This video was the one that showed me that modding game consoles wasn't as hard or scary as I imagined them to be. The Metal Gameboy Color was my first big scale expensive mod I've ever done (and it's still my favorite over all the others I've done so far!). I did this after I graduated High School from last year, and boy what a ride it's been so far (especially when after you posted this, a couple months later drop-in LCD kits became a thing! 😄). All I can do is thank you Esotericsean for getting me into this!
Solid video. I've seen Metal EDC posts about this on Instagram, but being shown how simple it is to set do makes me want to save my nickels for this one.
I'm waiting for the option 2 to arrive so I can build mine. It will be with the brass buttons. The shell is amazing quality, top top notch. Definitely recommend getting one if you get the chance.
just a testimony to the quality and design of Nintendo and their games, that in 2019 almost 25 years after the release there is a community still making aftermarket parts and upgrades, and I have a 3ds with the virtual red blue and yellow games and I still want to build this.
I would absolutely love to see a GB Boy colour adapted to fit in to one of these because I wouldn't want to buy a second hand Gameboy color just to have to tear it apart but doing it with a knock off doesn't seem like a travesty at all lol
I adore my Gameboy Advance SP for night play because it doesn't burn my poor eyeballs. I'm probably going to front light my color because I love the look too!
Hey Sean, I recently made one of these (using a red anodized shell and brass buttons), and utilized one of the Chinese ribbon cables (sadly, right now its pretty much the only viable option for one of these mods because the bennvenn cables are not readily available) and would like to see your take on a correct installment, especially if you use the metal buttons. I made it happen and its awesome, however, the install was much morr finicky and difficult due to the nature and build of the chinese rubbon cable and the board it uses. For example, the female end on the small board that accepts the 101 screen gets right in the way of the silicone pads and the buttons (which without trimming or adjusment WILL kill the cable coming from the 101 screen from pressing down). To remedy this, I had to shift the bpard to the left a millimetre and a half as well as shave down on of the pegs on the brass botton so it wouldn't hit the cable at all. And also adhere the silicone pad to the gbc motherboard instead of resting it on the buttons so it wpuld clear the cable. Its hard to explain but if you assemble one, as well as the finicky placement of the wires for the screen brightness, youll get it once you make one. Its not quite as straightforwar dor easy and takes some finesse. Plus as some may have found out, the wrong kind of pressure can crack the screen too. I bring this up to you because your work is clean and meticulous. Me and many others wpuld probably love to see you do a gbc color light mod with one of these chinese ribbon cables (utilizing one of these metal bodied systems as well) because I found it to be particularily tricky. Doable and awesome once done. But not easy.
Bren Lowe Hi Bren! That’s absolutely on my list of videos to make. I have a Chinese PCB and the new BennVenn PCB should be arriving this coming week, so I’ll be making a video comparing the two. :)
The only thing i dont like about the way u remove the battery contacts is how u have to push on the contacts ive broken many pads by doing that i just put some solder over it and hold the board up until they fall out
@@esotericsean Nodnods. :) I also realise this video is from a few years ago. But yeah even though the battery pack has some kind of protection circuit built in... Not all have short protection. And even ones that do, can fail. And LIPOs can pump out a lot of juice if they want to, and sometimes explode in the process. never a good thing. :)
Great video. Great shell but I gotta stick with the NES shell lol. Depending on the vender, the one I got came with options on red and black buttons (had to keep it authentic with black d-pad and red buttons 😂) and It’s also made for modding as well. No cutting or anything if you want a colored LCD mod installed.
Don't know if i like the place the charging pcb goes(under the battery), because those tend to produce some heat.... But outside from that its beautiful.
Great video! Thanks for sharing! I'm wondering, do you happen to know if there is going to be an updated version of this case for the Freckle Shack backlit screen?
Some solder wick would probably work wonders when removing those battery terminals. And have less of a risk of scratching the shit out of your board...
At minute 10:50 , what screws and screwdriver do you use? I ordered a custom built one from boxy pixel, and I guess he accidentally forgot to put two screws in those holes. I'd like to order and put them myself.
Daniel Martinez I would email him and ask. I’m sure he’ll send you some replacement screws. They’re normal Phillips screws, but a specific size that are designed for his shell. They’re not normal GBC screws.
I have issues with mine and I can't explain them. It operated no problem until the first charge. The PCB went bad upon plugging in, so I replaced it. Then charged up the battery, it turns on and everything seems fine at first but then wigs out in different ways for every game. While the games play just fine in another Gameboy. I just don't know.
