In the next 25 years or so I bet we'll have holographic videogames you play using the dimensions of your bedroom, that by todays standards, would be considered way too advanced
@@nickz5849 probs not, it'll just be advancing what we have now, with vr getting much more slimmed down and cheaper. moors law also seems to be slowing so vr gaming will probably be great in 20 years
David, if you turn the brightness all the way down, the screen will work just like an original GBC reflective screen, so you can save up on battery life if you need to.
I was rather disappointed that he skipped the brightness control wires. I mean, the gbc was already disassembled and it didn't seem any more difficult to solder to those pads.
I think the funniest thing about this is the memory of when the GB Advanced had a backlit screen, my mom refused to get it for me saying "backlit screens are harder on your eyes" haha
it was more expensive. my dad was just like your mom except he would try the convince me that the shittier one was better in some way. he would never just be honest.
I've been waiting 6.000 years for a viable backlit mod.. Now i can finally start working on my buddy's Gameboy Color. My friend and i are both in our mid 20's but he will definitely love the end result!. Thank you for the video dude. :- )
@@longlostwraith5106 Same with NES ROMs. After ignoring them for 30 years they now strike down anything since they noticed there’s a community of retro fans.
They took down emuparadise now 3do games are hard asf to find along with the full collection of vintage power mags and game guides gj nintendo we lost a gaming archive.They dont care because they can do what ever they want they release a new smash or pkmn game example people are stupid enough to buy it.
@@Patrick_AUBRY GB Boy Colour has your back. Go onto AliExpress (Chinese wholesaler) and buy one. It'll cost £25-£30 and it'll replace anything that you have. The only thing it lacks is the ability to use a link cable..
CORRECTION: The Game Boy Color's bootrom contains several unique palettes for original Game Boy games (including nearly every pre-GBC first party game) which are initiated as default when it reads the cart's ROM header. In fact, it's more robust than how the Super Game Boy interprets color for non-enhanced games
Well, the problem with this implementation is that the color is static throughout the game. The SGB can receive palette change commands from SGB enhanced games like Pokémon Red (for example, going from one area to another). The CGB, can’t.
@@StrobeFlashLite I was about to say this! This is one of my favorite features of playing older Game Boy games on a Game Boy Color. Makes games look really cool in different ways and you can change it when you start them up every time!
I'm always amazed at how good the old classic games look on a modern screen. Emulators can even hack some of the 3D games like Mario 64 to display in 16:9 ratio with the right settings.
I feel it worth to make known to you that in the case of Axanar, there WAS a legitimate case of copyright infringement in the form of Alec Peters, the man at the helm, openly stating online on his own site (which he, upon being filed against, immediately removed) as well as in other locations that post production of Axanar he intended to rent out the studio, thus profiting in the end from an IP that they had no legal right to. Additionally, he openly stated that the project only required about $500k to make, thus making pocketing the $1 million in crowdfunded money and the construction of the studio to begin with an additional violation of the copyright protecting CBS's claim to the Trek IP. The funniest thing is Alec Peters's day job is playing lawyer. He KNEW what he was doing, and did it anyway. I have no sympathy for him. He got in my opinion what he knew could have happened and likely deserved. It is unfortunate that it led to the curtailment of Trek fan fic on this platform, but the worse and more heinous act would have been to allow the project to continue to potentially damage the Trek IP when it comes to the furtherment of canon, as it would have done with Season 1 of Discovery chasing the same content. And I'm not really looking for your opinion on Disco here, just presenting you facts as well as my general opinion.
Thankfully, Nintendo doesn’t follow that trend as much as other companies. While I am indeed a fan, I know they are not perfect. But it’s still admirable that they focus on fun mechanics to make games. Hell, the Switch was influenced by Super Mario Odyssey’s development team. That lead to a system that has unique and fun ways to experience games.
Casper Randominator - Yeah, I tried it, but I completely lost any interest in it within half an hour. I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. I have no desire to try it again, honestly.
Evangelos Killer mike - Yeah, some of the experiences allowed by today’s tech are downright amazing! However, it does occasionally feel like companies go “Look how powerful our systems are” or “Look how expansive how game is” without paying close enough attention to finer details. Now, I’m not saying for a moment that all games are like that. I have immense respect for developers who yank the last kilogram of power out of a system to create an amazing adventure. But right now, it feels like people are chasing 4K and not aiming for 60fps as often. 60fps always feels better to me.
Personally I would've used a 6v RC Car battery pack where the DC Jack goes, like it is on the REAL pack.. or just get a 5 cell series AA holder and use 1.2v AA cells (or even C and D). That's fine too #ProblemSolved
John Knight you would need to change the arrangement of the cells. 2x2 would give a max voltage of 8.4v while the max with fresh AAs is slightly under 7v. A quick and dirty hack would use a diode with a 1v+ voltage drop.
very cool to see this initial version of this. I just modded a Gameboy I bought that was parts for repair that had pretty significant PCB damage and needed many traces repaired and I had to rebuild the button contact pads so it is pretty rough on the inside but I got it working again and decided to replace the very badly damaged screen with the new Retro Pixel IPS LCD mod. It requires quite a lot of case modification but I just slowly shaved it back with a knife until I got it perfect and soldered up the new screen added a rechargeable battery pack and it is amazing now. Feels great to play and since the screen is actually large and backlit it is an awesome experience especially since it is all original hardware running the games.
Ok, weird comment, but I really appreciate the clean, trimmed nails and cuticles. It never fails to squick me out when someone is doing a modding video and their closeup has dirty fingernails (shudders).
@@tomlindo2863 - I thought the same. A 9V li-ion battery might fit in the place of 2 penlights. It probably requires a voltage regulator to prevent burning the thing by U=I*R when different parts of the system power up.
@@manuell3505 U? What is U? I know I is current and R is resistance.. Anyway, if you used such a pack, I'd hope you have a voltage regulator wired to the GBC main positive and negative to spit out a constant 3v (edit: or 3.3v is fine too, considering a fully charged AA one time use battery is like 1.6v)
When doing these mods, look into the glass replacement screen protectors available all over the internet. Scratch resistant and much better viewing, they usually come with repro graphics on them so they look like an original part.
