These Amazing Boards Let You Use Raspberry Pi Compute Modules in Real Game Boy Shells

One of the most popular uses for Raspberry Pi single-board computers is gaming — particularly emulating retro consoles. All you have to do is install RetroPie and download your favorite video game ROMs, and you can play just about any game from the 5th generation or earlier. You can certainly just plug in a USB controller and connect the Raspberry Pi to your TV to play, but the great thing about Raspberry Pi computers is how small they are. That means they’re perfect for handheld consoles. If you’re partial to Nintendo handhelds, there are now a range of boards you can use to turn your Game Boy into a Raspberry Pi-powered emulation machine.

Sudomod forum user Kite has designed four different boards, all of which are absolutely fantastic and designed to drop right into your Game Boy model of choice. The Circuit Sword board works with a Raspberry Pi Compute Module and fits into the Game Boy DMG (the original Game Boy). The Circuit Shield board also uses a Raspberry Pi Computer Module, but fits into a Game Boy Pocket shell. The Circuit Sword Lite fits inside of the Game Boy DMG shield, but it designed for the Raspberry Pi Zero W instead of a Raspberry Pi Computer Module. You can save a little bit of money by using the Raspberry Pi Zero over a Computer Module, but you won’t get nearly the same level of performance. Finally, the Circuit Gem is a tiny board designed for smaller, custom enclosures. Like the Circuit Sword Lite, it is intended to be used with a Raspberry Pi Zero W.

While the exact specifications differ between boards, they are all meant for RetroPie or other emulators and include all of the components you could possibly need for the job. That includes buttons, a microcontroller to read the buttons (on the Compute Module models), an integrated USB hub, status LEDs, LiPo battery charging and regulation, a microSD card slot (on the Compute Module models), a USB audio chip, an audio amplifier and speaker, an LCD connector, and more. The boards include the required hardware, which includes the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3 Lite, a backlit LCD screen, and cables.

The only parts you need to supply yourself are the Game Boy case and an appropriate LiPo battery. Kite likely isn’t including the LiPo batteries in order to avoid shipping complications. Both the Circuit Sword and Circuit Shield are £120 (about $168 USD), while the Circuit Sword Lite is £60 (about $84) and the Circuit Gem is £50 (about $70). All are available for pre-order until the end of February 27th, and should be shipping out in June.