10 Best Raspberry Pi GameBoys You Can Buy Right Now

With the world of handheld gaming continuously evolving faster than a Pokemon in a Rare Candy factory, we’ve decided to make a list of the 10 best Raspberry Pi GameBoys that you can get your hands on right now.

Raspberry Pi computing devices have revolutionised the way we play, with many developers choosing to work with these systems over the quickly outdated Android alternatives.

But what’s so special about the best Raspberry Pi GameBoys anyway? Why not just pick up an Analogue Pocket and have done with it?

Raspberry Pi GameBoys are built to hold multiple emulators that are capable of playing tonnes of retro games. We’re talking titles from the golden age of gaming right through to your favourite games from the PS1 and Dreamcast.

The best way for you to understand what these consoles are and how they work is to jump straight into our top 10 list.

Underneath each handheld will be a table packed with key information and a button that you can use to head to the official purchase page for each device too.

Happy scrolling!

**N.B – Retro Dodo does not advocate the downloading of illegal content. Please check the legality of downloading online games in your region. **

1. PiBoyDMG

First up on our list of the best Raspberry Pi GameBoys is the PiBoyDMG, a portable powerhouse that can emulate more consoles than you can shake a stick at.

Looking for all the world like a mutated Gameboy (but the good kind like one of the X-Men), the PiBoy DMG has all of the features of the original DMG that we know and love with a few extras thrown in.

Let’s talk about the display. The PiBoy DMG features a 3.5” display with a resolution of 640 x 480.

This thing is vivid. In fact, it’s so clear that you’ll keep wondering how a DMG could ever look so crisp!

The PiBoy DMG emulates everything from the NES to the Dreamcast with ease, especially if you’re using the version with 4GB Ram. And those 6 buttons make playing N64 games a breeze!

2. Retroflag GPI Case

The Retroflag GPI case is a little smaller than the original GameBoy DMG that we know and love, but it still packs a punch.

Running on Raspberry Pi Zero, this portable handheld has no problem emulating your favourite consoles of yesteryear. The screen isn’t as bright or as big as the PiBoy DMG, but it does have the famous DOT MATRIX WITH STERIO SOUND message come up on the screen.

That’s worth the $69.99 price tag alone.

There is, however, one thing that makes us a little angry, and that’s the need for 3x AA batteries to power it up.

That’s right; this is thing is powered by old school tech.

Sure, you can use rechargeable batteries, but it would be so much easier to have a built-in battery like the rest of the consoles on this list. You get around a day of average use from one set of AAs.

That’s a lot of batteries to be going through!

Still, the unit feels nice in your hands, and the L and R buttons are situated perfectly on the back panel.

3. 1UP Pi Boy XL

I’ve been using the next entry on our list of the best Raspberry Pi gameboys for a while now, and I’m still pleasantly surprised with how it runs.

There are a few downsides to the 1UP Pi-Boy XL that I should get out of the way first. It gets pretty hot after a while when you’re playing and starts to sound like a Boeing 747, and a lot of the N64 games don’t have full controller functionality on the preset emulator despite the vast amount of buttons on the console.

Still, I can play Banjo Kazooie and Super Mario perfectly, so I’m not complaining! And playing with the emulator settings does usually get the desired results on most titles.

The screen is perfect, and you’ll have no problems playing your favourite GBA or Sega games on here. I also love the crystal clear shell too; it’s nice to see what makes a GameBoy tick.

The sound is also a little tinny, but when connected up to a big screen via the HDMI out port, it’s absolutely perfect.

The 1UP Pi-Boy XL even has ports for you to plug your favourite USB gaming controller in too, turning the handheld into a home console with ease.

4. LCL-Pi GBA

Talk about a clone console!

At Number 4 in our list of the best Raspberry Pi GameBoys is the LCL-Pi GBA. At first glance, it looks exactly like a GBA, but then you notice the double A and B buttons as well as a joystick in the bottom left-hand corner.

It’s the GBA 2!

Unlike the original GBA, this unit doesn’t need to run on batteries. It can be charged up via the GBA link cable port with a special cable (included).

The battery indicator has also been split into multiple indicators, so you know when it’s almost ‘charge up’ time.

The usual shoulder buttons can be found on the top of the device, and two buttons; L2, and R2, can be used to change the functionality of the joystick.

Now you can HADOUKEN your opponents with ease while playing on the SNES emulator.

If you prefer horizontal widescreen gaming as opposed to the classic DMG style but still want all of the consoles associated with RetroPie, then this could be the console for you!

5. GamePi 43

The GamePi 43 looks a little like the 1UP Pi-Boy XL if it came with a solid black hardshell.

This 32GB 4-core 64-bit CPU handheld isn’t the best-looking handheld on the market, but it’s pretty impressive in all the places where it counts.

For starters, the double external speakers provide good sound quality that will take you right back to the ‘good old days’ of gaming. There’s also a backlight level adjustment setting too, something that you don’t always see on modded or custom-built handhelds.

