Nintendo's $14000 Game Boy Color
Summary
TLDRThe video showcases rare and never-before-seen Nintendo Game Boy Color development hardware, including a prototype board with an early firmware version that displays a different boot screen. Through demonstrations using period-correct equipment, the functionality of the devices is explored, providing a glimpse into the game development process. Despite some limitations, the prototype board's uniqueness as an early developmental artifact is conveyed, elucidating a fascinating part of gaming history.
Takeaways
- 😃 The video features rare Nintendo Game Boy Color development hardware sent by a collector.
- 👾 An intelligent systems IS-CGB emulator unit allows loading games onto debugger units for testing.
- 🕹 The emulator has a large FPGA chip and connectors for Game Boy and PC.
- 🎮 Two Game Boy Color debugger units with special probes are shown, one using a prototype board.
- 🧩 The purple debugger has an early prototype board marked 'XL'.
- 🔧 The units can connect to the emulator to load and test games before release.
- 🤯 A prototype 'CGB-STB-X2' board boots to an unfamiliar blue Nintendo logo screen.
- 😕 Early Game Boy games work on the prototype, but later Color games glitch.
- 💡 Buttons on the prototype can connect a controller, and test points are for debugging.
- 📺 A vintage PC with dev software demonstrates the hardware testing process.
Q & A
What makes the is cgb emulator unit that Tito shows unique?
-The is cgb emulator unit Tito shows only supports Game Boy Color development. Later revisions that are more common also support Game Boy Advance games.
What does the 'X' designation on the prototype Game Boy Color debugging units indicate?
-The 'X' designation indicates these are prototype units. 'X' was used internally by Nintendo to designate prototypes.
Why does the prototype Game Boy Color board show a blue Nintendo logo on boot instead of the normal Game Boy Color splash screen?
-The blue Nintendo logo indicates this is an early prototype build with different firmware. The firmware is not the final retail version which is why it is incompatible with most Game Boy Color games.
What is the purpose of the button array on the prototype Game Boy Color board?
-The button array allows you to actually play games on the prototype board, though not conveniently. The buttons are fully functional and can be wired to an external controller.
How does the process work to load games onto the debugging units using the IS emulator and computer?
-You first connect everything together via cables. Open the IS software on the computer, load a ROM file, set the correct memory bank chip, then power on the debugging unit to play the game.
Why is it important to select the correct memory bank controller chip setting when loading games?
-Different Game Boy games use different memory bank chips. Setting the wrong chip will prevent the game from functioning properly, so it's important to select the right one.
What happens when Tito tries to play newer Game Boy Color games on the prototype development board?
-Newer games initially load but eventually freeze or display glitches. The prototype's early firmware seems only compatible with older original Game Boy games.
What is the FPGA chip in the IS emulator used for?
-The FPGA chip allows the IS emulator to be reprogrammed as needed. It likely handles communication between the emulator, games, and debugging units.
Where else has the prototype Game Boy Color development board been seen before?
-The only other example online was from a Heritage auction where one sold for $14,000. Handheld Museum also has photos.
What service does the sponsor PCBway provide?
-PCBway provides services to help make custom PCBs, 3D prints, CNC machining, and other fabrication needed to build electronics projects.
Outlines
😲 Rare Prototype Game Boy Color Development Hardware
The video shows several rare prototype Game Boy Color development hardware items - an IS emulator unit, debug units, and a dev board. It demonstrates booting up games like Tetris and Pokemon on the hardware using period-correct software and hardware.
👀 Inside the IS Emulator Unit
The IS emulator unit allows loading dev builds of games onto the debug units. It likely uses an FPGA chip and has various I/O like SCSI ports. It also contains a Nintendo chip called the NVC Vue used in Virtual Boy.
🔬 Debugging Units with Prototype Parts
The debug units are fully-functioning Game Boy Colors for testing games loaded via the IS emulator. One unit has a prototype board marked with "X3" instead of a revision number, indicating an early prototype motherboard.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Game Boy Color
💡prototype
💡development board
💡hardware
💡firmware
💡debug
💡FPGA
💡backwards compatibility
💡memory bank controller
💡development process
Highlights
The video features a rare early prototype Game Boy Color development board.
The prototype board has an early firmware version that is incompatible with most Game Boy Color games.
The prototype board uses a hacked Super Nintendo power connector.
The board has an array of buttons to play games and ports to connect an external controller.
The prototype has a blue Nintendo logo boot screen instead of the iconic Game Boy Color splash screen.
The board's 'X' designation indicates it's a prototype made for internal testing.
The video demonstrates using period-correct hardware and software to load games onto the prototype.
The IS-CGB emulator interfaces between the PC and the prototype board.
Different games require different memory bank settings in the emulator software.
Original Game Boy games work on the prototype but most Game Boy Color games glitch out.
The prototype board demonstrates Nintendo's early internal Game Boy Color development process.
The video features rare Nintendo hardware for Game Boy Color development.
One Game Boy Color debugging unit uses a prototype motherboard.
The developer hardware provides insight into Game Boy Color game creation.
