This page is for all the non-Game Boy consoles. They are not true mainline Game Boy consoles, but may be tangentially related and can play their games. This encompasses Game Boy Macros, the Visteon Dockable Entertainment System, Analogue Pocket, and other various emulator consoles.
Updated Summer 2023.
With the current pricing of used Game Boy consoles, the financial reasoning for purchasing, refurbishing, and upgrading them is no longer viable. Playing the old games with modern features is a fantastic goal, but not financially responsible especially in comparison with the current availabilty of emulator consoles.
The focus of this section is for Game Boy-related performance as well as similarity in aesthetic/ergonomics only. For other emulation of other consoles, please check out Retro Game Corps and this compatibility chart. There are also aftermarket firmwares and modifications that can be done to these consoles. Features include new emulator cores as well as expanded functionality such as Link Port emulation via wireless protocols.
Below suggestions are for documentation purposes only. They are not recommended devices.
Remember also, all Game Boy consoles can be very easily emulated on mobile phones and computers. This is absolutely the lowest cost way to just play games.
Android mobile devices can run RetroArch quite simply. Unfortunately iOS devices will have to rely on various web-browser based emulators such as those found on itch.io
mGBA and bgb are the preferred emulators for PC. They are highly accurate with advanced features such as debugging for homebrew games.
With the accessibilty of schematics and board scans, its been possible for many years to put Game Boy consoles into other Game Boy consoles. Commonly, Game Boy Color's are put into Pockets or DMGs. The typical goal of these mods are to put a favorable console into a favorable shape of console.
This section is for documentation purposes only. These are advance level mods and should only be attempted with complete understanding of the schematics and layouts of both consoles.
Some people like to remove the top screen from a Nintendo DS or DS Lite, to create a larger Game Boy Micro we affectionately named "Macro". While this obviously isn't an official product, we've compiled some videos, guides, and mods here to help consolidate information. If you're okay with emulation, you can even perform these mods on a DSi or 3DS as well.