Skip to main content

Burger King toy turns into a “Game Boy Color Nano”

burger king toy game boy gameboy color nano
ChaseLambeth/Imgur
Emulators and Raspberry Pi can form a hot commodity whenever somebody’s feeling creative, and you can’t blame their makers for wanting to provide people with more ways to enjoy the classics. But some people have a more practical way of working past certain immersion-breaking features; such as designing the hardware around the emulator to turn it into a functioning replica of the real thing. That has been the case with ChaseLambeth, a Reddit user who thought it would be absolutely brilliant to put a Raspberry Pi Zero inside a plastic Game Boy Color toy from Burger King back in 2000.

The toy itself started out with a simple premise, allowing to get their hands on the product before they even knew they wanted it. Of course, it wasn’t an actual Game Boy Color; on the inside was a tilting ball maze. But the simple game lowered both the cost and digital threshold normally needed to enjoy a Game Boy. It’s just too bad kids were left with an empty shell of a great handheld console. So it’s a good thing it got caught up by internet users.

Because despite working on the little project for months, ChaseLambeth ended up with a volume issue — there wasn’t enough space to fit the parts inside of the toy. But as luck would have it, they say they stumbled across an Instagram user who’d had the same idea and had a working copy ready for order. ChaseLambeth calls it the Game Boy Color Nano. The components were the same, and the RetroPie emulator OS for Raspberry Pi was installed to emulate the Game Boy Color. The OS supports even more emulators in theory, but considering the specific layout and number of buttons, it may not control very well when dealing with other emulators. It cost $250 but being worth it and all, it somehow found its way to their doorstep.

Here’s something to throw you back to the early 2000s, when Microsoft Millennium Edition and other fantastic products swamped the market.

Editors' Recommendations

Dan Isacsson
Being a gamer since the age of three, Dan took an interest in mobile gaming back in 2009. Since then he's been digging ever…
These are the 10 best gaming PCs I’d recommend to anyone
Graphics card in the CLX Hathor PC.

We review dozens of gaming PCs each year. In 2024, there are a ton of great options, but we've narrowed them down to a list of the 10 best gaming desktops that deserve your hard-earned money.

In 2024, we still recommend the Alienware Aurora R16 because of its fantastic design, solid performance, and decent value. However, there are several other options depending on your needs and budget. If you want a deeper look into how we evaluate gaming PCs, make sure to read about how we review desktops.

Read more
Samsung’s crazy 57-inch curved 4K monitor is $700 off today
The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 57-inch mini-LED gaming monitor placed on a desk.

Your investment in gaming PC deals will  go to waste if you don't upgrade your screen, and if you're willing to splurge for the best possible gaming experience, you'll want to go for the 57-inch Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 curved gaming monitor. It's pretty expensive at its original price of $2,500, so you're going to want to take advantage of any discounts that are available. Fortunately, Samsung has slashed its price by $700 so it's down to $1,800 -- it's still not cheap, but once you're playing your favorite games on this monitor, you'll quickly understand why it's worth every single penny.

Why you should buy the 57-inch Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 curved gaming monitor
The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 curved gaming monitor features a 57-inch screen with dual 4K Ultra HD resolution and a 1000R curvature, so it will fully immerse you in the worlds of the video games that you play with its lifelike details and vivid colors. It also supports HDR 1000 for better visual accuracy, and it uses Quantum Matrix technology for controlled brightness and improved contrast.

Read more
Nintendo Switch 2: release date rumors, features we want, and more
Prime Day Nintendo Switch Deals

Rumors of a Nintendo Switch 2 (or Switch Pro) have been circulating for years. Whispers of the next-gen Nintendo console first started when The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was initially teased in 2019, gained steam when the Switch OLED launched in 2021, and are increasing now that the standard Switch has been out for six years.

There's no doubt that the Nintendo Switch is a fantastic console -- it has a unique and impressive game library (with more upcoming games slated for this year), the number of features included with Nintendo Switch Online is constantly improving, and it's still our favorite portable console -- but it isn't without its flaws. There's enough room for improvement to warrant an entirely new console in the near future. Nintendo recently announced that we wouldn't see a Switch upgrade in the next fiscal year, meaning the absolute earliest we get a look at a new Nintendo console would be in late 2024.

Read more