Key Takeaways
- Gameboy XL project creates a huge handheld console perfect for those with big hands.
- A Raspberry Pi 5 was used for emulation, with the potential for more large-sized retro projects.
- Arnov Sharma shares parts and instructions for making your own Gameboy XL on Hackster.
We’ve seen a lot of people create modern-day devices inspired by the classic handheld consoles of yore, and they usually have some cool additions to the older designs that make them easier to use. However, sometimes you just have to take the original device and make a huge version of it, because why the hell not? That’s what someone has done with the Gameboy XL, a hobby project that takes the iconic handheld console and makes a huge version that makes it more on par with modern handheld consoles than a pocket-sized powerhouse.
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The Gameboy XL, the huge console with a tiny heart
You can check out this awesome project on Hackster. It’s a passion project from Arnov Sharma, who used a Raspberry Pi 5, a selection of hardware, and some 3D-printed parts to create it. If the original Game Boy was a little too tiny for your hands, don’t worry; this one will suit your big palms just fine. Arnov listed the parts and instructions on how to make the unit on his page, so you can make your own if you like. The whole thing runs off of RecalBox OS to do the emulation; just add whatever ROM you want to play and you’re set.
The cool thing is that the Raspberry Pi 5 is a great unit for retro gaming. We’ve seen a ton of emulators arrive on it, like Lakka 5.0. As such, while Arnov leaned into the Game Boy this time around, there’s nothing stopping him (or anyone else) from creating a large-sized version of other retro portable devices. Why not a Game Boy Advance that’s boosted to a bigger size? Or go even further back and make a Game and Watch that’s larger than life? As such, we hope this will be the start of a lot of Raspberry Pi-powered retro projects in the future.