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Game Boy Color completely transparent: from circuit board to cartridge slot

12.8.2025

Translation: machine translated

A Game Boy Color like you've never seen it before: completely transparent, from the housing to the circuit board. Modder Natalie the Nerd shows how technology becomes a design object.

You may recognise transparent Game Boy cases from the 90s. But you've never seen anything like it. The Australian modder Natalie the Nerd has built a working Game Boy Color in which not only the housing is transparent, but also the motherboard. The result is a rare glimpse into the inner workings of a console. Without any optical barriers.

Plate made from transparent plastic

For the project, Natalie completely reverse-engineered the inner workings of the Game Boy Colour. The circuit board is made of a clear, acrylic-like plastic. Fine copper tracks run along it, which are visible under the surface like a technical work of art. To make this possible, it has dispensed with the usual large ground layer. With relatively simple hardware like that of the Game Boy Color, the console still remains functional.

This is the transparent motherboard of the Game Boy Color, developed and built by Australian modder Natalie the Nerd.
Source: @natalie_thenerd / X

The transparent circuit board was manufactured by a specialised third-party provider. The material melts at around 200 degrees Celsius, which is why Natalie had to be particularly careful when soldering so as not to cause any clouding or damage.

Clear conductor tracks: The transparent Game Boy Colour board exposes every connection.
Source: @natalie_thenerd / X

Completely transparent: from housing to cartridge slot

The housing, buttons and cartridge slot are also transparent. Natalie used parts from a Chinese replica for this. In combination with the clear circuit board, this creates a look that is not only nostalgic, but also like a modern design object.

Natalie herself describes the transparent Game Boy Color as fragile and not intended for everyday use. It is more of an art project than a portable gaming companion. The project therefore remains a one-off. Series production would be too complex, too expensive and too fragile.