Self-Taught Modder Creates Stunning Transparent Game Boy Color Circuit Board That Works Perfectly

Oh man, where do I even start with this? So, there’s this modder, Natalie—@natalie_thenerd if you’re into digging around online—and get this, she whipped up a Game Boy Color, but not like you’d expect. It’s got this see-through motherboard. Yeah, all clear like glass or something. Really wild stuff. She tweeted about it, because of course she did. Apparently, she cooked up her own schematics, ripped out the ground zone to make the PCB totally see-through. I mean, who even thinks of this? But, you know, for these simpler gadgets, seems like it doesn’t really matter.

Anyway, she reverse-engineered the whole Game Boy Color—casual, right?—though she didn’t actually make the clear PCB herself. That part got farmed out to some third-party folks. Used a kind of acrylic material and man, it’s got a low melting point. Like, really low. So she had to handle the soldering part with kid gloves or risk a meltdown. Imagine sweating over that one.

Oh, and besides the chips and copper stuff, this thing’s like, a completely clear book. Screen, cartridge reader (snagged from a Chinese knockoff), that’s all either clear or sorta translucent. And she slaps it with a clear case too, because why stop halfway?

But don’t get too excited—it’s a one-off art piece, really. Can’t buy it unless Natalie has a change of heart or something. The board’s kind of flimsy, might not survive a session of rage gaming, you know? Though a few folks are already tossing ideas like silver traces or adding backlights. Sounds a bit sci-fi, doesn’t it?

Some dreamers are pondering the idea for other gadgets like the Nothing Phone 2, whatever that is. Transparent tech, it’s making a bit of a comeback, kind of like bell bottoms for gadgets with clear power banks and all. But unless this clear PCB tech becomes less of a diva and more budget-friendly, don’t hold your breath for it to sweep the market.

Still, hats off to Natalie for this curiosity. It’s this kind of mad genius in the modding scene that keeps us all fascinated, right? Cheers to modders everywhere.