Hey, I just wanted you to know that I spent the morning watching people talk about emulation doom, and this video was what I needed in my day to add a pep to my step. Thoroughly enjoyed your nostalgic delight at the og gameboy. I just subscribed!
I love both aspects of this hobby. I have modern emulation handhelds as well as high end PCs that can emulate anything and everything but I also collect original hardware and games when I can (and it isn't too cost prohibitive). I recently picked up an old CRT TV so I could have the proper experience playing some of those old home consoles on the display they were designed for and there is just nothing that can beat that. Emulation is a wonderful thing and very important for accessibility and preservation of these old games. At the same time the nostalgia and general "vibe" of retro gaming often times can't be matched by modern hardware. The flaws of the original systems add part of the charm to them.
For sure. The preservation aspect of emulation is huge. I like the idea of getting into a nice PC emulation build eventually. But yes, I would like to get some more OG hardware like a Sega Genesis but they seem pretty rare here.
@@adinwalls Yeah, I have the advantage of living in the US so things are much more available here although the retro gaming boom in the last few years has definitely driven up prices recently. I'm sure is still much more accessible here than in South Africa.
Great video! I'm starting to get back into the original hardware now after fiddling with these devices for a couple of years. I feel like not many reviewers are taking the time to compare the emulator handhelds to the original hardware, so I really appreciate this. There are noticeable differences, like the big, springy buttons on a DMG that just aren't replicated well in the retro handhelds. I also still find the DMG to be very comfortable in the hands.
The pure JOY you feel transpire through the screen, and it's so wholesome! I can definitively relate to it through my journey with my (now heavily modded) Gameboy Advance. Enjoy and keep sharing your experience :)
Thanks Thibault. Yes I am looking forward to all the mods and tweaks. I definitely want to do a GBA since I feel that was the best handheld era. I like the colourful mods with LCD screens on the GBA
The thing about IPS modding an old DMG Game Boy is that most of the game boys nowadays have faulty/completely damaged screens. And they've been sitting in a drawer for decades (the ones that haven't been thrown away). You can bring it back to life with that IPS screen upgrade. Maybe you don't want an all-in-one emulation device cause you just care about gameboy, and you want the original form factor, buttons, etc. Maybe you still have your favorite cartridges from your childhood. Or maybe you sold yours a long time ago and you want to get back to it and as you mentioned, an old one with the original screen working properly may cost quite a bit. So there are many reasons why you may want to go for the IPS screen.
By the way, I got my game boy as a gift from my wife's aunt a couple of years ago. It was her son's childhood handheld gaming device. Her son never gave it away because he was attached to it, even though the display was not working. So it was forgotten in the drawer like I mentioned before. A few years back her son passed away quite tragically and going through his things his mother found the DMG and asked me if I wanted to keep it. Of course I did. And I sent it over to a smarter guy than me to make the IPS display mod. So it still has the stickers, barcode and so forth as you mentioned, but the display is a bit larger and crisp as hell. When I put his old Pokemon cartridges on to test it out, it still had his saves from God knows how many years ago.
Never seen, used, heard of the gameboy, until 5 years ago, when i started retro emulation. When i was a kid, there were those tall gaming handhelds at 15$ with green screen, that you can play tetris and snake, nothing more. Had the OG NES, after that the Sega Genesis, they were my top and willl always be my favorite consoles ever made.
I’ve actually gone down a rabbit whole myself with the game boy. Never had one as a kid. In the past week I’ve bought a game boy dmg, 3 game boy colours, a game boy advance and a game boy micro…Also ordered the funny playing FPGBC kit, and have been playing around with modding case and buttons for the GBC - Its been fun! If you do buy replacement lens go for the glass versions - they are so much better and still look like the original, but are scratch resistant
I went through this journey recently, with my own og gameboy. My screen wasn't scratched, but it was still terrible. The "lightboy" adapter with the giant magnifying glass was so necessary. It's actually not so bad with that.
missing vertical lines are pretty easy to fix, just run soldering iron at 150ish degrees C over the bottom ribbon cable below the screen where it meets the screen (remove the rubber strip glued over it first), it can take some time to get all the lines show up but it is 100% fixable. There are videos about this on YT
My first experience in handheld gaming was tetris. 1 machine with just one game. There were also a few game and watch things which pixel images are predefined on specific positions. So when i saw gameboy, it felt so futuristic.