We're trying to play the gameboy color pokemon trading card game all over again with the infrared are you down? We just have to find a device that can be used as an interface or adapter for long distance play and trade so you're gbc would infrared to a receiver that will then send through internet to another person's receiver and then to his gbc infrared. Do you have any idea how we can do this? In other words play and trade with the original gbc pokemon trading card game but in long distance as opposed to being right on front of the other
BennVenn ribbons are designed to only work with aftermarket AGS-101 screens. An official 101 from an SP won’t work, so I’m fairly certain an 001 won’t work either. But if you want a front light, you can remove just the front light from the 001 and put it in your GBC using the OEM GBC LCD.
I think it will fit, but it will probably need to either be secured with something like hot glue or a 3D printed bracket can be made to hold it in the proper location. We'll have to wait and see though!
Just weighed them. My backlit plastic GBC is 18.8g and the Boxy Pixel one is 31g, so it's almost twice as heavy but not quite. It feels really nice in your hand, not *too* heavy.
It's a fairly loose slot, so it doesn't *feel* like it's hurting them. He does make a metal cartridge shell too if you wanted to put your game inside a metal shell to match, heh.
The Best GBC backlit mod at this moment sean,with rechargeable battery,it's almost perfect, thanks buddy..
Just wondering what would make it better besides more optimized wiring?
Angah Chelsea x2
This video was the one that showed me that modding game consoles wasn't as hard or scary as I imagined them to be. The Metal Gameboy Color was my first big scale expensive mod I've ever done (and it's still my favorite over all the others I've done so far!). I did this after I graduated High School from last year, and boy what a ride it's been so far (especially when after you posted this, a couple months later drop-in LCD kits became a thing! 😄). All I can do is thank you Esotericsean for getting me into this!
I've watched about a million GBC build videos now and this is by far my favorite.
I finally own a black one with aluminum black buttons. Just got it this weekend. Won it from a bid. It is amazing!
Should've played Metal Gear for better immersion ;)
That would have been a good idea!
A N I M E
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This shell plus the bennbenn backlight mod is gonna be soo freaking cool!!
Excellent! I'm anxiously awaiting mine and this will help me a lot when it finally arrives. Great job as always!
Solid video. I've seen Metal EDC posts about this on Instagram, but being shown how simple it is to set do makes me want to save my nickels for this one.
I'm waiting for the option 2 to arrive so I can build mine. It will be with the brass buttons. The shell is amazing quality, top top notch. Definitely recommend getting one if you get the chance.
Those brass buttons look amazing too!
How are you enjoying yours now? I've been wanting to get one, partly want to get the GBA version with maybe raspberry pi.
just a testimony to the quality and design of Nintendo and their games, that in 2019 almost 25 years after the release there is a community still making aftermarket parts and upgrades, and I have a 3ds with the virtual red blue and yellow games and I still want to build this.
Solder braid is the way to go or have a soft cloth on a vice
I would absolutely love to see a GB Boy colour adapted to fit in to one of these because I wouldn't want to buy a second hand Gameboy color just to have to tear it apart but doing it with a knock off doesn't seem like a travesty at all lol
The 2.0 on the battery looked like it was part of the title :D
YES! This is what I've wanted!
That lit dude.... I wannna buy one of those
very nice. i have a teal metal gba comming. i cant wait for that. im going to make a vid on it.
Those anodized ones look amazing!
I wanna do that but front light it because I actually love the washed out look on gb/gbc games
I adore my Gameboy Advance SP for night play because it doesn't burn my poor eyeballs. I'm probably going to front light my color because I love the look too!
LittleRedDuck They have backlight controllers for the AGS-101 so you can adjust the brightness for playing at night.
Darth pooh Frontlights actually feel kinda nostalgic to me too. 😊 But nothing beats playing on a backlit screen.
@@esotericsean oh! Nifty!
You can use the metal shells with a front lot screen. I have a simple adapter to locate the screen.
I saw your post on facebook, straight away watching your video on youtube
Haha thanks Arlan!
Hey Sean, I recently made one of these (using a red anodized shell and brass buttons), and utilized one of the Chinese ribbon cables (sadly, right now its pretty much the only viable option for one of these mods because the bennvenn cables are not readily available) and would like to see your take on a correct installment, especially if you use the metal buttons.
I made it happen and its awesome, however, the install was much morr finicky and difficult due to the nature and build of the chinese rubbon cable and the board it uses.
For example, the female end on the small board that accepts the 101 screen gets right in the way of the silicone pads and the buttons (which without trimming or adjusment WILL kill the cable coming from the 101 screen from pressing down). To remedy this, I had to shift the bpard to the left a millimetre and a half as well as shave down on of the pegs on the brass botton so it wouldn't hit the cable at all. And also adhere the silicone pad to the gbc motherboard instead of resting it on the buttons so it wpuld clear the cable.
