Have you ever wished you would use your Game Boy as a video digital camera? Well you’re actually not alone!

As you in all probability know… the unique Game Boy Camera was a low-tech nonetheless digital camera made for the unique monochrome Game Boy consoles.

For pictures lovers like myself, this was a enjoyable gimmick to mess around with.

But it was not made for critical pictures. And it actually wasn’t made to report video.

Neither the Game Boy nor the Game Boy Camera cartridge had the tech to deal with video again in these days.

But with retro gaming units making a comeback lately, it’s not shocking that there’s additionally a distinct segment group of Game Boy Camera lovers.

And they’re making some fairly superior advances with the Game Boy Camera.

The Game Boy Camera Modding Scene

The Game Boy Camera group has plenty of crossover with the Game Boy console modding group.

They do want a Game Boy to make all of it work, afterall.

Like with the Game Boy, there’s some thrilling developments in DIY modding of the Game Boy Camera itself.

There are issues like 3d printed shells to re-skin the Game Boy Camera sport cart.

Some of those customized shell designs permit customers to connect skilled digital camera lenses to the GB Camera.

And there are some artful individuals who modify each a Game Boy Camera and a Game Boy to merge them right into a single unit that appears like an actual digital camera, such because the “Camera M” undertaking by Chris Graves.

This is actually the best stage of customized growth for the Game Boy Camera, and it takes somebody really devoted to the spirit of the system.

There is plenty of love (and cash!) that goes into creating all the customized stuff wanted to make a undertaking like this occur.

Heck, we’d even want to jot down an article about this undertaking particularly sooner or later!

It’s actually thrilling to see the cool new advances being made within the Game Boy Camera group.

One of essentially the most fascinating must be the brand new mod that lets customers report motion pictures on their Game Boy Camera:

GB Camera PicNRec

The mod that lets you report video utilizing a Game Boy Camera is the GB Camera PicNRec system by insideGadgets.

insideGadgets are fairly well-known inside the Game Boy group as the primary useful resource for customized sport cartridge boards.

Most of them are merely writable sport cartridges to supply your individual customized sport cartridges.

But they’ve additionally created some tremendous customized units for the Game Boy that provide fully new performance.

One such system is their PicNRec cartridge, a customized sport cartridge that’s used between the Game Boy Console and the Game Boy Camera like a Game Genie or Game Shark.

In the phrases of insideGadgets:

The Gameboy Camera PicNRec is now out there! Record for 1.5 hrs at 3fps, use the time lapse choice of 1 to 60 seconds or take 18,000 photos.

By actually monitoring all incoming information (the info that the GB Camera sends to your Game Boy within the preview window), the PicNRec can merely save all of this information as a video.

The PicNRec can solely settle for information that the Game Boy Camera can seize… which is gonna be that iconic pixelated imagery at roughly 3 frames per second.

So I wouldn’t anticipate to be recording something too thoughts blowing.

But any fan of retro units, the Game Boy, the Game Boy Camera, pixels, or mods would certainly respect how cool that is.

It can all seem like fairly the monstrosity with a Game Boy, a PicNRec, a Game Boy Camera, a tripod…

But that’s a part of the enjoyable of all of it. It’s fully overkill and completely superior.

The Future Of The Game Boy Camera

It’s solely a matter of time earlier than we begin seeing trendy iterations of the Game Boy Camera developed by members of the GB Camera group.

There are already printed circuit boards made by followers of the system, which lets you migrate all the components from an outdated Game Boy Camera circuit board to a model new one.

I think about we are going to finally see trendy cameras components with one thing like a Raspberry Pi controlling it, all plugged into an actual Game Boy.

You could be asking your self: “Why would someone want to do that?”

And the reply is definitely fairly easy: Because it’s cool!

We all personal units way more able to recording video or enjoying video video games than our 25+ yr outdated ones.

But when you’re right here, you’re additionally anyone who acknowledges that indescribable magic of an authentic retro system.

There’s one thing actually particular about these outdated consoles, video games, and peripherals.

And it’s that magic that retains folks like us hungry for extra retro goodness.

We love our retro units, however like… additionally give us enjoyable new modifications of these outdated gems.

It’s a dichotomy, however I’m positive you already know what I imply.

Do you benefit from the Game Boy modding scene? Check out our latest article in regards to the Mini Game Boy Pocket SP.

Anthony has been a online game lover ever since he can bear in mind. He grew to become a fulltime nomad in 2018, dwelling all through most of Asia. He centered his ardour in retro gaming and started making a sport for the Game Boy Color whereas dwelling in Nara, Japan in the course of the 2020 pandemic. He is now in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the place he spends most of his time gaming, occurring lengthy walks and assembly as many stray canine as attainable.