GB Operator excites the collector in me, giving you a small device to plug into your PC or Steam Deck, allowing you to play real Game Boy cartridges.
Costing $49.99 (plus shipping), it gives you a device that supports cartridges for the Game Boy, Game Boy Color and the Game Boy Advance. Along with their cross-platform Operator application, with a tightly integrated version of the mGBA emulator so you get plenty of features.
Honestly, I hadn't heard of this until it started appearing in my Twitter feed. The developers of the device mentioned:
It’s official - enjoy your childhood cartridges, now on SteamDeck! Today we validated at the office that GB Operator and the Operator app are fully compatible with Steam OS and run impeccably on SteamDeck. This makes the experience fun and portable, we're happy to support it 💪🏻
It's been around for some time too, so it hasn't just suddenly appeared and a lot of people seem to quite like it.
I have one ordered and on the way so I can see what all the fuss is about. Seems like collecting Game Boy cartridges is going to turn into something I end up doing now…
The creators are also currently working on a SNES version.
Quoting: slaapliedjeI would love something like this for the Switch. I would much rather play the Switch games on the Deck...Doesn't the Switch used microSD cards? (I don't have one.) Just need an emulator on the Deck that can detect when one's been plugged in if that's the case…
Quoting: emphyThen you may also be interested in the Retrode 2, a snes and genesis cartridge dumper with plugins for gbx, sms, and n64. It also allows one to connect the classic controllers of the respective consoles.I dropped in here to post exactly that. I got mine way back when they first became available - neat little piece of kit!
It's available irregularly at several online retro-game shops.
Quoting: PhiladelphusDoesn't the Switch used microSD cards? (I don't have one.) Just need an emulator on the Deck that can detect when one's been plugged in if that's the case…For digital releases yes (and the card specifically has to be formatted on the individual Switch console it will be used with), but generally no, it uses its own cartridge format.
I no longer have a Switch, but have a couple of games still hanging around because local stores won't accept imports due to them not carrying the nationally-accepted age-ratings, so here's a picture;
Last edited by Pengling on 16 October 2022 at 11:02 pm UTC
Quoting: PenglingThe real annoyance as that for some, it really seems like they did the same thing as Postal III did, basically shipping with physical media, that then gets replaced by digital, so you still end up having to download the whole thing. Not all did this, but some do.Quoting: emphyThen you may also be interested in the Retrode 2, a snes and genesis cartridge dumper with plugins for gbx, sms, and n64. It also allows one to connect the classic controllers of the respective consoles.I dropped in here to post exactly that. I got mine way back when they first became available - neat little piece of kit!
It's available irregularly at several online retro-game shops.
Quoting: PhiladelphusDoesn't the Switch used microSD cards? (I don't have one.) Just need an emulator on the Deck that can detect when one's been plugged in if that's the case…For digital releases yes (and the card specifically has to be formatted on the individual Switch console it will be used with), but generally no, it uses its own cartridge format.
I no longer have a Switch, but have a couple of games still hanging around because local stores won't accept imports due to them not carrying the nationally-accepted age-ratings, so here's a picture;
Still haven't spent the time to figure out how to dump a game and play it on an emulator... haven't fired up my switch in ages.
someone with an 3D printer for example
Quoting: PenglingI no longer have a Switch, but have a couple of games still hanging around because local stores won't accept imports due to them not carrying the nationally-accepted age-ratings, so here's a picture;Did you try and eat a Switch cartridge to see if they tasted bad???
Quoting: PenglingFor digital releases yes (and the card specifically has to be formatted on the individual Switch console it will be used with), but generally no, it uses its own cartridge format.Oh, OK. Maybe I was mixing up the cartridge with full-size SD cards. Thanks.
I no longer have a Switch, but have a couple of games still hanging around because local stores won't accept imports due to them not carrying the nationally-accepted age-ratings, so here's a picture;
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