The Coolest Handheld of the Year // FPGBC Review
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 มิ.ย. 2024
- A new budget FPGA handheld just arrived, and it is awesome. In this video, we review the Funny Playing FPGBC handheld.
Featured Gear
FPGBC - funnyplaying.com/products/fpg...
DMG GBC Shell & Screen - s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DFz...
Game Boy GB - s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DeT...
Bootleg Carts - s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_Dkc...
8BitDo Controller - amzn.to/3QQebbN
EZ Flash Jr. - s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DlE...
Camera: amzn.to/3REWpcj
Join Discord: / discord
Follow me: / takiudon_
IG: / takiudon
Timestamps
00:00 - Intro & Kit Overview
01:24 - The Build
03:31 - Features / OSD / Performance
08:17 - FPGBC vs. Modded GBC
11:09 - Flash Cart Compatibility
14:46 - Bootleg Cart Compatibility
17:26 - Link Cable Support
18:00 - Updating Process
18:59 - Thoughts / Pricing
Disclaimer: This review includes affiliate links. Anything you purchase from those links helps support the channel. - เกม
![เก่งแต่ลับหลัง (FINSTA) - ส้ม มารี (Zom Marie) Ft. Punch 4EVE [Official Teaser]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Fvt0Wz1hfGY/mqdefault.jpg)
Pretty awesome to now have FPGA handheld options that are this cheap.
Additional Battery Life Tests
Game Boy GB (max brightness) - 5 hours and 44 minutes
Battery test on max brightness? I'm still at the first 25% of the video.
Thanks for making this video, this is an *awesome* kit.
Can you load the device while playing (however slow that might be)?
There's sadly a major audio issue at 8:17
Really would like to see you review the analogue pocket
Do you know of they also make a fpga Gameboy Advance kit?
The clock desync happens because a genuine GB/GBC runs a refresh rate of 59.7 hz while the FPGA is running at 60 hz. This difference is enough to desync 6 seconds in 10 minutes.
The day I can get FPGA kits like this for the GBA and DMG, my two favorites, I might finally die happy. This whole kit is an amazing step in the right direction.
The GBA already has a clone that uses real hardware, no emulation, it's called Revo K101+.
@@arthurcarneirolopes6383 Revo K101+ doesn't have the hardware for running GB games, only GBA, so GB is emulated, with some issues. Plus the screen on it doesnt have great integer scaling, so if you want to play with correct scaling, the image gets cropped quite heavily. Not to mention the handheld is generally bit tricky to find these days.
@@wryyyy This is why a called it a GBA clone, not GBC. And if you want a better screen you could buy a Digi Retro Boy, which uses the same hardware. The point is that there's no cheap FPGA to play GBA, it's better to buy the FP GBC and a GBA clone.
Dammit, I ruined your 69 likes
Have you looked at Analogue Pocket? It's a lot bigger and heavier than real game boys.
Funny Playing stuff can be a bit finicky, but for that price point it definitely seems like it's worth checking out
When this fully releases would love to see you do a size comparison screen wise with the APocket
I already ordered mine... can't wait to have it. I also ordered a Cyberpunk inspired themed shell for this.
@@ALIEN19740were you able to find a type c shell?
@vansoffthewall222 Funny Play and Retro Game Rapair Shop have them. Y used the front of the cyberpunk shell, and the transparent back of the usb shell, is perfect.
Finicky like the speaker cutting out completely less than two hours after installing the kit? Otherwise Id agree, it was interesting for that tiny window lol
Even if it's not perfect yet, the idea that you can get someone an ips gbc with perfect compatibility and a rechargable battery for under 70 is insane in the current market. It's also really nice to see more companies pushing out FPGA, as I trust the constantly parts-and-screens developing funnyplaying a lot more than "yeah we haven't added features we promised over a year ago yet and we have supply issues but look! Glow in the dark!" Analogue.
Has funny playing made a single replacement screen that doesn't add input delay? Might as well just emulate.
I have been wanting something like this. Hopefully they can improve the compatability. Thanks for covering this and doing all that testing.
This is exactly what I've been looking for thanks for the review! I made my purchase the day the video came out. It's still a few weeks out but I think it's a good purchase.