For fans of consoles like the ODROID GO Advance, this GamePi 43 can either be built up as a kit or bought pre-assembled.

The assembly needed to put the computer together doesn’t take a rocket science degree or a soldering iron, but it’s still going to be fiddly if you’re not used to game modding.

All in all, this is a tidy little handheld. And at $74.00 starting price, it’s not going to break the bank either.

6. GameBoy Zero

We can’t stop watching that gif! It’s one thing to have a gameboy that comes with games built in, but including a cartridge that you can actually slot in and out takes the whole thing up a notch!

This may be the most nostalgic handheld in our list of the best Raspberry Pi GameBoys. It uses the original DMG shell with two extra buttons to allow for all of your favourite home console classics.

It’s running Raspberry Pi 3 inside, and the SD card with all of the pre-installed games sits inside your very own Raspberry Pi GameBoy cartridge.

Now you can have all of the best GameBoy games on one GameBoy Cartridge…and a heck of a lot more games besides, for that matter!

The size, shape, and feel of this console will already be so familiar to you that you won’t have any trouble getting into the groove of your favourite games.

It’s just so nice seeing those original crimson DMG buttons on a modded handheld. I feel like I’m eight-years-old playing Pokemon for the first time again!

7. GameBoy Color Mini

Yes, you are correct. That is a Burger King GameBoy that has been modded into a backlit multi-console emulator!

Created by game modder Liam Phillimore, this fast-food meal toy from the early 2000’s has been kitted out with a Raspberry Pi Zero chip and the latest games that RetroPie has to offer.

Liam has also installed back triggers to this mini GBC, which allows you to play all of the best GameBoy Advance games that you know and love too!

This GBC was actually built by Nintendo; it’s a Ninty licensed product! It can only really play games that only require two buttons, but that still covers some of the best classic consoles.

The battery is pretty small and it’s not the worlds most comfortable console to hold. But just look at it; those things don’t even matter when you’re holding something so impressive in your hands.

I’d have this just to play Pokemon on the bus while everyone else is lost in the drudgery of Candy Crush.

8. LCL-Pi Boy

Another offering from LCL-Pi, this next entry in our list of the best Raspberry Pi GameBoys bears a strong resemblance to the PiBoy DMG that we covered at the very beginning of the article.

One of the best bits about this handheld is that it has a USB-C fast charging port. Now you don’t have to kill time before playing your favourite games.

The LCL-Pi Boy has been built out of an existing DMG shell with a few extras added in.

You still get your headphone port and brightness slider, but there’s now a space for a TF Card and a network port on the side.

The developers have also included two large shoulder buttons on the back of the console, allowing you to play GBA games and more.

Plus, there’s also an analogue stick in the bottom-left corner. It’s nicely situated for scrolling with the ball of your thumb and close enough to the D-pad for if you need to switch mid game.

This is definitely an option for anyone who doesn’t want to go down the PiBoy DMG route or wants both in their lives.

9. 1UP Pi Boy Micro

You’ve already met this console’s bigger brother further up our list of the best Raspberry Pi GameBoys!

The 1UP Pi Boy Micro is another smaller console from GBZ Mods. It’s more suited to playing games form older consoles due to the smaller number of buttons on the front, but can still cope with some games from the N64 that don’t require much C-button smashing like Mario Kart 64.

If you want all the power of the XL but in a smaller, easier to hold unit, then the Micro could well be the console for you.

It’s running on Raspberry Pi 3, so frame drop and lag are two issues that you won’t have to deal with.

It also has that same clear hardshell as the XL which shows off all the internal gubbins.

It’s like Optimus Prime as a baby!

I’m a big fan of GBZ Mods, and I think they have a strong future ahead of them. If you’re looking to support homegrown industries, then give these guys some of your cold hard cash.

10. Retro CM3

Last up in our list of the best Raspberry Pi GameBoys, but by no means least, is the Retro CM3.

We recently gave this console a score of 7/10 in our full Retro CM3 review. It’s a great handheld that feels nice and runs smoothly.

But, there is one problem…

… No N64 emulation!

That won’t even be an issue for some people. But for a die-hard Nintendoid like me, it instantly knocks a couple of points off the score.

If you’re a horizontal gaming fan (consoles, not laying on the sofa), then the Retro CM3 could well be a winner. The screen is nice, the shoulder buttons are strong, and the console can handle all of your favourite PS1 games with ease.

The battery will give you a sufficient amount of play each day too.

Charge it up at the same time you charge your power-hungry iPhone, and you’ll always be ready to get your game on!

Seb Santabarbara

Seb Santabarbara has bought every Nintendo console that has ever been released in his 33 years on Planet Earth. His favourite game franchise is Zelda, and he’s patiently waiting for Banjo-Kazooie to come back to the fold. When he’s not playing games, he’s travelling the world in his self-converted camper van.