Transcripts
believe it or not this giant circuit
board is actually a functioning Game Boy
Color made by Nintendo and even more
interesting is that when you turn it on
it has a previously neverbe seen boot
screen now this is the Game Boy Color
boot screen that we're all used to
seeing but sometime during the
development of the Game Boy Color
Nintendo made and distributed this
prototype development board which had
what I can only assume to be an early
version of The Game Boy Color with a
different firmware
the only other example of this showing
up online is from a Heritage auction of
one that sold for
$14,000 a couple years ago not sure if
it's worth that kind of money given the
track record of Heritage auctions now in
addition to this oddl looking board I've
been sent some other very unique and
also neverbe seen Nintendo development
hardware for the Game Boy Color so
without any further Ado let's Dive Right
In and take a
look
hey everyone how's it going my name is
Tito and welcome to Macho Nacho
Productions today I got something really
special in the studio and it's this
complete Suite of Game Boy Color
development Hardware all this was sent
over by a longtime friend of the channel
Andrew who's an avid collector of all
things video game development Andrew was
super kind and lent all this Hardware to
me so that I can show you all this
really unique and quite frankly very
rare Nintendo development Hardware
we'll be going over each of these items
in detail in just a moment and also open
them up to take a peek underneath the
hood I'll even demonstrate how each one
works and we'll kind of get a glimpse of
what it may have been like for Game Boy
Color developers back in the late '90s
and early
2000s all right let's first take a look
at this this is the is cgb emulator a
device that allows developers to load
development builds of games onto one of
these debugger units so that they can
test them out on actual Hardware
these are made by intelligent systems
which not only manufactured development
hardware for Nintendo but also produced
games as well such as the Paper Mario
series now what makes this particular
unit so unique is the fact that it's an
early version a model which seems to
only support Game Boy Color development
later revisions of this emulator unit
which are more common also support Game
Boy advanced games so the fact that this
only supports Game Boy Color is rather
unique around back we see various I/O
such as the power port which uses a
Super Nintendo power supply and a couple
scuzzy ports to connect the device to a
PC as well as a few dip switches to
change various settings and around front
we have a cartridge Port which I'm told
is for loading ROMs onto test cards like
this one here and not for playing games
so you just can't pop in Pokémon and
play this IDE looking connector is for
hooking up an actual Game Boy Color
debugging unit so that you can play the
game directly on representative Hardware
don't worry I will demonstrate how this
all works later on the video and it's
actually pretty neat so stay tuned now
let's take a peek under the hood the top
of the case is held on with only a few
screws on the bottom and the rear of the
unit once they're all out the top case
just slides right off and here you can
actually see a large thermal pad which
is meant to keep this large looking chip
here nice and cool this xylin chip is an
fpga the same technology that powers the
analog pocket and the Mr Project
although I'm sure this one is not as
advanced given it's from 1998 according
to its datus sheet it has about 1,800
logic Elements which when compare it to
the analog Pockets 49,000 or the Mr
projects d10s 110,000 logic elements the
is cgb emulator just seems poultry in
comparison but again it's from
1998 anyway another notable thing is the
fact that this has a removable stick of
sim memory which to me means this is
something that may have been an
upgradeable option now I'm not going to
go through every every chip here but I
will talk about this one here it's a
Nintendo branded chip called the NVC Vue
and the reason it's noteworthy is
because it's the same chip used in a
virtual boy I think it's kind of
interesting that Nintendo is utilizing
this chip for Game Boy Color development
and I'm curious what its intended
purpose is if you have any idea what
it's used for let me know Down Below in
the comments All right so that's the is
cgb emulator but now let's move on and
take a quick look at the debugging units
now I was sent two of these and by and
large they're identical however this
purple one is the more interesting one
these essentially are fully functioning
Game Boy Color units that interface with
the is emulator using this special
cartridge called the probe that not only
provides data connection but also Powers
the Game Boy itself through this
connector here taking a close look at
the battery compartment we can see that
this is an early revision of the Game
Boy Color shell since it's missing the
battery indicator markings like you'd
find on a a retail unit and if we open
this one up we can see that the model
number for this board shows a X3
designation instead of just a revision
number like on a retail board the XL was
used by Nintendo internally to designate
prototypes So This Game Boy Color
debugging unit is using a prototype
motherboard very cool and inside the
other unit we see that it's using just a
standard retail board anyway that's the
debugging units now before we take a
look at the most interesting piece of
Hardware in the lot the Prototype
development board let's talk about the
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all right with that out of the way let's
take a close look at this prototype
development board called the cgb stb X2
now for some of you this board may
actually look kind of familiar and
that's because it's younger more
powerful sibling the Game Boy advanced
version of this board has been covered
several times before the only coverage I
could find on this particular board was
a listing on the Heritage auction site
which featured some footage of it being
used as well as a few photos of the
device on the handheld Museum website so
really I'm just honored to be able to
give you guys a more in-depth look at
this fascinating prototype from Nintendo
now the reason we know that this
actually is a prototype is again because
of the X designation silk screened onto
the board and what's even more
fascinating is that when we boot the
system up we get this blue splash screen
