Ever wonder what it would look like if the Nintendo Wii and GameBoy Color had a baby? Well, now you don’t have to.
A modder known as GingerOfMods made a portable Wii console by packing it into a build similar to that of a GameBoy Color. The entire breakdown can be seen in a YouTube video posted to their channel.
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In the video, the modder makes it clear this is an actual working console. “Despite its small size, it’s a fully fleshed out device with a full feature set, rather than just a novelty,” GingerofMods said.
Throughout the video, you can see a breakdown of how this device was even possible to piece together.
The modder mainly attributes it to two things: trimming the Wii motherboard down to a small size and hacking the Wii’s software so that it didn’t require a disk drive. As for the rest of the hardware, GingerofMods used a back-up camera screen for the display, a 3D-printed shell, and threw his own custom circuit boards into the mix.
When it comes to specs, the WiiBoy Color features a 3.5-inch IPS display (480p) and a single speaker on the front, as well as a power button and volume rocker. On the back is a fan, Z buttons, and two triggers. It also comes equipped with a headphone jack, an LED light for battery life, and a USB-C port.
Rather than pulling parts from a Wii remote for the controller circuitry, the device houses a Game Cube controller along with buttons borrowed from the DS Lite and joysticks from the Nintendo Switch. Don’t worry though, Wii gestures (like shaking) have been added via a software hack with continuous updates for more features.
Since it’s physically impossible to jam a disc (or a cartridge) into the WiiBoy Color, all of the games live inside a USB stick included under the hood. Wii games can be loaded onto the device by simply plugging it into your computer via the USB-C port.
In addition to Nintendo’s library of Wii games, the console is backwards compatible with GameCube titles as well. So, you’ll have plenty of options to keep you playing for hours. (It’s worth noting that all of the options for loading games into this thing are questionably legal.)
With that USB-C port, you can also plug the device into a standard Wii console (if you still have yours) to stream your games on to a bigger screen. This also allows you to use external chargers to power up the device — which apparently gets up to two or three hours on one charge.
While these aren’t going into mass production, the portable console will be available for purchase following some minor adjustments. It’s unclear for how much exactly, but those interested should contact GingerofMods via his social media accounts.
Regardless of the cost, I’ll pay any of amount of money for this portable WiiBoy Color if it means no longer having to suffer through the anxiety of accidentally swinging my Wii remote into the TV.