Reddit user ChaseLambeth had decided to begin work on a special project: turning an analogue toy from the fast food chain, which looked like a Game Boy Color, into a working device for games. However, during the months spent building this device, ChaseLambeth discovered that someone else had pipped them to the punch. This other tech-minded gamer had created three of these Game Boy hybrids, and was willing to sell one of them off. Naturally, ChaseLambeth jumped at the chance.

The Game Boy itself, which has been dubbed the Game Boy Color Nano, works through the integration of a Raspberry Pie Zero unit. With this, alongside a two-inch LCD screen and a game emulator known as RetroPie, the free Burger King toy becomes a working machine. Those interested in seeing more of the device can do so by heading over to the Game Boy’s Reddit thread, where more information can be found alongside a gallery of images.

In spite of its Game Boy Color-esque appearance, this Nano device plays games from a variety of different consoles, including Game Boy Advance games as pictured. However, given the rather simplistic control scheme it’s most likely that original Game Boy and Game Boy Color games work best. That said, it’s unlikely anyone would turn down the chance to play Pokemon FireRed on the device, if only for the novelty experience alone.

It’s not the only time that a classic game, or a classic device, has been reimagined in the most unlikely of creations. Take, for instance, Tetris - one of the most important video games of all time, with a development history that sounds more like a cold war thriller than the creation of a puzzle game. Now, the game is available to play on a device as small as a business card.

Although Burger King has a long history of bizarre involvement in games, including the release of a stealth-themed video game called Sneak King back in 2006, the addition of actual video game play to this toy line is very impressive. One thing’s for sure - projects such as this certainly show off the malleability of the game form, and also how far video games have come in terms of hardware capability. Now all we need is for someone to get M.C. Kids working on a McDonald’s Happy Meal toy.

Source: Reddit