If you’re looking for a last-minute gift for a Nintendo fan who grew up during the Game Boy era, the newly released ModRetro Chromatic is one of the coolest retro gaming gadgets of 2024. The Chromatic is a modernized Game Boy Color that looks, plays, and feels like the real thing. Unlike most retro handhelds that aim to do a little bit of everything, the Chromatic is unabashedly committed to the singular goal of replicating the GBC experience as you fondly remember it. For the subset of retro gamers who crave authenticity, the Chromatic is an undeniable success. It’s also one of the best-built portable devices I’ve ever used.
There’s no shortage of retro gaming handhelds on the market today, including many that mimic Nintendo’s iconic Game Boy family. Most are emulation devices that can offer solid experiences for budget prices. But whereas most of these devices resemble the general look of the Game Boy, the Chromatic is one of the few that truly replicates the experience of playing on one. It takes “paying homage” to the next level. If you prefer original hardware, whether stock or modded, the Chromatic is the closest approximation to the Game Boy I’ve ever played. But if you slapped a Nintendo logo on it and told me the Chromatic was Nintendo’s jump into the premium retro hardware space, I wouldn’t believe you. Not because it’s inauthentic, but because Nintendo would never mass produce a handheld built with such pricey components.
ModRetro was founded by Palmer Luckey, who is best known as the creator of the Oculus Rift. He sold Oculus VR to Facebook in 2014 for $2 billion and went on to cofound Anduril Industries, a defense technology company, in 2017. Anduril Industries manufactures AI-powered military devices such as drones and sells them to the Department of Defense. It appears ModRetro is a passion project for Luckey, and based on the Chromatic’s build, he spared no expense making it happen.
The Chromatic plays all Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges as well as Chromatic-branded carts. Because the Chromatic is an FPGA device, all of your original cartridges will run exactly as they did on the Atomic Purple Game Boy Color you wish you hadn’t sold at that garage sale as a kid. This also means all Chromatic carts are simply Game Boy carts with different branding that work on original hardware.
While the Chromatic has a few modifiable display settings, including different levels of brightness for the backlit screen, Frame Blending, and Color Correction for streaming gameplay on computer monitors, it was intentionally designed to replicate, rather than improve, the visuals of the Game Boy Color. The backlit screen understandably makes a huge difference, but it looks very similar to a modded Game Boy Color with a nice backlit panel. The Chromatic has a 2.56-inch backlit IPS LCD made of sapphire crystal. The screen size is virtually identical to that of the Game Boy Pocket, which had a slightly larger screen than the GBC (2.3 inches).
For purists who refuse to play games on anything but original hardware, native resolution is one of the commonly cited explanations. The Chromatic retains the GBC’s 160 x 144p resolution, so every pixel is the right size and in the right spot. This is a much different approach than the Analogue Pocket, which has a 3.5-inch Gorilla Glass display with a staggering 1600 x 1440p resolution and 650 pixels per inch. Games play the same on Pocket, but the greatly increased pixel density means they don’t look exactly the same. Whether they look better or worse depends on who you ask–I think they look better–but there’s no denying the Pocket’s screen and internal tech are more advanced. It has display settings that replicate the look of various Game Boy models as well as its own filters that effectively upscale the visuals. This also means the Pocket can recreate the green background color of the original Game Boy DMG, which had a dot-matrix display. The Chromatic isn’t capable of that; instead, it displays original Game Boy carts as they looked on the Game Boy Color.
So while both the Chromatic and Pocket both play GB and GBC carts–the Pocket also plays GBA carts and supports adapters for other platforms–they aren’t doing exactly the same thing. The Chromatic is made for people who want the most authentic Game Boy Color experience possible without buying and modding one. The Pocket is an openFPGA handheld with support for a long list of retro platforms. It has the general Game Boy shape, but it’s a larger device with an enhanced visual experience and tons of customization features.
I reviewed the Analogue Pocket when it launched back in 2021 and called it the best way to play Game Boy games. I still feel that way today, but keep in mind that I am not someone who cares about playing games in their native resolution with the same pixel density, screen size, and form factor. While I prefer the Pocket due to its upscaled resolution, the $199 Chromatic has a more premium build than the base Pocket for $220. And if I was picking between the Chromatic and any of the modded Game Boys I’ve used, I’d pick the Chromatic. It’s highly unlikely you could get a Game Boy Color and make it as nice as the Chromatic for less than its $199 launch price. The build quality is seriously impressive.
