by If I were an eccentric billionaire who could afford to lose money on a shameless passion project, I would make the perfect Game Boy. It would be a brand-new handheld console that plays classic Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges while addressing the pain points of the original hardware without adding inconvenient modern “conveniences.” Unfortunately, I’m not a billionaire. Thankfully, I don’t have to be, because ModRetro founder Palmer Luckey set out to accomplish this goal with the Chromatic.
The ModRetro Chromatic has been out for some time already, but it flew under my radar for a few reasons: a) I already had methods to play Game Boy and Game Boy Color Games, b) I was already disillusioned with competitors of the ModRetro Chromatic, and c) ModRetro’s marketing undersold how great this product is. I am sure I’m not alone in overlooking the Chromatic, and to borrow some zoomer vernacular: you should not be sleeping on this.
Another factor playing against the Chromatic is the unwarranted scrutiny that mainstream gaming and tech journalists put on Luckey’s ties to the defense industry (none of the critics of Luckey’s companies seem to have a problem with Nintendo’s largest shareholders profiting off of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and more).
When you take away all of the outside noise, an honest review of the ModRetro Chromatic reveals a simple truth: it is the absolute best way to play Game Boy games.
What Is The ModRetro Chromatic
The ModRetro Chromatic is a premium vertical handheld console designed to natively play original Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges. This sets the Chromatic apart from modern retro handhelds, which tend to emulate multiple console and rely on SD card slots for sideloading games. Instead, the ModRetro Chromatic focuses entirely on providing the best experience for playing original GB and GBC games specifically.
Core Features
The Chromatic’s build features a durable magnesium alloy shell, a glass screen lens, and tactile, clicky switches for the directional pad and face buttons. The overall look design is very reminiscent of the Game Boy Color, and true to its design inspiration, the handheld avoids an internal rechargeable battery, opting instead to run on three standard AA batteries.
Under the hood, the Chromatic replicates Game Boy hardware via an FPGA chip. Instead of using a software layer to translate game code on a modern operating system, which can sometimes introduce minor input lag or audio inaccuracies, the FPGA is hard-coded to replicate the circuitry and processing behavior of the original Game Boy components. For the layperson, what is important about this is that it allows the Chromatic to have absolute compatibility with original game cartridges.
The obvious centerpiece of the Chromatic is its 1:1 aspect ratio display, which was specifically manufactured to match the exact pixel layout, density, and color properties of the Game Boy Color screen. Unlike most LCD panels in competing devices, the Chromatic’s display eliminates pixel scaling issues and screen tearing.
For inputs and outputs, the Chromatic has a link cable port, allowing you to connect two Chromatic devices, or your Chromatic device to other devices that have link cable compatibility (the Game Boy, Gamecube Game Boy player, etc.). The device also has a USB-C port, which allows you to patch ModRetro cartridges or the device itself. The USB-C port can also be used to record or stream gameplay directly to your Mac or PC via USB-C. The Chromatic also supports audio output with a 3.5mm headphone jack.
ModRetro Chromatic Does What Analogue Pocket Doesn’t
Before diving into a more subjective review of the features of the Chromatic that were laid out in the previous section, it’s worthwhile to compare it to its best direct competitor: the Analogue Pocket. The side-by-side comparison to the Analogue Pocket (admittedly, a device that I have always been critical of) is what initially sold me on the Chromatic.
The best advantage the Chromatic has over the Pocket is that you can actually buy it, have it shipped out, and in your hands within a week or two after shipping. The Pocket, by contrast, is notorious for lengthy and often opaque preorder windows. Recently, the Pocket has been more available than it had been in the past, but Analogue hasn’t abandoned their preorder business model by any means.
Another big advantage the Chromatic has over the Pocket is specialization. The Pocket’s build needs to accommodate Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket Color, and Atari Lynx, which means it has two additional face buttons and two shoulder buttons compared to the Chromatic, which has only two main face buttons and no shoulder buttons. These extra buttons only serve as an annoyance if you primarily play Game Boy and Game Boy Color games.
Of course, the biggest advantage the Chromatic has over the Pocket because of its specialization is the display. The Chromatic’s display is a pixel perfect 160×144, the original resolution of Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. Additionally, the physical size of the screen is 2.56 inches, which is very close to the Game Boy’s screen size of around 2.3 inches. The Pocket, on the other hand, has a 1600×1440 resolution on a 3.5 inch screen. In this case, the higher resolution does not work in the Pocket’s favor. The 10x resolution size of the Pocket introduces input lag, which is personally a deal breaker for me on a premium device like this.
A part of the reason why I’m such a big fan of CRT TVs is because they display games in a resolution they were meant to be displayed and they don’t suffer from input lag. I’m a believer in the idea that video games should be played. Well, some games can be rendered unbeatable with just a tiny bit of input lag. Simply put, games play better on the Chromatic than on the Pocket.
ModRetro Chromatic Has An Unrivaled Screen
The biggest selling point of the ModRetro Chromatic is, without a doubt, its display. I have practically pounded this fact into your skull by now, but it’s worth driving this point home.
ModRetro correctly understood that the key to making a perfect display is not about unnecessarily huge resolutions (yes, that is a dig at Analogue). The key to nailing the display is to make it look exactly like it does in your rose-tinted nostalgic memory of the original display. In other words, the display needs to be relatively the same but perfected with modern technology.
The original Game Boy handhelds had a big problem: it was hard to see what was on the screen, and this was exacerbated by sunlight. If you were in a dark room, you couldn’t see anything. If you were outside in the sun, you also couldn’t see anything.
