ModRetro Launches Transparent Chromatic at $149.99, Undercutting Original by $50
ModRetro's new transparent Chromatic plays original Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges for $149.99 / £139.99, $50 / £45 below the original model, with a copy of Tetris included.
The review was written by James Pickard, a deals editor at TechRadar, who tested the unit with his surviving copy of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX for Game Boy. He wrote that his original Game Boy handhelds and other Pokémon cartridges had been lost over years of house moves, leaving him with a single cartridge and, until now, nothing to play it on.
The new model is sold in several transparent colorways and uses a see-through plastic shell that weighs 6.2 oz (176g), which the reviewer described as slightly lighter and more comfortable for longer sessions. The screen keeps the same dimensions and resolution as the original Game Boy but is upgraded to an IPS backlit LCD covered with scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass. Pickard wrote that this produces a sharp, clear image in all conditions, ending the need to wait for passing streetlights to see the display on nighttime journeys.
Pickard said he had been alternating between Tetris and the Zelda cartridge during the test period and came away impressed, describing the device as a modern refinement of a handheld he grew up using on long journeys and holidays. He noted that playing retro games on original hardware retains its appeal, but said the Chromatic's improvements are hard to dismiss. He added that he wished he had taken better care of his old Game Boy library so he could replay more of it, and that the device might prompt him to start collecting retro games again, as he said the Chromatic M64 did before it.
The transparent Chromatic is available to buy now at $149.99 / £139.99. The account above rests on TechRadar's single review unit; the publication did not report independent benchmark or durability testing, and the pricing and colorway details come from the manufacturer as cited in that review.
Editor's Summary
ModRetro has released a transparent version of its Chromatic handheld at $149.99 / £139.99, $50 / £45 less than the original, with Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridge support and a bundled copy of Tetris. A two-week TechRadar review highlighted the lighter 176g shell and the backlit IPS screen with Gorilla Glass as the main upgrades over original Game Boy hardware. The device is on sale now in several transparent colorways.