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://JayrosModShop.etsy.com

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. Gameboy+Color, Gameboy Advance, and Gameboy Micro ports are all covered.
• Additional documentation for power pinouts is also integrated, for all Gameboy models 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 v2.3.0 Stable:

• Project has been compiled using GB Studio v4.2.0-alpha.
• Quick-boot shortcuts to critical tests have been added by holding down a button at boot. (Quick-boot shortcuts are listed above.)
  
• Added a ducking animation for "Mark" when holding the down button in the Platforming Button Test.
• New menu sounds have been added, made by Beatscribe.
• Reduced the animated tiles on the Main Menu to reduce visual glitching and ease up on system resources, especially for DMG mode.
• Added Horizontal and vertical lines to the TV Test Patterns.
• "PRESS START" on the titlescreen is now the standard "Early GameBoy Regular " font, matching the rest of the system's text.
• Upon pressing Start on the titlescreen, the "PRESS START" now flashes faster to the "level up" tone as a visual confirmation that you've pushed the Start button.
• Text boxes in the Link Port Test have been expanded to have the text centered within.
• 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.

To-do list in the near-future:

• Add music to the menu system.