@referral madness -with a lighter. I did this to fix a friend's Gamecube and it worked AMAZINGLY well. I could even sometimes get 2 screws unscrewed with 1 pen. Now it's 2020 and I have an $8 screwdriver set that handles just about anything
I can’t believe how good it looks. I just dug up my gameboy collection. It’s cool and all to see a color with a backlight but really the damn screen is still too small. It’s just better to play them on the sp IMO. Emulation is cool and all on the pc or psp or phone but the real deal is way more fun for some reason
Hey I just wanted to say I have been watching your videos for years now. My first exposure to your content was actually the backlight mod from 2014. I love your videos and the care that you take with all of your Restorations and Documentaries. Keep up the great work!
Actually there was a backlight model of the original B/W Game Boy (actually of the Game Boy Pocket to be more precise), it was called the Game Boy Light but it was only available in japan from what I know.
Agreed. And I don't know why every video I've seen about this screen thinks the viewers are blind, because they all claim it's barely noticeable or you can hardly tell. I have eyes, they work, and I'm not stupid: I can clearly see 3 different colors of "bezel" before I actually get to the image. The makers of this screen really need to include a new screen protector that covers up all the extra dead space. I wouldn't mind the smaller viewable screen if I didn't have to see all the borders.
I was thinking the same thing. Really does look off, when you're expecting the original screen size, and then that extra bezel looks bizarre. I was really surprised he didn't mention that.
there is a company that makes lenses for those new GBC screens, and they fit perfectly. Also this mod is not the cleanest one, there is one available where you cut only the bottom frame.
I remember very well back in GB/GBC time when try to find the right angle that allowed you to see something was part of the game itself! Backlight screen, a wet dream when I was a child but today, play Super Mario Land or Pokemon without see a thing is pure "Childhood flavor"
5:44 I know it's been a while since the video, but there's a GBA backlight mod with no case modifications required available in China and pretty cheap.
@@thebryang The main problem is, if a comment with link attached is sent, it might be flagged as a spam. You can find it by searching "GBA IPS Kit" on shopping websites. What I bought included an adapter board with "PANGO" engraved on the chip packaging.
Benefit of having double pixel resolution is that you have 4X the pixels pumping out color which means the LCD wash out effect is negated. Beautifully done!
10:17 i love that the 8 Bit Guy loves games but isn't very good at playing them haha (just a fun observation here btw, he's just demonstrating the games lol)
A big part of copyright laws are that you legally have to protect them, that's why Nintendo does this. The more they don't the more an argument can be made against them in losing their copyright. Love the video, thanks for sharing!
I'd highly recommend the BennVenn screen option over MW Embedded - the battery life is drastically better. And, y'know, BennVenn kinda pioneered this stuff.
I'm aware of the pinball lag issue with the early V1 of the PCB, but what is supposed to be wrong with everdrives? I have an Everdrive X3 that seems to be working fine.
@@JonathosDX multiple people on the Krikzz forum have reported that the graphics freeze but the audio keeps playing when using the X7 with the BennVenn mod.
Interesting. Haven't seen any real complaints elsewhere. Everdrives do have pretty high power draw, though - if the GBCs needed new caps and were already straining, I could definitely see a backlit screen pushing it over the edge. Though I'd suspect any of the kits would cause issues, given BV and MW both use the same actual screen.
Yes, but Gameboy / Gameboy Color games stuck out of the SP quite a bit making it uncomfortable and the games looked tiny on screen as it had the same issue the regular Advance did. Also there were 2 models of the SP released, the AGS-101 which had the best screen now sells for around $100 used today, while the other model has terrible viewing angles. Personally I like the Gameboy Colors feel in the hands more than the others.
1:50 - idk if it's been said but the Super Game Boy color data is not used on a GBC or GBA, the GBC just applies generic palates to the games you can change them with the arrow keys on start up.
Not with everyone. Some games (or a lot, I don't really know a full list) from the original DMG (like Super Mario Land, Pokemon Red, etc) had some predefined palletes in the GBC. You can change them with the method you said (and also A and B), but if you don't press anything, it will use the predefined one.
Wow, the screen itself does look phenomenal. The doubled pixel density really makes for a razor-sharp image. Still, most folks would be just as happy with the backlit GBA SP, model AGS-101.
@@erik19borgnia lol i paid $134 for my gba sp ags 101, 2 weeks ago and it was used on ebay and it was the cheapest one that was not broken and didnt have actual teeth marks on it, and it did come with plenty of scratches
@@jasonbrown467 I was talking about just the screen to do the mod. And it was a year ago. Now they are even more expensive. I actually got this screen last year (the Midwest Embedded one) and I'm pretty happy with it. In the last year I played a lot of games in my GBC and it was a blessing to be able to really see.
Man your videos are the best! Exceptional commentary and editing! Only question I had after watching this is, how is the battery life of the new screen compared to the other units? With a much better screen and back-light, it must have half the battery life?
@Bailey Washington I really prefer the correct/original colors of the GBC as well. That's why I couldn't stand playing GBC games on an AGS-101 (even most GBA games show incorrect colors on the backlit screens). The solution for people like us right now is sadly only in emulators that offer color correction. Gambatte (a Retroarch core) is extremely accurate and also supports color correction. I've found that using it on a Nintendo 3DS gives something really close to what an actual GBC with backlight would have been like.
@@Izquierda There are a lot of reasons for this. Gameboy Color and (especially) early Gameboy Advance games were designed with the reflective LCD displays in mind. Because of how they work, they are naturally dimmer than a backlit LCD. These games tend to look washed out when played on a much brighter backlit screen. In my opinion, a PROPER front light would be best if you're looking for a Gameboy Color with authentic color. If you take a front light out of an AGS-001 GBA and fit it into a GBC, it looks fantastic. There are some aftermarket front light kits, but they're pretty terrible. If a proper front light kit was ever made (with a good light panel like the AGS-001 had) I think it would be the best solution.