From a feel perspective, the Chromatic’s uncommonly used Sapphire Crystal panel is no different from glass, though the technology is typically viewed as even more resistant to scratches than tempered and Gorilla Glass. A quick Google search will tell you that Sapphire can cost 10 times as much as Gorilla Glass. A 144p display utilizing one of the priciest materials possible is a peculiar combo, but that’s the theme with the Chromatic as a whole: ultra-premium.
The Chromatic’s shell is 5.2 x 3 x 1.2 inches, a near-exact match to the Game Boy Color’s 5.26 x 3.1 x 1.08-inch shell. But instead of plastic, ModRetro used injection molding to craft the Chromatic’s magnesium alloy shell. Portable gaming devices with metal shells aren’t unheard of, but, again, they aren’t common due to cost. Analogue, for instance, released a limited-edition Pocket with an aluminum shell for $499 earlier this year. Boxy Pixel, a popular choice in the modding community, sells aluminum GBC sells for $72 and up. ModRetro built the Chromatic shells with the pricey injection molding process, which generally leads to more consistency and material strength. The Chromatic, unsurprisingly, is heavier than a Game Boy as a result. On the spec sheet, it’s 6.2 ounces, whereas the Game Boy Color is 4.9 ounces with two batteries and the DMG is 7.8 ounces with four batteries. When you pop in three AA batteries, the Chromatic is closer to 9 ounces. I wouldn’t say it’s heavy, but for a handheld this small, it definitely has some heft to it. To be fair, magnesium alloy is the lightest structural metal, so the Chromatic is likely as light as it gets in this form factor. And the metal shell is important here–I definitely wouldn’t trade it for plastic.
The Chromatic is without a doubt the sturdiest handheld I’ve ever used. It’s extremely well-made, with no weak points, creaks, or inconsistencies of any kind. The remarkably premium feel does come with one caveat. As mentioned, it mirrors the Game Boy Color in size. If you haven’t held a Game Boy as an adult, you may be surprised at how small it is. As an adult with average-sized hands, it took a little time for me to readjust to the form factor and screen size. The slight bit of added depth helps, and Nintendo’s vertically oriented Game Boys have surprisingly solid ergonomics in general. The Chromatic is comfortable to hold–for me at least. The screen and shell size might be an issue for you, depending on your eyesight and hand size.
As with the rest of the build, the buttons are also made of premium materials. ModRetro built the D-pad and two face buttons with PBT, the same thermoplastic used for keycaps on some high-end mechanical keyboards. Like those keycaps, the D-pad has a slightly textured, matte finish, while the A and B buttons have a glossy coating. The D-pad is larger and softer than ones found on Game Boys, which certainly makes the Chromatic more comfortable to hold and control. It’s a superb D-pad with fast action and consistent travel distances with each tap. The buttons are quieter than on many controllers, partly because they don’t rattle or wobble in the slightest. I suspect the injection molding helped with getting the perfect fit.
The front layout is identical to the original Game Boy, with even the Start and Select buttons being positioned diagonally. It’s neat that the Chromatic borrows a small piece from each of the Game Boys it pays homage to. Where the Chromatic’s layout differs is on the sides and top. The power switch is located on the top-left corner. The IR sensor, which is used for limited multiplayer functions like trading Pokemon, is on the top-right corner. For more traditional competitive and cooperative multiplayer, the Chromatic has the Link Cable port on its left side and can be connected to other Chromatics, Game Boys, and Analogue Pockets. The volume rocker is on the right, and the 3.5mm headphone jack is (thankfully) on the bottom right corner.
The Chromatic, like basically every portable device, sounds better with headphones, but this little device has a very impressive speaker. It’s pitched as a “custom ultra-loud speaker module,” which is an accurate description. When I tested it at full volume with my office door closed, my family could hear it clearly in the other room. More importantly, the audio is crisp. Portable speaker technology has made huge strides since the ’90s, and it’s put to here, making for a pleasant listening experience, with or without headphones.
Gallery
The Chromatic has one button you won’t find on Game Boys. When you flick the power switch, you’re booted right into the cartridge, just like old times. But there is a button on the right side that pulls up a small settings menu. This is where you can adjust display brightness, enter silent mode (disables the sound output), and alter display settings. As mentioned, there are only two settings here: Frame Blend and Color Correction. The former fixes issues with games that the Game Boy’s screen couldn’t keep up with due to the slow response times of older screen technology. The frames would, in essence, blend together. Color Correction is disabled by default, though it’ll come in handy if you decide to utilize the Chromatic’s USB-C port.
You can connect the Chromatic to your PC via USB-C to stream gameplay with OBS. It’s not a traditional video-out function, so you aren’t “docking” the Chromatic, but streamers can share gameplay and you can play on a larger screen without streaming by simply starting a local OBS stream. Modern monitors interfacing with retro hardware sometimes make color palettes look off, and that’s where Color Correction comes in to clean things up.
