Modretro Chromatic: Palmer Luckey rebuilds the Game Boy
Palmer Luckey's hobby company Modretro has presented its first product: The Chromatic is a replica of the Game Boy that can play original cartridges.
The Modretro Chromatic can play games for Game Boy and Game Boy Color.
(Image: Modretro)
The controversial tech entrepreneur Palmer Luckey not only builds weapons, but also retro consoles. His company Modretro has now unveiled its first product, the Chromatic: A replica of Nintendo's handheld Game Boy that is compatible with the original cartridges for Game Boy and Game Boy Color. In addition, Palmer's team has created its own games that can also be inserted and played via cartridge.
One of these is "Tetris for Chromatic", a homage to the classic game, which is included in the purchase price of 286 euros. At this price, the Chromatic can be pre-ordered in different color variations from Germany, with the devices to be delivered from Christmas 2024.
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"For almost 17 years, I have been working as a hobby on developing the ultimate replica of the Game Boy," Palmer Luckey is quoted as saying in a press release. "The Chromatic is my ultimate homage to the beautiful form, technical excellence and cultural influence of the Game Boy." Games are played on the Chromatic via FPGA, just like on the original devices.
Display true to the original
Luckey's team placed particular emphasis on the development of the display, which, with a resolution of 160 x 144 pixels over 2.56 inches, should have the same pixel structure as the original. In addition, the IPS display has been designed to accurately reproduce the colors of the Game Boy Color - but the display should be brighter. It sits behind sapphire glass, which should protect it from scratches. The housing itself is said to be made of a particularly strong magnesium alloy.
Audio can be output to wired headphones via the jack socket or played through the mono speaker. The Chromatic does not support Bluetooth. The device is powered by batteries, a rechargeable battery pack can be purchased as an option.
The games for the retro console can also be ordered from Modretro. Luckey told the US technology magazine The Verge that, in addition to in-house developments by indie developers, these include re-releases and remasters of classic Game Boy games and even some titles whose development for the original was discontinued before release. Modretro's game store currently lists seven titles that cost between 28 and 42 euros.
Palmer Luckey founded the VR company Oculus, which was bought by the Facebook company Meta. Luckey lost his job at Meta because he supported Donald Trump's presidential candidacy in 2016 by making payments to internet trolls, among other things. Today, Luckey's main job is developing weapons systems for the US military with his company Anduril Industries. (dahe)