From the moment that LEGO announced the official LEGO Game Boy set (72046), the online community was abuzz with questions around whether or not it could be converted into an actual functioning handheld gaming system. We had a chance to talk to the team behind BrickBoy, a electronic kit that aims to do just that, currently raising funding on Kickstarter. While other savvy makers have hacked a working emulator into the LEGO model, this team promises a 5-minute conversion that anyone can do at home. We’ll be back soon with a hands-on review of the kit, but first, we sit down with the team to learn more about how the BrickBoy project came together.

TBB: Thanks for chatting with us today! First, can you tell our readers a little about the team behind BrickBoy?

BrickBoy: We are a small team of three friends based in Switzerland: Thomas, Ludovico, and myself, Matteo. We have worked together on several creative and tech projects before. BrickBoy was born shortly after LEGO announced the Game Boy set, from an idea by Thomas, as a playful experiment to bring one of our favorite consoles back to life.

TBB: What is the team’s LEGO background? Are you MOC builders, collectors, or did you grow up with LEGO?

BrickBoy: We all grew up playing with LEGO bricks and video games. I would describe us as builders and creatives rather than collectors. Over the past weeks we have seen what true collectors are capable of — we are not in that league. We simply love building, with and without LEGO, and playing games. At first, we did not plan to make a real product, we just built something fun for ourselves. When we posted videos of the prototype in action on Reddit, they went viral almost immediately. That reaction, and the support from the community, convinced us to keep going. Ironically, those same posts were later removed by moderators for “self‑promotion”, but by then the idea had already taken off.

TBB: Let’s talk about BrickBoy! The first question on nearly every LEGO post about the official Game Boy set is “But can it play games?” Can you tell us about the hardware of BrickBoy and how you were able to make the set playable?

BrickBoy: That question is what started it all. The biggest challenge was miniaturizing all the components to fit inside the unmodified LEGO shell. People want it to feel like LEGO, so we kept everything as close to that as possible. The entire prototyping process followed a LEGO mindset: modular, intuitive, and clean. Inside, BrickBoy benefits from the Raspberry Pi ecosystem, which gives us and our users plenty of room to build around it. We will share more about that in the next weeks. BrickBoy uses a Game Boy emulator, connected to a compact TFT display, an internal battery, and LEGO‑integrated magnetic buttons. We are also testing an external magnetometer to enhance functionality and gaming precision. The goal has always been to make it simple, seamless, and faithful to the LEGO spirit.

TBB: How many LEGO pieces are removed or replaced as part of installing BrickBoy? Does the kit come with any additional pieces?

BrickBoy: Only around 15 to 20 pieces are replaced, and from the outside you would not notice any difference. Everything fits perfectly within the original LEGO shell, keeping the same look and proportions. The kit also includes all the extra components needed to make it playable, plus a couple of small surprises.

TBB: There have been some other viral attempts to make the Game Boy set playable. Is there anything you would like to share about BrickBoy that you feel is unique and sets it apart?

BrickBoy: Most of the other builds were very technical or aimed at modding experts, and they are doing a great job for their niche. BrickBoy, instead, is designed for everyone. If you can build LEGO, you can build BrickBoy. It takes only five minutes to assemble, and the result feels magical. Most of our supporters are LEGO enthusiasts rather than dedicated retro gamers or collectors, and they see BrickBoy as an easy and fun way to transform their LEGO set, build something that works and then play together with their friends and kids. BrickBoy brings to life what is already an iconic LEGO set. It is about reviving the 90s magic, sharing a unique LEGO creation with friends and family, and reliving that joyful simplicity of play retro games.

TBB: With BrickBoy crossing over between a couple of established brands, do you anticipate any potential challenges or hurdles with the funding or fulfillment?

BrickBoy: We are fully aware of the sensitivities involved. BrickBoy is not affiliated with or endorsed by LEGO, Nintendo, or any other game manufacturer. We respect all trademarks and copyrights, and we design our communication and product choices accordingly. The kit must be used only with ROMs that users legally own. We do not distribute and we strongly discourage the use of any unlicensed content. To support lawful use, we have done integration work to facilitate personal cartridge backups with BrickBoy.

TBB: How closely are you monitoring the international shipping and tariff landscape, and how confident are you that BrickBoy will be able to deliver within the stated timeframes?

BrickBoy: This is one of the biggest open questions. Our plan is to ship from the EU and we are already evaluating options to make delivery as smooth as possible worldwide. Our goal is to start shipping in Q1 2026. We are staying realistic, since international logistics can be unpredictable these days, but we will keep our backers informed at every step.

TBB: Thanks again for speaking with us today! Is there anything else you would like to share about BrickBoy before signing off?

BrickBoy: Just that we are incredibly grateful for the enthusiasm and support we have received so far. We cannot wait to see fans around the world build their own BrickBoys, sit back on the couch, and bring that feeling to life, one brick at a time.