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Play real Game Boy cartridges on Steam Deck / Linux with GB Operator

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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 💪🏻

Picture Credit - Epilogue.

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.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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About the author -
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
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21 comments
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Kelvinhbo Oct 16, 2022
The Gabe Boy?
StalePopcorn Oct 16, 2022
Excuse the language—that's fking awesome!
pete910 Oct 16, 2022
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This ain't going to make Nintendo happy, especially now the Deck is rather popular
d0od Oct 16, 2022
Oh yes, this is AWESOME.
emphy Oct 16, 2022
Then 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.

It's available irregularly at several online retro-game shops.
pb Oct 16, 2022
> Picture Credit - Epilogue.

Hm, so this was basically a product placement? https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/y2va0r/steamdeck_just_arrived_today_couldnt_resist/
Liam Dawe Oct 16, 2022
Quoting: pb> Picture Credit - Epilogue.

Hm, so this was basically a product placement? https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/y2va0r/steamdeck_just_arrived_today_couldnt_resist/
Looks like they were pretty clear in the comments on that post that they work for the company. They could have mentioned it in the title but a small company with an excited employee i guess.
slaapliedje Oct 16, 2022
I would love something like this for the Switch. I would much rather play the Switch games on the Deck...
Viesta2015 Oct 16, 2022
THE GABE BOY... IS REAAAAAL!
ElectricPrism Oct 16, 2022
Throw on some velcro for a back mount and you're set.

I could see these manufactures making various cartridge "JetPacks" for the Deck. A lot of people would buy these.
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