Its hard to explain but if you assemble one, as well as the finicky placement of the wires for the screen brightness, youll get it once you make one. Its not quite as straightforwar dor easy and takes some finesse. Plus as some may have found out, the wrong kind of pressure can crack the screen too.
I bring this up to you because your work is clean and meticulous.
Me and many others wpuld probably love to see you do a gbc color light mod with one of these chinese ribbon cables (utilizing one of these metal bodied systems as well) because I found it to be particularily tricky. Doable and awesome once done. But not easy.
Bren Lowe Hi Bren! That’s absolutely on my list of videos to make. I have a Chinese PCB and the new BennVenn PCB should be arriving this coming week, so I’ll be making a video comparing the two. :)
this is awesome, i wish I had someone who lived nearby who still wanted to battle
It would be awesome if you could have different colors for the metal shells. How sexy would it look if that metal case was red or blue?
I know they sell paint like that for chrome rims. Wonder if you could use it on these cases? Especially if they were polished.
KILLER!
Awesome video! I’m thinking about getting one of these
Robert Stacker I think they’re well worth it!
Thats epic.
The only thing i dont like about the way u remove the battery contacts is how u have to push on the contacts ive broken many pads by doing that i just put some solder over it and hold the board up until they fall out
Oh man, is he sending these out now? I can't wait to see more
Beautiful...a masterpiece!!!!
HOLY CRAP I nearly had a heart attack when you cut the battery wires at the same time! Please DONT EVER DO THAT!
Yeah that’s normally bad practice, thanks!
@@esotericsean Nodnods. :) I also realise this video is from a few years ago. But yeah even though the battery pack has some kind of protection circuit built in... Not all have short protection. And even ones that do, can fail. And LIPOs can pump out a lot of juice if they want to, and sometimes explode in the process. never a good thing. :)
Wow that is amazing!
I want to start doing this.... and documenting it.
solid metal gear
Thanks for such easy-to-follow videos, matey! Cheers!
Looks great!
This is so cool, I would love if there was a GBA SP version. I bet it'd feel like a tiny little macbook lol
Great video. Great shell but I gotta stick with the NES shell lol. Depending on the vender, the one I got came with options on red and black buttons (had to keep it authentic with black d-pad and red buttons 😂) and It’s also made for modding as well. No cutting or anything if you want a colored LCD mod installed.
I need that bracket that holds the micro usb charging board. Were did you get that?
great video, could we use plastic buttons?
Don't know if i like the place the charging pcb goes(under the battery), because those tend to produce some heat.... But outside from that its beautiful.
Invest in a solder sucker, makes removing battery terminals easier.
OMG I wish he could make a switch housing! The gameboy advance one looks even better than the color!
Great video! Thanks for sharing! I'm wondering, do you happen to know if there is going to be an updated version of this case for the Freckle Shack backlit screen?
I'm trying to get the gba one he has. It truly is. PERFECT.
really nice thanks for sharing awesome videos as always.
Freaking awesome jhon!
I want to put a GBC in a Pip-boy! That would be badass!
Some solder wick would probably work wonders when removing those battery terminals. And have less of a risk of scratching the shit out of your board...
does the one that fits the funny playing laminated screens work well?
Very good tutorial! Did it come with the battery or did you have to order one separate ?
Boxy Pixel sells one along with the charging board and 3D printed bracket.
esotericsean I see, I preordered the Metal GBA a couple weeks ago so should be fun lol
Is there any room to add an audio amp board? Like the PAM8403?
Hey there! Where did you get the custom power LED from?
Great video man! Just found you on TH-cam! Love your content! So informative!
Reminds me of metal mario from Mario64
I want solid metal NES and famicom! :)
welp. I know what I'll be buying next.
Wonderful
They should make this... For the nintendo ds.
Where i can buy all the need to mod my Gbc like this? I mean screen black light and battery. We can find it in only one site? Thanks
AWESOME!
At minute 10:50 , what screws and screwdriver do you use?
I ordered a custom built one from boxy pixel, and I guess he accidentally forgot to put two screws in those holes. I'd like to order and put them myself.
Daniel Martinez I would email him and ask. I’m sure he’ll send you some replacement screws. They’re normal Phillips screws, but a specific size that are designed for his shell. They’re not normal GBC screws.
