The Game Boy Camera is probably one of the most limited-specification digital cameras to have been mass-marketed, yet it occupies a special position in the hearts of many because despite being a toy with a paltry 128×128 monochrome sensor it was for many the first camera they owned. [Matt Grey] was among those people, and was always frustrated by the device’s inability to export pictures except to the Game Boy printer. So after having bodged together an interface a decade ago but not being happy with it, he returned to the project and made a wireless carrier for the camera that allows easy transfer through WiFi to his mobile phone.
Inside the slab-like 3D-printed enclosure lies a GBxCart RW Game Boy cartridge reader, whose USB port is wired to a Raspberry Pi Zero on which are a set of scripts to read the camera and make its photos available for download via a web browser. At last the camera is a stand-alone unit, allowing the easy snapping and retrieval of as many tiny black and white images as he likes. There’s a video showing the device in action, which we’ve placed for your enjoyment below the break.
This camera has appeared in so many projects on these pages over the years, but we’re guessing that the work on whose shoulders this one stands would be the moment its workings were reverse engineered.
Thanks [Katie] for the tip!
Oh look, it’s the bounciest man on the internet, Matt Gray.
I don’t really get the love of the Game Boy camera, but I guess this is a nice project to keep that love strong.
What great timing! A few days ago I’ve finished a PWA which tries to emulate a Game Boy Camera! I always enjoy seeing pictures taken on real hardware. They really look special. One day I have to get a real GB Camera for myself..
If you’re interested in taking a few pictures right now you can check the app out at pocket-camera.app. Nothing ever leaves your device, it’s all done offline.
Well at least somebody is doing something interesting with pictures on phones! Also can anybody in range get photos from the wifi hotspot? Could be fun at parties, I guess.
o;-D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISdpj_dNSwI
Ooh! Now it’s more practical to try the trick with the red, blue, and yellow light filters to compose a color pic. Just need a tripod mount to keep everything still while you snap your shots.
No, this is decidedly not what this does. To take pictures you still need the camera plugged into a Game Boy. The cameras are not standalone, sensor and image processing happens in the Game Boy.
The “hack” here is fitting premade hardware using premade software into a small case. Nothing more, nothing less.