Jayro's GAME BOY™ Test Cartridge

This is the world's first test cartridge for the Game Boy Color!

Nintendo made an official test cartridge for the original Game Boy, but let's face it... It sucks. The tests work, but they aren't geared to test the Game Boy Color's specific hardware.

My test cartridge has set out to fully replace Nintendo's official one.  I created this ROM using GB Studio v4!

Mario is a registered trademark of Nintendo Co., Ltd. This test cartridge is not officially licensed, sponsored, nor supported by Nintendo Co., Ltd.

This project is public domain, and may be freely used,

distributed, or sold, without my express permission needed.

PHYSICAL COPIES ARE AVAILABLE HERE:

https://ko-fi.com/s/cd332c5214

FEATURES:

• Game Boy hardware detection between Classic Game Boy, Super Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance upon boot up.
• Designed specifically for Game Boy Color hardware, yet is fully backwards compatible with original Game Boy hardware too!
  
• Includes an easy to navigate menu system for the user to choose the type of tests they want to perform.
• The cartridge can intelligently detect the proper tests for the screen and buttons for the hardware it's being run on, seamlessly and transparent to the user.
• Endless button testing lets you test the buttons as long as you'd like!
• Link port testing with an appropriate Game Boy/Pocket/Color game link cable. (GBA cables will not work.)
• Extensive sound testing and a 8-key piano. (C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C)
• Test the left and right stereo channels together, or independently of each other.
• Includes tests for modern IPS screens, such as testing for dead pixels, ghosting, screen tearing, image retention, and even attempts to safely repair stubborn or stuck pixels.
• TV test patterns for calibrating your Super Game Boy or Game Boy Player with a CRT TV or PVM, so you can dial-in the best image possible.
• SRAM save testing. See if your SRAM (or FRAM) can hold a save file.
• A printable patterned test page is available for testing your Pocket Printer, to make sure things print correctly.
• Comes with a screen lens alignment tool, to aid Game Boy modders in properly aligning their LCD kits and screen lenses. (Not needed for laminated screen kits) Also useful to fix overscan and aspect ratio issues in emulators.
• Comes with link port and link cable pinout documentation. Pinout is colorized on color Game Boy systems. Game Boy (+Color), Game Boy Advance, and Game Boy Micro ports are all covered.
• Additional documentation for power pinouts is also integrated, for all Game Boymodels supporting power input.
• Now supports testing of rumble motors when flashed to a supporting MBC5 rumble motor flash cartridge! Push the (A) button to make the motor rumble!
• Works on Game Boy Advance systems using the GBC ROM, or the Goomba Color emulator. Additionally, it also works with the GB Boy Colour (a Chinese hardware clone), the Funnyplaying FPGBC (An FPGA-based Game Boy and Game Boy Color device) the Analogue Pocket (An FPGA-based Game Boy device), and ModRetro's Chromatic (An FPGA-based Game Boy Color device).

Quick-boot shortcuts:

Hold (Start): Main Menu

Hold (Select): SRAM Saving Test

Hold (A): Dead Pixel Test

Hold (B): Link Cable Test

Hold (Up): Endless Button Test

Hold (Down): TV Test Patterns

Hold (Left): Platforming Button Test

Hold (Right): Stereo Sound Test

EPILEPSY WARNING:

Colorful test patterns and flickering graphics may cause seizures in people with epilepsy. Use with caution at your discretion.

IF YOU LIKE MY WORK, YOU CAN ALWAYS LEAVE A TIP:

https://ko-fi.com/jayrojones

Changelog for v2.5.0 Stable.

NEW:

• Project has been compiled using GB Studio v4.2.2.
• Added more test patters to the Test Patterns section.
• Added Backlight Zones testing to the LCD Test menu, re-created from the 144p Test Suite.
• Added Color Bleeding testing to the LCD Test menu, re-created from the 144p Test Suite.
• Titlescreen got some sparkles.
• I completely revamped the Flicker Adjustment test, you can now use Start and Select to change between Progressive flicker and interlaced flicker for the Ghost sprite. The background has also been changed to be more helpful and useful during these adjustments, and the Ghost sprite moves more fluid now. It no longer clips outside the screen size either.
• Added music tones from the DO-RE-ME-FA-SO-LA-TI-DO scale to the endless Button Tests, in just case you're using a damaged screen, or have no screen connected, you're still able to get audio confirmation for any buttons you press (except for L and R). Big thanks to Jake Simmons on YouTube for the inspiration, go give him a Like and Subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/@JakeSimmons
• Added a Ghost enemy to attack in the Platforming Test.
• Expanded the spike pit in the Platforming Test.

FIXED:

• Added fireballs back to the Platforming Test, and re-animated them to look bouncy.
• The cartridge in the spinning GB Studio logo got recolored to light gray.

OTHER CHANGES:

• Re-animated the rain in the Platforming Test to actually come down diagonally, and also optimizing the tile count.
• Changed the "Lens Alignment" page so that the border color now color-cycles quickly through the primary rainbow colors, so it's easier to see in pretty-much any lighting conditions, with or without a backlight. (GBA and GBC modes only)
• Small "under-the-hood" Main Menu adjustments, not noticeable to the user.
• Further improvements to overall system stability and other minor adjustments have been made to enhance the user experience.

Known Issues:

• If used with Goomba Color, pushing L and R at the same time during the Button Test will bring up the Goomba Color menu (still confirming that L and R are working for you). The screen size won't change like it would if it was running from a Gameboy Color cartridge in a GBA, despite the text telling you it would if the "GBA Detect" option was enabled.

• On some FPGA-based systems, some cores display the "Made in GB Studio" text all distorted while the animation is in motion. Budude2's core on Analogue Pocket is unaffected. Spiritualized97's core on Analogue Pocket and FunnyPlaying's FPGBC exhibit this glitchy behavior.