Epilogue GB Operator Review: Play Your Game Boy Games on a Laptop

I discovered this for myself when loading my copy of Pokémon Gold-if I caught them all in 2001, I will never be able to confirm it, because the battery died at some point in the last quarter century (!). Starting it via GB Operator was like turning it on for the first time. However, if had still contained my surely finished Pokédex, I could have copied that data to my laptop’s hard drive, replaced the battery in the cartridge (a tedious process, but doable), then reloaded the save on it – magic.

However, it should be noted that at present it all depends on the actual backup processes of the cartridge. Although “instant” virtual saves (capturing a game at a given point in time) are on Epilogue’s roadmap, the feature is not yet available. It will first be tested via the experimental “Nightly Builds” build of Playback (found at the bottom of the download page) before being fully implemented.

You can also use GB Operator to dump the entire core game data from a basket you personally own, allowing you to make a legal copy for your own archiving purposes (don’t share; that’s where it becomes piracy). The process itself is quick, depending on the size of the game, but even the biggest games on the Game Boy Advance were 32MB at most. Even if you save a game this way, GB Operator still needs the original cart to run anything: you can’t just load the saved ROM through the playback software.

Finally, if you’re an aspiring developer or like retro-style indie games, it lets you transfer homebrew games created via GB Studio to a flash cart and play them on a real Game Boy. This is another niche, but interesting, feature that allows today’s creators to build on the legacy of beloved handhelds.

Honestly, it’s hard to find much fault with the GB operator. Even pointing out that it lacks real portability (sure, it’s tiny, but having to connect it to a computer robs it of the grip-and-play appeal of the handheld consoles it pays homage to) feels like splitting hairs. Ultimately, it does everything it promises, all for under $50.

This is a wonderful piece of kit, and the overall performance and usefulness bodes very well for Epilogue’s upcoming SN Operator, which aims to do the same thing for the Super Nintendo as it does for the Game Boy family (and a mysterious “?? Operator” to follow). If you’re looking for a simple, low-budget way to revisit or revive your Game Boy collection, this is your best option.