While the display inside the AGS-101 had shallow viewing angles and less-than-vivid colors, it was the best option for the modders to use; given the odd shape of the hole for the screen in the Game Boys plastic body, there were only a limited number of aftermarket screens that could be slotted into the device.Close Alert Close Story Saved To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories.
Game Boy Color Emulator Bluetooth Speakers FitnessClose Alert Close Sign In Search Search Backchannel Business Culture Gear Ideas Science Security 7 Emergency Tool Apps Best Bluetooth Speakers Fitness Trackers How to Get a Covid Vaccine 19 Masks We Love More Buying Guides Gadget Lab Newsletter Brendan Nysted t Gear 06.10.2020 07:00 AM Retro Hackers Are Building a Better Nintendo Game Boy Fueled by nostalgia and longing for a simpler time, hardware tinkerers are injecting new life into the iconic handheld game console.Facebook Twitter Email Save Story To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories.A Nintendo Game Boy Advance customized using parts from aftermarket supplier Boxy Pixel. Photograph: Nick Rose Facebook Twitter Email Save Story To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. From its launch in 1989 until its discontinuation in 2008, Nintendos handheld gaming device sold hundreds of millions of units. It went through seven different design iterations, six of which were sold in the US. And because the system was propped up by Nintendos thousands-deep library of titles, the Game Boy remains one of the top-selling videogame consoles of all time. But for a gang of modders and hackers on the internet, these machines arent something to be left in the past. Rather, these underpowered, inexpensive toys are canvases for creativity and experimentation. Groups of hackers who congregate on the rGameboy subreddit, on Discord, on Instagram, and across YouTube have been dragging Nintendos tiny, world-beating machine into the 2020s by creating a cottage industry of parts, custom components, and prebuilt modified Game Boys along the way. Todays Game Boy modding scene largely sprang up in response to Nintendos own conservative tendencies. Always intent on making its game systems affordable and efficient, the Kyoto, Japan-based company has a long history of keeping its consumer products technologically behind the curve in an effort to hold costs down. Nintendo engineer and Game Boy creator Gunpei Yokoi famously relied on a philosophy of lateral thinking with withered technology. ![]() Remain in Light One example of this mindset is the fact that for years, Nintendo outfitted Game Boys with non-illuminated screens. This meant that a copious amount of ambient light was required to see whatever you were playing. In response, accessory makers offered up all kinds of crazy add-ons, from booklight-like gadgets that shone light onto the screen to bulky screen magnifiers with bulbs and batteries in them. In many ways, the poor display quality of the Game Boy stunted the platforms success by making it impossible to get your game on under dim or inconsistently lit conditions. This became a meme in the early 2000s, when the online comic Penny Arcade posted its take on the handhelds biggest shortcoming. A kit with a replacement display panel and front circuit board for a classic Nintendo Game Boy sold by Hand Held Legend. This clamshell gadget packed a front-lit screen at first, and in later revisions labeled AGS-101, the Game Boys first backlit LCD. So, of course, Nintendo modders got busy figuring out a way to get that backlit display into older models. This was the first transformational mod in the consoles history, since it modernized the older Game Boys in a way that made them more playable and, in essence, brought the aged tech back to life.
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