> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://averagetechnerds.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # ModRetro Chromatic First Impressions: Louder, Brighter and Clickier Than My Game Boy Color - URL: https://averagetechnerds.com/modretro-chromatic-vs-game-boy-color/ - Published: 2026-10-17T05:38:30.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-27T15:00:11.000Z - Description: My transparent red ModRetro Chromatic next to my original Game Boy Color: the screen, the speaker, the buttons, what it plays and how it compares with the Analogue Pocket. - Author: Victor - Tags: First Impressions, Retro Gaming, Handheld Gaming, Retro handhelds I [pre-ordered](https://averagetechnerds.com/modretro-chromatic-transparent/) ModRetro’s transparent red Chromatic for $149.99, and now it’s here. It plays real Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges on an FPGA, a chip configured to behave like the original hardware, so there’s no emulator involved. It joins [two Analogue 3Ds](https://averagetechnerds.com/analogue-3d-vs-modretro-m64/) and a [ModRetro M64](https://averagetechnerds.com/modretro-m64-unboxing/), the FPGA Nintendo 64 consoles I already own. To see what it does better, I put it next to the yellow Pikachu edition Game Boy Color I’ve had since middle school. Bottom line up front ## So what does this mean for the *Average TechNerd*? The transparent ModRetro Chromatic has the same screen and chip as the $199.99 magnesium model, in a see-through plastic shell for $149.99\. Next to my original Game Boy Color, its screen is backlit, its speaker read about 18 dB louder on my meter (with each playing a different game), and its buttons click where the original’s are silent. It plays cartridges only, with no Game Boy Advance games and no save states. On the stock firmware, game files need a flash cart, a cartridge that loads them from an SD card. At $150, the price is a little bit stiff for a Game Boy-only device, and the $199.99 and $299.99 metal versions are harder to justify. I’m keeping mine anyway, because I want to support the companies building these devices. At a glance What it is FPGA handheld for original Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges Price - Transparent plastic: $149.99 (smoke, purple, green, red) - Magnesium: $199.99 with Gorilla Glass, $299.99 with sapphire In the box Transparent Tetris cartridge and 3 AA batteries My unit Transparent red, bought with my own money; 241 g with batteries and a cartridge Liked - Backlit screen at the Game Boy’s own resolution - Clicky D-pad and buttons - A much louder speaker - Matches my red M64 Watch out for - A nearly flush menu button that’s hard to press - No Game Boy Advance games or save states - Rechargeable Power Core costs $34.99 extra ## UPDATE What’s new since publishing October 26: Games over Wi-Fi, no flash cart Turns out the Chromatic has Wi-Fi. It isn’t on ModRetro’s spec list and the stock firmware doesn’t use it, but the chip that runs the menu is an ESP32, a small chip with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built in. [Time Extension](https://www.timeextension.com/reviews/modretro-chromatic-is-so-close-to-the-real-thing-youd-think-nintendo-made-it?ref=averagetechnerds.com) spotted Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips on the board when it opened one up in 2024\. David Walter’s free community firmware, [Shiny Relay](https://shinyrelay.com/?ref=averagetechnerds.com), has used that chip for wireless link play since October 12, and on October 26 he added the big one: [games over Wi-Fi](https://x.com/davidpwalter/status/2114780439818735901?ref=averagetechnerds.com). You upload your own game file, and the Chromatic downloads it. Where does the game go? Three places matter here. The Chromatic has a few megabytes of flash storage meant for its firmware, and about 3 MB of it is spare, so a game can live right on the console; he compresses them, so most 4 MB games fit. A game can also go straight into the Chromatic’s memory, where it plays until you switch off or change games. Or it goes onto the Tetris cartridge that comes in the box. So the line further down, that the Chromatic can’t load game files by itself, now only holds on the stock firmware. This isn’t ModRetro’s firmware. It’s a third-party install, done once over USB from Chrome or Edge on a computer, and from version 1.1.0 on, he says, firmware updates come over Wi-Fi too, so that’s the last time the cable is needed. The installer offers to back up the Chromatic first, and ModRetro’s free updater can put the stock firmware back. Games’ own saves should work, he says. Save states still aren’t there; he calls them a maybe for a future