Maybe one day when Im in Japan I will buy a bunch
What will be the price for the cartridge that contains the wallet?
Topic: GameBoy Hardware Wallet! (Read 325 times)
The prices for these are pretty insane. Why it is not the best idea to buy them for the forum you should probably buy and resell them in Europe. There you can get 50-100 USD for one GameBoy and have pretty epic profit margins if you can buy them in Japan. Since those are used you would probably not have any customs problems taking them with you in an airplane.
Maybe one day when Im in Japan I will buy a bunch
What will be the price for the cartridge that contains the wallet?
Maybe one day when Im in Japan I will buy a bunch
What will be the price for the cartridge that contains the wallet?
How about this bulk shopping for all bitcointalk gang and delivering directly from Japan? 
Current total price is $19 and 17 hours till auction ends.
Current total price is $19 and 17 hours till auction ends.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to do a group action for the forum!
I'd be interested in taking one for testing. But from a personal point of view, I'd rather wait for them to release their code on Github before doing any shopping related to this, so I'll have time to have a good look at it and be sure of myself.
Some of them looks in a bad shape (on the photo), it could be great to take some hardware parts too if you order these units, no ?
I saw a shop in Akihabara, Japan, that they are selling these types of vintage consoles, etc. They have many things to check out and maybe if you are really interested, can get to explore and buy some of them. They also have gadgets, consoles, and games on sale and sometimes have no guarantee that they will still work.
I recently wrote about several online services that are shipping all kinds of stuff from Japan, one of them is called Zenmarket and they accept Bitcoin payments (with Coingate third party provider).Quicky search on Zenmarket gave me a lot of good options for GameBoy devices from AmazinJP, Y!Acutions, Rakuten, Rakuma, Mercari and many other shops from Japan.
There are even some sellers from Japan who are offering direct payments with Bitcoin.
How about this bulk shopping for all bitcointalk gang and delivering directly from Japan?
Current total price is $19 and 17 hours till auction ends.
I'm curious though to what extent you can make it. Can you have it with the games? Like with the cartridges? I can't find my old GameBoy but I have some of the old cartridges.
From what I heard this should be possible to do it, but let's wait and see when developers release the code.Maybe those types of equipment can be used as well to create a hard wallet or something.
Maybe from younger generations also... did you notice how retro things are getting more and more popular again (shoes, cneakers, clothes, etc.)?
I think many things made in past had much more quality than things made today, and everything lasted longer, maybe that is one of the reasons for this trend.
I think many things made in past had much more quality than things made today, and everything lasted longer, maybe that is one of the reasons for this trend.
Yeah, I also think it could definitely attract attention, and there's also the fact that maybe one day in the future, a working Gameboy could attract even more attention than it does today. It could even potentially end up being worth a few big bucks too. But then, I don't know who would use their HW in public, so discretion shouldn't be an issue from a practical point of view. As for border crossings, it should be relatively easy with a Gameboy, it's already pretty easy with a Ledger for example, so I wouldn't worry about it with a Gameboy in an airport. Wouldn't a gapped Android airgapped be a cheaper, more discreet and more portable solution?
Anyway, thanks OP for sharing, it's a really interesting and funny project. I will follow it, I'm actually wondering whether I shouldn't order something to make one, out of curiosity, but I've just had a look online, indeed it looks better to have the hardware lying around, otherwise it loses a lot of its interest because of the price.
A few blows and it’s working, despite the screen having fallen off (it’s just resting on top now)
It should be easy to glue the screen and prevent it from falling out.Some people are using combination of superglue and baking soda for repairing all broken plastic parts, if something is broken inside that holds the screen.
I'm curious though to what extent you can make it. Can you have it with the games? Like with the cartridges? I can't find my old GameBoy but I have some of the old cartridges.
From what I heard this should be possible to do it, but let's wait and see when developers release the code.As someone who recently purchased and tried one of those classic handheld Tetris game consoles in a public market, I can guarantee you such things will always attract some attention [mostly from the older generations, but still...].
Maybe from younger generations also... did you notice how retro things are getting more and more popular again (shoes, cneakers, clothes, etc.)? I think many things made in past had much more quality than things made today, and everything lasted longer, maybe that is one of the reasons for this trend.
Also I can see a use case, where a person needs to take their bitcoins with them in an airplane and does not want to attract any attention.
