Apple Smartwatch Hacks:Nostalgia On The Go! GameBoy & GameBoy Color Now Playable Thru Giovanni

Admit it or not, Apple Smartwatch kinda sucks. It has limited features but with a price that is somewhat hard to throw away. Some people complain online to release their frustrations. But some people instead made a GameBoy and GameBoy Color emulator to add excitement to the watch.

People can play GameBoy and GameBoy titles on smartphones, tablets, computers, and even the NES Classic Mini. But this guy, known as Gabriel O'Flaherty-Chan modified an existing GameBoy and GameBoy color emulator "Gambatte" and remapped the controls for the GameBoy and GameBoy Color to suit the buttons (and the screen) of Apple Smartwatch.

According to Arstechnica, the iOS developer finished the project over the weekend. O'Flaherty named the emulator "Giovanni" in reference to Pokemon's Gen one main villain. The emulator was tested using an Apple Smartwatch series 2 and is capable of running games such as Pokemon Yellow and other GameBoy/GameBoy Color titles.

There's only one problem in the emulator. To put it simply in words, the emulator sucks. But the problem isn't Apple Smartwatch's incapability to run GB and GBC games, it is the watch's incapability to support OpenGL ES nor Metal. And because of that, the speed of the game is very unstable and sometimes the graphics of the game is just messed up.

According to Gizmodo, "Giovanni" isn't really for nostalgic fast-paced gaming. Players may level grind and such, but it would be sluggish and downright frustrating sometimes. It is only a proof of concept, proving that Apple Smartwatch can be more than just a "watch" if the restrictions are lifted or there is someone creative who can do apps to add excitement.

The project was made over the weekend, so it means that the app will have a lot of room for improvement. The source code is available on GitHub for those who want to improve the app. This app, of course, will never be permitted to go live on Apple Smartwatch store.