Australian creator Jaryd Giesen gives “portable console” new meaning with his incredible working Game Boy Color costume.
Cosplay and costume crafting has always been major parts of conventions worldwide, but cosplays of gaming consoles are typically rarer finds. However, Australian creator Jaryd Giesen took to the challenge and crafted a full-body wearable Game Boy Color in just a mere 5 days.
Additionally, the costume fully functions, displaying an emulated Pokémon game for others to play.
THE GAME BOY COLOR COSTUME
Giesen created the costume for a convention back in July 2021, using some cardboard and impressively jerry-rigged electronics.
So, the first major challenge was to figure out how to run a game to make the costume playable. At first, Giesen hooked up a Raspberry Pi to a projector to run an emulator for the costume’s screen.
However, a lucky find of a secondhand monitor compatible with the power supply simplified the costume’s design. Ultimately, it also became more realistic, as the costume looked and functioned exactly like a real Game Boy Color.
Moreover, Giesen used a Raspberry Pi Pico for the buttons, transforming them from basic cardboard shapes to usable Game Boy controllers. With what can only be described as resourceful crafting, the stack of cardboard became a real console.
At the event, convention-goers collectively played through a version of Pokémon Red/Blue. They slowly made their way from Palette Town up to Route 2. It was a wholesome moment of community gaming, and a real feat of constume construction.
Watch Giesen’s full video on his YouTube channel below:
See more of Giesen’s work on his YouTube channel here!