Must admit, I was a bit scared reading the title but glad you not quitting RUclips - I remember I got an add on accessory which would clamp onto the back and it had a magnifying glass for the screen and 2 lights so you could play the GameBoy in the dark. It had its on power supply and it made the GameBoy a lot chunkier JUST to play in the dark
@@adinwalls I'm glad. Some of the mods and upgrades available are good fun if you ever come across a faulty one. A classic like this one should be left alone though 😊
Got the original GameBoy as a child in 1993. The thing used up batteries endlessly... that's why my parents bought me the original Game Boy Rechargeable Battery Pack ^^
Oh! Envious. Same age as you. Bought a Gameboy from a friend at primary school...last year, I think...so 91/92...I think when I was 10 or 11. I dearly hoped I would find mine and my sister's in my parents loft (when visiting them in the UK, from Norway) last summer. But alas no. My dad claims to not know what happened to them. Don't think I ever moved it on. Something similar happened with an Atari ST we had 😭 Ah well! My rp3+ has been my favourite handheld since getting it in November 2022...but got a 35xx last December, in the og GB colours, to see if would scratch the nostalgia itch even more (my GB is the only console I ever owned). It does a pretty good job...but too small for any length of time. How on earth people manage to hold on to the original MM...or even smaller things I have no idea.
Hey man. Sad about your old gear. I had an uncle with an Atari and they’d set it up when I visited (these are seriously early memories). I think I modded GBA is going to be the ultimate. Or if you want. Look into the funny playing GBC build. It’s all the vibes!
Ah man, been watching your vids for a while and just had to comment on this one, i live in the same city in as you btw. I was lucky enough to visit the UK when i was a kid and i got a gameboy while i was there... i treasured that thing for 30 years and it was stolen from my house in the week we moved in about 2 years ago, along with my entire 90% imported gamecube collection and console, though they didnt take my gamecube freeloader, (the import boot disc), so none of the games are gonna boot up, so my beloved retro collection is likely lying in a ditch in Tembies QQ haha. My sob story aside, yeah, i will always love the gameboy and its aesthetic. timeless cool
I bought a gameboy colo(u)r and was disappointed at how hard it was to see the screen. Now i play tetris, dk and dr mario on my rg3xx and dont look back
10:49 this. Ergonomics are NOT stressed enough with handheld reviews… MM+ is great for its capabilities but the ergonomics SUCK compared to my old GBC. Bought a flashcart and now a fpgbc is on its way. (Would have done a screen swap but my gbc has a gba front light mod circa about 2011 on it already, next project)
Yes. I’m loving the idea of the FPGBC. We will see how I feel after the build but I agree, ergonomics can’t be beaten. I guess the Anbernic RG405V is a contender but it’s quite ugly and expensive.
Ok for the nostalgia. But what an awfull screen the original gameboy came with 😬 The games weren't intended to be played on a crappy screen, as you suggest. OK some tricks were sometimes used to bypass certain limits of old LCD displays. But there's no sense not to use a screen with backlighting nowadays, with a better resolution (as long as it's the same image ratio), no ghosting effect...
at the end of the day, I hope you go on with this channel, as I really enjoyed the content you offered, it is something special for the community 🙂 First time i encounter someone talking about retro gaming with a south African perspective too@@adinwalls
@@adinwalls oh there is if you know where to get them or how to talk to people on marketplace. I'm not sure how it is in SA but in Canada we have a ton of options including a few awesome Pawn Shops.
I never had a GameBoy either...but I did get a GameBoy Color in the late 90's! I was pretty obsessed with getting original GB and GBC games wherever I could find them - really wish I still had my old GameBoy Color but I do have my GBA SP and Anbernic devices for old handheld games. It was nice seeing you getting nostalgic for these old games - very cool video!
