SGBC FPGA Console Aims to Bring Game Boy Cartridges to the TV

A new independently developed FPGA console called the SGBC is being positioned as a compact living-room home for original Game Boy-family cartridges. Created by French electronic engineer Thomas Sanfourche, who is studying in Taiwan, the hardware is intended to play Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance games on a television through a 1080p HDMI connection.

The project began as a university graduation assignment before growing into a broader hardware ambition. Encouragement from retro-gaming players in Taiwan helped push the idea beyond its academic origins, and Sanfourche now plans to bring the SGBC to a wider audience. At present, people interested in following its progress can register for notifications through the project's email newsletter, while further details on timing, price and final availability have not been announced.

A cartridge-focused FPGA system

The central appeal of the SGBC is straightforward: it is built around the physical cartridges many players have kept from Nintendo's handheld history. The system is planned to accept games from three generations of the Game Boy line, spanning the original monochrome Game Boy, the color-capable Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance software.

That scope matters because those three formats represent a major portion of portable gaming's most enduring library. They include games designed for very different screens, aspect ratios and color capabilities, yet the SGBC's concept is to give them a shared place beneath a television rather than asking players to use original portable hardware. The device's compact design also emphasizes the cartridges themselves, presenting it as a dedicated piece of hardware for collections that have remained on shelves for years.

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FPGA-based gaming hardware has become an increasingly visible part of the retro scene. These systems use field-programmable gate array technology as part of their effort to recreate the behavior of older game hardware. For enthusiasts, the attraction is often a console-like experience centered on original media and dedicated inputs rather than a general-purpose computer setup. The SGBC enters that expanding field as a much smaller independent effort, developed by an individual engineer rather than one of the more established hardware brands.

1080p HDMI with integer scaling planned

The SGBC is designed to connect to a TV using 1080p HDMI output. Sanfourche has said the system will upscale games in whole-number increments and use integer scaling to preserve the proportional look of the original pixels. That is an important feature for a machine intended to display handheld titles on far larger modern panels.

Older Game Boy games were made for small screens with a distinctly pixel-based appearance. Simply stretching that image to fill a television can make pixels uneven or distort the intended presentation. Integer scaling instead enlarges the image in consistent steps, keeping the pixel grid aligned and avoiding the uneven results that can occur when a picture is resized by arbitrary amounts. The stated goal for the SGBC is therefore not merely to get a cartridge image onto a TV, but to retain the deliberate shape and clarity of the original artwork.

There are still unanswered questions surrounding display options, including whether the final system will offer additional video modes, screen treatments or aspect-ratio settings. Those features have not been confirmed. What has been outlined so far is the 1080p HDMI connection and a focus on whole-number scaling that keeps pixels intact in proportion.

Link cable support could bring multiplayer to the big screen

One of the most notable planned functions is link port connectivity. This would allow compatible games to use the social features that helped define the Game Boy era, including multiplayer sessions and Pokémon trades. Players will need to provide a link cable for that functionality.

For many Game Boy and Game Boy Color owners, the link cable was as memorable as the cartridges. It enabled competitive matches, co-operative play and the trading systems that became inseparable from Pokémon's early generations. Bringing that connectivity to an HDMI-equipped home console could make those activities easier to share with a room full of people, while still retaining the physical connection associated with the original hardware.

The inclusion also suggests that the SGBC is not being framed solely as a way to revisit single-player classics. Link support acknowledges that some of the most beloved software on these systems was built around interaction between two players and, in Pokémon's case, the exchange of creatures between separate game saves. The precise limits of the implementation have not yet been detailed, so compatibility expectations beyond the announced link-port feature should remain cautious until the hardware is closer to release.

Speed modes and microSD features are on the roadmap

Sanfourche has also promised speed modes for the SGBC. These are intended to let players fast-forward through portions of games they already know, which could be particularly useful in lengthy role-playing games or in sequences that require repeated attempts. The feature would give users a degree of convenience that was never part of the original Game Boy experience, while the console remains focused on playing the older library.

In addition to the cartridge slot, the SGBC is planned to include built-in microSD card support. The project describes this as a way to keep a ROM library on the system, select titles through the SGBC's main menus, and update firmware when improvements or upgrades are available. Firmware update support is especially relevant for a developing FPGA product, since refinements can be made after the first hardware units are produced.

These features put the SGBC at an intersection between physical-media nostalgia and modern flexibility. Original cartridges remain a major part of its identity, but the planned microSD functionality means the device is not limited to a strictly cartridge-only workflow. The system's final interface, supported file formats, storage limits and other practical details have not been specified, so prospective users will need to wait for more technical information before drawing conclusions about how its library management will work in day-to-day use.

A design inspired by Nintendo's earliest handheld

Visually, the SGBC takes clear inspiration from the original Game Boy DMG. Its design uses warm gray across the upper shell, black underneath, and burgundy details on the controls. That palette recalls the famously chunky Nintendo handheld without simply turning the new device into a full-size replica.

The use of those familiar burgundy buttons is a small but deliberate touch. The original Game Boy's design has remained iconic for decades, and the SGBC's colors signal the era it is celebrating at a glance. At the same time, the console is intended for a modern TV setup, creating a blend of old visual language and present-day display hardware.

The hardware also appears to include an SNES controller port. This is intended for people who want to use legitimate Nintendo controllers with the machine. It is a fitting addition for a TV-oriented Game Boy system: handheld games were originally controlled on the device itself, but a home-console setup benefits from a traditional pad. Specific controller compatibility has not been fully outlined, but the visible port points to an effort to make the system feel at home beside older Nintendo hardware.

An emerging project in a busy FPGA landscape

The SGBC arrives at a time when FPGA gaming hardware is attracting attention from both established names and newcomers. Projects such as Taki Udon's SuperStation One, updates involving Analogue's SG and NT hardware, and ModRetro's M64 illustrate how active the space has become. Against that backdrop, Sanfourche's console stands out because of its independent beginnings and its narrow, focused purpose.

Rather than attempting to cover every retro platform, the SGBC is built around the Game Boy family. That focus could be valuable if the project delivers on its announced design: original Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance cartridges on a 1080p display; integer-scaled visuals; link connectivity; speed controls; microSD features; firmware updates; and an aesthetic shaped by Nintendo's first handheld.

For now, it remains a promising work in progress rather than a fully detailed retail product. There is no confirmed launch date, cost, preorder information or final specification sheet. Even so, the SGBC is an appealing reminder that new retro hardware does not only come from large companies. A graduation project can grow into a serious attempt to preserve the feel of beloved cartridge libraries, with just enough contemporary convenience to make them easier to enjoy on a modern television.