The large, cinderblock room was aglow with florescent fixtures, bouncing light off its painted walls. A number was called out over the loud speaker. Then a murmur crept throughout the crowd. Then another number. Another murmur.
While the smoke-filled room around me emanated with disapproving grunts, I remained fixed and steadfast. I had just gracefully navigated through the atmosphere in my post-modern monoplane, taking down my enemies, breaking through barriers, and collecting major coin along the way.
As I made my way towards the end of the world, I was about to go toe-to-toe with the greatest enemy I’d ever faced. With an empty Mountain Dew can in front of me, and a fresh set of double-AAs inserted just a short while ago, I knew I was ready for him. Then he emerged from the depths … Tatanga?!?What happened to King Koopa???
“B-12… B-12…”
“BINGO!”
Cackles of angst from seasoned ladies of society echoed off the cinderblock walls, snapping me back to reality. In truth, I don’t remember if I beat Super Mario Land that night. But what I do remember is how I felt playing it, even many years later.
This was how I experienced the Game Boy during my childhood. My grandmother, who raised me until I was 13, made her way around the local Bingo hall circuit. When she played at the fire department, they would let me go into the lounge and watch WWF wrestling on the TV. But most of the time there was no TV, so I was thankful to have my trusty Game Boy to rescue me from boredom.
A Confession
Ok, it’s confession time… when I first opened up the intricately adorned, colorful box that housed the Chromatic, it did not take me back to those days. I remember the Game Boy as a stark grey wonder-machine whose packaging was straight out of Tron. The hip 90’s funky-and-fresh style of the Game Boy Color was after my time. By then, I was a year out of high school and working my first corporate IT job. Maybe that’s why the Chromatic hasn’t really resonated with me like it has with others.
Despite that, I do appreciate good engineering, and a good tear-down. So, I was rather excited to be able to dive into the Chromatic in my “Inside the Chromatic” video. I’ve really come to enjoy these deeper, analytical tear-downs, and the Chromatic didn’t disappoint.
Digging In
Once I held it in my hands, I could tell right away that Mod Retro put a lot of passion into this device. I’ve played many modern handhelds and very few of them have felt as solid and precise as the Chromatic. I couldn’t wait to crack it up – so before even putting in batteries and turning it on, I pulled out my screwdriver kit.
When I removed the four (tri-wing?! Ewww….) screws that held the enclosure together, and lifted off the back shell, I was immediately intrigued that the battery tray didn’t come off with it. And what’s this… 4 wires on the battery tray? That’s odd. You’ll have to watch the video to learn more about what I discovered there.
The mainboard is a beautiful display of quality, and it brought a smile to my face to see Texas Instruments chips used throughout the design. Maybe it’s because I’m accustomed to seeing the less expensive variety found in Asian commerce. Or perhaps it’s because of my affinity towards Texas Instruments (the TI-99/4A was my first childhood computer).
The two pieces that stick out the most, however, are the ESP32 microcontroller, and the GOWIN 5th generation FPGA. The FPGA is comparable to one of Mod Retro’s competitors in this space – the FPGBC by Funny Playing. That device has a 2nd generation GOWIN, but capability-wise, they are very similar.
The ESP32 opens up some interesting possibilities for future capabilities; along with the 240MHz dual-core processor, it brings the option of both WiFi and bluetooth to the table. As soon as Mod Retro releases the source code for the MCU, many modders will be flocking to their GitHub repository to see what can be done.
But that’s not the only reason why modders will be looking forward to the release of the MCU source code – because off in the upper right corner of the mainboard, there’s an unpopulated footprint for a microSD card slot. I happened to have a slot that looked like it would fit, so I soldered it onto the footprint and was pleased to see that you can insert a card and tuck it away back into the shell. At the very least, I think we’ll see modders make use of this card slot for cartridge ROMs.
There are also a few other notable components alongside these:
- APMemory PSRAM Chip: A 64MB pseudo-static RAM module likely extends the ESP32’s memory capacity.
- Texas Instruments DAC: The TLV320DAC3100 provides 24-bit audio and powers the mono speaker. While the sound is crisp and clear, it lacks the warm, softer tones of the original Game Boy.
- GoBridge GWU2X: This USB-to-peripheral bridge enables FPGA programming and debugging via the USB-C port.
- Genesys Logic USB Hub Controller: Supports two downstream USB devices, one for the JTAG bridge and another for the FPGA, which presents itself as a USB Video Class device. This allows the Chromatic to output video over USB, though currently limited to Windows and without audio.
Below the main board, sitting in the front shell are custom front-facing buttons and membranes. I think this was a good move by Mod Retro – they feel great. And in the spirit of open source, Mod Retro did release the Parasolid models for the buttons, as well as the shell. Parasolid isn’t super common in the hobbyist community, so those looking to use the models will likely need to convert them to a different format.
Also housed in the front shell is their custom 160 x 144 display, mimicking the original Game Boy Color resolution. There’s no doubt that this display is very high quality. The crispness of the pixels (and even the sub-pixels) are evident through the sapphire glass cover. While impressive, the fixed resolution does limit other cores that could run on its FPGA. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw the MiSTer’s Game Gear (160 x 144) and Atari Lynx (160 x 102) cores running on the Chromatic soon, since they would both fit into the screen’s resolution without having to downscale.
My Verdict
The Chromatic’s build quality is exceptional. From the sapphire glass screen to the metal housing and high-quality PCB, it’s easy to see where your $200 went. However, at $200, it’s a premium device in a competitive market. The Analogue Pocket, for example, offers a more powerful FPGA, a higher-resolution screen, and broader functionality for just $20 more.
That said, I would summarize the Chromatic’s key value proposition in one phrase – modernized nostalgia. If you’re a fan of the Game Boy Color with cash to burn, the Chromatic is worth considering. As for me – I appreciate having it in my collection… but when I want to do battle with Tatanga, my weapon of choice continues to be the MiSTer Handheld.