Unlike the Game Boy Pocket, the Game Boy Color has a few screen kits available that require no soldering to install. This article reviews one of them, and the HISPEEDIDO Q5 kit is also one of the cheaper ones available. At less than £50 (if you’re lucky), this option will backlight your Game Boy Color with a new, beautiful screen and there are touch options to change brightness and color, even if your soldering skill aren’t up to the job. If you do want to solder, this will mean that you can change brightness and color options with the buttons rather than the often-to-sensitive touch pads. Either way, read on for a short review of one of the best screen kits available for the Game Boy Color.

Installation

The kit comes packaged very nicely, and as it was originally developed in China, being well-packaged is a good thing. It includes the laminated screen, the screen board, some ribbon cables, some wires for soldering, and some paperwork. Now you don’t need to solder for this kit to work, but if you want button controls for the screen options, then its best to solder. I have decided to use the easy option and have gone solderless since I don’t mind touch controls for screen options. Once I opened the donor Game Boy Color I disconnected the ribbon cable of the old screen, removed it, then attached the screen board to the new screen, then linked the ribbon cable to the donor Game Boy Color. I closed it all up and tested it and it worked great. It is that simple (oh, and you need to place the touch sensors in comfortable positions in the shell). Some of these kits do have issues, such as flashing screens or sound issues. This is rare though and be sure to contact your supplier if this occurs.

Screen and Features

The new HISPEEDIDO Q5 (laminated) screen looks shiny, bright, and colorful, with multiple viewing angles. Compared to the original screen it shines as a modern take on the classic Game Boy Color formula. There are 5 brightness options, and what’s striking is that this screen mod doesn’t seem to drain the battery as fast as other mods such as the FunnyPlaying or RetroSix mods. I find that generally the Game Boy Color mods do not drain the battery as fast as the Game Boy Advance mods. There are also color modes with the kit. Unlike when changing Game Boy Pocket screen mod color options changing the options doesn’t affect the general picture contrast (which could be seen as a positive or a negative), and even though most of these color options are just a novelty, it’s nice to have them regardless. Overall, a great screen with great options.

Laminated Vs Non-Laminated

With this kit, I chose the laminated version. There is also a HISPEEDIDO option of non-laminated. A laminated screen is a screen that has a lens attached to the actual screen hardware. So, there is no need for an old (or new) screen lens to attach to the finished Game Boy Color. The laminated screens, which are available for the GBA and GBC and are made by FunnyPlaying, RetroSix, and HISPEEDIDO are often the premium option and generally are a better experience because of better brightness and sometimes easier installation. However, I know this first hand, the lens on a non-laminated GBC or GBA will protect the screen if you drop it on a hard surface. It will be the lens that smashes rather than the laminated screen. The lens is a lot cheaper to replace (on a non-laminated Game Boy screen mod). Keep this in mind if you live somewhere without carpets or if the console will be used by small children.

Conclusion

To sum up, the HISPEEDIDO Q5 (Laminated) Game Boy Color screen kit is an easy-to-install upgrade for your Game Boy Color that will add brightness, and great picture quality to your handheld for a relatively cheap price. It seems the mod doesn’t drain the battery as fast as other screen kits, and you can install it without even knowing how to solder! The picture quality is really great and provides multiple viewing angles. If there’s a few drawbacks those are the small chance that your kit will have an issue (which is really hit and miss but generally unlikely), and also the fact that laminated kits can smash if dropped. However, overall this is a great upgrade for your Game Boy Color.

BongoBongo123

BongoBongo123 is an avid Zelda fan who also likes the odd game of Smash. His interests in gaming are broad but he loves a good Metroidvania or action RPGs.