There can be countless arguments about which model of the Game Boy was the best one, but there’s definitely no excluding the Advance model from the conversation. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this means that now, many years past its prime, it is subject to a miniaturisation project called the Thumby Color.
In many ways, the Thumby Color is not only just a miniaturisation of the original Game Boy Advance, it wouldn’t even be unfair to call it a downgrade. Not only does the whole thing measure just two inches, but as a result of its diminutive stature, it can only fit a 0.85-inch LCD screen of 128 x 128 resolution, which is a lot less than the 240 x 160 of the original.
Despite its size, the Thumby Color still features most of the original buttons – only one appears to be missing – and still fit a rumble motor inside. It can also take USB-C cables for multiplayer games. It’s powered by a Raspberry Pi RP2350 processor, and has only 16MB or storage.
But if you were hoping to play games that Nintendo made for its handheld back in the day, you’ll likely be disappointed. Rather than emulating those games – which it probably can’t due to its very limited storage space – games for it are made using MicroPython, and it has six open-source games preinstalled. It will also have games that were included in its predecessor, the monochrome Thumby.
Makers of the Thumby Color say that more games can be downloaded from its dedicated website when they become available. Or more accurately, as they are made by enthusiasts and uploaded to the site. As for the tiny thing itself, it’s currently on Kickstarter with a price tag of US$49 (~RM219) for the standard purple-coloured one. There are special clear versions that ask for US$55 (~RM246) instead, and a Kickstarter exclusive black one for US$75 (~RM335). They all ship in November, for those who are interested.
(Source: Kickstarter)
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