Man, you wanna play some classic Gameboy games without draining your bank account? I get it. So many old consoles got stupid expensive these days. Nintendo stuff especially. Everyone calls the OG Gameboy a “brick,” but man, those games were magic. So I decided, screw the high prices, there’s gotta be a way to have fun without feeling robbed.
The Big Disappointment
Started easy: Hopped online thinking I’d just grab a Gameboy Color and a copy of Pokemon Yellow, like the old days. Bad move. Flippers everywhere! Even busted consoles missing battery covers were fifty bucks? Serious? A clean Gameboy Color? Eighty? A HUNDRED? Plus shipping! And the games! Pokemon Yellow looking like it went through a war cost more than I remembered paying for it NEW. This wasn’t gonna work.
Hitting the Pavement
Figured local might be better. Hauled my butt to a bunch of spots:
- Thrift Stores: Forget it. Empty shelves or just garbage VHS tapes. Lady at one store told me any “vintage toys” get picked clean instantly.
- “Retro” Shops: Cool to look at, painful to buy. Prices were actually HIGHER than some online spots. Saw a grey brick Gameboy (the original!) priced at $70. Dude behind the counter said “collector value.” I just walked out.
- Conventions/Flea Markets: Dusty tables piled high. Found a few Gameboys. One guy had a Color labeled “$60 FIRM.” Case was scratched to hell and the sound crackled. Nah. Most sellers acted like they were sitting on gold bricks, not twenty-year-old plastic.
Felt pretty hopeless. Wanted that nostalgia fix but didn’t wanna hate myself after paying. Was ready to maybe, maybe try those little mini plug-n-play things if I got desperate.
The Glimmer of Hope (In a Garage!)
Almost gave up. Saw a sign for a neighborhood garage sale last Sunday morning. Almost didn’t go. Figured it’d be baby clothes and rusty tools. Boy was I wrong.
Spotted a taped-up cardboard box under a table. Looked old. Asked the nice older lady running it “What’s in there?” She shrugged, “Oh, that’s probably some of my son’s toys from college, I think.” Price sticker on it? $10. Ten dollars. For the whole box. Heart started pounding.
Peeked inside. Chaos. Cables tangled like spaghetti. Some action figures. And boom – there it was. An original Grey Brick Gameboy. Looked rough, but not smashed. Also saw a Gameboy Advance SP peeking out! Missing a battery, looked grimy, but holy smokes! A few loose carts jumbled in too.
Handed her the cash so fast I almost fumbled it. Tried to act calm like it was no big deal. “Thanks! Have a great day!” Got it home. Mission time.
The Gross Cleanup
That SP was nasty. Sticky buttons. Dirt packed everywhere. Opened it up (carefully! watched a video first!), pulled the motherboard. Wiped everything down with rubbing alcohol and Q-tips. Like a weird doctor. Screen got a gentle wipe. The OG Gameboy? Just scrubbed the shell with soapy water and toothbrushes. Used a pencil eraser on the cartridge pins. Disgusting grime came off.
Put the SP back together. Found an old PSP charger that fit it. Plugged it in… red light blinked! Charging! Held my breath. Hit power… GREEN LIGHT! BOOTED! Fired up Tetris. Controls worked! Sound played! Did the same trick for the OG Gameboy – needed 4 AA batteries. Loud hum, screen lit up. YES.
Final cost? Ten bucks for the box. Plus maybe a buck for the batteries. Maybe two bucks for the alcohol and Q-tips? Call it thirteen bucks total for two Gameboys that actually work.
The Game Problem Solved
Had a few carts from the box – Tetris, Super Mario Land. Okay starters, but wanted more. Remembered people talking about those “multicarts.” Not fancy, not “official,” but practical. Found one online advertised as like “100 Classic Games.” Paid under twenty bucks shipped.
Slid it into my cleaned-up SP. Hit the menu button. Screen lit up with a list: Metroid II, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Wario Land, Tetris Blast, Bomberman, Final Fantasy Legend… Tons of them. Ran smooth. Colors looked right. Controls felt tight. Was it the fanciest, most authentic way to play? Nope. But was I playing Metroid II on a real Gameboy? Hell yeah.
Final Verdict? Totally Possible
So yeah, you CAN get that classic Gameboy fun cheap. Forget online auction madness and overpriced shops. Key is patience and looking locally. Get dirty! Clean stuff up! Be realistic about needing “perfect” condition. A beat-up console that WORKS is perfect enough.
The magic combo I found?
- Garage Sales / Flea Markets: Hunt that neglected box.
- Deep Clean: Don’t fear opening it (carefully!) or scrubbing.
- Multicart: Game changer for library access on the cheap.
Final total spent? Console + Multicart: Less than thirty-five bucks. Gameboy? Awesome. Cheap? Totally doable. Now if you’ll excuse me, Bomberman is waiting.
