Self-Taught Modder Creates Fully Transparent, Functional Game Boy Color Circuit Board — Stunning with Fully Transparent Shell

Alright, here goes nothing. Picture this: a Game Boy Color that you can literally see through. Kinda wild, right? Well, Natalie, who goes by @natalie_thenerd, just pulled it off, and it’s blowing my mind a bit. She whipped up this clear Game Boy by giving the PCB a see-through makeover — you can see all those copper traces like tiny highways for electricity. No idea why this stuck with me, but it’s like looking at a circuit board’s soul or something.

So, Natalie cooked up her own plans to make it work and nixed the ground zone bit so it’s super clear. Apparently, it’s not a big deal for this console because it’s pretty simple, electronics-wise. Anyway, she got this clear PCB made by some company, using a material that could melt at just over 200 degrees Celsius. Honestly, that feels like a baking soda volcano mishap waiting to happen if you’re not careful soldering those chips. Whoa, sidetracked there. Where was I? Oh yeah…

Everything on this custom Game Boy is clear — I mean, you can see right through the cartridge reader, which is from some Chinese Game Boy wannabe. The whole thing paired with a matching clear casing and keys. It’s like a ghost of my childhood gaming days, but cooler.

Now, the sad part (for us, anyway): this clear Game Boy, it’s a one-of-a-kind art piece. So nope, you can’t snag one off eBay. And honestly, this thing might not survive a gamer tantrum; it’s flexible and fragile. Some folks were like, “What if we use silver traces? Or maybe throw in some backlighting?” I guess if anyone could make that happen, it’d be Natalie and her Modded Gameboy Club pals.

A few dreamers out there are even thinking about using this see-through vibe on other gadgets like the Nothing Phone 2. Transparent tech is having a comeback — look at clear power banks and SSD enclosures — but till they make these clear PCBs tougher and cheaper, don’t hold your breath for it to hit the big time.

Anyway, hats off to Natalie. Her see-through Game Boy is the kind of nerdy creativity that makes me love this modding universe. Man, what a ride.