A retro gaming fan had the original idea of recycling a Game Boy Color console into a digital display speedometer for his Ford EcoSport. And it works, video proof.
Lovers of retro gaming (and collectors) know it: there is nothing worse than lighting a old console and to see that she has given up the ghost after sometimes years of good and loyal service. In general, we say to ourselves that the object is no longer worth anything, but we forget that it can absolutely be recycled and enjoy a second life. The (or the) Game Boy lends itself particularly well to exercise. The Nintendo portable console released in 1989 can thus become a streaming platform, for example.
The Japanese manufacturer itself was considering making it a smartphone. This means that the possibilities are numerous. A British man named James is a specialist in this type of recycling, and particularly with the different versions of Game Boy. Rather than throwing away a copy that no longer worked, the one called Inkdretro on Instagram had the idea of transform a Game Boy Color into a real functional speedometer. The man then equipped his Ford EcoSport.
A DIY retro gaming fan turns a Game Boy Color into a speedometer
To achieve this, James had to modify the console quite extensively, obviously. He first changed his screen to replace it with one digital displaymore readable than 160 × 144 pixels original. Then, a GPS chip was grafted since the device must be able to capture the speed in real time before displaying it. Finally, as powering the Game Boy Color which became a computer with batteries was not practical, James added a lithium polymer battery.
Read also – Discover the first GameBoy that works without battery… but not for long
The result can be seen in the short video below. Sure, it’s useless, but it’s fun. You will notice that the driver opens your car by pressing the B button on an NES controller, another of his creations. If you’re interested in how the speedometer was made, the man shows how he modified the Game Boy Color in a video on his cYouTube hate INKD RETRO.