Holy cow, this is only $69? That’s outstanding. I’ll almost certainly add this to my ever-growing collection of Game Boys, FPGAs, and handheld emulators.
$69 for the kit, bit that doesn't include the shell, buttons, or membranes. After all that it comes out to closer to $85.
Ready to buy this thing can't wait love the stuff funnyplaying has done. I've done 2 of their gba motherboard swaps and can't wait to do this one.
69 bucks is pretty good for what you get. I have concerns about the clock speed difference and the weird compatibility quirks, but assuming it gets ironed out, this is an exceptional value. I'll probably nab one when they go up for sale.
This is actually really exciting to see. Would love to see a follow up video on it when the software improves a little more.
What I've noticed with Funnyplaying shell kits is that the button moulds are little bit different from the official ones, so the supporting "column" inside the button is too tall. I've found taking a drill bit and removing just 1mm or so of the column helps making the buttons feel very similar to official ones. So the issue might not be with the membranes, but the buttons. Oh and D-pad seems to need a patch of tape under its centre pivot. Makes the directions much more distinct.
Great video. I had a hard time finding a video that went through everything, all the settings. I was a little late finding this video, but great video nonetheless!
This is exciting, and I've been inching towards wanting to move back to an original hardware experience for a while now. I might jump on this and ride it out as compatibility improves just to snag it at that price point.
I just got this exact build a few hours ago. It’s pretty good so far!
Mine just shipped, can't wait to build it. Gone for the same case but with lemon buttons and pads.
I am looking forward to see the final product! 90% chances I would buy it!
This is very cool! love my funny playing GBA screen mod kit but this is even better. love what they are doing and if that whole kit is under 100 bucks this is fantastic for folks who cant get their hands on an analogue pocket or dont wanna mod original hardware.
Love to see that this community it's still alive keeping in mind that there are a lot of consoles like the Miyoo mini.
Huh that clock drift is surprising, thanks for pointing it out
Got mine today and build it with the Cyberpunk shell theme, this thing is AMAZING. I installed the latest firmware with sleep mode. I do want more grid options for full screen, But I'm happy with it. I even print a Cyberpunk label for my EDGB PRO+ to go with the theme.
What a cool product! Stoked!
I just built one and wow 😯 I'm impressed with this kit --I don't have the analogue pocket, why I got this kit, didn't want to pay a lot money for the analogue - it's pretty dang good, my review inbound ❤
Yes. This is exactly what I've been looking for. Hoping there will be more compatibility with flachcarts in the future. I have that everdirive clone which seems like it'd still be worth it as is.Too bad they're sold out 😢
never seen u before i like ur vids
instant sub
FYI, Donkey Kong Land has those graphical issues even on original Game Boy Color and Advance, it's not a problem specific to this device.
Wow, I never knew you can expand the display!?!?! I was in the process of modding my gbc. I'm stoked! 😮
Modded Gameboys cant.
I love that you ran that clock comparison to check the timing accuracy on the FPGBC, and that inspired me to run a similar test on the Analogue Pocket.
I don't have an original GBC, so I flashed the same 240p Test Suite ROM to a GB cartridge and ran it in the GBA's backwards-compatibility mode. On the AP side, I used the Spiritualized1997 GB core and ran the ROM off of the SD card.
In 10 minutes, they didn't drift apart by even one millisecond!
Interestingly, though, both were slower than my iPhone stopwatch by about 3 seconds after 10 minutes. Not sure why that would be, other than that maybe the clock app isn't perfectly accurate to wall time.
Update: I compared the Analog Pocket Spiritualized1997 GB core to a real GBC and the timing matches perfectly as far as I can tell.
Not there yet for me to upgrade my modded gameboys, but wow have they done some innovation. I'd also like to see them increase the size of the shells and button layout to the classic dmg as that for me is the most comfortable way to play, the gbc size hurts a bit after a while.
It’s amazing that the gameboy color is still getting upgrades even after the analogue pocket.
This is so cool! I got a pocket coming, but building something like this would be fun. Maybe they'll make something for the gba sp one day 🙏.
Just received mine today after what felt like a long wait. I was in-between smoke black shell or atomic purple ... So I ordered both shells. I ended up assembling with the atomic purple as it kicked in more of the nostalgia vibes.
