Funny Playing GB Mini Review: A $69 Mini FPGA GAME BOY Thats Unfinished

This is yet another device that was somewhat shadowdropped out of nowhere, with very little marketing around it beforehand, just like the recent ANBERNIC RG 35 that we reviewed. However, FunnyPlaying slid into our inbox a few weeks ago sharing some extra information on it, and then shortly after, a review unit landed on my desk before they even announced it publicly themselves.

It's unusual for this to happen, and although I do like getting devices in early to show you, I don't think it's a consumer-friendly way of marketing your product. It should be the owners revealing and showcasing the device before publishers like ourselves, just out of pure respect for your audience and your product.

That said, what I am showing you today is a handheld I have personally wanted to build for a long time. I've sent my friend Joseph, a designer I work with at GAMENOOK, countless messages in the past about making a mini FPGA GAMEBOY, but I've been beaten to it, and today I want to give you a full review of just that: the Funny Playing GB Mini, a portable $69 FPGA GAME BOY that can not only play your GAME BOY and GAME BOY Color cartridges, but it can also emulate that console's ROMS too... if you can actually get your hands on one.

• Release Date: September 2026
• Pricing: $69.99
• Where To Buy: FunnyPlaying.com
• Competitors: ModRetro Chromatic & Analogue Pocket

FPGB Mini Specifications

• Screen: 2.98" IPS TFT, 800 × 720, RGB565, 16.7M colours
• Battery: 1800mAh Li-Po, removable
• Charging: USB Type-C, PD and other protocols supported; 5V/1A actual charging; approximately 2–3 hours for a full charge
• Battery Life: Approximately 4–6 hours
• Dimensions: 113 × 64 × 22 mm
• Weight: 135g (with battery)
• TF Card: MicroSD up to 32GB, FAT32
• Cartridge Slot: Original 32-pin GB/GBC slot
• Speaker: 0.5W

Product Design & Build Quality

The GB Mini is designed to... you guessed it, look, feel and play like a miniaturised GAME BOY DMG, all while adding some modern enhancements. It keeps the grey shell, the burgundy buttons, the infamous speaker grill, the thick D-PAD, and they've even added silicone start and select buttons that don't go unnoticed. Even the back looks like a GAME BOY thanks to the embossed grips and battery cover that can be removed.

Around the edges, you'll find your SD card slot for installing your own ROMS, volume buttons, a menu button, a USB-C port, and an on/off switch up top. Then the obvious cartridge slot that fits GAME BOY and GAME BOY Colour cartridges exclusively. Though it's worth noting it will not fit my Rumble cartridges or GAME BOY camera because the cartridge slot is too small, and the plastic door touches the bottom of the battery compartment on a rumble cartridge, forcing the cartridge away from having a secure lock on the reader internally, which is a shame.

In terms of size, I hate to say it, but it's perfect, the same for the weight and thickness too. It feels exactly how I imagined a mini GAME BOY DMG, not light, not too heavy, and cartridges slide in flawlessly, giving it even more weight that makes it feel like a substantial device worth carrying.

The shell itself is smooth matte plastic, and it doesn't feel cheap in any way, but it's not thick, so in some areas, especially when there's no cartridge installed, you can push the plastic in to give you a sense of strength. The casing gets the job done, but due to its size and weight, I fear the day I drop this thing because I've already noticed my screen isn't securely stuck down with enough strength to make me satisfied. I can't pull it off, but I can see light coming through the edges and minimal lift just a week into using it. So although I like how it feels, the build quality is not top tier, which is something I want from a $69 device. I hope someone makes a metal case for this because I'll happily pay a premium to beef this out a little.

Funny Playing designed this with the intent of having "near-original GAME BOY Color proportions", and it feels like that, but built for single-hand use, which has come in handy more often than not being a dad with a two-year-old and a one-year-old... don't tell my partner.

How do the buttons feel?

The buttons are smaller in comparison to those of a GAME BOY, though they're trying to closely resemble its design. As you can see, the DPAD keeps the retro markings and dips into the shell slightly, and the A/B buttons are the same colour alongside the A/B etching underneath instead of the printed text on the original, which I like.

The buttons feature a tactile response, with minimal dropping, sharp clicks and fast response from the membrane underneath, which feels very modern, and this is for good reason because I believe if they added harder, more forceful buttons on here you would move the device around too much due to its small size. These minimal, modern buttons feel perfect on here, even if I know some of you reading will have preferred something a little closer to the GAME BOY or GAME BOY Color.

The start and select, however, keep the iconic silicone feel and are fairly large in comparison to the other buttons on here, which is also a nice touch; the same goes for the speaker grill, which isn't obstructed when in use. However, the rest of the buttons on here are atrocious.

The ON/OFF button sometimes doesn't work at all because the cutout for the switch isn't long enough, meaning on occasion it won't turn off, or sometimes flickers between on/off multiple times before I have to forcefully push it into the shell to get the switch to recognise it is off. This is a hardware fault and a software fault, I believe, and is likely an easy fix on FunnyPlaying's end, but it's worth noting and at times a little worrying to see when you feel it click to off, but the software thinks it's on, and vice versa.

