This hobbyist shows how to do it
Gameboy Pocket. (Photo: Niphon Subsri / Shutterstock.com)
If you want to get more playing time out of your Gameboy Pocket, you can add solar cells to the device. A hobbyist shows you how to do it on YouTube.
The Gameboy and the mini version Gameboy Pocket released in 1996 were always dependent on the ambient light because the handheld consoles did not have an illuminated display. This shortcoming is often solved by retro gaming fans today by installing an illuminated display. Since this in turn requires more electricity, hobbyists usually also replace the AA batteries they use with a lithium-ion battery. However, Johnny Hemberger of the Houston Museum of Natural Science has now found a way to increase the game time of the Gameboy Pocket even further.
As an advertisement for a museum exhibition on energy production, Hemberger donated a solar panel to the Gameboy Pocket. This is on the back and is therefore not really suitable for drawing excessive energy from the sun while playing. Rather, the idea is that Nintendo’s handheld console can at least be charged a little by the sun when not in use, even if there is no power supply nearby. According to Hemberger, the installed solar panel should generate enough energy for two additional hours of play within an hour under perfect charging conditions.
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Gameboy modifications are still popular with hobbyists
It has now been almost 31 years since the first Gameboy went on sale in Europe. Even so, the portable game console and its successor models still have a lot of fans. This can also be seen in the number of different modifications. In addition to the screen and the battery, hobbyists can also customize the buttons, the housing and much more according to their own ideas and are supported by an active community.
Recently, a German Youtuber even developed an adapter with which the Gameboy becomes internet-enabled. A software component developed for this purpose even allows Tetris tournaments with more than just the usual two players over the Internet.