with the Nintendo logo not the iconic
Game Boy Color Splash screen that we're
all accustomed to this tells me a few
things first being this is an early
build of not only the hardware but also
the firmware just to demonstrate when I
attempt to play an early game from the
original Game Boy Library Tetris in this
case we can see that it works fine but
if I attempt to play later games for the
Game Boy Color such as this copy of
Pokémon Crystal well I get a bunch of
glitches and the game is essentially
playable these glitches are most likely
present because the firmware loaded onto
this prototype development board doesn't
represent the final retail version which
causes compatibility issues with a ton
of newer titles to me this makes this
Hardware really unique in that it is an
extremely early prototype development
board so early in fact that it's not
even usable with pretty much all the
Game Boy Color games that I tried
playing anyway let's take a look around
this fascinating piece of tech starting
at the top left we have the IR
transceiver a notable feature of the
Game Boy Color and over to the right of
it is the game cart connector and Link
Port moving down we have the volume knob
speaker headphone jack and power
connector which appears to Simply Be a
hacked up one from a Super Nintendo you
can see where they literally trim the
plastic off the Shroud really funny how
Nintendo recycled parts from other
consoles to make these boards the power
switch and power LED are here and then
to the left we have this interesting
array of buttons that actually allow you
to play games not super practical but
they are absolutely 100% functional if
you follow the traces of these buttons
they lead to these through holes here
which I'm told allow you to wire up an
external controller such as a Super
Nintendo pad and right above the buttons
is the TFT
display and right here we have what I
believe to be the sharp LR 3592 CPU but
I can't tell since this one doesn't have
any markings like like you would find on
a retail chip and Scattered throughout
the board are a ton of test Point arrays
for what I can only assume to be for
debugging all right so that's cool and
all but now let's try to actually use
the equipment all connected together to
demonstrate the hardware Andrew also
sent over this period correct Toshiba
laptop from the mid90s with Windows 98
and all the necessary development
software installed so to start off we'll
first connect the emulator unit using
the scuzzy cable which hooks up to the
PC via this PCM CIA card once that's all
hooked up I'll connect the debugging
handheld unit to the
emulator and then power it
on it's important to first power on the
is emulator before turning on the PC
otherwise the development software won't
be able to detect the emulator device
okay with the emulator on we can now
power on the PC after it boots up we can
open the is cgb emulator software which
is what will allow us to communicate
with the emulator unit itself and if I
select file then open a file read window
displays and what we're interested in is
the bin tab if we hit browse we can see
that Andrew already has a few games
loaded so let's check out Mario
DX press
open then
okay we are then presented with a memory
setting warning and here we can execute
different cartridge parameters remember
not every game boy game is the same and
there are several different card types
with each having their own set of
features for example Final Fantasy
Adventure uses a NBC 2
chip while games like Pokemon Crystal
that feature an internal clock and safe
function use a mbc3
chip anyway for Super Mario Deluxe we
need to select mbc5 because that's what
it uses then hit okay once once the
prompt says read okay we can then power
on the Game Boy debugging
unit and what you look at that Super
Mario Deluxe loads right up and we can
start
playing let's try another game Pokémon
Crystal this time we need to select mbc3
to load the game and it comes right
up now let's say for example that I load
the incorrect memory bank controller or
MBC chip type for example instead of
mbc3 I load
mbc1 well once it's loaded and I power
on the debugger you can see that nothing
happens it's important obviously to set
the correct environment in order to get
the games to function correctly so this
is pretty much the extent to which I'm
able to use the development Hardware
this is of course an oversimplification
of what these devices are capable of but
at least you get a sense of how these
things work and perhaps an idea of how
developers use these kits
now we can actually also hook up the X2
Target board to the is emulator unit it
uses a similar probe to the debugging
handheld units but it also needs to be
powered externally with the Super
Nintendo power
supply and it essentially works the same
way we load a game Power on the board
and play the game you can see that
loading an older game like Tetris works
great however again when I try to load
something newer for the Game Boy Color
like Pokémon pinball
while it initially looks like it's
working it eventually freezes and the
screen goes
blank trying another original Game Boy
game such as warand again seems to work
so for this prototype board it appears
as though they were able to get some
backwards compatibility with original
Game Boy games but they still haven't
worked out all the Kinks when it comes
to the newer Game Boy Color games again
the fact that it doesn't fully work
really makes this a cool piece of gaming
history now another thing about this
board that's pretty neat which I've
already demonstrated early on in the
video is that it's also a standalone
testing unit meaning it doesn't need to
be hooked up to the is emulator in order
to work like the debugging units
although the major caveat is that it
pretty much doesn't work with most games
I plugged in a bunch of different games
and most of them didn't work properly I
was able to get my ever drive to work
although it was pretty inconsistent
needless to say I wouldn't try using
this as a way to play games as it's
definitely more of a unique and very
cool piece of History well folks there
you have it a peek behind the curtain so
to speak at the tools game developers
used back in the day to make the games
we love for the Game Boy
Color if you enjoyed this video I really
think you'll like this one here so check
it out and as always thank you all so
much for tuning in today and I'll catch
you again next
[Music]
Thursday
I
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