Raspberry Pi Pico Enables Real-Time Video Streaming on Nintendo Game Boy Color

Just a few days ago, tech enthusiast and YouTuber ChromaLock shared his latest tech experiment on his channel. This fascinating project involves a Game Boy Color that’s been modified to play video using its original link cable, thanks to the versatility of a Raspberry Pi Pico and some custom software crafted specifically for this task.

In terms of performance, simpler videos fare better, allowing for higher frames per second (FPS). Impressively, this setup delivers clearer and smoother video playback compared to the classic Game Boy Camera accessory, especially when using a connected USB webcam. However, most clips look best in monochrome since the Game Boy Color is limited to just four colors. This constraint makes it quite challenging to render colorful videos effectively on its modest 160 x 144-pixel display.

The magic happens with an application called CGBLinkVideo. This app, thoughtfully developed by ChromaLock, is available on GitHub and draws on open-source software to function. It compresses the video down to 1 Megabyte per second, but the Link Cable’s capacity tops out at only 64 Kilobytes per second. This massive compression can often result in dropped or split frames, yet despite these hiccups, the setup successfully plays the video.

ChromaLock’s full video doesn’t just show off this remarkable achievement. It also dives deep into how the software works around the Game Boy Color’s inherent system limitations. By going the grayscale route, you can achieve video playback rates of up to 60 FPS. However, if you choose to use color, you’re looking at a cap of about 12 FPS.

Gaming streams were also put to the test. Unfortunately, streaming even the original Game Boy games didn’t quite hit the mark compared to running them directly, and attempting to stream high-resolution modern 3D games like Doom Eternal was virtually impossible on the humble, low-res display of the Game Boy Color.

ChromaLock’s primary motivation appeared to be the challenge itself, aiming to smoothly play the well-known Touhou Project music video “Bad Apple” on a Game Boy Color. Given that the video is already in black and white, achieving playback at 60 FPS was surprisingly doable. However, the streaming method did introduce some noticeable dithering effects.

It’s clear this project is more about pushing boundaries and exploring the capabilities of retro technology than practicality. Through his work, ChromaLock has managed to bridge the gap between vintage hardware and modern tech in a truly unique fashion.