I’ve been a long-time fan of Nintendo’s various Game Boy consoles for decades, starting with the original, grey plastic monochrome device (mine was actually yellow), and running all the way to the current version of the 3DS.
The Game Boy Colour, however, is probably the system I spent the most time playing during my formative year’s growing up. I owned a plethora of accessories for the handheld that mostly consisted of different types of lights. This was because the Game Boy Colour’s screen is nearly impossible to see because it doesn’t feature a backlight, especially under direct sunlight.
Now, a clever modder that goes by Grimmet, has found a way to swap out the Game Boy Advance SP’s display (from the AGS-101 model) and squeeze it inside a Game Boy Colour.
The kit required to transfer the GBA’s display and get it to work in the GBC, which consists of a custom-made display ribbon, is priced at $40. The solution is far from perfect due to the fact that it requires the Game Boy Colour’s plastic body to be shaved down considerably, going so far as to require metal circuit board contacts to be cut down in order to fit the GBA’s screen in the modded GBC’s body.
However, Grimmett has now found a more consistent solution to the problem and sells pre-modified GBC bodies for $20 and will also install the screen for users at a cost of $200.
The above video, put together by Colin Wirth from the YouTube channel This Does Not Compute, shows off the elaborate installation process. While a backlit Game Boy Colour is a glorious thing to see, the process of actually getting the screen installed is an intensive and only those that have experience opening up video game console will likely be willing to try it.