Not sure if it’s been pointed out already, but the reason black and white Gameboy games had color on the GBC actually had nothing to do with the Super Gameboy-that color data wasn’t compatible. The Gameboy Color’s internal boot rom actually had a list of a huge number of games (if not all of them?) with a corresponding palette assignment for backgrounds and sprites. Anything not on the list got a generic one. You could also override these by hitting various buttons during bootup!
@@user-pi5xz5je4y And yet I've never been able find a working C64 :( What is with that thing breaking down? They all seem to have bad PLA chips. I have two VIC-20s and they work perfectly fine...even though they're older!
Why would you buy a Switch or a C64 to play SMB when you can play the original rom on almost anything? It would be a 1000 times easier to get a copy of SMB and an NES or Famiclone than to find a working C64 and the hardware necessary to run SMB C64.
A few years ago, I bought a modded GBC with a front light and the Loca glue mod that was popular for some time. It does the job but I’ve never been truly happy with it. Once this new version is up for sale again, I’ll definitely be doing this upgrade.
0:50 "I think that game developers were too busy trying to "Wow!" consumers with graphics and they kind of forgot that game needs to have good gameplay."
Huh, this explains why my GB color is so dim. I turned it on for the first time in years, and just assumed the backlight stopped working, lol "The More You Know!" Nice mod, may need to give this a go myself now.
For the impatient: 00:00 Video, and some Context. 03:26 Start of the actual modding whoever is helped with this! :) And, Great video, fascinating content!
Super Gameboy and Game Boy Color colors are _not_ compatible. Each game would have to be programmed to work with one or the other or both, but having special color data on SGB does not mean having special color data on GBC and vice versa. (Unless the GBC has a special pallete for the game built into it's BIOS)
ugggggggg, yes the GBC DOES have the super gameboy color palate in its rom. you just can't run a GBC game on a super gameboy. he wasn't implying you could do the later just explaining why he prefered the GBC over the GB pocket becasue of the former.
@The 64th Shadow How exactly does the whole colour pallet changing thing work the GBC/SGB? Is it similar to the NES where the colours aren't really colours and are just different signals that the screen decides (or in this case the GBC/SGB)?
@@ColtGColtG That's incorrect. The Game Boy Color does NOT support Super Game Boy colors. IE: Kirby's Dreamland 2. It has full color on Super Game Boy but uses an entirely different color pallete on Game Boy Color. Pokemon Gold and Silver. Full color on Game Boy Color, but restrictive color on Super Game Boy.
Indeed. The GameBoy Color does NOT support SGB palettes. That was my one beef with the machine, it felt like Nintendo just cheaped out with the firmware. Try this: power up the GBC with a SGB game and one of the D-PAD directions held down. You’ll notice the palette change. This is how you know it doesn’t support SGB color. Usually I play non-GBC games with the greyscale palette (left+B according to TCRF), which just feels right to me.
Actually Early Game Boy Games like Tetris or Super Mario Land 1 don't have any color information on them, the Super Game Boy and GBC just map the 4 shades of gray to different colors. You can even choose from different color palettes on the Super Game Boy and GBC.
2:55 "-army of lawyers-" You're forgetting a more immoral alternative to lawyers who can easily win cases even if they're wrong. It's called bribery, and it's been done for thousands of years.
yep only minor quibbles: black border around the game image like at 2:08, cartridges stick out of the slot, adapter required for headphones. good enough for me
Looks fine but it's reflective, what me and my friends did was buy a matte tablet screen protector and overlay it on top. It was cheap and easy to remove if needed. It made quite a difference.
rjolly87 oh yes, I play my game boy color constantly and only in bright direct sunlight! I would never think of a mod that makes it more useful in more scenarios. I’m just going to stick to one and pitch a fit!
If you want to do a nice backlit mod like that, Id recommend a glass replacement screen protector, the originals scratch easy and the glass ones feel and look amazing. They're usually under $10 on ebay and are worth it, ive repaired countless and always use the glass ones.
well, there's finally a proper backlite mod for the color! I broke mine years back trying to mod it the old fashioned way which required a GBASP frontlit panel.
@@deusexaethera Right guys, I realize that. I was hoping more for a response where he enumerated the level of impact. I haven't played a GBC for years and years, so did it reduce battery life from 10 hours to 9? 4 hours to 3.5? I have kids and with the limitations we put on electronics, we haven't let them have phones at all because they're so open-ended. But this device we could let them play knowing there's a pre-set amount of games. Plus it's nostalgic for me:)
Other people have said that with this mod they get about 6 hours active time. That's plenty if you put in a fresh set of rechargeable batteries before each binge, or every 2-3 days of casual play. Plenty of life. Alternatively, just put in a lithium ion rechargeable battery while you got it open for the screen mod. Replace the old batteries entirely. There's plenty of room.
1: Game Boy Colors were made in the millions and are generally in much better condition than most of the old NES toasters, so I don't think anyone will be upset at having to modify their GBC's out of factory condition. 2: As of when I'm posting this, Bennvenn's mod is more expensive AND out of stock.
@@technoturnovers7072 The one listed here is out of stock as well and the BennVenn one requires no soldering. There is a new batches released all the time and he constantly updates on facebook about them.
you literally cannot tell that the gameboy is structurally modified here unless you take it apart and see that it has been cut. Obviously ignoring the fact that it has a totally different screen but the body mods are not visible under the screen protector.
@@TheEpicLinkFreeman Was more commenting on the amount of work needed to install it than anything and providing an alternative for those who may want it.
What’s nice is that nowadays drop in kits and custom made shells exist, so modding a GBC has never been easier. Some kits, like the one I got, dosnt even need any soldering, you just assemble the kit, put it into the GBC, and there ya go! Backlit GameBoy Color!
I disagree with using Axanar as an example of overzealous copyright protection. Alec Peters was trying to make a profit off Star Trek IP. That is indefensible.
yeah but not everyone is aware of the full story. The only reason I know about it is because I had a friend that worked on other fan films and personally knows almost everyone involved with all of them. He even knows Alec. CBS was being a jackass though in taking it out on the fan films that weren't being assholes.
was thinking of getting a gameboy color recently and just saw this video, a backlight would be nice but man this is too much effort for me XD, great content man!
This should have been done 20 years ago when I needed it...
