ModRetro is back with some new cartridges for the Chromatic! The first game is Buck and the Cursed Cartridge. This fast-paced run-and-gun platformer marks the playable debut of Buck the Bunny, GameStop's mascot. It is available to purchase on the official ModRetro store for $45.

In this original story, Buck’s curiosity gets the better of him when he finds a mysterious cartridge ominously labeled “DEFINITELY NOT A CURSED CARTRIDGE.” When he pops it into his Chromatic, he’s suddenly pulled inside the game itself! Can Buck battle his way through the digital world and return home?

Features of Buck and the Cursed Cartridge include:

• Jump, shoot, and dash through colorful, glitch-filled worlds
• Face off against tough bosses in epic multi-phase battles
• Upgrade abilities with cheat codes from The Hacker
• Unlock mini-games and chase high scores
• Discover hidden collectibles across every level

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The company has also announced that the side-scrolling platformer Croc: 25th Anniversary Edition is now available to pre-order for $45 and is expected to ship in December. This re-release of the 1997 classic includes upgraded controls and a new save function.

Features of Croc: 25th Anniversary Edition include:

• Explore four vibrant worlds and over 30 action-packed levels
• Glide on magic carpets, ski icy slopes, and dive into shark-infested waters
• Tailspin through enemies and uncover hidden Gobbos and puzzle pieces
• Face Baron Dante’s dastardly minions in thrilling boss battles
• Upgraded controls and enhanced save function for seamless handheld play

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SOURCE: GBAtemp Inbox

 

[SDA]

Was Rayman enough for you? Well too bad, here's Croc just to spice things up.

 

[Robert Newbie]

It's such a strange timeline where GBC games are being re-released on non-Nintendo hardware.

I have not been paying attention to the alternative handheld space, so I'm interested to know if the Chromatic is considered a success. The fact that these GBC games are getting new life on the hardware must mean that someone's making money. Either way, it's good to see these older games find new life.

 

[lightwo]

It's such a strange timeline where GBC games are being re-released on non-Nintendo hardware.

I have not been paying attention to the alternative handheld space, so I'm interested to know if the Chromatic is considered a success. The fact that these GBC games are getting new life on the hardware must mean that someone's making money. Either way, it's good to see these older games find new life.

From the perspective of a game publisher, they are publishing games they own to a new platform without any porting effort. From the perspective of Chromatic, it looks like they found a way to legally make a clean-room FPGA-based emulation handheld that is, even in regards to visual design, a Game Boy Color. Just check out the legalese text on the footer of every page on their site:

Nintendo®, Game Boy®, and the 2-dimensional shape of the Game Boy® console are registered trademarks owned by Nintendo of America, Inc. Nintendo is not affiliated with ModRetro, nor does Nintendo sponsor, approve of, or endorse ModRetro.

I'm a bit shocked too, but it's definitely cool it exists! Unlike some emulation handheld clones that exist, this one looks to be the real deal in pretty much all ways that matter. I don't own one, but I was struggling to find problems while checking its specs (outside of the price, obviously, but clearly it's not cheap to produce ).

 

[Nephiel]

I was struggling to find problems while checking its specs (outside of the price, obviously, but clearly it's not cheap to produce ).

It's such a strange timeline where GBC games are being re-released on non-Nintendo hardware.

The biggest problem IMO, and what makes it even stranger, is who is behind it and the products another company of his is releasing.

 

[BETA215]

From the perspective of a game publisher, they are publishing games they own to a new platform without any porting effort. From the perspective of Chromatic, it looks like they found a way to legally make a clean-room FPGA-based emulation handheld that is, even in regards to visual design, a Game Boy Color. Just check out the legalese text on the footer of every page on their site:



I'm a bit shocked too, but it's definitely cool it exists! Unlike some emulation handheld clones that exist, this one looks to be the real deal in pretty much all ways that matter. I don't own one, but I was struggling to find problems while checking its specs (outside of the price, obviously, but clearly it's not cheap to produce ).

Calling it a "clean-room FPGA-based emulation handheld" is a bit delusional.
First, because any person that tries to make a GB emulator *obviously* looks up information online. And information comes from all sorts of places. So clean-room, that sounds difficult.

Also, actually they didn't even invent the emulation software their handheld uses, rather it was already written way before the idea even came into their minds - MiSTer's Game Boy core, that is. Check their repo: https://github.com/ModRetro/chromatic_fpga, there it's credited.

Overall, Chromatic didn't bring anything new to the table: didn't contribute with new discoveries as far as I know, neither they did anything out of the ordinary. Just a new hardware emulation handheld, using an emulator that already existed... at least they seem to be making agreements with companies to re-release games, whether that's any good to the community it's yet to be seen.