update, "no promises yet". One for my own unit. He hasn’t tested it on a transparent Chromatic himself. He thinks he heard from others that the previous week’s version worked on them, and he expects this one to as well. Mine is the transparent red, so that’s a question mark until someone confirms it. I haven’t installed it. ## What’s in the box? You get the Chromatic, a transparent Tetris cartridge and three ModRetro-branded AA batteries. There’s no USB-C cable on ModRetro’s list of what’s included, so bring your own if you want to play plugged in. ![The transparent red ModRetro Chromatic box, with the console pictured on the front showing Tetris](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/23/b323103c-90c0-46a8-9230-7d317a5ebaf3/content/images/2026/10/chromatic-transparent-red-box.jpg) The transparent Chromatic’s box, with the Tetris bundle badge in the corner. ![Lifting the transparent red Chromatic out of its box, with three ModRetro AA batteries and a transparent Tetris cartridge in the tray](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/23/b323103c-90c0-46a8-9230-7d317a5ebaf3/content/images/2026/10/chromatic-unboxing-tray.jpg) Out of the tray: three ModRetro AA batteries and the transparent Tetris cartridge. ## What are the ModRetro Chromatic specs? The headline spec is a 2.56-inch backlit IPS screen at 160x144, the original Game Boy’s resolution, behind Gorilla Glass, according to ModRetro’s [store page](https://modretro.com/products/chromatic-transparent?ref=averagetechnerds.com). Underneath, the transparent and magnesium models run on the same FPGA, which ModRetro says plays cartridges with “100% accuracy, perfect sound, and zero lag.” | | Transparent (mine) | Magnesium | | ------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------- | | Price | $149.99 | $199.99 Gorilla Glass, $299.99 sapphire | | Colours | Smoke, purple, green, red | Cloud, Midnight, Wave, Leaf, Inferno, Volt, Bubblegum | | Shell | Transparent ABS plastic | Magnesium alloy | | Screen | 2.56-inch IPS backlit LCD, 160x144 | Same | | Screen cover | Gorilla Glass | Gorilla Glass or sapphire | | Chip | FPGA | Same | | Plays | Game Boy, Game Boy Color and ModRetro cartridges | Same | | Audio | Mono speaker, 3.5 mm headphone jack | Same | | Ports | Link cable port, infrared, USB-C (power and video out) | Same | | Power | 3 AA batteries, USB-C, or the $34.99 Power Core | Same | | Size | 5.2 x 3 x 1.2 inches | Same | | Weight (ModRetro’s spec list) | 6.2 oz | 6.2 oz | | Weight (reviewers’ scales, with 3 AA) | 219 g (The Shortcut), 220 g (Retro Dodo) | 252 g (The Shortcut), 250 g (Retro Dodo) | | In the box | Transparent Tetris cartridge, 3 AA batteries | Tetris cartridge, 3 AA batteries | ## How does the transparent Chromatic look and feel? It’s gorgeous. Red and black are my colours, and the transparent red shell, with the circuit board showing through, is a good match for my red M64. ![The transparent red Chromatic held up beside a transparent red ModRetro M64](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/23/b323103c-90c0-46a8-9230-7d317a5ebaf3/content/images/2026/10/chromatic-red-m64-colour-match.jpg) A good match: the red Chromatic next to my red M64. It’s light in the hand, and the plastic feels a little soft. For me, that’s not a problem. With batteries and a cartridge in, it feels good and instantly familiar if you grew up holding a Game Boy. Reviewers found a few trade-offs with the clear plastic. [Retro Dodo](https://retrododo.com/modretro-chromatic-transparent-plastic-review/?ref=averagetechnerds.com) spotted faint knit lines, the marks left where two flows of molten plastic meet in the mould, under the action buttons on all three of its units, and reports that ModRetro founder Palmer Luckey said they don’t affect strength. It also found the battery doors very tight. Retro Dodo and [XDA](https://www.xda-developers.com/modretros-new-transparent-chromatic-game-boy-looks-like-it-came-straight-out-of-the-2000s/?ref=averagetechnerds.com) agree the glossy shell picks up fingerprints. ## Are the Chromatic’s buttons clicky? Yes, and for me that’s an upgrade. The D-pad and buttons click with crisp, responsive feedback, where my Game Boy Color’s membrane buttons are silent and soft. [The Shortcut](https://www.theshortcut.com/p/modretro-chromatic-transparent-review?ref=averagetechnerds.com) found the transparent model’s buttons even louder than the metal Chromatic’s. The exception is the menu button on the right side. It sits almost flush with the case, so it’s hard to press and harder to hold down. Retro Dodo found it needs more force on the transparent model than on the metal one, and The Shortcut calls it annoying. ## ModRetro Chromatic