:D
The FPGA used in that product would've been priced at about 200k$.
In the next 25 years or so I bet we'll have holographic videogames you play using the dimensions of your bedroom, that by todays standards, would be considered way too advanced
@@nickz5849 probs not, it'll just be advancing what we have now, with vr getting much more slimmed down and cheaper. moors law also seems to be slowing so vr gaming will probably be great in 20 years
I had the little dongle light that plugged into side port. It worked ok but sucked up batterys like a mf'r
David, if you turn the brightness all the way down, the screen will work just like an original GBC reflective screen, so you can save up on battery life if you need to.
I was rather disappointed that he skipped the brightness control wires. I mean, the gbc was already disassembled and it didn't seem any more difficult to solder to those pads.
@@humbertojunior2819 ditto, I couldn't believe it, thought he was joking. Weird 🤷♂️
that information just turned this from a maybe to a must buy for me thank you
well if it uses fpga then turning backlight off wont make that much difference
@@Timsturbs can still be useful if you're outside. But it's up to the person doing the mods, it's good to have an option anyways.
I think the funniest thing about this is the memory of when the GB Advanced had a backlit screen, my mom refused to get it for me saying "backlit screens are harder on your eyes" haha
And harder on her purse.
@@moparmanicgarage she had the money to buy 30 of them if she wanted to...... it wasnt about the money stranger, it was about control.
@@CaptainPhantom93 No need to call him stranger, lets not forget you posted this on RUclips.
@@moparmanicgarage Harder on her ASSHOLE
it was more expensive. my dad was just like your mom except he would try the convince me that the shittier one was better in some way. he would never just be honest.
Woooow. That literally was an insane difference, definitely worth the work if you're a hardcore fan. I'm not but yeah.
The mode should have been with an AMOLED screen.
I've been waiting 6.000 years for a viable backlit mod..
Now i can finally start working on my buddy's Gameboy Color.
My friend and i are both in our mid 20's but he will definitely love the end result!.
Thank you for the video dude. :- )
i think your thumbnail has the images in the wrong order
I'd say it's just the arrow that's backwards
Hello mister epic content
Or he accidentally makes a line.
Hey Taran
Oh hey it Taran
Dear Nintendo,
Don't bite the hand that feeds you
Sincerely,
Everyone who makes videos for the love on Nintendo
From what I heard, it’s Nintendo of Japan that goes crazy with the claims, not Nintendo of America.
They don't care. Nintendo think they own the place, and they fight tooth and nail to "protect" their copyrights.
@@L1701 Japanese copyright law should be proof enough that two nukes were not enough
@@longlostwraith5106 Same with NES ROMs. After ignoring them for 30 years they now strike down anything since they noticed there’s a community of retro fans.
They took down emuparadise now 3do games are hard asf to find along with the full collection of vintage power mags and game guides gj nintendo we lost a gaming archive.They dont care because they can do what ever they want they release a new smash or pkmn game example people are stupid enough to buy it.
Movie companies did they same thing. Forgot that stories and characters were the most important thing in the movie. Not CGI.
*laughs in George Lucas*
>uploaded 2 minutes ago
>comment posted 9 hours ago
yeah everything checks out
@@whateverforevermusic what's happening here?
@@whateverforevermusic patreon supporters view content early
@@whateverforevermusic _patreon_
I think you should have covered two additional items: 1) how does the screen look in the sun, and 2) impact on battery life.
And the impact of a smaller screen. I ment to Say on the usability or gaming experience.
@@Patrick_AUBRY GB Boy Colour has your back. Go onto AliExpress (Chinese wholesaler) and buy one. It'll cost £25-£30 and it'll replace anything that you have. The only thing it lacks is the ability to use a link cable..
@Nylon pixels are quadrupled*
So? AA batteries are cheap these days
AAA and 9V last A LOT less
I just finished installing my backlight mod and I LOVE it! Thanks for showing off this product!
CORRECTION: The Game Boy Color's bootrom contains several unique palettes for original Game Boy games (including nearly every pre-GBC first party game) which are initiated as default when it reads the cart's ROM header. In fact, it's more robust than how the Super Game Boy interprets color for non-enhanced games
StrobeFlashLite can you give some examples please
@@nicklesm202 tcrf.net/Notes:Game_Boy_Color_Bootstrap_ROM
Well, the problem with this implementation is that the color is static throughout the game. The SGB can receive palette change commands from SGB enhanced games like Pokémon Red (for example, going from one area to another). The CGB, can’t.
@@StrobeFlashLite I was about to say this! This is one of my favorite features of playing older Game Boy games on a Game Boy Color. Makes games look really cool in different ways and you can change it when you start them up every time!
Came here to say this!
This Brings back memories from the ibook guy
wasn't this the same channel?
@Bryce Forsyth Yes, that was their point.
@40 wise He changed the channel name to better reflect what most of his content is about.
This is him now; feel old yet?
@@bryceforsyth8521 yeah. But when the channel was still named TheiBookGuy, he did a similar mod to a gameboy pocket
Well, this video is 16 years too late.
Worm light saved me
I hear ya, but those worm lights weren't really very good.
Yup, had a few of those.
@@paulkevinkoehler9490 Yeah, even worse were those crappy magnification lenses which had a light built in.
I tried a worm light once. The glare on the screen was just as bad as the darkness and it drastically reduced the battery life.
Unfortunately we didn't have FPGA back then...
I love how Nintendo goes after people who make videos around their games, and yet they ignore the fake Super Mario Maker 2 ads.
Because they are not the real Nintendo
@@javieralejandrotrianapaz6343 omfg
Nintendo themselves make these fake ads and fake shit in order to legitimize more controls. It is actually more profitable.
I'm always amazed at how good the old classic games look on a modern screen. Emulators can even hack some of the 3D games like Mario 64 to display in 16:9 ratio with the right settings.
And now that SM64 has been decompiled, we have high frame rate support, true camera control (even mouse camera), and even raytracing lol
There's even a android port of sm64 now which is crazy. But og hardware is dope with mods, flashcart and roms.
Oh man, it is already out of stock.
EDIT: looks like it is back in stock
Mhm.
