Game Boy Capture
From SDA Knowledge Base
Game Boy Capture
To record footage from a Game Boy, you're going to have to use one of three Game Boy Emulators.
| Model | System | Notes |
| Super Game Boy | Super Nintendo | Games run faster |
| Super Game Boy 2 | Super Famicom/Modified Super Nintendo | More accurate than Super Game Boy 1, region modification required to run on SNES |
| Game Boy Player | Nintendo Game Cube | Approximately as accurate as the Super Game Boy 2 |
Super Game Boy
The Super Game Boy was released as a physical add-on to the Super Nintendo. It fits into the SNES like a regular cartridge and has a slot to insert Game Boy cartridges. The controller that's used is the SNES controller and you have the option to remap the buttons. The Super Game Boy also applied a certain amount of color to games which you could adjust.
The Super Game Boy has a few oddities which you need to be aware of. First, it runs Game Boy Games significantly faster than a real Game Boy. If you do a speedrun on the Super Game Boy, the time of your run will be multiplied by 1.024115. Since the Super Game Boy is running off of a SNES the video footage will be at the same resolution the Super Nintendo uses. That's 240 lines of resolution. Standard definition capture devices won't have a problem with this, but some high definition capture devices may not be able to record this signal.
Super Game Boy 2
There was a second release of the Super Game Boy that was only available in Japan. It plugs into the Super Nintendo, outputs footage in the same quality and resolution, and it is almost identical to the original Super Game Boy design. It has one important improvement. The second release of the Super Game Boy does not speed up games like the first model does making it the ideal version to use. There is just one catch. The Super Game Boy 2 is a Japanese cart and you will need to modify your SNES console in order to be able to play it. The modification is actually quite easy. There are some tabs near the insertion point of the cartridge that need to be cut. That's it. You can find details on how to do this here.
Game Boy Player
The Game Boy player is an add-on to the Nintendo Game Cube that enabled
As a side note, if you aren't a fan of playing Game Boy Games using the GameCube controller, the website Retro USB sells some controller adapters that will let you use an NES or SNES controller instead.
In order to record videos of games for the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, or Game Boy Advance, use the Game Boy Player addon for the GameCube. Make sure that the screen filter is set to "Sharp", the Frame set to #20, and that the screen size is set to "Normal." Failure to do this will result in rejection of your run. After you have that set up, just record as you would record a normal GameCube game; see here for more information. You can also use the Super Game Boy add-on for the SNES, but it runs slightly faster than a real Game Boy, so your time will be multiplied by 1.024115.
For a demonstration/informational video about the Gameboy Player, check out Sir VG's YouTube Video on it.
Return to the front page.