So far pros are
- quality shell and materials (for most part)
- speaker is super good and loud (too loud)
- screen is great... I love the full screen mode
-usb c rechargeable
- knock off ever drive flash cart works
- feels like I'm a kid again
Cons
- I had to file some poorly molded plastic off battery connector to get it to connect. Took 20 minutes of trying before figuring out that was stoping it.
- minimum volume is still too high for me... Like I would like 3-5 options softer. I'm playing Pokemon on the lowest volume and it's still too loud to play in bed next to the wife...
- ordered 2 cases but they only sent 1 set of stickers
- my board is a newer revision 1.1 and there are not other firmwares. They have also changed the boot logo to a horrible funny playing logo that looks like absolute crap!!!
There was an update a couple days ago. The logo changed but it is still crap. I wish we could change it. Also, the volume issue has not been addressed but they did add an option to fix the colors on original game boy games.
Pretty cool that it fits in an gbc shell. Definitely interested in things like this. I hope we get a version with sd support and eventually one that is a no shell mod. I’d like to swap my original pcb out with one of these.
YES!!! This option! I forgot batteries in my childhood GBC and they leaked beyond repair.
If it wasn't so damn expensive it would be cool to take each FPGA core developed for retro gaming and turn them into easily implemented asic, like the "NES on a chip" but for newer consoles.
Sounds pretty much jsut like a MiSTER
@@alfiegordon9013 no, the OC is saying that it would be cool to take the FPGA core and make it an actual IC, instead of having it in the FPGA fabric
@@MrLoquito12345 it would only be worth it for modern consoles and you might end up infringing on DMCA unless you do a great job reverse engineering. Also, even if you can, it would be miserable. Reverse Engineering modern console microarchitecture is so difficult you will be in hell. GPU arch alone is already monumentally hard.
There's a reason FGPA's haven't caught up to Emulation. Emulation allows you to abstract a lot more since you aren't recreating the hardware in an HDL.
@@diodora2381I agree with your sentiment.
I don't think there's an FPGA big enough (or fast enough) to fit a modern console. N64 cores are just recently starting to appear and they are already pushing the limits of what conventional FPGAs can achieve. Sure, something like a Kintex or Arrix could probably handle it, but that's the limit. Not even a PS2 core could be made (at least in the near future) with the technology we have available, let alone something like the Gamecube or Xbox. A more modern console is decades away of being able to fit in an FPGA (hopefully I'm proven wrong, but only time will tell).
In the meantime, we'll have to stick with emulators for the more modern stuff.
@@MrLoquito12345 FPGA's can achieve so much more than what you see, but those ones are prohibitively expensive. They're basically reprogrammable hardware. Which makes them extremely powerful for developing Computer chips and Specialized IC's. But that's the point, they're mostly used for development purposes. Using them to recreate old hardware is a fun cool novelty which is a lot of fun, but you can't expect that to match emulation. Especially when you have to recreate the original hardware from the ground up.
I will be picking one of these up
This is awesome and the price is very reasonable. I own a lot of GBC and GB games and my GBC's lack of backlight has caused me to stop using it and I've switch to emulation.
I know there are other options, but this is still pretty cool.
If you have og GBC(s) I can highly recommend a laminated Q5 IPS Display, they're gorgeous
@@Chaosghoul I've looked at it and I'm pretty sure I'm about to buy it, thanks. lol
@@thesuperzfamilyvlog6607 You're very welcome! the mod is simple to do, if you're comfortable with a bit of soldering, a clean power regulator like the one from retrosix is a great addition. Remember to buy a Q5 ips pre-cut shell, if you want to be fancy there are limited UV printed ones out there that are just lovely.
My GBC basically never leaves my jacket pocket and I take it everywhere I go. If you don't like the li-ion mods (I don't because you can't charge the gbc while using it), grab a 4 pack of Hixon AA Lithium rechargables, they last forever and you can simply replace them on the go if they run out
@@Chaosghoul Is the screen replacement from AliExpress, the link from the video, any good, or is eBay the way to go?