As someone who recently purchased and tried one of those classic handheld Tetris game consoles in a public market, I can guarantee you such things will always attract some attention [mostly from the older generations, but still...].Such kind of attention should be fine though. You probably only get asked general question such as "what games you currently play?", "do you play pokemon?" or "which Gameboy game is your favorite"?.
I think exactly the same. It is not the best way to hide you bitcoin, since that would to simply hide you seed phrase, but could be a "better" way. Because if you hide your hardware wallet in a GameBoy, then you will also have a hardware wallet as a secure sending device. If you however only have a seed you will need to end the airgap as soon as you need to send some coins.
Especially with the war in Ukraine and many people that have to flee this could be a very unsuspicious way of taking your BTC with you.
In addition to what @Pmalek said, they are planning to also distribute it in their "GitHub repo", so with the necessary tools you can flash it by yourself.
If you have the necessary hardware, yes. As their GitHub page mentions, you'll need a flashing device for the job. No idea how much those cost and which ones are compatible. You also need a cartridge. Again, I am not sure if it needs to be an empty cartridge (where would you get one for Gameboy in 2023) or if you can use one you already own with a game on it.If would surely be cheaper to buy the finished product if you stand there without the necessary tools to do the flashing yourself.
How will the company distribute the firmware?
In addition to what @Pmalek said, they are planning to also distribute it in their "GitHub repo", so with the necessary tools you can flash it by yourself.Also I can see a use case, where a person needs to take their bitcoins with them in an airplane and does not want to attract any attention.
As someone who recently purchased and tried one of those classic handheld Tetris game consoles in a public market, I can guarantee you such things will always attract some attention [mostly from the older generations, but still...]. Although I believe that for a device that will only sign transactions and view time on the screen will be short, there is no need to have a color screen.
Keep in mind that for the time being, they aren't talking about a signing feature. We don't know if it will even have that option. For now, this is an offline seed generation device. The appearance of Gameboy can be neglected (broken case, buttons, etc.), the main thing is that the filling is intact and functional.
You are going to need to use the buttons to generate your seed. There will be a game you will need to play and walk around and possibly perform certain actions using the A and B buttons on the device. If they don't work properly, there won't be enough randomness in your seed, which decreases the security. Or you won't even be able to play the game with certain functions missing.
I'm interested in this project, would be on the look out for this.
I'm curious though to what extent you can make it. Can you have it with the games? Like with the cartridges? I can't find my old GameBoy but I have some of the old cartridges.
I'm curious though to what extent you can make it. Can you have it with the games? Like with the cartridges? I can't find my old GameBoy but I have some of the old cartridges.
Have saved this for I think almost 30 years at this point. Screen needs replaced, but I’ll def be getting one of these wallet cartridges.
I still have my TalkBoy and YakBak too if they are next lol
A few blows and it’s working, despite the screen having fallen off (it’s just resting on top now)
I still have my TalkBoy and YakBak too if they are next lol
A few blows and it’s working, despite the screen having fallen off (it’s just resting on top now)
All of the devices you find on sale will be used ones. You don't need the color version, though. The original one is big and quite clunky, but look for sales ads of the Gameboy Pocket. After some quick eBay browsing, I can see various offers spanning from €10 up to €80. Depending on where you live, you could come across a real bargain.
That's pretty cheap if you can buy it for $10 but right now even used ones is expensive here in my local store/shop and most of what I found are Gameboy color but the price is fine it's around $25 each the problem is the LCD is not clear look the image below
It is still a good offer if you just want to use it for this project.
After reading this thread I became interested in this topic and wanted to buy a Gameboy color from eBay. After seeing the price tag of more than 100 Euros for a used one I quickly canceled this project, since for that amount of money I can build multiple other hardware wallets.
All of the devices you find on sale will be used ones. You don't need the color version, though. The original one is big and quite clunky, but look for sales ads of the Gameboy Pocket. After some quick eBay browsing, I can see various offers spanning from €10 up to €80. Depending on where you live, you could come across a real bargain. 
Although I believe that for a device that will only sign transactions and view time on the screen will be short, there is no need to have a color screen. Gameboy with a black and white screen will be a cheap and affordable solution.