Yep.
Yea, it is.
Yes, you're right.
Correct.
💯 for calling out Nintendo and CBS 🤣
Yentendo and See-BS.
I feel it worth to make known to you that in the case of Axanar, there WAS a legitimate case of copyright infringement in the form of Alec Peters, the man at the helm, openly stating online on his own site (which he, upon being filed against, immediately removed) as well as in other locations that post production of Axanar he intended to rent out the studio, thus profiting in the end from an IP that they had no legal right to. Additionally, he openly stated that the project only required about $500k to make, thus making pocketing the $1 million in crowdfunded money and the construction of the studio to begin with an additional violation of the copyright protecting CBS's claim to the Trek IP.
The funniest thing is Alec Peters's day job is playing lawyer. He KNEW what he was doing, and did it anyway. I have no sympathy for him. He got in my opinion what he knew could have happened and likely deserved. It is unfortunate that it led to the curtailment of Trek fan fic on this platform, but the worse and more heinous act would have been to allow the project to continue to potentially damage the Trek IP when it comes to the furtherment of canon, as it would have done with Season 1 of Discovery chasing the same content. And I'm not really looking for your opinion on Disco here, just presenting you facts as well as my general opinion.
That's a really impressive mod for the work required. I think I'll be ordering one of those kits. Thanks for the info!
"developers were so busy trying to wow consumers with graphics that they forgot games need good gameplay"
Wow, could you imagine that?
Nihon Falcom: we didn't , we do make great games.
Thankfully, Nintendo doesn’t follow that trend as much as other companies. While I am indeed a fan, I know they are not perfect. But it’s still admirable that they focus on fun mechanics to make games. Hell, the Switch was influenced by Super Mario Odyssey’s development team. That lead to a system that has unique and fun ways to experience games.
*cough* *cough* fortnite *cough *cough*
Casper Randominator - Yeah, I tried it, but I completely lost any interest in it within half an hour. I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. I have no desire to try it again, honestly.
Evangelos Killer mike - Yeah, some of the experiences allowed by today’s tech are downright amazing! However, it does occasionally feel like companies go “Look how powerful our systems are” or “Look how expansive how game is” without paying close enough attention to finer details. Now, I’m not saying for a moment that all games are like that. I have immense respect for developers who yank the last kilogram of power out of a system to create an amazing adventure. But right now, it feels like people are chasing 4K and not aiming for 60fps as often. 60fps always feels better to me.
Tomorrow I will post a game boy like console that is withing a Game Boy Cartridge! No Joke :)
"Measure twice, cut once" is also applicable too IMO
nowadays tho the saying goes "just let CNC machine cut it for ya"
@@jackasshomey also very true! Haha!
RIP 1999-2003 all the AA batteries I killed playing Pokémon
Donny Kong & Mario
especially with an old gameboy that ate 4 at a time.
I just ignored the warnings and used rechargeable batteries. I never had a single problem with them and saved a ton of money on batteries.
Anthony Salter I guess that the Gameboy didn't care that much about the voltage drop of rechargable cells
Personally I would've used a 6v RC Car battery pack where the DC Jack goes, like it is on the REAL pack.. or just get a 5 cell series AA holder and use 1.2v AA cells (or even C and D). That's fine too
#ProblemSolved
What does it do to battery life, though?
I'm wanting to do see if I could do an 18650 (or similar) mod.
Adam Carmichael you know there's 14500 cells that are the AA size, they just give more voltage... Much easier mod.
@@lightdark00 Will a Game Boy accept the voltage? Those things are way higher than 1.5 volts and can kill some machines.
@@lightdark00 I wonder if a pouch type battery would work even better, maybe allow for easy charging via USB.
John Knight you would need to change the arrangement of the cells. 2x2 would give a max voltage of 8.4v while the max with fresh AAs is slightly under 7v. A quick and dirty hack would use a diode with a 1v+ voltage drop.
very cool to see this initial version of this. I just modded a Gameboy I bought that was parts for repair that had pretty significant PCB damage and needed many traces repaired and I had to rebuild the button contact pads so it is pretty rough on the inside but I got it working again and decided to replace the very badly damaged screen with the new Retro Pixel IPS LCD mod. It requires quite a lot of case modification but I just slowly shaved it back with a knife until I got it perfect and soldered up the new screen added a rechargeable battery pack and it is amazing now. Feels great to play and since the screen is actually large and backlit it is an awesome experience especially since it is all original hardware running the games.
Ok, weird comment, but I really appreciate the clean, trimmed nails and cuticles. It never fails to squick me out when someone is doing a modding video and their closeup has dirty fingernails (shudders).
What I'm really curious to see is how much this new screen affects battery life compared to an unmodified GBC.
My next mod would be a rechargable lithium battery pack.
Check out the MW website, it says 3 hours, ouch
Depends on the batteries used, actually.
Well, that and usage itself.
@@tomlindo2863 - I thought the same. A 9V li-ion battery might fit in the place of 2 penlights. It probably requires a voltage regulator to prevent burning the thing by U=I*R when different parts of the system power up.
@@manuell3505 U? What is U? I know I is current and R is resistance..
Anyway, if you used such a pack, I'd hope you have a voltage regulator wired to the GBC main positive and negative to spit out a constant 3v (edit: or 3.3v is fine too, considering a fully charged AA one time use battery is like 1.6v)
When doing these mods, look into the glass replacement screen protectors available all over the internet. Scratch resistant and much better viewing, they usually come with repro graphics on them so they look like an original part.
Thanks!
Amazing! Got one opened up GBC sitting in a box, gotta try this mod out asap. Thanks for the inspiration.
Wow, what a great result! Im glad you found a way to bring more life into games you still play and love.
Hey David,
I ordered it last month and followed your manual. I am so happy that I did this. Thx so much for explaining! Many greetings from Germany
Loved the dig at Nintendo - keep fighting the good fight! 👍🏼
no special type of screws can go against universal magic screwdriver - а half of scissors
Sadly, wii screws still beat it
Thats a damn good way to strip screws.
but then the screws will get carved up and the 3 points will more resemble a circle.