vs Game Boy Color: which is heavier? The Chromatic, by 27 g: my scale read 241 g against 214 g for my Game Boy Color, both with batteries and a cartridge in. The Chromatic takes three AA batteries to the Game Boy Color’s two, and a typical alkaline AA weighs about 23 g, according to [Energizer’s data sheet](https://data.energizer.com/pdfs/e91.pdf?ref=averagetechnerds.com), so the extra battery accounts for most of the gap. The reviewers’ 219 g and 220 g readings don’t mention a cartridge, which may explain why my 241 g reads higher. In the hand, the two feel about the same. ![The transparent red Chromatic on a kitchen scale reading 241 grams, with Tetris on screen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/23/b323103c-90c0-46a8-9230-7d317a5ebaf3/content/images/2026/10/chromatic-weigh-in-241-grams.jpg) My Chromatic weighs 241 g with batteries and a cartridge. My Game Boy Color weighs 214 g. ## How does the Chromatic’s screen compare with the Game Boy Color’s? The Chromatic’s screen is backlit, and the Game Boy Color’s isn’t, and that’s the biggest difference. Back then, playing in the dark meant a clip-on light, which I still have, or a table lamp, or hoping for street lights on a car ride. The resolution is identical, because ModRetro built the Chromatic to match the Game Boy Color pixel for pixel. Brightness starts at 50%, which was already plenty under the two bright lights I film with, and the menu lets you turn it up further. ![My yellow Pikachu edition Game Boy Color held next to the red Chromatic, both showing a game](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/23/b323103c-90c0-46a8-9230-7d317a5ebaf3/content/images/2026/10/chromatic-vs-game-boy-color-screens.jpg) Same resolution, but only the Chromatic has a backlight. ## How loud is the Chromatic’s speaker? Much louder than my Game Boy Color. Both have a single mono speaker, but at full volume the original is quiet, and on camera I could barely hear it. That’s why I remember playing it with headphones in the 90s. On a sound meter at full volume, my Game Boy Color playing Pokémon Yellow read about 61.5 dB, and the Chromatic playing Pokémon Crystal read about 79.7 dB, roughly 18 dB louder. The two were playing different games, so treat that gap as a guide. Both have a 3.5 mm headphone jack, and ModRetro lists no Bluetooth, so headphones have to be wired. ![A Game Boy Color and the transparent red Chromatic lying either side of a sound level meter](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/23/b323103c-90c0-46a8-9230-7d317a5ebaf3/content/images/2026/10/chromatic-game-boy-color-sound-meter.jpg) The volume test: my Game Boy Color, the sound meter and the Chromatic. One quirk: the volume wheel runs the other way. You scroll up to turn the Game Boy Color down, and down to turn the Chromatic down. ## What’s in the Chromatic’s menu? The side button opens a settings menu with brightness, silent mode, frame blending and colour correction. Frame blending mixes each frame with the one before, imitating the smear of the original screen that some Game Boy games relied on for flicker and see-through effects. Colour correction shifts the colours toward how they looked on the original screen. Sypnotix describes colour correction as a simple on or off toggle. You can also set the D-pad to ignore diagonals or allow all directions. I think allowing all directions would suit the Game Boy’s few fighting games. The rest of the menu covers colour palettes for original Game Boy games, a low-battery indicator, the firmware version and the player count for link play. ![The Chromatic held in two hands with its settings menu on screen, a Game Boy Color on the mat beside it](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/23/b323103c-90c0-46a8-9230-7d317a5ebaf3/content/images/2026/10/chromatic-fpga-menu.jpg) The menu opens from the side button. ModRetro keeps adding settings through firmware updates, which you install from a computer using ModRetro’s [updater for your OS](https://www.timeextension.com/news/2025/05/modretro-chromatics-new-firmware-update-lets-you-stream-to-discord?ref=averagetechnerds.com). Recent additions, according to The Shortcut, include colour temperature and Cart Clinic, a tool that patches ModRetro’s own cartridges through the Chromatic. One tip: power is the slider on top, next to the infrared window and the cartridge slot, and the side button only opens the menu. I mixed them up at first. ## What does the Chromatic play, and does it have save states? It plays original Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges, plus ModRetro’s own new and re-released games, and it has no save states. [Time