The Chromatic’s 2.56” IPS backlit LCD solves the core issue with the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color. The display is extremely vivid and it brings those old handheld games to life in a way I’ve never seen before. Even playing GB and GBC games via the GameCube Game Boy Player or via emulation on either a PC or emulation device doesn’t come close to the experience. As far as I’m concerned, the Chromatic’s display is the end game. The Game Boy has been “solved” in that regard.
Of course, the native 160×144 resolution is a core component to why the display is as perfect as it is. Because the pixels are displayed in a 1:1 ratio, there is absolutely no software scaling, blurring, or artificial integer stretching required to fill space. Any given pixel of any given game on the Chromatic is just one perfect pixel. This precision avoids problems that plague modern displays like ghosting, motion blur, and screen tearing. Side-scrolling shooters and fast-paced platformers remain perfectly legible in motion, retaining the crisp sharpness that you should expect from a premium device.
Another classic problem with the original Game Boy or Game Boy Color was the tendency for the screen to scratch. This is unlikely to happen with the Chromatic because the display is protected with gorilla glass. And if that isn’t enough for you, you can pay a bit more for a sapphire display, which is apparently “the most scratch-resistant display available, second only to diamond in hardness.”
ModRetro clearly refused to compromise on the display panel. This was the right call because the display is arguably the most important part of any handheld.
Build, Form Factor, and Feel
Admittedly, the build of a handheld is less important to me than the screen; however, a bad build could ruin an otherwise excellent device. Fortunately, the Chromatic’s build is great in almost every way.
The overall build is very much shaped like the Game Boy Color. It’s relatively ergonomic; it doesn’t feel uncomfortable to hold for a long time. The battery compartment creates a natural spot for your index fingers to sit on, which feels better than some of the flat or “sleek” handhelds on the market (yes, that is another dig at Analogue).
Additionally, games fit in the cartridge slot nicely. It doesn’t feel like there is a risk of games becoming loose or falling out. You’d think this should be something we could take for granted, but other handhelds have failed in this regard.
The magnesium shell feels somewhat indestructible. I don’t think there’s a world where the shell would crack like the plastic handhelds of yore. Although, I am concerned about paint chipping off of the shell, and I’ve seen some people have this problem after dropping their device. Also, being magnesium, the shell feels very cool to the touch, but I think the “coolness” of the shell feels nice.
The buttons on the Chromatic feel very tactile and clicky, which is certainly welcome because the buttons on my old Game Boy Color handhelds feel mushy and shallow.
However, while the buttons in general feel nice, ModRetro took some liberties with the D-pad. The D-pad doesn’t have a pivot in the middle, which led to some users reporting accidental diagonal inputs. Personally, I haven’t had this problem. Either way, diagonal inputs can easily be manually disabled in the device’s settings. The problem I have had with the D-pad is that I need to press it ever-so-slightly harder than other D-pads to register inputs. It’s not a major problem, but it was noticeable enough for me. However, there might be an answer for this problem as well. ModRetro has a mod pack available to purchase that includes a softer membrane for the D-pad.
Overall, the ModRetro Chromatic has an incredible build quality and nice buttons compared to the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color despite the minor nitpicks.
The ModRetro Chromatic Ecosystem
One aspect that makes the ModRetro Chromatic so exciting is ModRetro’s dedication to building the ecosystem and keeping the handheld alive. In a way, you’re buying into a whole ecosystem when you buy a Chromatic.
As mentioned before, the Chromatic can receive updates via a USB-C connection to your computer. This theoretically makes it possible for future additions/improvements to the device’s menu (which can be accessed any time via a button on the side of the device).
ModRetro is also releasing new Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges. They’ve released reprints of classic games, like Croc or Rayman, and they’ve also released physical copies of brand new Game Boy games. These cartridges can also receive updates via a USB-C connection, which is obviously something that was never possible with Game Boy games in the past.
This level of dedication is exciting to see! I love the prospect of new 8-bit indie games being officially published by ModRetro for years to come. Already, indie developers have proved that our little 8-bit handhelds are capable of much more than we were even aware of. I’m not going to say the possibilities are limitless because obviously there are a lot of limitations with the hardware, but who knows what kind of games can be created with modern game design sensibilities and retro hardware?
Bottom Line: Is the ModRetro Chromatic Worth It?
At the current price of $199, the ModRetro Chromatic is probably not an immediate impulse buy for most people. For a fraction of the price, you can pick up a retro handheld device from Temu or the TikTok shop or something. With a standard emulation device, you’d be able to play exponentially more games.
But judging the Chromatic by that standard completely misses the point. This device was never meant to compete with cheap emulation devices that compel you to scroll through an endless list of games only to put the device down after being stunned with decision paralysis. The Chromatic is a premium device that undoubtedly appeals the most to a specific crowd: physical media nerds, cartridge collectors, and people with a genuine love for the Game Boy classics.
That’s not to say more casual gamers can’t enjoy the Chromatic. It comes bundled with Tetris, a game that all demographics enjoy, and there are a lot of fantastic games of varying genres to purchase directly from ModRetro.
Either way, the price tag begins to make perfect sense when you look at what you are actually getting: a virtually indestructible magnesium alloy shell, an incredibly accurate FPGA core, an ecosystem that actively supports modern indie developers publishing new physical cartridges, and a custom-engineered 1:1 display that completely blows the competition out of the water.
The verdict is as clear and vivid as the handheld’s display: the ModRetro Chromatic is definitely worth it. It is hands down the definitive and best way to play Game Boy and Game Boy Color games.