Darkwing Duck on GB was actually my first DW game, it’s nearly identical to the NES version, some of the music tracks are little better in my opinion. 🍻
How DARE you clickbait me with a title like that! I will NOT watch this video because I REFUSE to be manipulated so easily!
Do it.
here's hoping that it is clickbait 😅 already online, you there on the other side of the Atlantic ?
I caved and watched it. Good vid. Sorry for yelling.
@TechDweeb true friendship… 🫂
@@TechDweeb
Came for the clickbait, stayed for the nostalgia.
Happy you're not actually quitting and excited for this new journey for you!
Haha I’m glad you stayed. Ya what a fun experience to get one after all these years.
Hey, I just wanted you to know that I spent the morning watching people talk about emulation doom, and this video was what I needed in my day to add a pep to my step. Thoroughly enjoyed your nostalgic delight at the og gameboy. I just subscribed!
Ah thank you. Yes my hope with these vids is that I can communicate my excitement and passion for these old devices.
I love both aspects of this hobby. I have modern emulation handhelds as well as high end PCs that can emulate anything and everything but I also collect original hardware and games when I can (and it isn't too cost prohibitive). I recently picked up an old CRT TV so I could have the proper experience playing some of those old home consoles on the display they were designed for and there is just nothing that can beat that. Emulation is a wonderful thing and very important for accessibility and preservation of these old games. At the same time the nostalgia and general "vibe" of retro gaming often times can't be matched by modern hardware. The flaws of the original systems add part of the charm to them.
For sure. The preservation aspect of emulation is huge. I like the idea of getting into a nice PC emulation build eventually. But yes, I would like to get some more OG hardware like a Sega Genesis but they seem pretty rare here.
@@adinwalls Yeah, I have the advantage of living in the US so things are much more available here although the retro gaming boom in the last few years has definitely driven up prices recently. I'm sure is still much more accessible here than in South Africa.
I really love your absolute delight at 9:00 when you inserted the cartridge in ^^
Great video! I'm starting to get back into the original hardware now after fiddling with these devices for a couple of years. I feel like not many reviewers are taking the time to compare the emulator handhelds to the original hardware, so I really appreciate this. There are noticeable differences, like the big, springy buttons on a DMG that just aren't replicated well in the retro handhelds. I also still find the DMG to be very comfortable in the hands.
Yes there are a lot of key elements that made the DMG excellent that our emulator manufacturers seem to be ignoring.
The pure JOY you feel transpire through the screen, and it's so wholesome! I can definitively relate to it through my journey with my (now heavily modded) Gameboy Advance. Enjoy and keep sharing your experience :)
Thanks Thibault. Yes I am looking forward to all the mods and tweaks. I definitely want to do a GBA since I feel that was the best handheld era. I like the colourful mods with LCD screens on the GBA
I hope more n more gaming/ emulation youtubers start making vids like this!
The thing about IPS modding an old DMG Game Boy is that most of the game boys nowadays have faulty/completely damaged screens. And they've been sitting in a drawer for decades (the ones that haven't been thrown away). You can bring it back to life with that IPS screen upgrade. Maybe you don't want an all-in-one emulation device cause you just care about gameboy, and you want the original form factor, buttons, etc. Maybe you still have your favorite cartridges from your childhood. Or maybe you sold yours a long time ago and you want to get back to it and as you mentioned, an old one with the original screen working properly may cost quite a bit. So there are many reasons why you may want to go for the IPS screen.
By the way, I got my game boy as a gift from my wife's aunt a couple of years ago. It was her son's childhood handheld gaming device. Her son never gave it away because he was attached to it, even though the display was not working. So it was forgotten in the drawer like I mentioned before. A few years back her son passed away quite tragically and going through his things his mother found the DMG and asked me if I wanted to keep it. Of course I did. And I sent it over to a smarter guy than me to make the IPS display mod. So it still has the stickers, barcode and so forth as you mentioned, but the display is a bit larger and crisp as hell. When I put his old Pokemon cartridges on to test it out, it still had his saves from God knows how many years ago.
Ya I will buy one with a broken screen and do the mod
Ah that’s a great story!
