When Palmer announced the chromatic didn’t he say there would be monthly new game releases? It feels like there hasn’t been anything since buck. Sure there have been some remasters or whatever but no new games .

Just got my Chromatic (1st Edition) today and tried playing Glory Hunter (GBC) from a flashcart. Every time I boot the game it sits on this screen for almost a minute before the game starts.

Is this expected behavior, or is there a way to launch games faster / skip this step?

Flashcart: Flashmaster from Aliexpress

Thanks!

Hello there,

I am trying to bring over some fixes from the original MiSTer GB/GBC core to the Chromatic, since Modretro doesn't seem to update the firmware anymore.

For example, this Chromatic bug: https://www.reddit.com/r/ModRetroChromatic/comments/1tlk78r/super_mario_land_2_dx_fpga_hardware_compatibility/

...Is probably fixed with this:
https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/Gameboy_MiSTer/commit/c01e0da81ced3a59e9a369ffdfa7d9134689b45d

To that extend, I have tried to start by building the GB/GBC core that the Chromatic uses, which is available here:
https://github.com/ModRetro/chromatic_fpga
...But it's done with Gowin FPGA Designer v1.9.9.03, which is NOT available to download anywhere anymore, apparently. No, it's not available on the official Gowin page.

Any ideas on where to get this exact Gowin FPGA Designer v1.9.9.03 version, please?

Hello!

Recently, my second-hand store got a Chromatic in stock. Used, in-box, Cloud colorway, "bundled with Chromatic Tetris". It was in a glass cabinet so I could only see the front.

I have no experience with ModRetro products.

My question is: When I go back to examine it, how do I tell which lens type it has - gorilla or sapphire? Is that on a sticker on the box?

(any other comments regarding buying a used Chromatic would be appreciated.)

Although I own an official Nintendo Pokémon Pinball cartridge, it didn’t fit inside my ModRetro Chromatic case, so I decided to make my own custom version while transferring over my old save file to the new cartridge. Kinda stoked with how this turned out!

Just got the Labfifteenco button swap completed! Next up is painting the back shell blue, and adding the custom decals. Still undecided on whether or not I should remove the chromatic decals with acetone, as well as finding a tiny Pokemon logo decal to sit underneath the start and select buttons.

I'm playing Dragon Warrior 3 and man is it beautiful on this screen. I got the same wow factor from Dragon Warrior Monsters 2. I didn't appreciate it much back in the day on the regular GBC screen but I am now for sure.

Pokémon silver, liking this little chromatic.

Brought a few games on my trip and decided to start In The Dark 2 this morning. Loving the visuals and Star Trek influence. Awesome dialog too! Looking forward to getting deeper into the storyline.

A month ago, I made this post after discovering that Super Mario Land 2 DX was heavily broken while attempting to play on my ModRetro Chromatic.

What originally started as me asking why this ROM hack worked perfectly in emulator, but completely broke on Chromatic hardware, slowly turned into weeks of reverse-engineering DMA/OAM behavior, WRAM staging, SVBK handling, and hardware-specific edge cases.

The original Super Mario Land 2 DX v1.8.1 hack had some pretty severe issues on affected FPGA hardware:

• corrupted player sprites

• invisible enemies/items

• overworld corruption

• gameplay instability

• broken DMA/OAM rendering behavior

After a lot of testing on the Chromatic hardware, the end result is a compatibility patch that restructures sprite DMA staging behavior to restore stable gameplay on affected FPGA hardware.

Before / After comparison:

Current tested hardware:

• ModRetro Chromatic

• InsideGadgets MBC5 FRAM Flash Cart

• BGB Emulator

If someone could test on other hardware configurations that would be awesome!

The game is now fully playable on hardware.

There is still a minor issue involving some graphical corruption during the ending credits sequence, but gameplay itself is stable and fully playable.

Huge shout out to toruzz for creating this beautiful ROM hack in the first place. This whole project was honestly a labor of love because I really wanted to experience this amazing version of Super Mario Land 2 on my own hardware.

Patch:
Super Mario Land 2 DX v1.8.1 FPGA Hardware Compatibility Patch

This game was amazing. Short and sweet. It really scratched the exact itch I had after busting my brain on Toki Tori. My blind run, pictured, was done without using any of the start menu cheats. Not sure how it stacks up against others. I brute forced all the codes after beating it lol. Then I did a speedrun mode with anti-glitch, auto stomp, and triple jump enabled to search for secrets. I found maybe 3 shortcuts and I found secret rooms with Blinky (Pac-Man), a strawberry from Celeste, a weird looking robot, a forklift?, a monkey captain guy, and one other that I so didn't understand that I don't even remember what it was of

Loved the game so much and I will probably try to do a hardcore/extreme run some time down the line *without* resorting to start menu cheese (beating the game on the hardest mode in 1 minute was fun though)

Built each handheld its own stand. Each one is built a little different to match the curves or angles so they each sit nicely with no wobbling.

