3.5'' Gameboy drive for computer?

[Alaskandsm]

This may sound very dumb, But I have interest in figuring out how to play the gameboy on my computer. Not the emulator, but actually re-wiring/recasing/etc that you can have in a drive bay with the cartridge input adapter facing outward that you can slide the game into and be able to turn the device on and off either through the OS or a switch built on the front that would allow you to play all the old games you own with their saved files on the larger, better screen of your computer but still have the old school feeling of the GB, just in the computer case.

I was thinking the controls could be used either by the keyboard, or possibly with the NES controller that would also plug into the same front panel of the drive.

Does anyone think that this is possible?

Why or why not?

I am really interested in this. I have not modded anything before but it has always been something I wanted to do.

Thanks for looking and any input would really be appreciated!!

[eagle5953]

You are basically looking to display the video on your monitor and use your keyboard for input. Not quite certain why you'd want to do this, but it should be possible.

First, you need to add some kind of video out to your Gameboy. Not certain if it is possible with an original gameboy, but I think it's been done with Gameboy Advance or SP. After that, you'd need to send the video through the computer, out the back, and to the monitor.

Not sure how to use the keyboard, but adding an external controller port would be easier. You'd simply have to wire up the controller port to the Gameboy's board.

[Alaskandsm]

Well first off, I guess I would like to do it becasue how many people could ever say they have a 3.5'' drive gameboy? Second, I would want to try and double that to be something that you can utilize the card reader to do your bidding or essentially copy the games or load new ones on the older cartridges as I have a couple different gameboys if that is also possible. I do have a GBA SP that i wouldn't mind cutting up for a project like this.

I thought using the original NES controller on an older model gameboy would/should snyc up fairly without too much difficulty. As this would also produce somewhat of a fun way to play the games. One problem I can see with this would be powering the device as I would like to try to utilize the computer's power supply for power.

I just think it would be fun and someone interesting if it could come out right. But I really wouldn't know how to go about it. That is why I am here asking first if it could be done and second to begin to get the information on how it would be done.

Thanks for the reply too!!

[palmertech]

You have three options:

1. Use a GBA with a tv out card, then a video in card on the PC. Quality for the imagine will be terrible.

2. Use a card dumper. Plug in the cart, have your computer set up to auto dump, then launch the rom with an emulator.

3. Figure out the display protocol of the GB, then wire up a converter to VGA.

If you have to ask how to do the last one, then you are probably not going to be able to do it. So the first or second one will be the most probable.

[Killer_Rabbit]

Well first off, I guess I would like to do it becasue how many people could ever say they have a 3.5'' drive gameboy?

Well, people who put their roms on a microSD card can say they have a 0.35'' gameboy. But anyway, palmertech's pretty much correct.

There is a fourth option, which is probably going to be the easiest: use a Gamecube with a Gameboy Player. Of course, that's not going to fit in a 3.5'' drive space. But then again, neither will a GBA + Tv out device.

So, we're back to square one: use an emulator, or if you really want a cart slot, use a rom dumper.

[khaag]

You have three options:

1. Use a GBA with a tv out card, then a video in card on the PC. Quality for the imagine will be terrible.

2. Use a card dumper. Plug in the cart, have your computer set up to auto dump, then launch the rom with an emulator.

3. Figure out the display protocol of the GB, then wire up a converter to VGA.

If you have to ask how to do the last one, then you are probably not going to be able to do it. So the first or second one will be the most probable.

You have one other option:

Use say a retro duo/fc twin, get rid of the NES board, and use a super gameboy and integrate all that into a drive bay. I'd say this would be your most feasable choice as the GBA doesn't play GB games as far as I know.

[Twilight Wolf]

The GBA is fully backwards-compatible with previous-generation GameBoy games. The DS doesn't play anything before GBA, though; is that what you were thinking of, maybe?

[Alaskandsm]

You have three options:

1. Use a GBA with a tv out card, then a video in card on the PC. Quality for the imagine will be terrible.

2. Use a card dumper. Plug in the cart, have your computer set up to auto dump, then launch the rom with an emulator.

3. Figure out the display protocol of the GB, then wire up a converter to VGA.

If you have to ask how to do the last one, then you are probably not going to be able to do it. So the first or second one will be the most probable.

You have one other option:

Use say a retro duo/fc twin, get rid of the NES board, and use a super gameboy and integrate all that into a drive bay. I'd say this would be your most feasable choice as the GBA doesn't play GB games as far as I know.

This would work somewhat I think. I looked up those things online and thought why couldn't I just use the orginal NES system? But also, I don't know the actual dimensions of the NES mainboard. probably to large? But the other question I had in mind was is the mainboard in the FC twin smaller? If this were to work, You would take the super gameboy and disassemble it and attach it to the cartridge reader attached to the mainboard of the Nes and run the video out into a video card and this "SHOULD" in theory work? IF it would all fit into a 3.5'' case. But my biggest question is can all this be powered by the internal power supply of the computer?

Second, can the super gameboy card work with GBA games if not in its standard case?

This really sounds like a lot of fun. I was hoping to be able to use the gameboy because of it's size (and fact I don't use it) but I really don't know what to look for and how to figure out other things such as mentioned the display protocol.

thanks for the replies!

[eagle5953]

Second, can the super gameboy card work with GBA games if not in its standard case?

Nope. Although it has the same number of pins, it would not work.

[Alaskandsm]

Second, can the super gameboy card work with GBA games if not in its standard case?

Nope. Although it has the same number of pins, it would not work.

Not a loss... I could live with that if I got it working.

[Alaskandsm]

so could the possibility of using the GBA transverter come into play here at all? I know it is used for the TV but, With the right modification of course, could it be altered to be used with the computer?

I guess I could always just make a console out of it and connect it up to my TV and just connect the NES controller to it and play games on it that way...

[palmertech]

I will give you $1 USD via paypal if you can manage to find a GBA Transverter for under $40.

[Tibia]

Pay up.

[asdfjkl;]

lulz, palmer got p'wn'd

[palmertech]

Actually, while that is a solution. it is not a transverter. That is a GBA TV converter, and the company that made it sued the makers of the transverter, even though it was superior (And had RGB out via a simple mod). There is a comparison somewhere on the web that explains the quality differences. As far as I know, Bacteria is the only member here with a transverter.


That is why I specifically named a GBA transverter.

Still, good find! I may buy that.