Never seen, used, heard of the gameboy, until 5 years ago, when i started retro emulation. When i was a kid, there were those tall gaming handhelds at 15$ with green screen, that you can play tetris and snake, nothing more. Had the OG NES, after that the Sega Genesis, they were my top and willl always be my favorite consoles ever made.
Brings back memories of my late cousin ,whenever I went to visit him he would let me play ninja Guiden on the game boy .
I’ve actually gone down a rabbit whole myself with the game boy. Never had one as a kid. In the past week I’ve bought a game boy dmg, 3 game boy colours, a game boy advance and a game boy micro…Also ordered the funny playing FPGBC kit, and have been playing around with modding case and buttons for the GBC - Its been fun! If you do buy replacement lens go for the glass versions - they are so much better and still look like the original, but are scratch resistant
Ah thank for the tip! I’m glad you’re enjoying the OG device vibes 😊
I went through this journey recently, with my own og gameboy. My screen wasn't scratched, but it was still terrible. The "lightboy" adapter with the giant magnifying glass was so necessary. It's actually not so bad with that.
Oh really? I never saw one in the flesh
missing vertical lines are pretty easy to fix, just run soldering iron at 150ish degrees C over the bottom ribbon cable below the screen where it meets the screen (remove the rubber strip glued over it first), it can take some time to get all the lines show up but it is 100% fixable. There are videos about this on YT
Hey thank you. Yes I haven’t looked into it at all. Will be nice to get the screen clear.
Okay Mister really glad I watched because I would have been very disappointed if that was true! Good video man thank you
Thanks for sticking around to watch 😊
You said old'n days.. We're only in our 40s😅❤such a fantastic device! Im absolutely tickled that you now have one. 👾
Haha ya I guess. Thanks man.
My first experience in handheld gaming was tetris. 1 machine with just one game. There were also a few game and watch things which pixel images are predefined on specific positions. So when i saw gameboy, it felt so futuristic.
Yes! There are plenty of second hand game and watch device here but the prices are rediculous. You need to really want it!
Must admit, I was a bit scared reading the title but glad you not quitting RUclips - I remember I got an add on accessory which would clamp onto the back and it had a magnifying glass for the screen and 2 lights so you could play the GameBoy in the dark. It had its on power supply and it made the GameBoy a lot chunkier JUST to play in the dark
Yes those ad ons just made the whole experience more fun 😊
Great video! Thank you for makining this!
Love it. So surprised this is your first Game Boy! Can't beat the original hardware for that wonderful tactile experience.
Hey yes it’s a really special experience for me
@@adinwalls I'm glad. Some of the mods and upgrades available are good fun if you ever come across a faulty one. A classic like this one should be left alone though 😊
I love your videos, but every time I get caught off guard by the sudden ending.
Ah sorry man. I just like to end on a high note
Got the original GameBoy as a child in 1993. The thing used up batteries endlessly... that's why my parents bought me the original Game Boy Rechargeable Battery Pack ^^
Ah memories…… 😊
Oh! Envious. Same age as you. Bought a Gameboy from a friend at primary school...last year, I think...so 91/92...I think when I was 10 or 11. I dearly hoped I would find mine and my sister's in my parents loft (when visiting them in the UK, from Norway) last summer. But alas no. My dad claims to not know what happened to them. Don't think I ever moved it on. Something similar happened with an Atari ST we had 😭 Ah well! My rp3+ has been my favourite handheld since getting it in November 2022...but got a 35xx last December, in the og GB colours, to see if would scratch the nostalgia itch even more (my GB is the only console I ever owned). It does a pretty good job...but too small for any length of time. How on earth people manage to hold on to the original MM...or even smaller things I have no idea.
Hey man. Sad about your old gear. I had an uncle with an Atari and they’d set it up when I visited (these are seriously early memories). I think I modded GBA is going to be the ultimate. Or if you want. Look into the funny playing GBC build. It’s all the vibes!
I got mine when I was 10 y/o (38 now). Luckily I lived in a Portuguese island with an American Air Base. =)
Great upload as always
Went through a similar process recently. Dug out my old Gameboy and it also has screen issues.