Or, buying 100 pens from the dollar store, melting the tip on one, and stabbing the screw hole! I did that for my OG Xbox and Gamecube.
@referral madness -with a lighter. I did this to fix a friend's Gamecube and it worked AMAZINGLY well. I could even sometimes get 2 screws unscrewed with 1 pen. Now it's 2020 and I have an $8 screwdriver set that handles just about anything
I can’t believe how good it looks. I just dug up my gameboy collection. It’s cool and all to see a color with a backlight but really the damn screen is still too small. It’s just better to play them on the sp IMO. Emulation is cool and all on the pc or psp or phone but the real deal is way more fun for some reason
Hey I just wanted to say I have been watching your videos for years now. My first exposure to your content was actually the backlight mod from 2014. I love your videos and the care that you take with all of your Restorations and Documentaries. Keep up the great work!
Actually there was a backlight model of the original B/W Game Boy (actually of the Game Boy Pocket to be more precise), it was called the Game Boy Light but it was only available in japan from what I know.
The usable size of the screen isn't the same... massive borders between the screen protector and the displayed image. Unacceptable.
Agreed. And I don't know why every video I've seen about this screen thinks the viewers are blind, because they all claim it's barely noticeable or you can hardly tell. I have eyes, they work, and I'm not stupid: I can clearly see 3 different colors of "bezel" before I actually get to the image. The makers of this screen really need to include a new screen protector that covers up all the extra dead space. I wouldn't mind the smaller viewable screen if I didn't have to see all the borders.
What border
I was thinking the same thing. Really does look off, when you're expecting the original screen size, and then that extra bezel looks bizarre. I was really surprised he didn't mention that.
@@mjc0961 They do make new ones that cover up that space.
there is a company that makes lenses for those new GBC screens, and they fit perfectly. Also this mod is not the cleanest one, there is one available where you cut only the bottom frame.
I remember very well back in GB/GBC time when try to find the right angle that allowed you to see something was part of the game itself! Backlight screen, a wet dream when I was a child but today, play Super Mario Land or Pokemon without see a thing is pure "Childhood flavor"
Absolutely love your vids almost to 1 million subs great job and keep up the good work
5:44 I know it's been a while since the video, but there's a GBA backlight mod with no case modifications required available in China and pretty cheap.
Sure wish people would link stuff like this when they mention it.
@@thebryang The main problem is, if a comment with link attached is sent, it might be flagged as a spam. You can find it by searching "GBA IPS Kit" on shopping websites. What I bought included an adapter board with "PANGO" engraved on the chip packaging.
Benefit of having double pixel resolution is that you have 4X the pixels pumping out color which means the LCD wash out effect is negated. Beautifully done!
As always, great vid. Keep them coming sir!
I still can’t believe how I played it without the light back in 1998. but it was very fun in childhood
10:17 i love that the 8 Bit Guy loves games but isn't very good at playing them haha
(just a fun observation here btw, he's just demonstrating the games lol)
A big part of copyright laws are that you legally have to protect them, that's why Nintendo does this. The more they don't the more an argument can be made against them in losing their copyright. Love the video, thanks for sharing!
except that it actually hurts them. Videos on their games are free advertisements. Most companies embrace it.
0:34 what a great point you made here. I totally agree that the game play and genuine games ideas affected by that!
I'd highly recommend the BennVenn screen option over MW Embedded - the battery life is drastically better. And, y'know, BennVenn kinda pioneered this stuff.
Has BennVenn resolved the compatibility issues with the Everdrive though? I'd be annoyed if I bought one only to find out I can't use my Everdrive.
I'm aware of the pinball lag issue with the early V1 of the PCB, but what is supposed to be wrong with everdrives? I have an Everdrive X3 that seems to be working fine.
@@JonathosDX multiple people on the Krikzz forum have reported that the graphics freeze but the audio keeps playing when using the X7 with the BennVenn mod.
Interesting. Haven't seen any real complaints elsewhere. Everdrives do have pretty high power draw, though - if the GBCs needed new caps and were already straining, I could definitely see a backlit screen pushing it over the edge. Though I'd suspect any of the kits would cause issues, given BV and MW both use the same actual screen.
2:35 That's the most accurate picture of Nintendo, ever.
Didn't the Gameboy Advanced SP basically handle all of this and include a rechargable battery?
Wrong form factor
Yes, but Gameboy / Gameboy Color games stuck out of the SP quite a bit making it uncomfortable and the games looked tiny on screen as it had the same issue the regular Advance did. Also there were 2 models of the SP released, the AGS-101 which had the best screen now sells for around $100 used today, while the other model has terrible viewing angles. Personally I like the Gameboy Colors feel in the hands more than the others.
Yes thank you. I was wondering why this wasn't pointed out before
Glad to see you're also following the whole axinar thing with cbs
I really like how you kept the custom Pitfall cartridge, it’s really cool and you did a good job with it
The new screens are out of stock... I can only imagine your video caused a rush to buy on their website :)
And the price of the Gameboy increasing on eBay
IPS screens work the same
@꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄𒐪꧄ One of my accounts was verified with 150 subs
your background room is a wiring dream, but you gotta work on the tetris ;) cool MOD!! :)
Why is the thumbnail backwards?
Maybe it's like: "Compare THIS to THAT" instead of: "From this to that".
Mistake or joke.
1:50 - idk if it's been said but the Super Game Boy color data is not used on a GBC or GBA, the GBC just applies generic palates to the games
you can change them with the arrow keys on start up.
Not with everyone. Some games (or a lot, I don't really know a full list) from the original DMG (like Super Mario Land, Pokemon Red, etc) had some predefined palletes in the GBC. You can change them with the method you said (and also A and B), but if you don't press anything, it will use the predefined one.
Love the thumbail! The arrow is great and pointing in the right direction.
Wow, the screen itself does look phenomenal. The doubled pixel density really makes for a razor-sharp image. Still, most folks would be just as happy with the backlit GBA SP, model AGS-101.
Sadly, the AGS-101 it's really hard to get, and costs like 50 USD, or even more. And it requires to destroy the GBC shell.