Oh yeah. A cheaper option may be to search on local Internet websites selling various junk, shops, flea markets, as well as from individuals. For many, this device can gather dust on distant shelves waiting for your purchase. A second life for Gameboy can be a useful solution to the problem of owning a hardware wallet device.
The appearance of Gameboy can be neglected (broken case, buttons, etc.), the main thing is that the filling is intact and functional. The case can be changed by ordering from a well-known Chinese marketplace.
After reading this thread I became interested in this topic and wanted to buy a Gameboy color from eBay. After seeing the price tag of more than 100 Euros for a used one I quickly canceled this project, since for that amount of money I can build multiple other hardware wallets.
All of the devices you find on sale will be used ones. You don't need the color version, though. The original one is big and quite clunky, but look for sales ads of the Gameboy Pocket. After some quick eBay browsing, I can see various offers spanning from €10 up to €80. Depending on where you live, you could come across a real bargain. I am not going to store any of my coins there for now. I am not sure how popular it will become and how easy it will be to purchase a cartridge with the latest firmware.
After reading this thread I became interested in this topic and wanted to buy a Gameboy color from eBay. After seeing the price tag of more than 100 Euros for a used one I quickly canceled this project, since for that amount of money I can build multiple other hardware wallets.
For that reason I would not hope to much, that this kind of hardware wallet will gain a lot of popularity, even if it is a nice gimmick.
I think best version of Gameboy was created only for Japan and it was called Gameboy Color, but mst Gamboy devices have no backlight.
The Gameboy color wasn't exclusive only for Japan, and I remember seeing kids with it in Europe towards the end of the 90s. It would be weird if such a device was only available in Japan considering the huge popularity of the previous versions. Regarding the backlight, no I don't remember ever seeing one that had a backlight. But please don't use GameWallet for storing all your coins 
I am not going to store any of my coins there for now. I am not sure how popular it will become and how easy it will be to purchase a cartridge with the latest firmware. I still have a Gameboy Pocket lying around in my drawers somewhere. What a cool reason to search for it and see if it's still working. Last time I checked, it was, but there were some connectivity issues with the device and cable. Nevertheless, it can always take batteries if the cable fails. The cartridges between the original Gameboy and the Gameboy Pocket should be the same.
This Gameboy thing is more expensive as times passes, and I wish I kept many of my old devices but life happens and they end up as junk.I think best version of Gameboy was created only for Japan and it was called Gameboy Color, but mst Gamboy devices have no backlight.
Someone who knows what they are talking about should comment if such a device can generate enough randomness? This could be a successful project if it's completely trustless and they figure out how to sign transactions. Question is, how to export the PSBT from the Gameboy's memory or cartridge to a different medium?
I wouldn't count on achieving true randomness in this way, but option to import your own seed phrase would be enough.But please don't use GameWallet for storing all your coins
I have a question about the text I highlighted. How will the firmware be delivered to the gameboys's owner if it is released on cartridges? Is this some kind of joke too? Do you need to order firmware cartridges with home delivery? How will the company distribute the firmware?
Yep. You will have to buy the cartridge and have it shipped to your home, place of work, or a PO box, depending on what is supported, where you live, and what shipment options the company supports. It's no different from when you purchase a standard hardware wallet. You have to pay for it and have it shipped to you or someone/ somewhere else. Actually I do not like the idea for real bitcoin storage. The reason is simple: If you are not able to access you bitcoins at some point, because you are old/dead or anything like it, your family will pretty much not be able to find your bitcoin storage device at all.
It's the same as any other physical backups you have. If you die and your family doesn't know where your recovery phrases are hidden, they lose access to their coins. If they have the seed backup but you didn't tell them where the non-crackable passphrase is, they again lose access to the coins.
Actually I do not like the idea for real bitcoin storage. The reason is simple: If you are not able to access you bitcoins at some point, because you are old/dead or anything like it, your family will pretty much not be able to find your bitcoin storage device at all.
For what I like this idea however is, that it is a very cool project that could be done just for fun. Also I can see a use case, where a person needs to take their bitcoins with them in an airplane and does not want to attract any attention. If you carry a regular hardware wallet it can get spotted much easier.
For what I like this idea however is, that it is a very cool project that could be done just for fun. Also I can see a use case, where a person needs to take their bitcoins with them in an airplane and does not want to attract any attention. If you carry a regular hardware wallet it can get spotted much easier.
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