@@esotericsean thanks
you should make a shopping list for how to back all this :L
I have issues with mine and I can't explain them. It operated no problem until the first charge. The PCB went bad upon plugging in, so I replaced it. Then charged up the battery, it turns on and everything seems fine at first but then wigs out in different ways for every game. While the games play just fine in another Gameboy. I just don't know.
Excelent video!!
How many hours of gameplay does the 2000 mAh battery provide with the backlit screen?
You should get the brass and aluminum cartridges and use them for pokemon gold and silver. just saying.
in my opinion this is near to perfect. however the a and b buttons should have been labled ;) otherwise i was actually tempted to make one my self :D
bro this is sick, imagine if he polished it so it was reflective. but all and all, awesome idea, i would buy one.
Hi bro awesome video I plan on doing a gbc build I have one question what did you use to to get the gba screen to work
We're trying to play the gameboy color pokemon trading card game all over again with the infrared are you down? We just have to find a device that can be used as an interface or adapter for long distance play and trade so you're gbc would infrared to a receiver that will then send through internet to another person's receiver and then to his gbc infrared. Do you have any idea how we can do this? In other words play and trade with the original gbc pokemon trading card game but in long distance as opposed to being right on front of the other
Pricy but so cool!
Want one so bad but the glass screen option is sold out
cicada Did you check bluishsquirrel’s site?
Do you know if it would work if I put a ags 001 screen in with that ribbon cable?
BennVenn ribbons are designed to only work with aftermarket AGS-101 screens. An official 101 from an SP won’t work, so I’m fairly certain an 001 won’t work either. But if you want a front light, you can remove just the front light from the 001 and put it in your GBC using the OEM GBC LCD.
@esotericsean Can you swap out that 2000mah With a 3.7V 10000mAh LiPo Li polymer Rechargeable Battery?
idk If you'll see this but why and where do you need to tape the motherboard in the beginning. Should you do this with all gbc boards?
Also what type of tape do you use
Is there any way I can put in rechargeable AA's and skip that step entirely
There might be a way to rig them inside there, but it’s not designed for them, unfortunately.
@@esotericsean and plus there's an unused micro USB cutout, just realized that
Out of curiosity, I wonder if Benn's new screen would fit nicely?
I think it will fit, but it will probably need to either be secured with something like hot glue or a 3D printed bracket can be made to hold it in the proper location. We'll have to wait and see though!
Sounds awesome, can't wait to see
I'll have a simple adapter to precisely locate his new screen.
a desoldering wick would have made taking off the battery terminals way easier.
I was thinking the same thing.
How is the weight compared with the original GBC? Is it much heavier?
Just weighed them. My backlit plastic GBC is 18.8g and the Boxy Pixel one is 31g, so it's almost twice as heavy but not quite. It feels really nice in your hand, not *too* heavy.
does it survive a fall?
is it possible to just get you screen lens? thanks
Hope they make on for the sp haha
this is great, but i would be afraid of wearing on the cartridges taking them in and out of a metal slot.
It's a fairly loose slot, so it doesn't *feel* like it's hurting them. He does make a metal cartridge shell too if you wanted to put your game inside a metal shell to match, heh.
knew it was Aluminum before he said so lol
From the pictures on the seller's website the buttons look cast rather than machined. What's your opinion?
The parts went thru a deburing process after machining. They were indeed machined from solid.
Where do you get the adapter ribbon for the AGS screen?
Brasil 🇧🇷; Beautiful vídeo, y Love game boy. 👏👏👏
É bom ter um espectador do Brasil! :)
New sub, enjoy watching your vids. 👍
Fullmetal Gameboy
Pretty nice mod.
Anyone have an accurate 3D model of a gbc? I'm trying to 3D print one modified case but I don't have access to an physical gbc.
I'm working on one for an injection mold, but it'll take a while still. It's a fairly complex object.
@@esotericsean Nice to know! I hope you provide it to us when done :)
Not a fan of the side usb port, it just makes it hard to play while charging
Do you sell these I want one just like the one in this video please and thank you
boxypixel (the maker of these metal shells) sells fully pre-built ones for like $300 on his website. boxypixel.com
Im not one for aluminum but if there is a rust proof paint on it that'd be cool
Aluminum doesn't rust. If you are worried about it losing its shine over time, you could clear coat it.
@@GearScar ok good
Can i order 1 gameboy color with the backlight screen man ?
Aluminum silver Pokémon silver.
Show an aluminum gold case please
the small creek in the bottom of the screen is dissatisfying to me, but nonetheless solid build
Same, its not a perfect fit
great
Does this work with freckle shack?
slick
How to protect it from scratches?
How did you get green in English?
is it a gameboy color light