An FPGA-powered Game Boy Color (henceforth known as an "FPGA-Boy") is a handheld console that can play original Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges, but with enhanced features and performance. FPGA stands for Field Programmable Gate Array, which is a type of chip that can be configured to emulate the hardware of other systems. By using an FPGA, an FPGA-Boy can achieve a high level of accuracy and compatibility with the original games, while also allowing for improvements such as higher resolution, faster loading times, save states, and more.
An FPGA-Boy is not the same as an emulator, which is a software program that runs on a different platform, such as a PC or a smartphone. An emulator may not be able to replicate the exact behavior and timing of the original hardware, and may introduce glitches or inaccuracies. An FPGA-Boy, on the other hand, is essentially a custom-built console that mimics the original Game Boy Color hardware as closely as possible. Additionally, because FPGA technology uses software to define the hardware emulation, bugfixes can be done via firmware updates through the USB-C port. This enables the FPGA-Boy to improve over time without requiring a to change the hardware itself.
An FPGA-Boy is a great way to enjoy the nostalgia and charm of classic Game Boy and Game Boy Color games, but with a modern twist. The FPGA-Boys we sell in our shop include massive backlit IPS screens, louder speakers, rechargable batteries, and USB-C play-and-charge compatibility. They play well with any game we have tested, and you can boost game speed to 1.25x to get through slow parts a little faster (Pokemon I'm looking at you). In a way, its as if Nintendo re-released the Game Boy Color in 2024 using the modern hardware that wasn't available in 1998.
Note that not a single part of any FPGA-Boy we sell was made by Nintendo.