The volume buttons and menu button on the side feel cheap; they're incredibly light with almost no feedback to them and need to be pushed deep into the shell to be recognised. More often than not, I don't even know if I have pressed them. I wish these had some more feedback to them and stuck further out of the shell. When I removed the buttons from the shell to inspect the internals, I noticed a rubber circle actually broke off the menu button, at first i didn't think this was an issue, i manage do a terrible job of balancing it back on when installing the buttons which did the job, but when i took the shell off again to test cartridge compatibility, it fell off and the internal button also came off, meaning now my menu button does not work at all, and I was very lucky this happened towards the end of my review process as it would have meant I couldn't review it at all.

This is incredibly disappointing as it makes the emulation side almost unplayable because I can't save on the go or jump into settings no more, making the device pretty much broken in my eyes. The only way I can get into the menu system is by turning it on with no cartridge in it from here on out. Which sucks, big time and really knocks off some review points negatively.

Is the display any good?

Now let's talk about the display, because that's where all of our time is going to be spent. This features a 2.98" IPS display, with a resolution of 800 × 720, which is the perfect 5x upscaling for GB/GBC. It's compact and slightly bigger than the GB/GBC display, but that extra space is much welcomed. The minimal bezels add to the modern feel of this device too; I think large bezels would have ruined it.

The quality of the screen itself is great. It brings new life to your old crusty GAME BOY games and lights them up in a modern way that feels new and crispy. If you've never played on a modern FPGA GAME BOY before, I can assure you, turning this thing on for the first time will undoubtedly make you smile; the display is gorgeous. I find myself always playing on 100% brightness, though, and at times in the direct sunlight I do wish it could go a little brighter; it's never been unplayable, however.

I keep having to tell myself this is an IPS panel and the device is only $69 because I have been using handhelds with AMOLED displays recently too, so I am subconsciously wanting it to be brighter, but in all honesty, 90% of users will be happy with this display; it's great. I've witnessed no flickering, no dead pixels, no light bleed; it's an all-round good panel, even if it does need to be glued on better.

The only negative I have about the display is the fact that the software automatically adjusts it to 60% now and then, so I have to pull out my cartridge, turn it on, open the GB MINI emulation settings option and readjust back to 100%, which it remembers a few times, then goes back to 60%, which does get annoying, but again, this is an easy fix.

Extra Notable Options

I want to quickly show you the main menu on the handheld; it offers a look into your SD card slot to find .GB and .GBC games; you can save and load your games via this menu and also jump into settings, which offers some minimal but helpful customisations.

In the settings, you can adjust volume, change brightness up to 5 different levels (20% intervals) and change game mode, allowing you to play your GAME BOY games in GBC mode should you want some colour. You can also Fast Boot a cartridge, which is an awesome feature, allowing you to skip the "GAME BOY" load screen that takes around a second or two to then load you into a game. Over your lifespan with this device, that feature alone will save you minutes of gameplay. Though it's worth noting that this doesn't skip the load screen entirely and, for some reason, keeps the last sound bleep of the GAME BOY load screen and then jumps into a game, so it skips 90% of it for you.

Then finally you can internally add your time and date for the real-time clock feature that many of you Pokemon fans and ROM hack fans will be happy to hear is on this thing. There's also an upgrade option that shows you your latest firmware. There is no WiFi or Bluetooth on here. It's a very minimal menu; it loads in a second and gets the job done, but I do look forward to seeing what FunnyPlaying add to this over the months and years, such as filters and things which are not yet available. A part of me doubts they'll update it often, as their other FPGA products have been left in the dust throughout 2026 with little to no updates, so perhaps this will be the same. I hope not!

FPGA Quality

Now let's talk about the cartridge gameplay: how well does this read and play your authentic cartridges? Well, I'll come out the gate swinging and say incredibly well. If you know me, I love playing my authentic GAME BOY games. I have an Analogue Pocket, a ModRetro Chromatic and many modded GAME BOYs, purely for the reason I love using my old cartridges and save states. There's something about that schlocking noise and exploring my physical library which I know many of you can understand.

I tried an array of cartridges, both old and modern, English and Japanese; I even tried one with a gyroscope inside, and it all worked great apart from the longer cartridges such as rumble and the GAME BOY Camera, which is a shame as I love me some Pokémon Pinball and it seems like that was an easy problem to solve, but must have been overlooked. Taking the back off this thing and using the cartridge slot without the limitations of the shell reveals indeed that these rumble cartridges would have worked. I don't have a flash cart to hand to try, but FunnyPlaying has stated that this has "Real cartridge compatibility", suggesting that some 3rd party cartridges and flastcarts may not work. I have read that someone who also has a unit couldn't get the flashcarts to work, which isn't the end of the world because you can use your own SD card filled with ROMs, but I just wanted to make you aware that it's hit and miss with no official carts, especially flashcarts.

I tried a couple of GAME BOY game testers to test the runtime of the clock, to see if it's accurate, and it's pretty darn accurate; it doesn't run slower or faster, which is good to see and proves it's running the games at a normal speed.

