dashboy

GAME BOY COLOR EMULATOR

dashboy

dashboy — a Game Boy emulator written in Dart with a Flutter UI. Source-only project hosted on GitHub; no binary releases are provided. The repository implements a Game Boy core (based on the author's prior gb project) and a Flutter front end for Android and iOS.

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dashboy emulator screenshot.

game boy colorPRIMARY SYSTEM

History documentedPROJECT BEGAN

Open sourcePROJECT MODEL

WHY IT MATTERS

Why dashboy matters

dashboy is a compact, educational implementation of a Game Boy emulator written in Dart and displayed with Flutter. It’s useful for developers who want to study an emulator core implemented in Dart, or run a lightweight Game Boy implementation inside Flutter apps on mobile devices.

BEST FOR

Best use case

Study, modify, or embed a pure-Dart Game Boy core and Flutter UI. Not intended as a drop-in consumer emulator with polished features — it’s source-first and aimed at developers and contributors.

The people behind dashboy

History & status

The project is an author repository (mj-hd) that states it’s a Game Boy emulator implemented in Dart & Flutter and that its core is based on the author’s earlier gb project. The GitHub repository shows active source files and folders for android, ios, and lib, with a small commit history. There are no packaged releases on the repository’s Releases page. A TODO note in the README indicates missing features (for example save/load states). The repository appears maintained as a source project rather than a production-ready, end-user release. If you need a production-quality Game Boy or Game Boy Color emulator, consider well-known cross-platform projects; dashboy is more useful for inspection, learning, or embedding in Dart/Flutter work.

What dashboy supports

Game Boy (repository describes a "Gameboy" core)
Flutter front-end for mobile (Android, iOS)
Dart language core (embeddable in Dart apps)
Not verified: Game Boy Color-specific hardware features (no explicit "Color" mention in repo)

Download and availability

OFFICIAL DOWNLOADS

Get dashboy

There are no packaged releases on the repository. To obtain dashboy you must clone the source from the project repository and build it yourself (see guide below).

Get dashboy ↗

DOCUMENTATION

Official documentation

Read the official configuration, compatibility, and troubleshooting material before changing advanced options.

Read official documentation ↗

Broken or missing download? Emulator projects move and official links sometimes change. Please contact Retro Replay so the source can be verified and updated.

dashboy setup guide

Setup note: The repository provides source code only. The practical way to run dashboy is to build the Flutter app from source. The steps below assume you want to run the mobile Flutter app on a modern development machine and a connected Android or iOS device or simulator.

1. Prerequisites: Install Flutter SDK (stable channel) and ensure dart is available. For Android: install Android Studio, Android SDK, and platform tools; enable developer mode on your Android device or configure an emulator. For iOS: Xcode and an appropriate signing setup are required. Confirm flutter doctor reports no blocking issues.
2. Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/mj-hd/dashboy.git — this fetches the project source. There are no binary releases on the repository’s Releases page; building from source is required.
3. Install dependencies: From the project root run flutter pub get to download Dart/Flutter packages listed in pubspec.yaml. If you see any version conflicts, update your Flutter/Dart toolchain to the supported versions referenced by the repo (check pubspec.yaml for environment constraints).
4. Build & run on Android: Connect an Android device or start an Android emulator. From the project root run flutter run -d <device-id> (or flutter run to use the default). If building for release, run flutter build apk and sign the resulting APK per Android distribution requirements.
5. Build & run on iOS: On macOS with Xcode installed, open the iOS runner workspace if present (or use flutter run -d <ios-device>) and follow Xcode signing instructions. Use flutter build ios to create an Xcode project and build for device/simulator; code signing is required for device installs.
6. ROMs, BIOS, and legal files: dashboy does not include any commercial game ROMs, BIOS, or firmware. You must supply your own legally-obtained ROM files. The repository README does not list a required BIOS; do not assume any firmware is bundled. Respect copyright and local law when obtaining ROMs or firmware.
7. Known feature gaps and troubleshooting: The project README includes a TODO for save/load states; expect missing emulator conveniences (save states, GUI features, high-level configuration). If the app crashes or the UI does not appear, run flutter run -v to capture verbose logs and inspect issues reported by Flutter. Refer to the repository’s Issues tab for any known problems or to open a new issue.
8. Contributing & extending: If you plan to extend the core or add Game Boy Color-specific features, inspect the lib and core folders and the author’s referenced gb project for CPU/GPU implementations. Submit pull requests or open issues on the GitHub repository to discuss changes with the maintainer.

Software reminder: You must build dashboy from source; no prebuilt binaries are available in the repository’s Releases section. Ensure your Flutter and platform toolchain versions match the project's pubspec constraints before building.