 

[lightwo]

Calling it a "clean-room FPGA-based emulation handheld" is a bit delusional.

I didn't say that outright, I prefaced with "looks like". If that was unclear, my bad. That was my best guess as to how this was made possible.

Also, actually they didn't even invent the emulation software their handheld uses, rather it was already written way before the idea even came into their minds - MiSTer's Game Boy core, that is. Check their repo: https://github.com/ModRetro/chromatic_fpga, there it's credited.

It's an open source project, and provided they haven't violated the license (I don't have a unit to verify), everything's legal in that regard. They didn't need to be the sole owner of the FPGA emulator.

Overall, Chromatic didn't bring anything new to the table: didn't contribute with new discoveries as far as I know, neither they did anything out of the ordinary. Just a new hardware emulation handheld, using an emulator that already existed... at least they seem to be making agreements with companies to re-release games, whether that's any good to the community it's yet to be seen.

What's the problem with that? Chromatic, Analogue and other companies made commercially available FPGA handhelds that anyone can get hold of (khajiit has wares if you have coin!), and there's at least some competition, so it isn't a monopoly.

 

[BETA215]

I didn't say that outright, I prefaced with "looks like". If that was unclear, my bad. That was my best guess as to how this was made possible.


It's an open source project, and provided they haven't violated the license (I don't have a unit to verify), everything's legal in that regard. They didn't need to be the sole owner of the FPGA emulator.


What's the problem with that? Chromatic, Analogue and other companies made commercially available FPGA handhelds that anyone can get hold of (khajiit has wares if you have coin!), and there's at least some competition, so it isn't a monopoly.

There isn't any problem per se with people releasing products, I'm just giving context so it's clearer what's going on, giving my opinion a bit as a response to your reply, but also in part giving that opinion so people can be aware of these things.

Chromatic doesn't seems to be a bad product, it just tires me the whole idea of "this one looks to be the real deal in pretty much all ways that matter". And you aren't the only person that thinks on that line, or at least bring up the idea, so don't take it personal, I'm talking to those arguments.

There's no comparison between a GBC, GBA's GBC compatibility mode, GBA, DS'es and 3DS'es GBA compatibility mode, a long list of consoles and their compatibility modes, and emulation machines. They're all different. For me, particularly, this isn't any different from other emulation devices in terms of it being "the real deal". If it's accuracy what people are going for, reason why the FPGA stuff is supposedly used for, if "real hardware" is what people want, then it isn't the case. It's essentially just an emulation machine.

I'm far from thinking emulation is a bad thing, software emulation or hardware emulation. Rather, it's the opposite of bad for me. Not 100% the same as original hardware, but not even all units act absolutely the same, even less their own hardware revisions. Emulation is pretty much amazing. If you're using outdated emulators, abandoned emulators, slow hardware, badly designed hardware... that isn't the fault of "emulation", rather the implementations - which is the experience people seem to have had.

Chromatic is a decent implementation, but it isn't nowhere near the real deal. This is subjective, of course, but at that point the real deal might as well be any random emulation machine, if the person thinks so. Using the concept "emulation" as a bad thing in their worldview, and their website saying stuff like it's "real hardware", is really painful for everyone that actually worked reverse engineering the hardware, discovering stuff and then implementing solutions for that. It's infuriating

 

[lightwo]

Chromatic is a decent implementation, but it isn't nowhere near the real deal.

I don't really understand your rant. My point was that their demo of latency was on par with real hardware, the screen resolution was pixel perfect for GB/GBC, and it even had some bells and whistles like original cartridge support and extension port. By all means, if true, I would consider this the real deal amongst emulation handhelds.

Of course it's going to be emulation, since even if Nintendo were to make another Game Boy Color, it would most likely be a modern ARM-based device, as has been the case for their previous retro modern console releases. There's always original Game Boy series for original hardware needs, and a strong modding community to back it up. The Chromatic, in that sense, is like a fully decked out modded GBC with none of the modding effort.

and their website saying stuff like it's "real hardware"

Not sure where you got that from, on the product page itself they say this:

Built with premium materials and powered by modern hardware, (...)

 

[Lumstar]

There isn't any problem per se with people releasing products, I'm just giving context so it's clearer what's going on, giving my opinion a bit as a response to your reply, but also in part giving that opinion so people can be aware of these things.

Chromatic doesn't seems to be a bad product, it just tires me the whole idea of "this one looks to be the real deal in pretty much all ways that matter". And you aren't the only person that thinks on that line, or at least bring up the idea, so don't take it personal, I'm talking to those arguments.