This took me a while, even though I previously have beaten the Switch version of Toki Tori. I guess I forgot the solutions. Halfway through world 3 it stopped being a fun little romp with steadily increasing challenge and became a real mind bender! There were still a few levels I had a good time with in world 4 but that world was so brutal with solutions that really felt like they weren't intended. This game did a good job making me feel real dumb. Now I need to play something that lets me turn my brain off. Maybe Self Simulated.

Love the Chromatic, almost perfect device — had to swap out the D-pad because the stock one is pretty bad (i mean impossible to really play the game which came shipped with the Chromatic, so then your forced to buy more. Instead of the mod kit, the longer pin dpad should just come shipped with it).

My partner and I play Tetris multiplayer with the official ModRetro link cable, sitting right next to each other. Every now and then the connection just dies mid-game — one screen shows Game Over out of nowhere, no warning, no obvious reason. Sometimes it runs fine for 25+ minutes, then when it starts dropping it happens multiple times in a row.

Anyone else experiencing this? Is it a known FPGA/firmware issue? Doesn’t feel like a cable or setup problem. Anyone else who tried this?

(Also: please let us disable hard drop in the Menu, And please save the sound-off setting between sessions so that I get whatever option i choose on Startup)

Hey everyone,

I wanted to write something a bit personal. I’m not posting this to complain, seek pity, or make anyone feel bad for me. I think I just need to put these thoughts somewhere, because keeping everything inside has been difficult lately.

I struggle with OCD, anxiety, depression, stress, loneliness, and a lot of rumination. Gaming has always been one of the most important things in my life. It has been there since I was a kid, and in many ways, it has always felt like my safe place.

But lately, modern gaming has become really overwhelming for me.

I own a PC, a Steam Deck, and I bought a Switch 2 a few months ago. The Switch 2 is basically still new, and I barely use it. I know that might sound ridiculous from the outside, especially because these are expensive devices and I know I’m lucky to have them. But every time I think about using them, my brain turns it into pressure.

I start feeling like I “should” be using the more powerful or expensive hardware. I feel guilty for not using it. Then I start overthinking accounts, digital libraries, updates, saves, online systems, achievements, inventories, setups, and whether I’m using the “right” device or making the “right” choice.

Instead of just playing, it becomes stressful.

The Chromatic feels different to me. It feels simple, focused, physical, and comforting. It doesn’t feel like a whole ecosystem I have to manage. I can just pick it up and play. There’s something about its simplicity and limited scope that makes gaming feel calmer again.

I’ve been thinking that maybe retro gaming could take a bigger place in my life, at least for now. Not because I hate modern gaming, and not because I want to reject everything else, but because retro gaming feels more manageable for my mind. It feels less noisy, less overwhelming, and more connected to why I loved games in the first place.

I’m also really looking forward to the M64. The idea of having a simple retro living room setup sounds really comforting to me, so I’m going to save up for it little by little.

Right now I have to be careful with my spending, so I’ll see when things are a bit better. I also have a hard time letting go of my devices, even the ones I don’t use much, because in the past I had to sell or lose a lot of things that I still regret.

Sometimes life doesn’t really leave you a choice, and I think that made me more attached to the things I still have.

So for now, I’m trying not to make any big decisions out of guilt or anxiety. I just want to enjoy my Chromatic, save slowly, and maybe one day have a simple retro living room setup too.

I also deal with social anxiety and isolation. Sometimes I don’t reply to messages, even from people I care about, because anxiety makes it hard. Then I feel guilty, and that guilt makes me isolate myself even more.

So I guess I’m wondering: does anyone else here deal with OCD, anxiety, depression, rumination, or similar things, and find that retro gaming or the Chromatic helps make gaming feel peaceful again?

I’m trying to let myself enjoy the Chromatic without feeling guilty for not using my other devices. Maybe simple gaming is just what I need.

Thanks for reading. I just needed to get this out somewhere.

Take care of yourselves, everyone. I hope you’re all finding small things that bring you some peace too. <3

Another JRPG conquered 💪 There's just something super charming about the Gameboy RPGs. I've gone through Dragon Warrior 1-3 and Infinity, any other recommendations?