Out of the box, the Chromatic is powered by three AA batteries. It comes with three Chromatic-branded batteries and is compatible with rechargeable AA batteries. Battery life will be highly dependent on brightness levels, but I averaged six to seven hours before needing to pop new ones in. I’d definitely recommend rechargeable Duracell or Energizer batteries to save money. It’s not available yet, but ModRetro will have a custom lithium-ion battery for sale that can be charged through the USB-C port. If you do rely on swapping in AAs, the battery cover and clip feels like they will hold up a lot better than plastic covers and clips on original Game Boy hardware.
While the Chromatic is designed to play all of your old Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges, ModRetro has started its own line of Chromatic-branded cartridges. Seven games are available at launch, with more in the pipeline for early 2025. ModRetro rebuilt two of the best puzzle games of the Game Boy era for the Chromatic’s launch. Just like the original Game Boy in 1989, “first edition” Chromatic handhelds are bundled with Tetris at launch. Yes, actual, officially licensed Tetris. This enhanced version of the greatest puzzle game of all time is superb, with bright and colorful 8-bit visuals and numerous customization options, including the ability to toggle between modern or classic rules. ModRetro also revitalized the GBC puzzle-platformer Toki Tori, and much like Tetris, this is a better version of the game thanks to faster movement speed and auto-jump.
The other launch games are indies from homebrew developers, including one of the most-anticipated titles in the Game Boy homebrew scene: Dragonyhm, previously known as Dragonborne DX. This sprawling top-down adventure is a fun mix of Pokemon and Zelda that’s definitely worth checking out. In the Dark 2 is a story-based, exceedingly clever puzzler from the co-creators of Grimace’s Birthday, while the Chromatic-exclusive Patchy Matchy is a really enjoyable grid puzzle game that’s a perfect pick-up-and-play experience. Traumatarium Penitent is a gorgeous first-person dungeon crawler that I had already played when the digital version launched earlier this year (I’d also recommend its predecessor, Traumatarium). Finally, Tales of Monsterland DX is the enhanced and expanded version of one of the better homebrew Game Boy platformers I’ve played. If you like Wonder Boy, you’ll probably like this.
With the exception of Tetris, which is packaged with the Chromatic, each game comes inside an old-school style cardboard box with key art on the front and facts on the back. Inside the box you’ll find an instruction manual, a plastic insert to hold the cartridge, and a little charm that could be added to a charm bracelet (if you have one).
The Chromatic costs $199 and is available in seven colors: Inferno (orange), Leaf (green), Bubblegum (pink), Volt (yellow), Wave (blue), Midnight (black), and a Game Boy DMG-inspired gray. The gray bundle is exclusive to GameStop, while the rest of the colors are only available directly from ModRetro. The Chromatic looks just as good up close as it does in pictures. The packaging for the Chromatic might be the coolest I’ve seen for a handheld. It’s designed to look like a school notebook, complete with a fold-out front cover and a wide assortment of colorful doodles surrounding pictures of the handheld and “Chromatic” in bubble letters.
The bottom line
ModRetro’s Chromatic is a truly superb recreation of the Game Boy Color. If you want a near-exact replica of your childhood Game Boy with a backlit screen, this is the handheld for you. At $199, and even if you didn’t get a great new spin on Tetris, I’d argue the Chromatic is a bargain due to its ridiculously premium build. But this is a bargain for a very specific type of retro gamer. If you’ve been considering modding a Game Boy or buying a pre-modded one from a reseller, the Chromatic is arguably the highest-end modded Game Boy Color around. It’s not anywhere close to as versatile as the Analogue Pocket, but for those who want to play GB and GBC games as authentically as possible, the Chromatic is as real as it gets.
- Price – $199 for first edition bundle with Tetris cart
- Compatibility – Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Chromatic cartridges
- Display – 2.56-inch sapphire crystal backlit IPS LCD
- Resolution – 160 x 144p
- Size – 5.2 x 3 x 1.2-inch
- Weight: 6.2 ounces
- Shell – Magnesium alloy thixomolded shell
- Buttons – PBT face buttons and D-pad
- Battery – 6-7 hours with two AA batteries (from our testing)
- Audio – internal speaker, 3.5mm headphones
- Ports – link cable, 3.5mm audio, USB-C with video out for streaming with OBS
- Multiplayer – via backwards compatible link cable, IR sensor
- Colors – Inferno, Leaf, Bubblegum, Volt, Wave, Midnight, Gray
ModRetro provided GameSpot with the Chromatic and game cartridges for the purpose of this review.