The Game Boy Color may be one of the most under-appreciated mobile devices in Nintendo’s history. When it launched in 1998, it arrived a bit later than it probably should have and lacked a backlit screen—a feature I would have welcomed. Despite these shortcomings, I didn’t complain at the time. After all, I finally had a full-color Game Boy in my hands, and that felt revolutionary. Now, with modern mods available, I’ve found new ways to breathe life into this iconic handheld, transforming it into a retro gaming masterpiece.

One such mod is the Game Boy Color OLED upgrade, which replaces the original screen with a vibrant, energy-efficient display. This mod feels like the Game Boy Color getting a modern makeover, much like the Switch OLED model. The result? A brighter, crisper screen that makes my retro gaming experience look better than ever.

I recently had the chance to showcase this OLED mod, and the simplicity and vast improvements it offers over previous mods are incredible. During a live stream, I installed an AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) screen—a variation of OLED that’s optimized for battery-operated devices—into my Game Boy Color.

The OLED mod brings several advantages over traditional IPS (In-Plane Switching) displays, including individually lit pixels, better contrast, and more vibrant colors. I noticed these improvements particularly in games with dark backgrounds, like Metroid, where the image seamlessly blends into the black bezel of the screen. This was a huge improvement over the old LCD screens that required backlighting, which washed out the display and made it feel less sharp.

I also discovered that the OLED screen significantly improves battery life compared to the IPS mod. After some testing, I found that a stock Game Boy Color lasts around 10 hours on two AA batteries. An IPS-modded unit drops that time to about 5.5 hours, but the OLED upgrade pushes it back up to roughly 7-12 hours. The boost in battery life is especially impressive for such a vibrant and energy-efficient display.

The installation process for the OLED mod turned out to be easier than I expected. I only had to make minor adjustments, like trimming down some insulating film and swapping screws, which made this mod much simpler than my previous IPS install. The OLED mod also introduces a touch-sensitive interface for adjusting settings like brightness and color modes—a vast improvement over the occasionally frustrating touch sensor in the IPS mod.

While I absolutely love the OLED screen, there are a couple of drawbacks. It doesn’t dim as much as the IPS display, even on the lowest brightness setting, which can be an issue if I’m playing in a really dark environment. There’s also no option for a white bezel with the OLED mod, something I missed after using the IPS version, where the white bezel looked great.

Despite these minor issues, I’m thrilled with the OLED mod. It’s a huge upgrade that combines modern technology with retro gaming in the best way possible. With a sleek design, improved battery life, and an intuitive touchscreen interface, this mod has taken my Game Boy Color experience to a whole new level.