ModRetro’s Chromatic now comes in transparent plastic, and I ordered one. I do own an original Game Boy Color and quite a few Game Boy cartridges, mainly Pokémon, Zelda and Tony Hawk, and the Chromatic plays all of them. I went with the red, for $149.99, without the Power Core or the case. Why the red? I mean, look around the site, won’t you? I kind of have a problem. Let’s call it a vibe. Red and black are my favorite colors, and when it’s an option, everything I have is either red or black. That’s the reason my M64 and my Analogue 3D are red too.
What the transparent Chromatic is
The Chromatic plays original Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges on FPGA hardware, a chip configured to behave like the original console rather than software emulation. ModRetro’s product page lists a 160x144 backlit IPS screen behind scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass, which ModRetro says matches the original pixel for pixel, plus a link cable port, an infrared port, a 3.5 mm headphone jack and USB-C video out to a PC, Mac or Quest headset. It runs on three AA batteries, or on ModRetro’s rechargeable Power Core.
The transparent model went on sale on October 8. Set its spec list beside the magnesium model’s and the only line that differs is the shell: transparent ABS plastic in place of magnesium alloy. The transparent model costs $50 less, and the plastic makes it lighter. The Shortcut weighed it at 219 grams with batteries, against 252 grams for the metal version.
| Transparent | Gorilla Glass | Sapphire | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shell | Transparent ABS plastic | Magnesium alloy | Magnesium alloy |
| Screen lens | Gorilla Glass | Gorilla Glass | Sapphire |
| Screen | 160x144, 2.56-inch backlit IPS | ||
| Price | $149.99 | $199.99 | $299.99 |
Price and what is in the box
Every colour costs $149.99 and comes with a transparent Tetris cartridge and three AA batteries. ModRetro sells the Rechargeable Power Core separately for $34.99, rating it for up to 16 hours of play, and a case for $29.99. The listing does not call it a pre-order and gives no shipping date. My order for the red one does not show a ship or delivery date yet either. ModRetro also gives no battery-life figure for the AA batteries the console ships with.
What early reviews say
The first reviews are positive, with the plastic as the main trade-off. The Shortcut gave it five stars and found the screen and button quality unchanged, though the face buttons and D-pad sound louder, and it noted that plastic is less likely to survive a hard drop. Retro Dodo scored it 9.5 out of 10, praising the buttons while calling the glossy shell prone to fingerprints and the battery door very tight. XDA found it feels noticeably cheaper than the magnesium model and called it a fingerprint magnet.
The M64 connection
The four colours line up with ModRetro’s transparent M64, The Shortcut notes. The two consoles are also meant to work together: ModRetro’s M64 page says Transfer Pak support, the N64 accessory that moved Pokémon and other data between Game Boy cartridges and N64 games, will come through the Chromatic in a future firmware update, alongside video passthrough. There is no date for either yet. I compared the M64 with the Analogue 3D in this article.
About ModRetro
ModRetro was founded by Palmer Luckey, who also founded Oculus VR and the defense company Anduril Industries, the San Diego Business Journal reported when the Chromatic launched in 2024. That connection comes up often in discussions of ModRetro’s products.
On its own merits
Regarding Palmer Luckey, I’m aware of the connection. But I judge this for its own merit. Maybe that’s controversial, I don’t know. I’m not going to argue it. I’m just an average tech nerd, appreciating technology on its own merits.
