A gamer with the 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 more than capable of playing 8-bit video games, it's a cool modification that's getting attention from Nintendo and Xbox fans alike.
The ROG Xbox Companion is considered one of the Steam Deck's main competitors, with capabilities much closer to a modern-day gaming PC or Xbox console than the handhelds used in the era of the original Game Boy. Most gamers play modern titles on powerful handhelds like these, but at least one fan decided to go back to the 1990s with this modification.
ROG Reveals Xbox Companion Handheld Compatibility Program
ROG Xbox Ally took a deep dive into a new feature that suggests the Windows handheld may have taken a page out of the Steam deck's book.
Gamers turn their ROG Xbox companion into a Game Boy
On Reddit, a user named alanpep shared his project to convert his ROG Xbox Ally into a Game Boy with impressive results. The gamer detailed how he built it by combining the ROG Xbox Ally with the GB Operator, a third-party piece of hardware that can be connected to a PC to play Game Boy titles with original cartridges. Although it required a bit of disassembly to get everything to work together with the cartridge reader on the back of the ROG Xbox Ally, the end result looks pretty neat. The OP also ran it with the original Game Boy camera, which he showed in use, displaying the black and white image in its 128×112 resolution glory on the user's screen.
Many fans have shared their curiosity and amusement at the creation, with many thinking it's cool. Some questioned the logic behind this, pointing out that it would be easier to either emulate games on the ROG Xbox Ally or pick up a used Game Boy Advance SP instead. Alan Pape explained that while he was aware that it 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 was designed to work with cartridges, he said he enjoyed the satisfying feel and sound of slotting cartridges into the device instead of booting an emulated file.
Game Boy saves are fading, but memories remain
Although the original Game Boy was released to most of the world in the 1990s, 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 heartbreaking, as the cartridges have on-board batteries that need to stay powered in order to protect 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 the ROG Xbox Companion or not. The peripheral allows users to back up savings on their cartridges, ensuring that they won't be lost if the battery eventually fails.
Other gamers have dug into the cartridges themselves, replacing failed components to give them a second life. Replacing the on-cartridge battery is possible with a little technical know-how and soldering, which can give games back many years of their saving capabilities.
Of course, not everyone has a collection of old Game Boy cartridges, which can actually make revisiting the classics easier. Nintendo has been slowly adding Game Boy classics to the library of games available on Nintendo Switch Online, giving players access to the library that doesn't require any external hardware or cartridges to play. Although the graphics and gameplay are pretty old-fashioned at this point, the retro Game Boy titles still have a lot to offer and are worth checking out if one has a subscription to the Nintendo service.
