While most cosplayers pick a character to dress as, maker Jaryd Giesen decided to cosplay as his favorite handheld console. Using a Raspberry Pi, he’s created a working Game Boy Color cosplay, that you can actually play.
We would argue this is no longer a handheld console, as it’s worn over the whole body. The suit looks just like a blue Game Boy Color, but inside is a Raspberry Pi running RetroPie. A battery makes the whole operation mobile, so it can actually be worn at conventions—and that’s exactly what Giesen did.
According to Giesen, the project was put together in one weekend, like many last-minute costumes. The time constraint didn’t seem to slow down his creative process one bit. The whole operation relies on a Raspberry Pi 1 B+, making this one of the few best Raspberry Pi projects we’ve covered in a while that uses such an old edition of the Pi.
The screen is a 24-inch 12V monitor that receives power from a 12V 12000mAh battery back. The Pi is powered by a 5V phone battery bank. There’s even a Pico thrown into the mix controlling keyboard switches. The housing is made out of cardboard, painted to resemble the Game Boy Color, and hot glued together.
The wearable Game Boy can get as much as 6 hours of playtime on one charge, but that's when intentionally conserving power as much as possible. To get a closer look at this project and see it in action, check out Giesen’s official YouTube channel.
