NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090. AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT. Heck, maybe even the PlayStation 5. These are all powerful gaming products you'd expect to associate with cryptocurrency mining. Well, thanks to one YouTuber, you can add the Game Boy to that list.
The YouTuber stacksmashing has modded his original Game Boy console into a fully functioning Bitcoin miner, using a Raspberry Pi Pico and the Game Link Cable.
While it may not be the most powerful or efficient crypto mining setup out there, it does show that almost anything can be turned into a mining processor to feed the rising demands of cryptocurrency.
Here's how it's done.
How to turn Game Boy into crypto mining processor
Given the Game Boy is now over 30 years old, its technology poses some problems for budding miners. As crypto mining requires a stable internet connection, stacksmashing used a Raspberry Pi Pico to connect the Game Boy to a PC.
To connect the two devices, the YouTuber used the Game Boy Link Cable. However, as the Link Cable and Raspberry Pi run at different voltages, he had to use another adapter to convert the voltage.
Mining Bitcoin on the Game Boy also requires a bespoke ROM that needs to be loaded onto the Game Boy via a USB. You can see the full setup below:
How powerful is the Game Boy for crypto mining?
As you'd expect, it's not very good at Bitcoin mining.
stacksmashing reported that the Game Boy has a hash rate of 0.8 hashes per second, which means the console should take "only a couple of quadrillion years to mine a bitcoin", according to the YouTuber. When you throw in the batteries needed to run the Game Boy, it's even less profitable.
So, if you're wanting to get into the cryptocurrency mining business, we'd recommend probably avoiding the Game Boy. Maybe the Nintendo DS fares better.
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