Developer Gabriel O'Flaherty-Chan recently shared a project where he managed to get a Game Boy emulator he dubbed "Giovanni" running on the second-generation Apple Watch, allowing it to play Game Boy and Game Boy Color games.

According to O'Flaherty-Chan, it was a challenge finding the right balance "between framerate and performance," but he says the end result is a "surprisingly usable emulator." In GIFs shared in a blog post, the Apple Watch is displayed running Pokémon Yellow.

applewatchpokemonyellow1
The Giovanni emulator, named after the villain in Pokémon Yellow, was built using open source code from Gambatte, an existing iOS emulator. It uses the Digital Crown and gestures for control purposes.

applewatchpokemonyellow2

By allowing the user to pan on screen for directions, rotate the Digital Crown for up and down, and tap the screen for A, I was able to eliminate buttons until I was left with Select, Start, and B.

Touching the screen for movement isn't a great interaction, but being able to use the Crown worked out a lot better than originally anticipated. Scrolling through a list of options is basically what the Crown was made for, and if the framerate was even slightly higher, the interaction could almost be better than a hardware D-pad.

As Ars Technica points out, Giovanni is not something you should expect to see in the App Store -- it's more of a proof of concept than anything else. Apple does not allow emulators on the App Store, and O'Flaherty-Chan himself says it is afflicted with bugs due to the "constraints of watchOS," including the lack of support for OpenGL and Metal.

The Giovanni source code is, however, available on Github for anyone to download, and the blog post behind the creation of Giovanni is worth reading for anyone interested in the development process.

Tags: Hack, Emulator

Top Rated Comments

jclo Avatar
85 months ago
Couple days late on this one MR
Send us a tip next time! Sometimes things go under the radar, especially on the weekend. I thought this was interesting to share even if we're a couple days late. It's always fun to see weird stuff running on the Apple Watch.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
44267547 Avatar
85 months ago
There was an article similar last year with a developer (Nick Lee) running windows on the Apple Watch.

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WRChris Avatar
85 months ago
Send us a tip next time! Sometimes things go under the radar, especially on the weekend. I thought this was interesting to share even if we're a couple days late. It's always fun to see weird stuff running on the Apple Watch.
Ok, I will do that. Is there a specific place I should send tips? I notice you guys don't post anything on the weekends typically and I think that's when I read about this.

It is a good read, for those who haven't read it already! Keep up the good work!!! Love the site
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclo Avatar
85 months ago
Ok, I will do that. Is there a specific place I should send tips? I notice you guys don't post anything on the weekends typically and I think that's when I read about this.

It is a good read, for those who haven't read it already! Keep up the good work!!! Love the site
Yep, tips@macrumors.com. Feel free to send us anything interesting you come across.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WRChris Avatar
85 months ago
Yep, tips@macrumors.com. Feel free to send us anything interesting you come across.
Thanks for your time!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mazz0 Avatar
85 months ago
Pi-KA-chu!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Multi Display CarPlay 1

All-New Apple CarPlay Launching Later This Year With These 5 New Features

Friday September 29, 2023 11:29 am PDT by
At WWDC 2022 last year, Apple previewed the next generation of CarPlay, promising deeper integration with vehicle functions like A/C and FM radio, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, personalization options, and more. Apple said the first vehicles with support for the next-generation CarPlay experience would be announced in late 2023, but it has still not shared any additional...
BMW Logo iPhone 15 Pro

Warning: BMW Wireless Charging May Break iPhone 15's Apple Pay Chip

Sunday October 1, 2023 6:14 am PDT by
If you have an iPhone 15 and drive a BMW, it might be best to avoid charging the device with the vehicle's wireless charging pad for now. Over the past week, some BMW owners have complained that their iPhone 15's NFC chip no longer works after charging the device with their vehicle's wireless charging pad, according to comments shared on the MacRumors Forums and X, formerly known as Twitter. ...
iPhone 15 Pro lineup

Apple to Address iPhone 15 Pro Overheating Issue With iOS 17 Update

Saturday September 30, 2023 9:28 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an iOS 17 update to address a bug that may contribute to the reported iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max overheating issue, according to a statement the company shared today with MacRumors and Forbes reporter David Phelan. Apple also says some recent updates to third-party apps have overloaded the system and contributed to the overheating issue. The report notes that...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Details: Action Button, USB-C Port, Face ID, and More

Wednesday September 27, 2023 1:34 pm PDT by
Significant changes are expected to arrive with Apple's fourth-generation iPhone SE, in terms of both design and hardware, MacRumors has learned. The iPhone SE 4, known internally under the codename Ghost, is expected to receive a new design derived almost entirely from the base model iPhone 14. According to our sources, the iPhone SE 4 will use a modified version of the iPhone 14 chassis...
iPhone 16 Side Feature

iPhone 16 and 16 Pro: Preliminary Weights and Dimensions

Friday September 29, 2023 12:34 pm PDT by
MacRumors has obtained preliminary information on the weights and dimensions planned for the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The information corroborates previous reports suggesting that the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max will feature larger displays. iPhone 16 and 16 Plus Current information suggests that the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will maintain the same...
uk bank account apple wallet 2

Apple Wallet's New Bank Account Feature Likely to Expand to U.S.

Friday September 29, 2023 8:11 pm PDT by
Starting with the iOS 17.1 beta released this week, iPhone users in the U.K. can add debit and credit cards from select banks in the country to the Wallet app and view their available balances and latest transactions for those accounts. Apple calls this feature Connected Cards, and it's currently available in the U.K. only, but there is now evidence to suggest it will expand to the U.S. in...
iPhone 15 Pro Cameras

Apple Says iPhone 15 Pro's Titanium Frame Does Not Contribute to Overheating Issue

Saturday September 30, 2023 11:10 am PDT by
Apple today said it plans to release an iOS 17 software update with a bug fix for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max overheating issue, and the company has since shared additional details about the matter with MacRumors. Importantly, Apple said the issue is not related to the titanium frame. Contrary to a report this week, Apple said the iPhone 15 Pro's design does not contribute to...