
The Raspberry Pi is well-known as a capable retro gaming emulation platform but, lately, makers have transitioned their emulation efforts to the new Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller. Today we're sharing an awesome update to a Raspberry Pi Pico Game Boy Cartridge project.
Martin Refseth has created a custom PCB for John Green's Pico-powered Game Boy platform. It ditches the Pico entirely in favor of using the RP2040, the $1 chip at the heart of the Pico, to power the module.
The best Raspberry Pi projects are ones you can play with and this one is ready to run your favorite Game Boy ROMs. The games are converted using a batch script that prepares them for the "make" process that writes them into code that the Pico understands. The project features a custom UI that loads on boot allowing users to select a game.
As of right now, this is still a work in progress but you can follow its development. There are plans in the works for new features including things like an RTC module (essential for games like Pokémon that rely on a system clock) and external memory support, likely for an SD card.
To read more about this project, visit the Pico-GB project page at GitHub. Check out the Twitter post shared by Refseth for a closer look at the new PCB design.
Stay on the Cutting Edge
Join the experts who read Tom's Hardware for the inside track on enthusiast PC tech news — and have for over 25 years. We'll send breaking news and in-depth reviews of CPUs, GPUs, AI, maker hardware and more straight to your inbox.

Ash Hill is a Freelance News and Features Writer at Tom's Hardware US. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting.
Most Popular
By Aaron Klotz
By Paul Alcorn
By Paul Alcorn