Developer creates GameBoy emulator with ‘widescreen option’

A developer has created an emulator for Nintendo’s GameBoy console that can exceed the boundaries of the square image. This allows GameBoy games with a wider aspect ratio to be played, although it does have limitations.

The developer explains that the emulator called WideGB is based on the already existing SameBoy emulator and that it is very similar to the previously released WideNES. Like this latter emulator for the NES console, users can check a widescreen option. This stretches the game’s image boundaries and allows the window to be resized to any aspect ratio. The result is also a somewhat zoomed out perspective.

Like WideNES, WideGB works by basically recording the screen display as the playing field moves past. The parts of the playing field that were previously visible are used for a wider view. This means that with a new game or in a new area, WideGB users won’t immediately have a “widescreen display” because the emulator is only able to record the areas after moving the character and shifting the playing field.

Another limitation is the fact that sprites are not included. These are often applied to the npc’s and that means that these elements do not disappear at the edge of the screen when moving through the playing field, but disappear earlier. The developer acknowledges that it doesn’t look pretty, but it does have the advantage of being theoretically compatible with any game. The emulator should work with most games and has been tested with Pokémon Red, Gold, Super Mario Land 2 and Zelda: Link’s Awakening.

The source code is posted on GitHub and a version of the emulator is already out for macOS. This is not yet the case for Windows. According to the developer, SameBoy, and therefore WideGB, works on Windows, but the code for this operating system still needs some work. However, the Windows version should follow soon.