The Chromatic might just be the most awesome Game Boy clone I’ve ever seen

Summary

• ModRetro’s Chromatic offers a nostalgic yet luxurious retro gaming experience, complete with authentic display and durable, high-end materials.
• Featuring FPGA emulation, the Chromatic allows gamers to play original Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges on a modern handheld device.
• While the Chromatic is limited in game selection compared to competitors, its unique features, quality construction, and planned open-source model set it apart.

For decades, the retro gaming scene has been dominated by software emulation: programs that harness the computational power of your smartphone or computer to recreate the pixelated memories that defined the golden age of video games. But lately, a more orthodox approach to retro gaming has started to take root in the form of hardware emulation, in particular, handheld gaming devices that can play original cartridges. If you’re one of the retro gamers in search of a more “pure” experience, then ModRetro might have what you’re looking for.

Game Boy Renaissance

Yesterday, ModRetro announced the Chromatic, a Game Boy–inspired handheld that uses FPGA emulation in order to play original Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges, as well as ModRetro-made games on Chromatic cartridges. This isn’t the first handheld to use FPGA emulation to play original cartridges (the Analogue Pocket launched back in 2019), but the Chromatic has a few details that have enthusiasts eagerly anticipating its upcoming launch around Christmas.

To start with, the Chromatic will have a display with a pixel-perfect reproduction of the original GB and GBC consoles, right down to the same size and pixel structure. ModRetro even tweaked the temperature of the display away from standard RGB just to make it look more like original GBC games. And, according to The Verge, which talked with the creator Palmer Luckey, it will boast a brightness of over 1,000 nits, because why not?

In addition to the authentic display, the Chromatic will also have a link cable port and an IR link with backwards compatibility, so you can game with your friends who are still using the original hardware. When it comes to sound, the Chromatic takes a big chance and uses a mono speaker module, to more closely mimic the experience of the original GB and GBC, which also had mono sound. But if the 160×144 2.56-inch display is too small for you, you can use the USB-C as a video output to play on a bigger screen. Luckey also promises that the Chromatic will get 24 hours of power, not from a lithium-ion battery, but from three AA batteries.

Handheld luxury

Even though everything about the Chromatic is built around providing an authentic experience, it practically oozes luxury. The ModRetro page calls it “heirloom quality” and it really does seem built to last. The body is made from a magnesium alloy. The display is protected behind scratch-resistant sapphire. The buttons are made from PBT plastic, the same material used in high-end keycaps. Luckey calls it his “ultimate tribute to the most important handheld console of all time.”

As cool as all this is, the Chromatic is a very niche device. It will only play games on Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Chromatic cartridges, unlike the Analogue Pocket which has an SD card port which allows you to load up ROMs as well. This also promises to be a very limited release, because The Verge implies that Luckey is funding manufacturing of the Chromatic with his own money.

On the other hand, Luckey says that the Chromatic is just the beginning of what he has planned for ModRetro going forward. In a post on the ModRetro site, he says that he will end up open-sourcing the Chromatic, which means that you may be able to build your own Chromatic knock-off in the future. ModRetro also has a number of original cartridge games for sale right now, anticipating the Christmas launch of the Chromatic later this year, and Luckey promises that more are on the way, including some re-releases and remasters of classic games.

Personally, I think the Chromatic looks dope and I would buy one in a heartbeat if I still had my old collection. If you still have your old games, or you want to buy some new ones, you can pre-order the Chromatic (and a matching set of headphones) now.