@@thesuperzfamilyvlog6607 To be perfectly honest with you: No matter the source of the link, I do not trust ebay or Aliexpress listings to actually sell a genuine q5 IPS of good quality. I only buy from retro stores like Retroreiz (Germany), HandHeldLegends, FunnyPlaying or similar stores.
Btw I highly recommend getting one of the laminated screens (this will have basically no space in between the lense and the screen and look *WAY* better (also no dust in there).
will buy one. Was out of stock though. Hope they make a similar one for GBA SP. Definitely my favorite
The issue with Donkey Kong Land does happen on the real hardware too, actually. I remember I was annoyed by the graphycal issue when I first got my GameBoy Color.
So, I think it rather proves its accuracy.
i'm glad more and more optoins for FPGAs are hitting the market.
10:33 Curious about this clock application. Is that a test cart or is a ROM available online?
Love it❤
If they can add flash cart support. but $70 is Extremally good for a full Gameboy color with a modern screen. If you want a modded GBC you need a $40 - $70 depending on condition $50 for a kit, $10 for a shell, and $5 for a battery mod.
Taki, do you have more information on the DMG style GBC you have in your video?! It looks beautiful. Thanks!
I’m digging the black pcb, no more need to do chip swaps! I have two analogue pockets but it just doesn’t have that original gameboy feel, I’ll be picking up one of these for sure
A kit like this would be super fun to play with. Hopefully we see more cheap options show up
Cheaper than $70?
I'd love to buy the kit once it gets released.
I saw others display this and I really didnt understand the point. It seemed like it wasnt that great and didnt offer anything that a gbc didnt, but I really didnt expect that price, it's crazy! I have an analogue pocket so don't really need this, but it sounds like it could become a great option!
Watched at 2x speed haha.
Hey got a question related not to THIS device, but to that extra you mentioned, tge gbflash device and flashgbx, would this be capable of flashing the official GB Memory Nintendo Power card Nintendo used at Lawsons in the day? I've been looking to re-flash mine with the Nintendo menu and various games for a bit of variety as mine just had the d/l only SMB Deluxe on it. I'd rather give it some kiosk titles we didn't get like Balloon Fight GB.
This is awesome. Hopefully they do a GBA version at some point too. I'm definitely getting one of these.
looks pretty cool, i upgraded my GBC a couple years ago with a backlight screen, ive been looking at doing an even bigger upgrade but my issue is they keep coming out with new IPS kits every 6 months, one better than the last. This GBC looks like the ultimate solution , although I have heard rumors that they're going to make a GBA version of this kit.
Awesome - thanks.
Great review! Could you link where you got the GB Flash at?
Good to finally have an ethical option for handheld FPGA gaming.
What’s unethical about the Analogue Pocket?
The price
How so? It’s a much more powerful FPGA, insanely high resolution display, and they have opened up development for extra cores. I mean, those features may not matter to you, but it’s like complaining that the Steam Deck isn’t the price of an Anbernic handheld, the Deck just does so much more.
@@johnbuscher7119 For the price of the Pocket it not only should have gba but also all the good features they put on the dock to make more money off of it. I payed the same price for a Pocket and a MisTer and the MisTer does way more for the same price. The Pocket also doesn't come with extra cores you have to change the firmware. The biggest draw for the Pocket out of the box is the 4k screen but that's just to brute force integer scales on a tiny screen, the FPGBC having a 4x and 4.5x scale is more than enough for Gameboy and Color games but I do prefer that it had the Gameboy logo at the bottom of the unused area when playing in 4x
...and then he promotes an EverDrive clone...
Considering the AP, I'm surprised this is so cheap and so accessible in terms of being able to get one. AP has been out for one or two years now, and they're still struggling to get stock out, while charging over $250. A lot of the people defending it are saying it's so expensive BECAUSE it's an FPGA, but this is a good example that that isn't the case. For less than a third of the price, and a very small amount of work, and what seems like it could be customisable and upgradable (in terms of battery, rubber, and screen) this is definitely a far better option that I would be very glad to look into.
EDIT:
I own a lot of GB and GBC games, but I keep most of them in cases while using their ripped ROMs on an Everdrive, so I might get one of these and check what it's like with my library. I would make a compatibility test but I'm probably going to forget, and I also don't think that I have the most interesting or unique library so there's a very good chance that someone else would beat me to it... Also, I'm lazy...