There's no comparison between a GBC, GBA's GBC compatibility mode, GBA, DS'es and 3DS'es GBA compatibility mode, a long list of consoles and their compatibility modes, and emulation machines. They're all different. For me, particularly, this isn't any different from other emulation devices in terms of it being "the real deal". If it's accuracy what people are going for, reason why the FPGA stuff is supposedly used for, if "real hardware" is what people want, then it isn't the case. It's essentially just an emulation machine.

I'm far from thinking emulation is a bad thing, software emulation or hardware emulation. Rather, it's the opposite of bad for me. Not 100% the same as original hardware, but not even all units act absolutely the same, even less their own hardware revisions. Emulation is pretty much amazing. If you're using outdated emulators, abandoned emulators, slow hardware, badly designed hardware... that isn't the fault of "emulation", rather the implementations - which is the experience people seem to have had.

Chromatic is a decent implementation, but it isn't nowhere near the real deal. This is subjective, of course, but at that point the real deal might as well be any random emulation machine, if the person thinks so. Using the concept "emulation" as a bad thing in their worldview, and their website saying stuff like it's "real hardware", is really painful for everyone that actually worked reverse engineering the hardware, discovering stuff and then implementing solutions for that. It's infuriating

I say why care what makes a machine tick inside. Most of us aren't going to be programming games for it, or designing peripherals.

Isn't the Chromatic about the best conceivable device purpose-built and dedicated to playing Game Boy Color software, that could possibly be manufactured today?

 

[vlababa]

I say why care what makes a machine tick inside. Most of us aren't going to be programming games for it, or designing peripherals.

Isn't the Chromatic about the best conceivable device purpose-built and dedicated to playing Game Boy Color software, that could possibly be manufactured today?

Absolutely. You can argue about its value what with the competitors in software and hardware emulation spaces, but if you want the best modern gameboy, this is it.

 

[Nephiel]

Not a Game Boy™, modern or not.
Not the best, either (unless you get so specific it becomes the only, and so, also the worst).
It's just another expensive handheld.

 

[Lumstar]

Not a Game Boy™, modern or not.
Not the best, either (unless you get so specific it becomes the only, and so, also the worst).
It's just another expensive handheld.

Then what is better? Enlighten us about these other devices currently produced that have better GBC compatibility, and a form factor nearer to the GBC?

 

[Nephiel]

Then what is better? Enlighten us about these other devices currently produced that have better GBC compatibility, and a form factor nearer to the GBC?

OK then, what is worse? See, you're being too specific. I could cherry-pick which boxes a device has to tick to qualify as the best, too.

The only other device matching your qualifications is the FPGBC. Its GBC compatibility may not be as good, and it lacks the purpose-built screen of the Chromatic, do you want me to say that makes it worse? It has a form factor much nearer to the GBC, and fits in many aftermarket shells (even metal ones), tons of spare parts available. Why wouldn't that make it a better device?

I prefer a modded GBC. It has unmatched compatibility and the closest form factor (by definition), and as easy to customize and repair as the FPGBC. Only some parts are not in production anymore. Why would that make it a worse device?

There's also the DMGC, the MGBC and the Poco/Pocket Color, the Frog Boy Color and the Tad Boy Color, even the Analogue Pocket. All of them have some better features, and lack others. The best is always subjective.

 

[Jayro]

Not a Game Boy™, modern or not.
Not the best, either (unless you get so specific it becomes the only, and so, also the worst).
It's just another expensive handheld.

I own one.

I too was skeptical, but knowing the GBC core is ported from the MiSTer instilled confidence in me, and the shell and buttons feel premium. The screen is a true IPS 1:1 (160x144 pixel) recreation of the original screen. It's glorious. The colors are vibrant, but not garish like other IPS screens on the market. It's a well-balanced color temperature too, compared to the colder tone of the Q5 screens. The buttons feel crazy-good. Not mush, but also not too stiff. And after swapping out the Dpad for the taller Dpad in the button modding kit, I no longer get false diagonals in Tetris. I can also stream my gameplay to my PC over USB C. The PowerCore rechargeable battery is also a top-performer. It's a perfect Game Boy. Feels premium in the hands. The sound is flawless. Even does frame-blending perfectly too. Oh, and you can use the PC updater to update the cartridge ROMs to their latest versions, and read/write your save files as well... so that's great value too.

If there was ANYTHING I could nitpick about this thing, it's the lack of a dedicated DMG mode, like the FPGBC has. That's about it. The only flaw I can find on this thing. If they fixed that, I'd sell my FPGBC in a heartbeat.