Someone got Game Boy games to play on Apple Watch, but don’t try it at home

(Image credit: Giovanni)

It seems like Pokemon Go on the Apple Watch just isn't doing it for developer Gabriel O'Flaherty-Chan, who managed to use Apple's wearable instead to play some classic Game Boy games.

Not to be outdone by Doom on the MacBook Pro Touch Bar, this new feat in squeezing games onto tiny Apple-branded screens has a functioning Game Boy emulator on the Apple Watch.

Posted as open-source code on Github, O'Flaherty-Chan's Giovanni program ports an existing emulator to the wearable, making Game Boy and Game Boy Color games saved to your tethered iPhone playable on the Apple Watch.

Disclaimer time

Now comes the time to be The Internet's Parents, reminding folks that emulating Nintendo ROMs on an unlicensed emulator is ethically dubious (seriously, Nintendo hates it) and that TechRadar does not condone the piracy of video game software.

Additionally, O'Flaherty-Chan himself comments that the Watch isn't a prime platform for the emulator, accomplishing the feat mostly for the experience as well as finding a way to get his own games onto the wearable.

That said, it's still impressive to see Pokemon: Yellow Version playing on the Apple Watch, giving us hope that more developers can (legitimately) push the wearable's gaming clout going forward.

  • Our tips and tricks to Pokemon's latest: Sun & Moon
Parker Wilhelm
Parker Wilhelm is a freelance writer for TechRadar. He likes to tinker in Photoshop and talk people's ears off about Persona 4.