China has been coming out with cheaper and cheaper FPGA chips. They're still very weak though and the one on the AP isn't meant to only run GB/GBC games however, so the comparison isn't perfect. Not to mention the AP also offers a state of the art screen that is vastly superior to any retro handheld on the market - that's gonna add to the cost too. All things considered I don't consider the AP to be overpriced at all, but that depends on your buying power I guess. I do like seeing more options though. FPGA gaming is awesome. It's vastly superior to softwre emulation. I really want it to expand and go beyond, and that more and more people can have access to it. Having FPGA boards you can just replace your original console boards with for massive upgrades is a dream, as long as the cores are good and accurate.
FPGABC would be better name :)
BTW, that's great for preservation, I haven't had GB because we were dirt poor when I was young and also I didn't feel like buying that old device as special as is as my first GB and risk it would die sooner or later, so making "new original" essentially is perfect since you also assemble it yourself is that much more special and also "fresh" and I could actually use it hard and not fear what I should do if I feel attached to and it dies...
This is what I always wanted.
Saw something about a firmware update on the site, anything notable?
This is great esp for the price. If they update the cores to the point where compatibility is really good it might be worth making another video
Really nice what you get for the price. Maybe even better than the real gbc bc you can change the core. But I guess the cores need updates as it is not cycle accurate as you showed in your test. ☮️
Really want to get my hands on this kit. Is there somewhere we can watch to see when it drops? Beyond the shop site, of course.
The missing connectors on the left are the ones that are normally soldered to the OG mobo, so it looks like this case is meant to work with OG mobos as well.
For now I'll stick with my modded GBC, but I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this exciting project
I want this!!! Do they have a target or estimated release date for the kit?
Thanks for sharing this. Does this mean that with this GB Flash device, you can place the english rom to a japanese cart? 17:19
Can u use custom gbc shells, or do u need to use the one it comes with?
Does the infrared sensor work on it? no ones mentioned this and it’s the one thing this has that you wouldn’t get by just going with a nice gba option.
Also does this have a way to play games without a cartridge?
would definitely pay 65-85 for a kit like this. love the idea.
you think it could fit in most aftermarket shells? if so that would be huge, i would pick this up instead of trying to mod another GBC
Where can i get one of those crystal carts? That one you had looks amazing!
Have you figured out how to get it to run synced up to the true gameboy color speed? I would love to try one of these, because that screen is huge, but not getting the same experience, even if it’s only 6 seconds over ten minutes, kinda bothers me. Do the sounds seem about the same if you listen to the og and the funny playing gbc?
Can't wait for this to start selling and hopefully they don't go low in stock like the analogue pocket.
Hey just curious, the crystal cart you flashed to crystal clear, was that just a regular JP crystal cart or does it have swapped chips to allow for flashing? I was under the impression that you could not flash official games. ty! awesome video super enjoyed it
It is a modified JP Crystal that allows flashing.
I would love to build it. Hopefully it stays that way
@takiudon were you able to get this to work with a Everdrive x3 or X7? Both work fine in my regular GBC, but do not work in the FP FPGA GBC, I get the "Memory Error" issue. My EZ FlashJr has a similar error on the FPGA GBC as well
Update - I haven't been able to get my Flash Jr or my real Everdrive X3 or Everdrive X7 work on ANY firmware available in GB or GBC core mode.
Do you have to have access to a computer to update this? I just plan on running OG DMG and GBC carts on it.
Great video Taki, any idea when the kit or GBC PCB will be available?
I would assume any day now. It was supposed to sell today.
Finally got to oder one yesterday! Thanks man. It's bananas that I havent seen much more content about this kit.@@TakiUdon
Where did you get that GB Flash Board? I can not find it anywhere
I'd want a sp form factor, but still really awesome
I'd recommend Batman: Return of the Joker to test the frame mix option. The first level has a cool water effect that utilizes the flickering. That or ZAS, which flickers the background to create a multi-layered scrolling effect.
This looks good... I just want it for no reason.
Hopefully it can eventually simulate custom bezels with a larger screen. It would be way cooler than being stuck with one physical bezel.