Extension](https://timeextension.com/reviews/modretro-chromatic-is-so-close-to-the-real-thing-youd-think-nintendo-made-it?ref=averagetechnerds.com) confirms there are none, so you save the way each game allows. There’s no start-up menu to boot through: you insert a cartridge, flip the switch and the game starts. My own Pokémon Crystal and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater cartridges booted straight in. I did blow on Tony Hawk first, because that’s the rule. ![Playing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater on the transparent red Chromatic, with a Game Boy Color and cartridges in the background](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/23/b323103c-90c0-46a8-9230-7d317a5ebaf3/content/images/2026/10/chromatic-tony-hawk-cartridge.jpg) Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater for Game Boy Color, from my own collection. It doesn’t play Game Boy Advance cartridges, and on the stock firmware it can’t load game files by itself. Flash carts, cartridges that load game files from an SD card, are the usual workaround. Time Extension says the Chromatic is fully compatible with flash carts like the EverDrive. ## Can you play the Chromatic on a TV? Not directly, because there’s no HDMI port. ModRetro says the USB-C port sends lagless video to a PC, Mac or Meta Quest headset, so you can record or stream to Discord. The [M64’s store page](https://modretro.com/products/m64?ref=averagetechnerds.com) also promises video passthrough for the Chromatic in a future update, which would put it on the TV through the M64. ## Do the link cable port and infrared still work? ModRetro lists both as backwards compatible, so the Chromatic takes the original link cable for trading Pokémon or multiplayer games. [Retro Dodo](https://retrododo.com/modretro-chromatic-transparent-plastic-review/?ref=averagetechnerds.com) confirms the port connects to other Chromatics and to other Game Boys. Since October 12 there’s a cable-free option too. Shiny Relay, the community firmware in the update at the top of this page, carries link-cable play over the Chromatic’s Wi-Fi chip, to another Chromatic nearby or to a friend over the internet, and the games themselves aren’t changed. The infrared window brought back a middle-school memory of lining up Game Boys with friends to swap things in Pokémon. It turns out that was [Mystery Gift](https://serebii.net/gs/mysterygift.shtml?ref=averagetechnerds.com) in Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal, which swapped random items over infrared, while trades still needed the link cable. ![The transparent red Chromatic lying next to a transparent red ModRetro M64 console](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/23/b323103c-90c0-46a8-9230-7d317a5ebaf3/content/images/2026/10/chromatic-next-to-red-m64.jpg) The Chromatic and the M64 are meant to work together, eventually. ModRetro says a future firmware update will let the Chromatic act as a Transfer Pak for the M64, the N64 accessory that read Game Boy cartridges. ModRetro hasn’t said how the two will connect, and I’m curious whether it’ll be a dock, a cartridge or USB-C. ## How long does the Chromatic last on AA batteries? About 4 to 6 hours, going by reviewers, since ModRetro doesn’t publish a figure. [Sypnotix](https://www.sypnotix.com/reviews/modretro-chromatic-review?ref=averagetechnerds.com) averaged 4 to 5 hours at lower brightness, [CGMagazine](https://www.cgmagonline.com/review/hardware/modretro-chromatic-review?ref=averagetechnerds.com) got a little over 5 and Time Extension around 6\. Those were metal models, with the same screen and chip. You can also skip the AAs: ModRetro says the Chromatic plays straight off USB-C when plugged in. Its $34.99 [Rechargeable Power Core](https://modretro.com/products/rechargeable-power-core?ref=averagetechnerds.com) is a 2,250 mAh pack that charges inside the console, and ModRetro rates it for up to 16 hours. I skipped it, because I won’t be travelling with mine, and USB-C or a fresh set of AAs covers me at home. ## How much does the ModRetro Chromatic cost? The [transparent Chromatic](https://modretro.com/products/chromatic-transparent?ref=averagetechnerds.com) is $149.99 in smoke, purple, green or red, and all four were in stock on ModRetro’s store on October 16\. The magnesium model is $199.99 with Gorilla Glass or $299.99 with sapphire, in seven colours. ## What’s different from the metal Chromatic? Mainly the shell and the price: the transparent model costs $50 less than the [magnesium model](https://modretro.com/products/chromatic-tetris-bundle?ref=averagetechnerds.com) with the same Gorilla Glass. ModRetro’s spec list differs only in the shell and the metal model’s sapphire screen option, and it