It’s been more than thirty years since the Game Boy was released, but the grey brick’s fanbase hasn’t lost any of its passion. The most inventive among them have taken to modding their Game Boys, breathing new life into the classic portable. We can’t count how many times we’ve been floored by the creative mods the community has come up with, and we’re excited to share a few of our favorites with you here. From beautiful color jobs to intricately engineered masterpieces, these are 10 of the most amazing custom Game Boys that you absolutely have to see.
We’ll kick off the list with one of our favorite custom Game Boys. This work of art features a beautiful transparent shell with a gorgeous illustration of everyone’s favorite Ghost-type Pokémon. The LEDs light up the internals in a soft neon-purple glow, which looks amazing in low-light conditions. Don’t worry, nighttime playing is a-okay thanks to the backlit IPS screen. Honestly, this might be the perfect Game Boy Color.
The Steampunk Boy
We imagine this is what the Game Boy might look like if it was made by hyperintelligent Victorian-era superfish in top hats and monocles. Dubbed the Steampunk Boy by Reddit user KR4SH0V4R1D3, this complex creation is one of the most intricately detailed and unique mod jobs we’ve ever seen. We can tell just by looking at it that the Steampunk Boy is a nightmare to play on, but a mod like this is meant to be showed off; not played.
This DMG Modded for Live Shows
The Game Boy played a major role in birth of chiptune music, so it’s no surprise mods like this one exist. Reddit user drcigg found this one listed on Yahoo! Japan that looks like it was modded for live shows, with a volume knob and two 6.35-mm connectors for audio output. The physical copy of LSDJ sat beside it basically confirms its musical purpose.
This Game Boy In a NES Cartridge
Game Boy mods can get crazy sometimes. Just look at this totally impractical creation by Game Boy Custom that turns a classic NES cartridge into a playable Game Boy. Why would someone do this? Because they can, and that’s a good enough answer for us.
Game Boy Camera M
The Game Boy Camera has seen a resurgence in recent years thanks to the rise of retro photography. Some have even dedicated themselves to the aesthetic, snapping shots exclusively with the accessory. This mod by Christopher Graves takes things a step further by squeezing an entire Game Boy Pocket into a custom chassis fashioned after a portable camera. You can even stick a lens on the front to snap shots from a distance! We wouldn’t want to play Wario Land on this thing, though.
The Battery-free Game Boy
Turns out you don’t even need a battery to play your favorite original Game Boy games. The Battery-free Game Boy was concocted in a lab by scientists from Delft University and Northwestern University. It uses modern dynamic energy harvesting techniques to source power from both the sun and your button presses, finally giving us a legitimate reason for our button mashing.
Game Boy Custom Kawaii Style
While we’ve seen some truly wild mods in this list, clean builds are much more commonplace. After all, most people want to actually be able to play their Game Boys in public. It’s hard to find one as pleasing on the eyes as this custom Kirby’s Dream Land Game Boy, though. The pastel blue shell and candy-colored buttons and d-pad look incredible, and once again, a custom IPS screen is used here for sharper, more vibrant visuals than the original display.
The PikaBoy
The PikaBoy looks like an actual Nintendo product the company would have released as a limited-edition promo piece for Pokemon Yellow. That’s how good it looks (low-budget Pokeball carrying case notwithstanding). With light-up LED cheeks and tiny feet to stand up with, this thing is immeasurable levels of adorable.
The Horizontal Game Boy
The DMG’s classic brick design is historic, but I’ve always preferred the landscape orientation of the Game Boy Advance. This mod by Obirux finally gives us exactly that. Made by sacrificing two OG Game Boy shells, this mod, unfortunately, isn’t available for sale.
The Pokédex Game Boy
This beauty is the second on our list from Australian modding crew Game Boy Custom. Styled after the iconic 2nd Generation Pokedex, this is the best-looking Pokedex device we’ve seen. The fact that it actually runs Game Boy games is just icing on the cake.