Are Pigrrl Kits worth what they cost? (thinking about a Game Boy Zero)

Having trouble with your GBZ build? Ask your questions here!
Post Reply
aviphysics
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Aug 20, 2017 11:11 am

Are Pigrrl Kits worth what they cost? (thinking about a Game Boy Zero)

Post by aviphysics » Tue Sep 19, 2017 10:51 pm

Thinking about making a Game Boy Zero. Mainly interested in playing some of the SNES games I missed out on, back when I had a Sega Genesis instead. All the Game Boy Zero's you are all showing off are really sweet, but also seem pretty pricey.

The Pigrrl Zero kits seems pretty cheap by comparison, but I am wondering if they would really save me much of anything and if I could scrape together a better gameboy zero for about the same, without spending hours scavenging for parts.

It seems like the pigrrl kit costs about $73 for the kit plus battery.
I have a decent 3d printer to make at least my first case.
In videos, the buttons sound really sharp and clicky, which I think seems not so great. They have soft click buttons, which would add about 5$ to the cost.
So about $80 total.

I think the main thing I am worried about is whether or not the screen will be so terrible that I will wish I had got something else.

cobramike
Posts: 230
Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2016 12:31 am
Location: Gelderland, Netherlands
Has thanked: 55 times
Been thanked: 60 times

Re: Are Pigrrl Kits worth what they cost? (thinking about a Game Boy Zero)

Post by cobramike » Wed Sep 20, 2017 12:51 am

First off all the pigrrl is a good start project. I have one two and i learnd aloud from it. The screen is ok for emulation games. And when you add 30 you can make a nice gameboy zero. Its up to you. There aloud off youtube videos and here on Sudo you can find some info on how to build your own GameBoyZero

Greets Mike
Whooo Stop befor ask in a post. First use the search or the wiki befor you make a topic.. Just saying.........

User avatar
YaYa
Posts: 1719
Joined: Mon Jun 26, 2017 12:42 pm
Location: brittany - France
Has thanked: 871 times
Been thanked: 689 times
Contact:

Re: Are Pigrrl Kits worth what they cost? (thinking about a Game Boy Zero)

Post by YaYa » Wed Sep 20, 2017 4:45 am

It's a matter of taste... pigrrl, in my own opinion, will always look DIY whereas GBZ can look stock (printed case vs. aftermarket case)
Which for me, is making a huge difference as i love fancy looking stuffs :mrgreen:
Follow me on instagram Image

aviphysics
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Aug 20, 2017 11:11 am

Re: Are Pigrrl Kits worth what they cost? (thinking about a Game Boy Zero)

Post by aviphysics » Thu Sep 21, 2017 12:29 pm

cobramike wrote:
Wed Sep 20, 2017 12:51 am
First off all the pigrrl is a good start project. I have one two and i learnd aloud from it. The screen is ok for emulation games. And when you add 30 you can make a nice gameboy zero. Its up to you. There aloud off youtube videos and here on Sudo you can find some info on how to build your own GameBoyZero

Greets Mike
What is the go to inexpensive game boy zero screen for people in the U.S.? Finding a decent screen without dumping a bunch of money is the part I find most intimidating.

BTW after seeing the Freeplay Zero, it is real tempting to do a build in a GBA case or something similar. Seems almost ideal for SNES style games.

User avatar
rodocop
Posts: 1723
Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2016 3:14 pm
Location: Saskatchewan
Has thanked: 606 times
Been thanked: 608 times

Re: Are Pigrrl Kits worth what they cost? (thinking about a Game Boy Zero)

Post by rodocop » Thu Sep 21, 2017 12:33 pm

aviphysics wrote:
Thu Sep 21, 2017 12:29 pm

What is the go to inexpensive game boy zero screen for people in the U.S.? Finding a decent screen without dumping a bunch of money is the part I find most intimidating.

BTW after seeing the Freeplay Zero, it is real tempting to do a build in a GBA case or something similar. Seems almost ideal for SNES style games.
This is the screen I always buy:

https://www.gearbest.com/development-bo ... 29447.html

You can get screens from amazon too for similar prices, but you are never sure of which variant you will be getting. The current gearbest screen is always the same, and it does not need a 5V modification.

darthwolf
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Aug 18, 2017 2:29 pm
Has thanked: 5 times
Been thanked: 4 times

Re: Are Pigrrl Kits worth what they cost? (thinking about a Game Boy Zero)

Post by darthwolf » Sat Sep 23, 2017 5:35 am

rodocop wrote:
Thu Sep 21, 2017 12:33 pm
This is the screen I always buy:

https://www.gearbest.com/development-bo ... 29447.html

You can get screens from amazon too for similar prices, but you are never sure of which variant you will be getting. The current gearbest screen is always the same, and it does not need a 5V modification.
That's the screen I got myself also. However mine did need a 5V mod but it was very easy to do, just needed to solder one jumper wire.

MrDralixx
Posts: 56
Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2017 11:35 am
Has thanked: 7 times
Been thanked: 24 times

Re: Are Pigrrl Kits worth what they cost? (thinking about a Game Boy Zero)

Post by MrDralixx » Tue Sep 26, 2017 8:53 pm

Whenever you're buying a "kit" there's going to be some cost involved for the convenience factor. It boils down to what YOU want though.

Personally, I did the PiGrrl2 build. I bought a lot of the stuff on my own over a period of time and put it together early last year. Being new to the "how much stuff can I cram into a small space?" club, I didn't know of much in the way of alternatives (still don't, still learning) so that seemed the easiest route. I still bought things separately and it took a while as some parts were out of stock a lot. (the gamepad PCB in particular). The overall product is enjoyable though and I earned a bunch of kudos points with co-workers.

Yes. Using regular tactile switches is a little loud. To be honest, I hardly noticed it after a while. I currently have a half-built PiGrrl Zero as well and am using the same type of tactile switches (because I bought a lot). I agree on the quieter switches, but you'll have to find some for the L & R buttons in the back of that build too.

Do they look DIY? Yes. I go back and forth on that. On one hand, having something that looks like it was officially made is pretty cool. (and I'll probably end up building a GBZ in the future because of that) But on the other hand, going with a DIY look has its advantages as you can modify it the way you want. My PiGrrl 2 has a wood filament case. Before I did anything, I sanded that thing down, stained it, and then added a few coats of clear to it. I'm pleased with how it looks in the end. Is it the greatest? Hell no. But just like your first car, you're always going to look at it in a special way regardless.

In the end, it's not up to us. Do what you want. You already know you're going to build more anyway. Either way, you're going to have fun and come up with at least 3 "Man! I should have done that too!" ideas when you finish.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest