With Nintendo still not offering any form of Virtual Console on the Switch, a dedicated modder has decided to build a unique Wii emulator that can be taken on the go.
Last week, ‘GingerOfMods’ showed their project to the world in a five-minute YouTube video.
Impressively, the modder put together a Game Boy Color-esque handheld using a screen from a car’s back-up camera, a 3D-printed case and a re-worked circuit board from a standard Wii. What’s more, Ginger OfMods used bits and pieces from other Nintendo hardware, such as the Switch’s Joy-Cons, face buttons from a DS Lite and circuitry from a GameCube controller. GingerOfMods even added a ‘WiiBoy Color’ label to the device.
According to GingerOfMods, games actually look better on the WiiBoy Color than on a traditional Wii console outputting to a TV thanks to its 3.5-inch 480p display. GingerOfMods has added other bells and whistles too, including a USB-C port for easy charging and a headphone jack.
Perhaps the best aspect of the WiiBoy Color, though, is the fact that it can also play GameCube games through the Wii’s backward compatibility feature.
Of course, it’s important to stress that this was just a fan project that won’t become available for broader use. As GingerOfMods notes, a custom job like this can cost at least $1,000 USD (about $1,300 CAD), so it’s not necessarily easy to do yourself, either.
Still, it’s a fun project to observe, especially as Nintendo doesn’t seem poised to offer any form of official emulation on the Switch besides a small selection of NES and SNES games through its Switch Online subscription service.
Via: Kotaku
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