@@erik19borgnia lol i paid $134 for my gba sp ags 101, 2 weeks ago and it was used on ebay and it was the cheapest one that was not broken and didnt have actual teeth marks on it, and it did come with plenty of scratches
@@jasonbrown467 I was talking about just the screen to do the mod. And it was a year ago. Now they are even more expensive. I actually got this screen last year (the Midwest Embedded one) and I'm pretty happy with it. In the last year I played a lot of games in my GBC and it was a blessing to be able to really see.
Man your videos are the best! Exceptional commentary and editing! Only question I had after watching this is, how is the battery life of the new screen compared to the other units? With a much better screen and back-light, it must have half the battery life?
The McWill backlight only gets about 3-4 hours battery life, however BennVenn's freckleshack backlight mod gets like 14 hours and is easier to install
Don't bother trying to ask 8BG any questions - he NEVER replies to comments.
Judging by other comments...
Nope.
More like 1/10th the battery life.
So uhh yeah. Thanks, but no thanks. XD
You should've used the Benn Venn's freckleshack. Way easier to intall and their newer batches come with a brightness controller
@Bailey Washington cheaper than the competitors
@Bailey Washington frontlighting is even worse since all the colors become washed out
@Bailey Washington the freckleshack color palette is almost identical to the OEM LCD. Designed that was for this exact reason
@Bailey Washington I really prefer the correct/original colors of the GBC as well. That's why I couldn't stand playing GBC games on an AGS-101 (even most GBA games show incorrect colors on the backlit screens). The solution for people like us right now is sadly only in emulators that offer color correction. Gambatte (a Retroarch core) is extremely accurate and also supports color correction. I've found that using it on a Nintendo 3DS gives something really close to what an actual GBC with backlight would have been like.
@@Izquierda There are a lot of reasons for this. Gameboy Color and (especially) early Gameboy Advance games were designed with the reflective LCD displays in mind. Because of how they work, they are naturally dimmer than a backlit LCD. These games tend to look washed out when played on a much brighter backlit screen.
In my opinion, a PROPER front light would be best if you're looking for a Gameboy Color with authentic color. If you take a front light out of an AGS-001 GBA and fit it into a GBC, it looks fantastic. There are some aftermarket front light kits, but they're pretty terrible. If a proper front light kit was ever made (with a good light panel like the AGS-001 had) I think it would be the best solution.
I love how the title screen image points to the darker version from the brighter version.
Not sure if it’s been pointed out already, but the reason black and white Gameboy games had color on the GBC actually had nothing to do with the Super Gameboy-that color data wasn’t compatible. The Gameboy Color’s internal boot rom actually had a list of a huge number of games (if not all of them?) with a corresponding palette assignment for backgrounds and sprites. Anything not on the list got a generic one. You could also override these by hitting various buttons during bootup!
Why would I buy a Switch when I can just play Mario on a C64?
Why would you buy a C64 just so you can play mario?
@@alexc3504 Maybe he already owns a C64?
@@user-pi5xz5je4y And yet I've never been able find a working C64 :(
What is with that thing breaking down? They all seem to have bad PLA chips. I have two VIC-20s and they work perfectly fine...even though they're older!
you are sooo stupid
Why would you buy a Switch or a C64 to play SMB when you can play the original rom on almost anything?
It would be a 1000 times easier to get a copy of SMB and an NES or Famiclone than to find a working C64 and the hardware necessary to run SMB C64.
I Can’t WAIT for for the RetroFlag GPi Original GameBoy like case for the Raspberry Pi Zero and Zero W to be released!
the screen is a bit smaller than the original
And a little to the right in this video. Unplayable
Literally unplayable
A few years ago, I bought a modded GBC with a front light and the Loca glue mod that was popular for some time. It does the job but I’ve never been truly happy with it. Once this new version is up for sale again, I’ll definitely be doing this upgrade.
Wow that does look really nice! The brightness seems to be set just fine as default. Going to have to find my GB colour and figure this out somehow.
0:50 "I think that game developers were too busy trying to "Wow!" consumers with graphics and they kind of forgot that game needs to have good gameplay."
Thanks for speaking up about Nintendo abusing RUclips and copyright takedowns.
Huh, this explains why my GB color is so dim. I turned it on for the first time in years, and just assumed the backlight stopped working, lol "The More You Know!"
Nice mod, may need to give this a go myself now.
It's actually on presale now, almost out of stock!
Holy Moly!!!
How many RUclips channels do you actually have?
- Cranial Pasta
- Awesome Airguns
- 8-Bit Guy
You hid me? Why?
8-Bit Keys also exists
I love my old Gameboy.It is fun to bring it out and play it every so often.
For the impatient:
00:00 Video, and some Context.
03:26 Start of the actual modding
whoever is helped with this! :)
And, Great video, fascinating content!
well, the screen size isn't 1/1 to the original, but I think the sacrifice is worth it.
Super Gameboy and Game Boy Color colors are _not_ compatible. Each game would have to be programmed to work with one or the other or both, but having special color data on SGB does not mean having special color data on GBC and vice versa. (Unless the GBC has a special pallete for the game built into it's BIOS)
ugggggggg, yes the GBC DOES have the super gameboy color palate in its rom. you just can't run a GBC game on a super gameboy. he wasn't implying you could do the later just explaining why he prefered the GBC over the GB pocket becasue of the former.
@The 64th Shadow
How exactly does the whole colour pallet changing thing work the GBC/SGB?
Is it similar to the NES where the colours aren't really colours and are just different signals that the screen decides (or in this case the GBC/SGB)?
@@thepuzzlemaster64 Essentially.
The SGB and GBC go about adding color differently, and are actually identified as two different systems.
@@ColtGColtG That's incorrect. The Game Boy Color does NOT support Super Game Boy colors.
IE: Kirby's Dreamland 2. It has full color on Super Game Boy but uses an entirely different color pallete on Game Boy Color.
Pokemon Gold and Silver. Full color on Game Boy Color, but restrictive color on Super Game Boy.
Indeed. The GameBoy Color does NOT support SGB palettes. That was my one beef with the machine, it felt like Nintendo just cheaped out with the firmware.
