The Raspberry Pi is an amazing piece of hardware, with endless loyal fans. With more and more enthusiasts hooked on the Raspberry Pi, there are some amazing creations coming out. One of the most impressive is someone who has managed to take a Raspberry Pi and transform it into a Game Boy Advance.
The creation was posted to the r/RetroPie subreddit by user Cheat_Steve10. They explain that they set up the system by using a Raspberry Pi Zero, which is running Retropie. Everything is displayed on a TFT SPI screen using the fbcp-ili9341 library. All buttons are configured with Pi’s GPIO Pins using GPIONext, and the sound is through an I2S Amp to a GBA SP Speaker. Everything is then powered by a 1000mAh LiPo battery. This impressive setup allows Cheat_Steven10 to play both Game Boy Advance games, as well as PSX games.
A functioning Game Boy Advance has been made using a Raspberry Pi
All this hardware is inside of an original Game Boy Advance shell, making it look incredibly similar to an original model. The battery is rechargeable using an MH-CD42, and Cheat_Steve10 says it’s able to run Game Boy Advance games for up to two hours. However, PSX games are slightly more demanding, coming out to an hour and 40 minutes before charging is required.
This setup shows some of the amazing capabilities that the Raspberry Pi is able to run. With just some components, you can have a fully functioning Game Boy Advance that’s able to run even more games than the original. Fully functioning Game Boy Advances are tough to come by without paying a pretty penny. But, with this setup, you can get even more performance for less than the price of a refurbished one.
The Raspberry Pi Zero offers endless possibilities when it comes to function. People have made plenty of consoles using the Raspberry Pi, from the original Game Boy to the Sega Genesis. All of these retro consoles are not easy to come by these days. If you want to play your most nostalgic games, you often have to turn to emulators or purchase a refurbished console. But, the Raspberry Pi can make it happen with some work. It will be fascinating to see what other consoles that enthusiasts can make with the development board.
