Funnyplaying recently posted a holiday notice to their website. Nothing too unusual about that. It’s Chinese New Year, all Chinese companies are gonna be silent for a few weeks.
But that post also included a photo that keen eyes will notice has something pretty interesting going on.
The photo in question might look like a normal Game Boy Color to those who have never taken a look inside of one.
However, I can tell you from experience, that is absolutely NOT a Game Boy.
What makes it really intriguing is when you start dissecting what is actually there.
It has a cartridge reader. And a USB-C plug. It is inside the same Game Boy Color shell that Funnyplaying produces. And it’s got a standard Game Boy link port.
So what we can deduce from what we are seeing is that Funnyplaying is producing a Game Boy clone, similar to the GB Boy.
We can also see that the PCB is stamped with an Orz-Studio logo.
Which suggests that Funnyplaying has contracted Orz-Studio to produce a new Game Boy clone console for them that will play original Game Boy games.
Because there are no signs of a memory card slot, we should not anticipate that this will also have any kind of emulation available.
For now, only the one photo with no caption or context. Sneaky sneaky.
Funnyplaying Making Consoles
It would seem that the upcoming Retro Pixel Pocket console was not enough for Funnyplaying.
Funnyplaying is now leveraging their premium Game Boy replacement parts into two game consoles:
An Android emulation handheld in the form factor of a Game Boy Pocket and a Game Boy Color clone that plays original cartridges.
And I gotta say… good for them! They already make the best Game Boy replacement parts in the market. So why not use those parts to make something new.
Their Game Boy Pocket and SP parts are going towards the Retro Pixel Pocket, and the new Game Boy clone uses a lot of their existing Game Boy Color parts.
Release Details Speculation
Funnyplaying’s Retro Pixel Pocket console is going to be going up for sale after the Chinese New Year holiday is over. Which will be in a week or so.
China pretty much shuts down for 3-4 weeks a year to celebrate the new year. I dunno how that’s good for business. But hey, who am I to judge?
Because Funnyplaying has chosen to share the photo of this new Game Boy clone, we know they want us to be curious.
It’s safe to guess that they will start dropping more sneaky photos as soon as they are back in the offices.
We know for sure that they will push the Retro Pixel Pocket out first.
Expect teases about the Game Boy clone to come in February, and sales to likely start around March-April.
Funnyplaying already makes the shells, buttons, silicon, laminated IPS screens, and lenses that will be in this new Game Boy clone. That means their pricing can stay somewhat low.
Knowing their products very well, from my history as a Game Boy modder, I’d anticipate that this would become a product at around $129usd.
Of course, that is just a rough guess, based on market price of current consoles (emulators), and the price of their existing products.
Conclusion
Needless to say, I’m pretty interested in this project as a Game Boy enthusiast.
It’s intriguing that Funnyplaying are making a Game Boy clone, but also makes me wonder what’s the point if we already have millions of Game Boys laying around.
I have a Game Boy Color sitting next to me right now with a Funnyplaying shell, buttons and screen.
So I’m very curious to find out more details to get an idea of why they would decide to make something like this.
I’m also curious if it will do anything different than an original Game Boy or a modified Game Boy that uses their existing products.
Time will tell. Let’s get through this Chinese New Year, and then expect the internet to explode with lots of new fun products.
Anthony has been a video game lover ever since he can remember. He became a fulltime nomad in 2018, living throughout most of Asia. He focused his passion in retro gaming and began creating a game for the Game Boy Color while living in Nara, Japan during the 2020 pandemic. He is now in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where he spends most of his time gaming, going on long walks and meeting as many stray dogs as possible.
