used the internals to make this an original modification. All of the original buttons work. Heck, even the trading cable works!
Thomas has even kept a lot of the main design features of the original Gameboy, for example, the screen lens, the back plate with the rigged grip, and the buttons, allowing you to get to the contrast and volume wheels without a problem.
He has even added in a brand new IPS display that allows you to press the contrast button in order to change the backlight. You can go original colours, red, blue, green and even black and white.
The pixel density is 4x the original making it incredibly crisp without sacrificing the original look. It’s similar to the display that we featured in our article on how to modify a Gameboy which you can read here.
The ArcadeBoy even has a custom JoyStick D-Pad to help with that nostalgic touch. It runs on a 1,000MAH battery which can last 2-3 hours on one charge via a Micro-USB.
If that wasn’t enough the ArcadeBoy even comes with a controller that has its very own speaker. You simply plug it into the side, and the audio will be moved from the ArcadeBoy into your controller. The controller feels and looks like a thin version of the DMG Gameboy, it’s responsive and has a metre-long cable so you can sit back and relax while playing.
Overall the ArcadeBoy is a genius invention, and one we can’t help but love. The $250 price tag may be a little high for some, but we respect how much time it takes Thomas to build one of these, and how good it looks on our desk.
The plastic used is durable, nothing is loose or rattling about, and the new screen makes this whole modification pop.
It’s admittedly less comfortable to play than a normal Gameboy but that’s not why you buy it. You buy this thing to look good, and play when you get some time between watching our YouTube videos! Be sure to get in touch with Thomas @oktoretrolab if you want more information or are interested in picking one up.
