OpenAI’s new handheld turns text prompts into playable Game Boy-style cartridges

OpenAI started selling a $200 retro handheld on Nov. 9 that plays games its Codex coding agent builds from plain-language prompts.

The ModRetro Chromatic: Codex Edition is sold through Supply Co., OpenAI’s merchandise store, and comes with one programmable cartridge. OpenAI first handed the device to about 2,500 attendees of its Sept. 29 DevDay conference, Generation Amiga reported. The product page says it returns now with a new look.

VGTimes described the pitch as games made without writing code: describe the world, characters and the rules, and Codex does the building. OpenAI Developers, the company’s developer account, said in a post on X that owners can “design levels, animate sprites, and playtest on your handheld.” The post, dated Nov. 9, had about 572,000 views when this story was drafted.

From text prompt to cartridge

Buyers add the ModRetro Chromatic plugin to Codex, describe a game and let the agent build it, according to OpenAI’s product page. VGTimes reported that Codex works in GB Studio, a free game maker, and draws the sprites, the small characters and objects on screen.

The result is a ROM, a file that holds the game’s data. Per the product page, it can be streamed from a computer to the handheld for testing or written to the cartridge so the game runs without a computer. Digit reported that users open a local project folder in the Codex desktop app, call up the plugin with an @ reference and prompt Codex to set it up. Installing to the handheld needs a USB cable and the cartridge.

The handheld costs $200. Extra cartridges cost $50 and a carrying case costs $35, according to 1023 Jack. Digit said the screen measures 2.56 inches (6.5 centimeters), the handheld comes with three AA batteries and it ships to the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the UK and the EU.

What isn’t proven yet

The sources reviewed for this story include no independent hands-on tests of the games Codex produces. Setup also takes more than a prompt. ModRetro’s quickstart guide calls for a firmware update and an activation code that unlocks developer mode, 1023 Jack reported. Writing a game to a cartridge erases what was on it, Digit said. Nothing in the reviewed material shows how complex a game a first-time user can finish.

ModRetro, the startup of Anduril founder Palmer Luckey, launched the Chromatic in 2024, TechCrunch reported. The device uses an FPGA, a chip that can be reconfigured to mimic other hardware, to play original Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges, Generation Amiga reported. OpenAI’s developer site also hosts a collection of Codex-built games that can be played in a browser or downloaded as ROMs. The handhelt follows OpenAI’s Codex Micro keyboard, a $250 device the company sold through Supply Co. in July.

A Chinese-language report from Guandian said the $50 cartridge was out of stock, with a restock expected Nov. 19.