Do you remember the last time you felt joy simply gazing at a box? Leisurely looking at the delightful doodles, smiling at the explosion of color and details, and sensing your excitement rise at the thought of finally opening it up? That’s exactly how I felt after buying the ModRetro Chromatic recently. And I couldn’t help but wonder: if the mere packaging evoked such positive feelings, could the re-imagined Game Boy Color waiting inside deliver the hit of retro gaming nostalgia the box so heavily hinted at?
Yes, it absolutely can. And that’s why I’ve chosen to write a review of this wonderful handheld without any prompting or communication from the company behind it. I purchased the Chromatic as part of my personal deep dive into retro gaming, and have become so enamoured with it that I want to shout its praises to anyone who will listen.
It’s not perfect (yet), but it’s as close to perfection as any device like this will ever get.
What Is The ModRetro Chromatic?
The Chromatic is effectively a modern, premium Game Boy Color engineered to elevate the best features of Nintendo’s original while fixing its shortcomings. It’s not like the glut of cheap plastic rectangles you can buy for $50 on AliExpress that rely on emulation to play various ripped ROMs from retro console game libraries.
The Chromatic feels designed to do just one thing and do it exceptionally well: play your physical Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. No emulation here, just cartridges. It’s compatible with every single known Game Boy and Game Boy Color game ever released.
There’s another fun layer on top of that, though. ModRetro is also publishing its own lineup of exclusive games for the Chromatic, making this feel like a genuine console launch. Best of all, these new Chromatic cartridges (like the updated, officially licensed new version of Tetris bundled in every box) will also work in your original Game Boy and Game Boy Color – or any other device compatible with the carts.
Is The ModRetro Chromatic Worth It?
So, we’ve established what the Chromatic does. Let’s talk about why this thing costs $199. Can it possibly be premium enough to justify that price tag?
That’s a matter of opinion, but consider this: when it launched in 1998, Nintendo’s Game Boy Color had a suggested retail price of $79.95. Adjusted for inflation, it would cost about $155 today. The Game Boy Color had a plastic shell, mediocre battery life, and a highly scratchable, non-backlit screen.
The Chromatic is built like a freaking tank. It has a magnesium-aluminum alloy shell, not cheap plastic. (The box says it’s crush-proof; I’ll let someone else put that claim to the test.) This makes it feel so, so exceptionally good in your hands. It has heft; the kind that makes it feel durable and expensive, but at 273 grams it’s not nearly heavy enough to fatigue you.
I love how it’s cool to the touch whenever you pick it up. And honestly, sometimes I’ll pick it up just to hold the thing!
The d-pad feels like it will last forever, and it’s very responsive. Crucially, diagonal inputs are accurate which is important for fighting games or run-n-guns like Contra. The A and B buttons are clicky with a good amount of travel, and overall it’s just immensely satisfying to sit down and use these controls.
The single mono speaker is equally amazing. It’s louder than the Nintendo Switch, and has crisp, clear sound. But if you want stereo, you can of course plug in a pair of wired headphones.
But the screen on the Chromatic is the real star of this show, and it’s apparently been designed to perfectly replicate the original GBC display with pixel-perfect accuracy. To that end, it has the same 2.56-inch, 160×144 resolution LCD display. Well, not the exact same. A display with the same specs didn’t exist, so ModRetro created one from scratch, even going so far as to match the GBC’s color temperatures.
Then the company slapped a crystal Sapphire screen lens on top to make it impervious to scratches. And gave it insanely good viewing angles. And gave it the much-needed backlighting. It’s so bright, in fact, that I’ll never crank the brightness to its maximum level unless I’m playing outside in direct sunlight. Which I’ve done, and that particular claim rings 100% true.
Since the Chromatic intends to be the best way to experience those Game Boy games, it includes the other features you’d expect. The IR transceiver window is here. So is the link cable port, meaning you can still experience the intense fun of multiplayer Tetris, or some Double Dragon co-op. Your original Game Boy accessories will work, too. Go ahead and fire up your Game Boy Camera, but you definitely won’t be needing that Worm Light anymore!
Every 1st Edition Chromatic ships with 3 AA batteries, and these lasted about 18 to 20 hours playing a mix of Tetris and Dragonyhm. After they died, I switched to my Eneloop rechargeable batteries. But the battery compartment will also accommodate a dedicated rechargeable pack, which ModRetro hasn’t released yet.
Therein lies my only gripe about this handheld. While I definitely appreciate that it doesn’t have a built-in battery pack that might swell over time, it’s disappointing that I can’t pick up ModRetro’s rechargeable pack right now. All I know is that it’s “coming soon.” It’s admittedly a minor gripe, because I’m really reaching for one.
On the bright side, you can also power the Chromatic via USB-C. So if you get that low battery warning, you can plug in and remove your old batteries without needing to power off the system.
Speaking of USB-C, the Chromatic supports video out, although it’s a somewhat primitive implementation. You have to go through some configuration hoops with OBS, and it currently only works on Windows, although macOS and Linux support are in active development. It’s a niche feature for a device like this, but certainly one that streamers and retro gaming content creators will appreciate.
Taking all of the above into consideration – the premium build, the exceptional display quality, the great battery life, the satisfying controls, and the extensive game and accessory compatibility – I firmly believe $199 is a fair asking price. It’s about $45 more than the original Game Boy Color would cost today after inflation.
I acknowledge there are plenty of cheaply produced Game Boy clones you can buy for a fraction of the price, relying on emulation instead of real hardware and physical cartridges. I’ve bought many of these budget devices from the likes of Anbernic and Powkiddy, and am constantly disappointed with them. They don’t cost much because they’re mediocre, they’re not built to last, and the companies behind them thrive on an endless cycle of iterative upgrades without attention to quality and details.
How many times have you purchased some bafflingly cheap retro handheld only to be tempted by its inevitable successor 6 months later? That’s because you aren’t satisfied with the product sitting in your hands.
But the Chromatic ejected me from that cycle. I’ve fallen in love all over again with the experience of slamming a cartridge into the slot and enjoying just that one game, instead of being endlessly tempted by the infinite selection of ROM libraries on an SD card. This device has been such a joy to use that it’s inspired me to start rebuilding my Game Boy library again.
I think that speaks volumes, and I would strongly encourage you to at least get one in your hands before dismissing it (the exact model I’m reviewing is available at GameStop).
Looking Ahead: The ModRetro Chromatic Game Library
What’s particularly enticing to me about the Chromatic is that it’s more than just the hardware. There’s an entire ecosystem being built.
In addition to the fantastic version of Tetris included in the box, I’m currently playing a brand new game called Dragonyhm, one of the Chromatic’s launch titles. It’s a modern throwback to classic RPGs like Final Fantasy, with an emphasis on exploration and some genuinely challenging but rewarding dungeon crawling. If you don’t have a Chromatic, you can still buy the game and play it on your Game Boy or Game Boy Color.
And that’s the beauty of it. ModRetro seems like it’s digging in for the long haul, building a vibrant game library around the Chromatic.
In fact, ModRetro has confirmed it’s working on re-releases and remasters of existing Game Boy titles, although specifics haven’t yet been mentioned. The company has even teased that it will be releasing games that were cancelled back in the Game Boy era and never revealed to the public.
The bottom line, at least from where I’m standing, is that the ModRetro Chromatic has rekindled my love for the Game Boy experience and my fascination with retro gaming. It has achieved this because, like the best apps and services, it does one thing and does it exceptionally well: it delivers that premium Game Boy experience you always wanted.
