Game Boy Color Streams Real-Time Video Using Raspberry Pi Pico

Just a few days back, popular YouTuber ChromaLock unveiled his latest tech creation on his channel. This time around, he transformed a Game Boy Color into a video-playing device using the original link cable, a Raspberry Pi Pico, and some custom software specifically designed for the task.

When it comes to playing videos, the simpler they are, the better the frame rate—surprisingly, the clarity and fluidity are pretty impressive, especially compared to the classic Game Boy Camera. Of course, most videos appear best in monochrome given the system’s color limitations; sticking to a simple palette of four colors makes it tricky to display videos on the Game Boy Color’s 160 x 144-pixel screen.

To bring this whole setup to life, ChromaLock used an app called CGBLinkVideo, which is available on GitHub. This app, derived from various open-source programs, facilitates streaming by compressing videos to 1 Megabyte per second. However, since the Link Cable’s capacity maxes out at 64 Kilobytes per second, the final output gets even more compressed, leading to frequent occurrences of dropped or split frames. That being said, the video does play!

ChromaLock’s full video not only showcases video playback but also takes viewers behind the scenes, diving into the intricacies of working within the Game Boy Color’s system constraints. When viewed in grayscale or monochrome, video playback can soar up to 60 FPS, but use of color drags it down to about 12 FPS.

The experiments didn’t stop at videos; ChromaLock also tested streaming games. Even with original Game Boy titles, the experience was noticeably choppier compared to playing them directly on the device. Modern games like Doom Eternal, with their high-definition visuals, became nearly impossible to decipher on the Game Boy Color’s outdated screen.

At the heart of this project seemed to be the challenge and appeal of making the well-known Touhou Project music video “Bad Apple” play flawlessly on a Game Boy Color. With its inherent monochrome style, achieving a smooth 60 FPS is entirely within reach, albeit with some noticeable dithering caused by the streaming process.