Modretro Chromatic In-Depth Review

The Modretro Chromatic is a fascinating Game Boy (and GBC) FPGA handheld with some unique and confounding aspects.

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Timestamps:
00:00 introduction
01:31 what is the Chromatic?
02:58 unboxing and impressions
05:12 ports and audio
07:32 batteries and charging
09:33 the controls
12:09 screen and software
15:02 playing cartridges
16:36 flash carts
19:10 Modretro Tetris
20:30 cycle accuracy
23:29 summary (likes and dislikes)
25:30 conclusion

Theme song written by Jim Gray of Our Ghosts:

^^ use code "RGC10" for 10% off your order

This video is for entertainment and educational purposes only.

#Modretro #Chromatic #GameBoy #GBC #FPGA

[coopergreen]

0:45 Was putting away dishes while watching this video and had to rewind to make sure that I did in fact hear the phrase “he was also an arms dealer” lmaooo

[dagttv]

I work at at live-content studio for big brands. We run into the problem of different cameras and capture devices showing up in OBS but not showing the live picture. A lot of trial and error has taught me that the problem is almost always in the resolution settings when you are setting up the new capture device. There is usually a magic setting that will finally get the feed to go live.

[Kamodomon]

WOAH I don't see anyone reviewing stuff on youtube saying the elephant in the room at the top of a review like that. Kudos!

[PolarBlairTech]

I didn't have "game console maker was also an arms dealer" on my 2025 bingo card.

[katon]

Thanks for the info Russ, I feel way less bad about not getting this. Will look into the fpgbc!

[gameboi]

For that price I'd much rather the analoge pocket, the pixel density of their screen with SNES and arcade cores is amazing, I just love the sprite motion on it.

[zeig_dragoon]

A weapons dealer made a gameboy thats like a tank? Yeah, that checks out

[leonbabic]

About the battery life; I have a chromatic, and in my testing I was able to get over 7 hours of battery life with Pokémon Gold on max screen brightness, and that was with cheap alkalines.

[SlCKBY-sbkg]

*Some corrections and additional information:*
1. The Dpad definitely does have a pivot as I’ve disassembled the device. It’s just not as aggressive as most others. Hopefully someone will make a replacement dpad with a slightly longer pivot.

2. Even if you do push hard enough to bottom out the dpad (and it does take quite a bit of force), the firmware update you installed now prevents the FPGA core from registering two simultaneous opposing inputs and therefore can’t cause bugs in some games.

3. The reason the buttons are so “clicky” is because ModRetro created custom rubber membranes with a fair amount of resistance which make a “pop” sound when they finally buckle. I initially thought there might be some kind of mechanical switch underneath but no, just pads on the PCB (except the menu button, which is rubber over a tactile switch.

4. The EZ-Flash Jr partially works. After you turn on the console and the cart “freezes”, push the back of the cart shell to reset it and it will load properly. This cart has the exact same problem on the Super Game Boy. Even with this “fix”, it still has problems running GBC titles (GB are fine) but ModRetro are in the process of trying to fix this. It really will be up to them as EZ-Flash have left this device completely unsupported with no firmware updates in about 4 years.

5. All recent Everdrive X 3/5/7s work, with the exception of the X7 with FPGA version 6. Versions 1 -5 and 7 function fine. I believe your older version (pre X series) Everdrive GB might have issues as it has a higher voltage draw which is out of spec for Game Boy carts, it’s just that OG Game Boys seem more tolerant of this electrical issue which was subsequently fixed by Krikzz. Test with non-rechargeable AAs (or Lithium AA rechargeables) as they output the full 1.5v each rather than the 1.2v of the NiMH rechargeables. You could also test running on USB-C power with your ED and this might alleviate the issue.

6. It was discontinued due to Palmer taking a loss or just breaking even on each unit sold. The community theory was that in order to get the completely bespoke 160 x 144 LCD with pixel grid spacing manufactured, the minimum order quantity was probably about 50, 000 units. The billionaire wanted his “perfect” GBC, so he productised it to be able to make it.

7. You mentioned they had plans for later in the year. The most likely candidate would be a more cost effective version of this GBC, forgoing the extremely expensive metal shell and sapphire screen lens for a plastic shell and glass screen lens. By doing this and leaving out Tetris, hopefully they could get it into the $100 - $150 price range.

8. One important thing which wasn’t mentioned is that the GBC core is based on the MiSTer source code (open source) and ModRetro has already released their code, fulfilling their obligations to the GPL3 license. The obvious implication is that the community can fork this and make their own improvements or changes to the core.

[NeverStopImproving]

Appreciate that you don’t tell people how to think, but also don’t shy away from mentioning potentially controversial topics. Thanks for the review Russ!

[LuizBento]

The only YouTuber that made a disclaimer about the creator. Well done Russ.

[Fabiano.Bittencourt]

This is what a review really is. This is perfect. It answered all my question about the device and how I am planning on using it. I feel like I got this in my hands and I was going thru it. Kudos on your awesome work. Cheers from Brazil.

[HaroldMeeks]

I have one and think it's great. I'm a design guy, and appreciate the approach of pairing things down. The original iPhone is a great example of that. The Chromatic is not a mass-market device. It is a boutique handheld for a very specific audience. It isn't more - not an Analogue Pocket, which is more in several ways. It is not perfect, but that is sometimes a great design decision - idiosyncratic features can make things memorable and delightful. The basic idea isn't about the device itself, but the approach to gaming.

[reallyawiimini]

Good on you for acknowledging the Palmer situation. FPGBC is way cheaper, seems fun to put together, and won't give you a guilty feeling.

[NerdSyncProductions]

Great overview! Ignore the weirdos who are upset you mentioned the politics of buying this device. I think you did a great job opening up the conversation and mentioning how it’s a bigger systemic issue that folks in this space have likely never had to think about.

Love your videos, Russ! You got me to buy a bunch of handhelds for my siblings and in-laws that we now bond over. Thanks for that!

[ffightrs]

I love my chromatic. I got it in midnight. Yes, it’s not as versatile as an analogue pocket, but it’s a really good quality piece of hardware. I enjoy it for what it is. It does gameboy color better than the pocket. I have both devices, love them.

[Agathoarn]

Thank you for highlighting who made this product. It's always important for us to know these things. Gameboy hardware emulation is interesting, but I don't think I could financially support this person

[OrwinSantaCruz]

Honestly if you’re ONLY going to play GB/GBC, the FPGBC is a fantastic deal. It may be slightly less accurate based on this video but it’s great. I enjoyed it enough that I “upgraded” to an Analogue Pocket (I know it’s overpriced but I enjoy it and wanted more systems) Building the FPGBC is easy enough and overall it’s a hell of a value.

[jeremy__hopkins]

I really hope these limited edition or 1st edition gimmicks are done away with at some point. Just make a device and sell it. If it sells out and there's still demand, then make more. That's for Analogue too with the LE Pockets and their custom one off consoles. Fake scarcity for new items just leads to frustration and scalping.

I appreciate how this just does GB/GBC and all choices, from the button layout to the aluminum body and screen quality seem very nice for a Gameboy experience. For me, I still love the Blackberry Q10 AMOLED display options for the OG GBC for black & white since I tend to prefer the Gameboy Pocket B&W scheme rather than the pea green of the DMG. Still lacking desaturation options for GBC games so think I'll be waiting for Taki's FPGA handheld for my next FPGA device. He seems to be listening to criticisms and creating affordable devices.

[VideoGameStoryTime]

I really appreciate you leading with the arms dealer thing, that's not something I would have known otherwise but it's absolutely important to my purchasing decision.