Ah right. Someone did advise me on it. But that’s a project for another day 😊
My original GB still works, it’s great to play when you want a serious nostalgia trip! 🍻
Ah man well done for saving it all these years
Ah man, been watching your vids for a while and just had to comment on this one, i live in the same city in as you btw. I was lucky enough to visit the UK when i was a kid and i got a gameboy while i was there... i treasured that thing for 30 years and it was stolen from my house in the week we moved in about 2 years ago, along with my entire 90% imported gamecube collection and console, though they didnt take my gamecube freeloader, (the import boot disc), so none of the games are gonna boot up, so my beloved retro collection is likely lying in a ditch in Tembies QQ haha. My sob story aside, yeah, i will always love the gameboy and its aesthetic. timeless cool
Hey man! That is truly a sad story, sorry man.
I bought a gameboy colo(u)r and was disappointed at how hard it was to see the screen. Now i play tetris, dk and dr mario on my rg3xx and dont look back
10:49 this. Ergonomics are NOT stressed enough with handheld reviews…
MM+ is great for its capabilities but the ergonomics SUCK compared to my old GBC. Bought a flashcart and now a fpgbc is on its way.
(Would have done a screen swap but my gbc has a gba front light mod circa about 2011 on it already, next project)
Yes. I’m loving the idea of the FPGBC. We will see how I feel after the build but I agree, ergonomics can’t be beaten. I guess the Anbernic RG405V is a contender but it’s quite ugly and expensive.
i would swap the screen lens for a new one and give the case, buttons and board a good clean and leave it as it is.no upgrading needed
Yup that’s exactly my plan!
My old DMG is trashed, unfortunately. I feel like it is one that really should be used to mod. I would never use one in good shape for mods though.
Ya if it’s trashed go for it! The screen and battery mods are the best
Ok for the nostalgia. But what an awfull screen the original gameboy came with 😬
The games weren't intended to be played on a crappy screen, as you suggest.
OK some tricks were sometimes used to bypass certain limits of old LCD displays. But there's no sense not to use a screen with backlighting nowadays, with a better resolution (as long as it's the same image ratio), no ghosting effect...
Yes that’s true. The thing is, I have so many great emulators now, the idea of just keeping this as it was in 1989 feels special to me
at the end of the day, I hope you go on with this channel, as I really enjoyed the content you offered, it is something special for the community 🙂
First time i encounter someone talking about retro gaming with a south African perspective too@@adinwalls
@@oliwek70 no the quitting RUclips is just a joke, I have lots to come
I was already wondering if it was a reaction to the yuzu / citra drama 😄@@adinwalls
A lot of Gameboy games were (are) brutally hard to play.
Yes. Modern games are definitely easier to play! The game in this vid is a prime example.
Are you going to do a video on the FPGBC?
I am indeedy
@@adinwalls looking forward to it. I just ordered, so should get mine in 4-6 weeks!
At least get a flash cart and rechargeables these days you're looking at $50 (CAD) a pop for any good games 😀
Still lots of affordable games here but ya I will probably get an Everdrive.
@@adinwalls oh there is if you know where to get them or how to talk to people on marketplace. I'm not sure how it is in SA but in Canada we have a ton of options including a few awesome Pawn Shops.
You’re holding the father of handhelds. Everything after that is just poor attempts to clone the creator.
So kneel before him!
Haha. Truth!
I never had a GameBoy either...but I did get a GameBoy Color in the late 90's! I was pretty obsessed with getting original GB and GBC games wherever I could find them - really wish I still had my old GameBoy Color but I do have my GBA SP and Anbernic devices for old handheld games. It was nice seeing you getting nostalgic for these old games - very cool video!
Okay cool. I’m going to build the FPGBC soon which is a build your own GameBoy Color which is great considering the price and availability of them now
You quit RUclips, that's why you posted a clickbait video 8 hours ago. Riiight. 🙄
Darkwing Duck on GB was actually my first DW game, it’s nearly identical to the NES version, some of the music tracks are little better in my opinion. 🍻
Oh my word yes I need to get that game!!