James Pero

Gaming

This YouTuber hacked a Game Boy to play 'Tetris' online

The original Game Boy gets a major upgrade.

As beloved as the original Game Boy is, there are some things (given the fact it was released in 1989) that it just can’t do, for instance, anything that involves connecting to the internet.

But as you probably already know, it’s no longer 1989, which means...

Shutterstock

Your Game Boy is now a Game Man.

In the latest hack from YouTuber, stacksmashing, the modder rigs a classic Game Boy so that it can play Tetris with other players online.

As stacksmashing breaks down in their video, the hack allows a Game Boy to play Tetris in a battle royale format via a modded link cable adapter that allows the handheld to plug into a USB port on a computer — a piece of hardware originally created for a project that enabled a Game Boy to mine Bitcoin.

Stacksmashing also had to create two customized programs that assist in matchmaking, monitoring game progress, and executing details of the actual gameplay.

Much like Tetris 99, players in stacksmashing’s competition are eliminated one-by-one until only one player (the winner) is left.

Shutterstock

If playing Tetris against your Game Boy pals is appealing to you, we have good news. Stacksmashing is actually selling a custom adapter kit for just $15, which comes with a printed circuit board with level shifters soldered on. You’ll also need a Raspberry Pi Pico to make the whole thing work.

The adapter comes with two link ports that make it compatible with both the original Game Boy and subsequent models like the Game Boy Color and SP.

Stacksmashing also created a Discord channel to find other players who are as enthusiastic about playing Tetris online via Game Boy as you are.

May/June

Stacksmashing says the kits will start shipping this month or the next.

Shutterstock

It may seem like a lot of work to recreate something that already kind of exists in Tetris 99, but for hardcore Game Boy enthusiasts, stacksmashing’s mod will hit all the right notes of nostalgia while still giving you a new perspective on a classic.

WANT MORE?

👾 How to use your next-gen gaming controller in iOS 14.5

🏎 This is it, this is The Worst Tesla

⌨️ You can pick Microsoft Office’s first new default font in 15 years

Shutterstock

Thanks for reading,
head home for more!