Try this: power up the GBC with a SGB game and one of the D-PAD directions held down. You’ll notice the palette change. This is how you know it doesn’t support SGB color. Usually I play non-GBC games with the greyscale palette (left+B according to TCRF), which just feels right to me.
Actually Early Game Boy Games like Tetris or Super Mario Land 1 don't have any color information on them, the Super Game Boy and GBC just map the 4 shades of gray to different colors. You can even choose from different color palettes on the Super Game Boy and GBC.
Looks really good! Pity you have to solder a single wire for it to work but them's the breaks. I want one
2:55 "-army of lawyers-" You're forgetting a more immoral alternative to lawyers who can easily win cases even if they're wrong. It's called bribery, and it's been done for thousands of years.
Edgeworth goddammit....
You could just get a backlight GBA SP and have a more compact unit with all of the controls in the place he wants them. But that would be sane.
yep only minor quibbles: black border around the game image like at 2:08, cartridges stick out of the slot, adapter required for headphones. good enough for me
@@nicktonic The mod cuts the top and the bottom anyways which annoys me
How does it look in direct sunlight? I'm wondering if the original screen may still have the advantage in that scenario?
Looks fine but it's reflective, what me and my friends did was buy a matte tablet screen protector and overlay it on top. It was cheap and easy to remove if needed. It made quite a difference.
In the full sun, phones need to be at max brightness usually. So the brightness mod would be a must then.
rjolly87 oh yes, I play my game boy color constantly and only in bright direct sunlight! I would never think of a mod that makes it more useful in more scenarios. I’m just going to stick to one and pitch a fit!
@@EndOfLineTech Dude, chill, he was just asking a question??
It works great in direct sun. The LCD is a Transrefective display so it works like the original screen but also allows for a backlight.
I remember trying to find a replacement screen for my original Gameboy about 5 years ago and finding nothing, NOW there are tons of great options!
If you want to do a nice backlit mod like that, Id recommend a glass replacement screen protector, the originals scratch easy and the glass ones feel and look amazing. They're usually under $10 on ebay and are worth it, ive repaired countless and always use the glass ones.
Finally? I've had mine modded with a backlight for about 10 years...
gameboy is considered vintage? Shit's getting real man
Is 1989 not vintage enough for you?
@@PenisGabber lol, no, I thought It'd be considered classic
@@PenisGabber lol no, it should at least be classic, or old school. but man, time flies.
You appear to have mixed up the images on the thumbnail.
well, there's finally a proper backlite mod for the color! I broke mine years back trying to mod it the old fashioned way which required a GBASP frontlit panel.
Played GBC from 6 to 20 :')
This makes me happy
Wait, what about battery life? Did that take a hit with a back lit screen?
obvious
Of course it did. The Law of Conservation of Energy requires it.
@@deusexaethera Right guys, I realize that. I was hoping more for a response where he enumerated the level of impact. I haven't played a GBC for years and years, so did it reduce battery life from 10 hours to 9? 4 hours to 3.5?
I have kids and with the limitations we put on electronics, we haven't let them have phones at all because they're so open-ended. But this device we could let them play knowing there's a pre-set amount of games. Plus it's nostalgic for me:)
Late to the party but the website says 3 hours battery life with this mod. Not worth it IMO. You’re better off using a GBA SP.
Other people have said that with this mod they get about 6 hours active time. That's plenty if you put in a fresh set of rechargeable batteries before each binge, or every 2-3 days of casual play. Plenty of life.
Alternatively, just put in a lithium ion rechargeable battery while you got it open for the screen mod. Replace the old batteries entirely. There's plenty of room.
Bennvenn makes one called freckleshack that doesnt require you to butcher your gameboy so badly.
1: Game Boy Colors were made in the millions and are generally in much better condition than most of the old NES toasters, so I don't think anyone will be upset at having to modify their GBC's out of factory condition.
2: As of when I'm posting this, Bennvenn's mod is more expensive AND out of stock.
@@technoturnovers7072 The one listed here is out of stock as well and the BennVenn one requires no soldering. There is a new batches released all the time and he constantly updates on facebook about them.
Ive ordered mine since april 2nd and still nothing from benn venn.
you literally cannot tell that the gameboy is structurally modified here unless you take it apart and see that it has been cut. Obviously ignoring the fact that it has a totally different screen but the body mods are not visible under the screen protector.
@@TheEpicLinkFreeman Was more commenting on the amount of work needed to install it than anything and providing an alternative for those who may want it.
Expected retrobrite-ing but never got any.
Still top notch video 👌
such a cool dude, much love for you and the things you do
What’s nice is that nowadays drop in kits and custom made shells exist, so modding a GBC has never been easier. Some kits, like the one I got, dosnt even need any soldering, you just assemble the kit, put it into the GBC, and there ya go! Backlit GameBoy Color!
I disagree with using Axanar as an example of overzealous copyright protection.
Alec Peters was trying to make a profit off Star Trek IP. That is indefensible.
yeah but not everyone is aware of the full story. The only reason I know about it is because I had a friend that worked on other fan films and personally knows almost everyone involved with all of them. He even knows Alec. CBS was being a jackass though in taking it out on the fan films that weren't being assholes.
@@awilliams1701 The only thing i like about CBS is that they made pretty good atari 2600 titles😁😁😁😁
You should compare it with the game boy advanced sp.
That backlight was great on the SP
Specifically the AG-101. The older AG-001 models were front-lit and not nearly as nice.
0:51 Every Game Developer After 2013 wants to know your location
so...true
No!!! They want to know your credit card number or paypal account, for in game purchases...
@@rokero171 stock market ruin game industry
Was thinking about getting the gameboy......now i really need this backlight mod for sure
This episode may be my favorite yet. I may try to modify my old yellow Gameboy color this summer
In the thumbnail you got rid of the backlight lol
I have an Advance SP, which I put a new battery in years ago. Don't use my GB Color at all anymore.
The thumbnail implies that you REMOVED the backlight xD
I love the reflective screen, last time I bought GBA SP AGS 001 and it is perfect to play outside in sunny day.
was thinking of getting a gameboy color recently and just saw this video, a backlight would be nice but man this is too much effort for me XD, great content man!