So, out of all of my cartridges I have, and I have a lot, it runs them all. I don't really own fakes; I always buy genuine, so I am happy to see that it has a high compatibility rate when it comes to legitimate cartridges from many different regions and can also save to the cartridge due to the use of FPGA technology. So in this area, it's a thumbs up from me, and it still works even with a broken menu button.

Emulation Quality

A potato can emulate Game Boy games these days, so it's no surprise that the GB Mini does a good job at emulating most of the ROMs in my library, which can b be accessed by turning on the device without a cartridge in and jumping into the TF card that houses your ROMS. However, there were one or two that it didn't like and straight up glitched out to a point that the game is unusable. So, I am having a mixed experience with the emulation side, which is unusual because it's so simple to run.

90% of my games run well, it's simple to set up, and it offers silky smooth gaming when it works. Saving is a little odd on here, and I am not sure why. You have to save in-game first when emulating a ROM, and then save to the emulator, almost as if the handheld requires a hard copy of the save to then paste it onto the internal storage. It works, but I know many people will get tripped up by this process and may lose a save state now and then because we've all been trained to just save to emulators these days.

I only ever use the emulator on here when playing my favourite ROM hacks, as I have most of my favourite GAME BOY games physically, so it bridges the gap between emulator and physical in a really nice way for those that love playing your cartridges, but also want to explore ROM hacks, all in one mini device. But now that my menu button is broken, I can no longer emulate games, or, well, I can, but I can only open them, and I can't save.

Battery Life

Now, there are actually two different batteries inside of this device: the main battery that powers the device, which is 1800MAH and gives you roughly 4 - 6 hours of life, which is respectable even if its nowhere near that of a normal GB/GBC.

Then there's a secondary CR1220 button cell battery inside that powers the real-time clock and is likely why this device has some serious weight to it because it's jampacked with batteries, a modern display, and more. This battery will apparently last two years or so before needing a replacement. I am not sure if it tells you when it's running out or if you just learn the hard way, as we did as kids. This doesn't have fast charging either, and takes about 3 hours to fully charge this thing from flat.

You'll likely never own one though...

Now, I want to talk about the real bad news. This is a device that is being made in incredibly small quantities, and launches in batches that will likely be weeks if not months apart. I say this because FunnyPlaying informed us that they only made 20 units for their first batch that went on sale on the 18th September and sold out just 10 minutes after we announced it.

They have 30 - 50 more units coming in the next batch that will happen in about a week or two's time after the Chinese holiday, but have informed us that they are making more and will continue stocking them throughout the coming months and years while taking on community feedback regarding upcoming colourways that they want to see and updates. And this is the typical marketing history of FunnyPlaying. They always restock, but in limited quantities, and I believe this will become one of their most popular devices ever if they can iron out all of the flaws, so getting one will be incredibly difficult if they do just that.

I don't want to blow my own trumpet here, but the best way to keep on top of their new batches is to follow us; they do keep us informed personally, and they rarely update their social channels. They simply stock it, and you gotta be one of the lucky few to see it first. So do follow our newsletter and follow us on socials to be one of the first to jump on the drops. This isn't how it should be, and it sucks for anyone wanting one, but like many Chinese handheld manufacturers, marketing and customer service are not at the top of their priority list. But as I said, I have full confidence they will make plenty of these over the next year or two.

Overall Opinion

It's clear that this thing is not for everyone, and it's not a completely refined device; if anything, it's unfinished. It has software flaws and catastrophic hardware flaws that cannot go unnoticed, but for some odd reason, it's a device that I can see myself falling in love with if they fix the major issues. It's almost incredible. The form factor is what pulls me in. It's as wide as a cartridge, all while playing them on a lovely display with a nostalgic form factor that feels as if this should have been made years ago.

FunnyPlaying has taken the risk, put in the work and has revealed what they believe is a product people want. Many people will enjoy it if they're aware that it needs some work both on a software and hardware level and I hope the menu button issue is just on my unit. Though the way this is being released and marketed is likely a reason people will either not see it for sale or neglect that it exists due to the assumption that they'll not be able to get one for a very long time. There's also the fact that FunnyPlaying has a history of neglecting their older handhelds in terms of firmware updates and ironing out bugs that their community have demanded for a long time. It's also a shame that the cartridge slot wasn't designed with enough care to cater to larger sizes.

FunnyPlaying needs to step up; they're onto something here and have created a fun, affordable product that will sell like hotcakes if they can iron out the issues. And that's what I am hoping they will do over the coming months.

If you're on the market for a miniature FPGA GAME BOY that's 80% there, has a lovely screen, doesn't cost an arm and a leg and also has the ability to sideload ROMs easily, then this is one to take a look at because I thoroughly enjoy it when it works; it's far more compact than my Analogue Pocket and ModRetro Chromatic, albeit not as high quality, but it opens up a new FPGA GAME BOY category that I am glad someone has finally developed. The delay in you managing to obtain one could be a good thing, because they might iron out some of the flaws I mentioned in future versions, so I do recommend waiting for them to make updates to this device before pulling the trigger, even if I do love this thing.