If you spent the late 90s squinting at a Game Boy Color under a car dome light, this one is for you. The ModRetro Chromatic Transparent is a see-through take on ModRetro’s cartridge handheld that plays your real Game Boy and Game Boy Color carts on FPGA hardware, and it costs $149.99. That is $50 less than the magnesium Chromatic, and a clear Tetris cartridge is in the box. It went on sale October 8 in four clear shells: Smoke, Green, Purple and Red.
Clear plastic, same guts
Remember when every gadget came in see-through plastic and you could watch the circuit board do its thing? ModRetro remembers too. The Transparent swaps the metal shell for clear ABS, so you can see the board, the button contacts, the screws and, flip it over, the three AA batteries. Inside, it is the same Chromatic: FPGA hardware that runs original carts instead of emulating ROMs, and a custom screen built to match the original pixel for pixel.
Specs at a glance
- Plays: Game Boy, Game Boy Color and ModRetro’s own Chromatic carts
- Screen: 2.56-inch, 160 x 144 IPS backlit LCD under scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass
- Power: three AA batteries (included), the optional Rechargeable Power Core, or USB-C passthrough
- Ports: link cable port, IR, 3.5 mm headphone jack and USB-C video out to a PC, Mac or Quest headset for streaming
- Build: 5.2 x 3 x 1.2 inches, 6.2 oz, transparent ABS shell with PBT buttons and a charm loop
- Box: the console, a transparent Tetris cart and three AA batteries
GadgetKing take
The original Chromatic was a gorgeous brick, but $200 was a lot to ask just to play Link’s Awakening on the bus. At $149.99 with Tetris thrown in, the Transparent finally feels like an easy yes for anyone with a shoebox of carts in the closet. You give up the cool-touch metal, but you gain the most 1998 look money can buy, and the guts are identical. Our only warning: clear shells show every scratch and pocket crumb, so budget for a case. Then go blow into a cartridge for old times’ sake (please don’t, it never actually helped).
Where to get it
The Chromatic Transparent is $149.99 with the clear Tetris cart and three AA batteries, sold direct by ModRetro (shipping is extra). Get the Chromatic Transparent from ModRetro.
Prefer the original magnesium Chromatic? It is still $199.99 at ModRetro with a Gorilla Glass screen, or $299.99 with sapphire.
Sources: ModRetro, GamesBeat and TechRadar. Video: Austin Evans.
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