Just a few days ago, ChromaLock, a well-known YouTuber, took to his channel to reveal his latest tech creation—a modified Game Boy Color equipped to play video using its original link cable. This project hinges on a Raspberry Pi Pico and some tailor-made software designed specifically for this task.
In the world of video playback, simplicity often translates to better performance, and ChromaLock’s project is no exception. Using a USB webcam, the playback delivers a surprisingly clear and smooth experience compared to the old Game Boy Camera. However, due to the limited color palette of just four colors, most videos come out better in black and white. This limitation is necessary to cope with the Game Boy Color’s small 160 x 144-pixel display.
ChromaLock has shared the software that powers this innovative setup on GitHub, calling it CGBLinkVideo. Built with the Raspberry Pi Pico and the original Game Boy Color link cable in mind, this app is rooted in open-source technology. The video compression scales down to 1 Megabyte per second, but because the Link Cable only handles 64 Kilobytes per second, the final output is significantly compressed. Naturally, this setup can lead to issues like dropped or split frames, though, in the end, the videos do play.
There’s a very cool video on YouTube titled “I Streamed To A Game Boy,” where ChromaLock showcases this capability. It’s not just about making video playback possible; the video digs deep into how he navigated the Game Boy Color’s constraints. With monochrome, playback can hit as high as 60 FPS, but using colors typically limits it to around 12 FPS.
ChromaLock didn’t stop at video. He also experimented with streaming games. Playing original Game Boy games this way proved less enjoyable than booting them up as intended. Tackling something modern, like Doom Eternal, was even more challenging, with the Game Boy Color’s dated screen struggling to make anything readable.
This ambitious undertaking was driven by a specific goal: to stream the iconic Touhou Project music video “Bad Apple” smoothly on a Game Boy Color. Given its monochrome nature, hitting 60 FPS was indeed possible, albeit with some noticeable dithering because of the streaming technique.
Overall, ChromaLock successfully pushed the boundaries of what a Game Boy Color can do, demonstrating impressive ingenuity and technical prowess.
