A gamer with an ROG Xbox Ally has shared an interesting project in which they essentially turned their handheld into a retro Game Boy. While the Xbox handheld is certainly capable of more than playing 8-bit video games, it’s a cool modification that’s gaining attention from Nintendo and Xbox fans alike.
The ROG Xbox Ally is considered to be one of the Steam Deck’s main competitors, with capabilities much closer to a modern-day gaming PC or Xbox console than what handhelds used to have in the original Game Boy’s era. Most gamers play modern titles on powerful handhelds like these, but at least one fan has decided to take it way back to the 1990s with this modification.
ROG Xbox Ally Reveals Handheld Compatibility Program
ROG Xbox Ally dives deep into a new feature that suggests the Windows handheld may have taken a page out of Steam Deck’s book.
Gamer Turns Their ROG Xbox Ally into a Game Boy
Over on Reddit, a user called alanpep shared their project to convert their ROG Xbox Ally into a Game Boy, with impressive results. The gamer detailed how they built it by combining the ROG Xbox Ally with a GB Operator, a third-party piece of hardware that can be connected to PCs to play Game Boy titles with the original cartridges. Though it required a little disassembly to get everything to work together with the cartridge reader on the back of the ROG Xbox Ally, the end result looks pretty clean. The OP even got it running with an original Game Boy Camera, which he showed off in-use, displaying a black-and-white image on the screen of the user in all its 128×112 resolution glory.
Plenty of fans have shared their curiosity and amusement at the creation, with many thinking it’s pretty cool. Some questioned the reasoning behind it, pointing out that it would be easier to either just emulate games on the ROG Xbox Ally or to instead pick up a used Game Boy Advance SP. Alanpep explained that while he was aware this wasn’t the easiest way to play Game Boy titles, he went through with it for the fun of it. Additionally, since the GB Operator is designed to work with cartridges, he said he enjoyed the satisfying feeling and sound of slotting cartridges into the device instead of just booting up an emulated file.
Game Boy Saves are Disappearing, but the Memories Remain
Although the original Game Boy released in most of the world in 1990, it’s clear that the 35-year-old device hasn’t left the hearts and minds of those who played it back in the day. Unfortunately, being a Game Boy fan can be a bit heart-wrenching, as the cartridges have on-board batteries that need to stay powered in order to preserve one’s save files. Many Game Boy cartridges have seen their batteries die, but the GB Operator can be helpful in this regard, whether it’s connected to an ROG Xbox Ally or not. The peripheral allows users to back up the saves on their cartridges, ensuring that they don’t get lost if the battery finally fails.
Other gamers have dug into the cartridges themselves, replacing the failing components to give them a second life. Replacing the on-cartridge battery is possible with a little technical knowledge and soldering, which can give the games their save capabilities back for many years to come.
Of course, not everyone has a collection of old Game Boy cartridges, which can actually make revisiting the classics easier. Nintendo has been gradually adding Game Boy classics to its library of available games on Nintendo Switch Online, giving players access to a library that requires no external hardware or cartridges to play. Though the graphics and gameplay are quite old-fashioned at this point, retro Game Boy titles still have a lot to offer and are worth checking out if one has a subscription to Nintendo’s service.