gives 6.2 oz for both. Reviewers’ scales don’t match that single figure: with batteries in, The Shortcut weighed the plastic one at 219 g against 252 g for the metal one, and Retro Dodo at 220 g against 250 g. Retro Dodo’s teardown found a few changes inside: a board made in Vietnam instead of Mexico, battery contacts without wires and no internal SD card slot, which you’d want for installing custom firmware not made by ModRetro. Its advice is that metal owners have little reason to switch unless they want the colours. Those colours, The Shortcut points out, match ModRetro’s transparent M64s. ## ModRetro Chromatic vs Analogue Pocket: which should you get? Get the Chromatic if you only play Game Boy and Game Boy Color, and the $239.99 [Analogue Pocket](https://store.analogue.co/products/analogue-pocket-black?ref=averagetechnerds.com) if you also want Game Boy Advance cartridges. Analogue’s [Pocket page](https://www.analogue.co/pocket?ref=averagetechnerds.com) lists a 3.5-inch, 1600x1440 screen and a rechargeable 4300 mAh battery rated for 6 to 10 hours. Analogue sells adapters for other handheld systems separately. Time Extension notes the Pocket has save states. Retro Dodo frames the choice the same way: the Pocket suits players who want GBA cartridges and don’t need the Game Boy Color look. The Chromatic costs $90 less, which makes it the cheapest way into FPGA Game Boy play from ModRetro or Analogue. If GBA is the draw and the Pocket costs too much, there’s no cheaper FPGA option on sale yet. Retro Remake co-founder Taki Udon is prototyping an [FPGA GBA SP](https://averagetechnerds.com/superstation-one-maker-fpga-gba-sp/) he hopes to sell for around $100, but it has no release date. Software emulation is the cheaper route today: my [KONKR Pocket Advance](https://averagetechnerds.com/konkr-pocket-advance-first-impressions/) plays GBA games as files, from $109. ## How does it compare with the FPGBC, a modded Game Boy Color and the Retroid Pocket Classic? The FPGBC and the Retroid Pocket Classic both cost $99, less than the Chromatic, and a modded Game Boy Color depends on the parts you buy. Each plays games in a different way. FunnyPlaying’s [FPGBC](https://funnyplaying.com/products/fpgbc-console?ref=averagetechnerds.com) is another FPGA Game Boy Color, sold assembled at $99 or as a [$69.90 kit](https://funnyplaying.com/products/fpgbc-kit?ref=averagetechnerds.com) that needs a shell, buttons and membranes bought separately. It runs on a rechargeable lithium battery instead of AAs. The [Retroid Pocket Classic](https://www.goretroid.com/products/retroid-pocket-classic?ref=averagetechnerds.com) is an Android handheld that plays games as files through emulation, at $99 with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. You provide your own game files, copied from cartridges you own. Modding your own Game Boy Color means buying a new screen, a USB-C module and a better speaker on top of the console. My rough estimate is around $200 all in, and you keep an original shell. | | Chromatic (transparent) | Analogue Pocket | FunnyPlaying FPGBC | Retroid Pocket Classic | | ------------------ | -------------------------------- | --------------------- | ------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------- | | Price | $149.99 | $239.99 | $99 assembled, $69.90 as a kit | $99 (6GB/128GB) | | How it plays games | FPGA, cartridges | FPGA, cartridges | FPGA, cartridges | Software emulation on Android, game files | | Game Boy Advance | No | Yes | No | Yes, as files | | Screen | 2.56-inch, 160x144 | 3.5-inch, 1600x1440 | Not listed | 3.92-inch AMOLED, 1240x1080 | | Power | 3 AA, USB-C or $34.99 Power Core | 4300 mAh rechargeable | Rechargeable lithium battery | 5000 mAh rechargeable | | Save states | No | Yes | Not listed | Depends on the emulator | ## Is the ModRetro Chromatic worth it? Not quite, for me, at $150\. It’s a better deal than the metal versions, but it’s still a little bit stiff. At $200 or $300, a Game Boy-only FPGA handheld isn’t worth it to me unless ModRetro adds more down the road. I’m keeping mine anyway, because I want to support the companies building retro-style handhelds and consoles. With plenty of handhelds already, I probably won’t play this one much. I also keep devices like this because, as an elder millennial who grew up with the Game Boy, I connect with them as an enthusiast. Would you go plastic at $150, metal at $200, or straight to an Analogue Pocket? Based on my own transparent red Chromatic, bought with my own money, next to my original Game Boy Color, plus ModRetro’s, Analogue’s, FunnyPlaying’s and Retroid’s store pages and the reviews linked above, as of October 16, 2026\. Prices and stock may change.