Is there the potential for us to overclock it more through an update? Would love to grind in pokemon and rpg's faster similar to moded gameboys.
I kinda want all of that but for the DMG 01. An aftermarket board that plays gbc games but fits in a dmg01 instead, a backlit screen, rechargeable battery. Basically just a DMG 01 upgraded with current tech to make the best the original Gameboy ever. I already have a RG351V that I love playing with, but I would buy a kit like this for my DMG 01 just to have a suped up Gameboy. Why stop there though, imagine if it could be more like an emu handheld? Make it so it can play NES games on a Gameboy, or hell any other systems that only used AB for action buttons, like the mastersystem or gamegear.
I would love to make some chiptune music with it (coupled with an everdrive) instead of modding an original gameboy.. so I want to ask you: does your fpgc have an hiss in background when connected to head phones? How does it sound?
Quick question. Can these fit in those aliexpress gbc shells that are ips ready? Or are the shells for this entirely different?
Nope dedicated FP shell only.
Have the clock issues possibly been fixed after some of these updates the past weeks? Or any chance of any wind of if it is coming? I just bought one of these since i wanna support the idea and would love to fiddle around with it, thank you for all the work you do on these videos!
They fixed some brightness settings in .89, but it's still not cycle-accurate.
@@TakiUdon thanks for the quick response and insight! I'm gonna have fun messing around with this thing. Seems like we're basically beta testing it lol. Looking forward to the updates over time
Is changing the core between GB and GBC necessary? Isn't the GBC backwards compatible? So you could just leave it there? Or is it just for looks and fun?
Is the Everdrive X7 the only flash cart that offers any type of save file? I’m trying to figure that out.
One thing I missed is the battery indicator. Are there any physical indicators or do you have to keep checking that menu when pressing the volume nob?
You have to press the menu, but the battery last like 5 hours, and you can leave it overnight to charge. Still, even the Analogue Pocket doesn't have "in game" battery indicator.
Hopefully this will be available soon.
Hi there.
Covering the back of the screen with tape is not going to do anything for insulation. There's nothing to insulate.
You're using a stolen cart reader. While GBXCart RW v1.3 was open source, it was with a non-commercial license.
Flash cart compatibility (everdrive and ezflash and the like) is hit and miss based off the physical cartridge and console you have.
How are the flashcarts on the real units? I don't think I encountered a lot of issues with the EZFlash on the Pocket and the Advance but I do remember some loss of saves for certain Game Boy titles.
@@gluttonousmaximus9048 Like I said, hit and miss. My everdrive gb-x7 and ezflash jr both seem to work fine with my unit. Two of the other testers reported that they were unable to boot any games on their everdrive and ez flash respectively.
Agreed. This is super cool
Taki have you revisited this? What firmware version are you finding best?
Is the IPS screen in the video the same thats linked in the AliExpress link? Or is it one from the currently unreleased kit?
The IPS that I am using on the real GBC (the grey one) in this video is the same one that I linked to.
I like the "idea" of transparent shells, but hate it at the same time in practice, especially when that ugly LCD part is extending in the transparent zone and looks bad in my opinion.
This is a great video Taki however I'm going to stick with my GB Boy Colour. 😁
Does anyone know where to find the GBFlash board he shows at 16:34?
Curious, are you ever going to review the Analogue Pocket? Would be nice to see you review that after you reviewed this for comparison.
They go for $500 on the second-hand market where I live (the same city where they are made).
@@TakiUdonI got extras if you need one to review.
Do you have more details on what looks like the jp Pokémon crystal cart? Are you able to say take the jp cart and flash the English rom on it?
it would be amazing if the did this for the gba and gba sp, i would definitely build all 3
Hello! Loved your video! I got a question that I can’t find a definitive answer anywhere and since it looks like you got all the tools I thought I could ask you.
Im considering buying an EZ Flash Jr for my GBC with an IPS screen mod. Would I have any problems running romhacks like Crystal Clear or Prism? My main concern is RTC and saving.
Thank you for your content!
It would have issues.
@@TakiUdon what issues would it have? With both roms or crystal clear specifically?
Sorry to bother but all the answers i can find are around 2 years old, so I’m not sure if EZ Flash has released any type of update lately.