Highlights
- A Pokemon fan created their own Pokedex out of a Nintendo DS and Game Boy, replicating the look of the Kanto region Pokedex.
- The custom Pokedex still functions as a regular Nintendo DS and can play Pokemon games from every era up to Generation 5.
- This fan-made Pokedex showcases the talent of the modder and resembles the original Pokedex from Pokemon Red and Blue games.
A clever Pokemon fan recently built their own Pokedex out of a Nintendo DS and a Game Boy. In the mainline Pokemon games, the Pokedex serves as an encyclopedia for the many creatures players can capture, train, and battle along their journey to become the world’s greatest Pokemon Master. Each Pokemon’s backstory, personality, and elemental abilities are cataloged, and players are often given a special reward for filling the Pokedex out, which is done by catching a specimen of each species in a given Pokemon game.
Ash Ketchum had his own Pokedex device in the Pokemon anime, which inspired a physical electronic toy from Hasbro and Tiger Electronics that was almost nixed by Nintendo due to concerns that it would take sales away from the original Game Boy and the Pokemon Red and Blue games. In the years since the release of this and other official Pokedex toys, fans have crafted their own replicas using 3D printing and modding existing handhelds like the Nintendo DS Lite.
One such Pokemon fan by the Reddit handle of tomvdcr recently showed off their own modded Pokedex on r/pokemon. This version of the trusty device is a modified Nintendo DS Lite placed inside the shell of an original Game Boy, with a Game Boy Advance SP flip screen inserted on top and its buttons colored to replicate the look of the Kanto region Pokedex. Tomvdcr says that their Pokedex still has all the features of a regular Nintendo DS, such as a touchscreen and slots for Game Boy Advance and DS game cartridges.
As a commission-based modder, tomvdcr has created similar DMG104 DS variants themed after Pokemon Gold and Silver’s legendary bird Ho-oh, Diamond and Pearl’s Dialga and even the old Nintendo GameCube console on behalf of paying customers. Such projects are common among fans of the Game Boy handhelds, with some crafting giant-sized versions of the classic portable system and others making custom color schemes themed after properties like Kirby and Doom.
Tomvdcr’s latest custom Nintendo DS is an impressive display of their talent and bears a striking resemblance to the original Pokedex that players traveled far and wide to fill in the old Pokemon Red and Blue games. The fact that it can also play Pokemon games from every era up to Generation 5 means that it can function as a real-life Pokedex to an even greater extent than the one that was officially released back in the late 90s.