Kickstarter: ReBoi replaces the internal components of a GameBoy Color with a Raspberry Pi

The ReBoi DIY kit is the first successfully funded Kickstarter project by London-based hobbyist and developer James Sargent. Buyers of his kit, which costs 95 Euro and is scheduled for worldwide delivery in August 2024, will need a real or replica GameBoy Color cabinet and the Raspberry Pi Zero. Everything else is included in the plug and screw ReBoi kit.

"The GameBoy Colour was a magical device for me, I wanted to make a new device that lives in the shell of a GameBoy, so this format of old and forgotten technology can live a new life, as a computer," writes James Sargent about his DIY kit ReBoi on Kickstarter. In a video, he also gives tips on where best to find a replica Gameboy Color case, which, like the Raspberry Pi Zero, is not included in his kit.

As well as a dummy game cartridge, the ReBoi contains a 1:1 GameBoy-style display and an RP-2040 microcontroller, which acts as an interface between the kit's components and the Rasberry Pi Zero. In the future, 3D files for self-printing components and instructions will also be made available.

One possible operating system is RetroPie, a Linux distribution designed specifically for retro gaming. However, any other ARM-based Linux distribution that is compatible with Raspberry Pi can theoretically be installed and used on the ReBoi. More information can be found on the Kickstarter page for the ReBoi DIY kit.