Supersized LEGO Game Boy is Fully Functional, Complete with Electroluminescent Screen

Nintendo’s officially licensed LEGO Game Boy kit looks exactly like the original handheld, with grey bricks and a lenticular “screen” that shows various viewpoints of game scenes. Many builders admired the design but wished it was something you could play with. LCLDIY from China decided to go big or go home, taking the idea and expanding it up well beyond the original while also cramming it with real electronics.

He initially created the outside case with a fancy-schmancy light curing resin printer to smooth out the parts, then spray painted them to match the classic colors of the original Game Boy and slapped on some transfer stickers for the labels and logos. The thing is huge today, more of a statement piece than a handheld console. Arcade-style buttons provide a silky smooth experience, and the entire arrangement connects to additional gamepads for a wonderfully comfortable gaming session.

At the center of it all is a vintage electroluminescent display, measuring 10 inches across and emitting an amber glow reminiscent of the original Game Boy’s green-tinted screen. These vintage EL panels may be pre-Oled, but they nevertheless illuminate individual pixels with a soft, steady glow, giving games a warm, nostalgic feel. Better yet, the glow prevents the harsh pixelation that occurs when you blow up a regular LCD panel.

Getting the screen to work properly was no easy process; LCLDIY had to create a custom graphics card based on a PCI era chip, the 65540. He had to manipulate the BIOS to extract the exact sync, clock, and data signals he needed; there is no ready-made solution for this type of problem. The card connects to an ancient Intel 845 motherboard, which runs emulation software to play Game Boy games.

Everything still fits inside the brick-built shell, which is remarkable given how intricate the internals are. Of course, building the entire thing takes some time, as printing the outer casing alone can take a week or so, but once completed, it just works. The games all have that unmistakable soft halo around them, making cherished oldies like Super Mario or Zelda feel nearly brand new on a grand scale.

LCLDIY has provided the entire design on Hackaday.io, along with everything you need to rebuild or alter the project, including PCB files, schematics, BIOS, and STL models for the shell (if you have the technical knowhow).
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