For all those who feared their Game Boy days would be but a memory, worry no more! The Game Boy may be dead, but with the Raspberry Pi and a Gamebox Kit you’ll have a chance to revive it.
PiGRRL 2.0 Kit Pack
This kit is powered by a Raspberry Pi 2 or newer. It can be easiyl buld in a game boy case. The case is not included. You must 3D Print it or buy it somewhere else. However, if you purchase the pack, you’ll get everything you need to assemble the Gameboy.
This is version 2.0! We’ve updated this project for the Raspberry Pi 2 or 3 with more buttons (D-Pad, A,B,X,Y,L,R, pause and start), and four extra buttons on the PiTFT.
This portable handheld game emulation station is called the PiGRRL and it’s powered by a Raspberry Pi 2 Model B and a PiTFT display. You’ll have to do all the 3D printing, assembly, and installation yourself to get gaming, but our learn guide will help you get through the process.
This PiGRRL pack has just about everything you need to make this project EXCEPT the Raspberry Pi, case, battery, wires and hardware, and hand tools for soldering, cutting, etc. You will need to 3D print your own case – but check out our 3D printing guide for the pack so you or your friend can 3D print an enclosure. You need a ~2500mAh lipoly battery and we only guarantee that it will work with our batteries. Using the wrong polarity or chemistry battery can destroy your PiGrrl project.
With this update, we really wanted to make it easier to build. We’ve dramatically cut the build time in half by making a custom gamepad PCB. Just solder in the buttons and an IDC box header to the gamepad PCB – No more tedious button wiring! We also sell just the PCB on it’s own.
You will also need to solder together the parts so many hand tools and other small parts such as silicone wires, screws or blue tack are required. Please read through the tutorial so you can see what else is needed to complete this project!
Please note this is a medium-difficulty project that uses many Maker skills such as soldering, 3D printing and installing Linux! The PiGRRL2 is a fun build but it is a DIY project, it will not have perfect audio/video/emulation capabilities.
This pack includes:
- 1x – PiTFT Plus Assembled 320×240 2.8″ TFT + Resistive Touchscreen
- 1x – PiGRRL 2 PCB
- 1x – 2×20 pin IDC Box Header
- 1x – Adafruit Mono 2.5W Class D Audio Amplifier – PAM8302
- 1x – Breadboard-friendly SPDT Slide Switch
- 1x – GPIO Ribbon Cable – 40 pins
- 1x – Mini Metal Speaker w/ Wires – 8 ohm 0.5W
- 1x – PowerBoost 1000 Charger – Rechargeable 5V Lipo USB Boost @ 1A – 1000C
- 1x – 8GB Blank SD/MicroSD Memory Card
- 10x – 6mm Tactile Button switches
- 10x – 12mm square Tactile Button switches
You will also need:
- Raspberry Pi
- Lithium Polymer 2500 mAh battery or Lithium Polymer 2000mAh battery (smaller, less battery life)
- Silicone or PVC stranded wires in various colors
- 3D printed case
- Hand tools for soldering and basic assembly
The price for this kit: $59.95
Pocket PiGRRL Pack
Second on our list is the Pocket PiGRRL kit. This game boy is designed to run excellent emulators such as the NES, Atari260, and MAME on Emulation station or Retropie. This will enable you to play all your favorite Gameboy games, on a modern, fast gaming portable console.
For all those who feared their Game Boy days would be but a memory, worry no more! The Game Boy may be dead, but with this pack you’ll have a chance to revive it in style. We’ve collected all the right parts so you can assemble the guts of your very own DIY GameGRRL – a portable Raspberry Pi running MAME, NES, Atari2600 and other fine emulators (via RetroPie/EmulationStation)
It’s called the Pocket PiGRRL and it’s powered by a Raspberry Pi Model A+ and a PiTFT display. You’ll have to do all the assembly and installation yourself to get gaming, but our learn guide will help you get through the process.
Please note this is not a professional product! It’s a DIY kit, and is great fun to build, but it may not have great emulation, video, audio etc.
The Pocket PiGRRL Pack has just about everything you need to make this project EXCEPT the case. You will need to 3D print your own case – but check out our 3D printing guide for the pack so you or your friend can 3D print an enclosure. You will also need to solder together the parts so many hand tools and other small parts such as screws or blue tack are required. Please read through the tutorial so you can see what else is needed to complete this project
Powerboost may have an off-white or black JST connector.
The kit includes:
- One PiTFT 2.4″ 320×240 TFT Touchscreen
- One 1 A USB charger
- One class D amplifier
- 26-pin GPIO ribbon cold for the Pi
- A PCB and tactical button switch
- Tactical switch buttons
- 8gb micro SDcard and an 8 ohm 0.5-watt small speaker
The price for this kit: $47.50
Related questions
Does the raspberry pi run Gameboy games smoothly?
Yes! You can run any Gameboys games smoothly on the Raspberry Pi. The Pi has much better computing power compared to the original Gameboy PCB. You can even create your own retro gaming rid using the Pi’s Retropie Os.
How heavy is the raspberry pi?
Most Raspberry Pi boards weigh anywhere from 23 to 42 grams. Like your average debit card, the raspberry foundation did a great job in retaining the size and simplicity of this fantastic hardware over the years while still adding amazing features and improvements in both capacity and speed! The latest Pi size is 3.35″ × 2.2″ × 0.8″, weighing about 42 grams.
Can the raspberry pi fit in your pocket?
Yes!, with the size of to credit card the Pi can easily fit into your pocket – even with the additional casing. Like the game boy, the charged battery within your newly made Pi Gameboy console will ensure that you keep playing your favorite Gameboy games while on the go.