Install GameQ

GameQ turns a COLDCARD Q into a handheld Game Boy player. After installation, you walk around a room, choose a game from a shelf, and play with the Q’s keys.

This guide covers 0.1.7GQ, the version tested on a physical Q for walking, fast-forward, and saving/loading Pokémon Red.

What you need

• A COLDCARD Q dedicated to GameQ. Other COLDCARD models are not supported. GameQ replaces the wallet interface; use a retired Q whose wallet and notes you have already backed up.
• A FAT32 MicroSD card, a computer, and a card reader. A card of 32 GB or less is a straightforward starting point; see the COLDCARD card guidance.
• A USB power cable for installation. The card carries the update; USB supplies power.
• The GameQ 0.1.7GQ starter ZIP, described below.
• Your Q’s existing main PIN, if one is set. Firmware updates can request it.

Get the files

Open the 0.1.7GQ release, download GameQ-0.1.7GQ-starter.zip from Assets, and unzip it. The repository is private: sign in with a GitHub account that has access. A missing-page message can mean your account needs an invitation.

The ZIP includes the tested firmware, Pokémon Red, a folder layout for the card, and README-FIRST.html, which you can open in a browser for offline instructions. The launcher room is already inside the firmware.

Building from source is optional; see the developer build guide. Pokémon Red is the tested game. Other original Game Boy games may work, but compatibility is not yet broadly tested. Game Boy Color games and DOOM are not supported in this version.

1. Prepare the card

Already have a GameQ card? Keep its existing GameQ folder and use the update steps instead. Replacing that folder can remove your saves.

A card that already works in your Q does not need reformatting. If a new card needs formatting, do that before copying files: on stock COLDCARD firmware, use Advanced/Tools → File Management → Format SD Card. Formatting removes the card’s files, so copy anything you need off it first. See Coinkite’s card instructions.

1. Open the unzipped starter folder and the MicroSD card on your computer.
2. Copy gameq-q1.dfu directly onto the card, outside any folder.
3. Copy the starter’s GameQ folder onto the card beside that file.

After copying, check these locations:

File	Where it belongs on the card
gameq-q1.dfu	At the top level, outside every folder
pokemon-red.gb	Inside GameQ → roms

Copy those two items, not the enclosing starter folder. Leave the ZIP’s recovery-markers folder on your computer for now; first installation does not need it. GameQ creates its save and diagnostic folders when needed.

2. Install on a Q running COLDCARD firmware

1. Eject the card from your computer and insert it into the Q’s slot A.
2. Connect USB power and turn on the Q. Enter its existing PIN if asked.
3. Open Advanced/Tools → Upgrade Firmware → From MicroSD.
4. Select gameq-q1.dfu. Check that the proposed version is 0.1.7GQ, then follow the on-screen confirmation.
5. Keep USB power connected while the update finishes.

The Danger / custom firmware warning and its delay are expected. GameQ uses the Q’s developer-firmware route; the original bootloader still displays that warning. Installing GameQ does not replace that bootloader.

After the update, the Q loads the GameQ room. Continue with your first game.

Already running GameQ?

GameQ has its own updater. The starter ZIP includes the small files that open it, so you do not need to type commands or edit a text file.

For example, to update a Q currently running 0.1.6GQ to 0.1.7GQ:

1. Copy the new gameq-q1.dfu to the card’s top level. Keep the existing GameQ folder, including its games and saves.
2. Create the GameQ/system folder if it does not exist.
3. In the unzipped starter, open recovery-markers/for-0.1.6GQ. Copy the file named recovery into GameQ/system on the card.
4. Eject the card, insert it in slot A, connect USB power, and restart the Q.
5. At GameQ recovery, use Left/Right to select gameq-q1.dfu, then press Enter.
6. Enter the existing main PIN if asked. At Install this new firmware?, check 0.1.7GQ, then confirm with Enter.
7. Keep power connected through the update and custom-firmware warning.

Choose the marker for the version already on your Q, not the version being installed. For 0.1.5GQ, use the file in for-0.1.5GQ instead. The new version ignores the old marker and opens the room. If you already have 0.1.7GQ, you do not need to reinstall it.

Don’t know the installed version?

Use the file in recovery-markers/unknown-version instead. It is an empty file named recovery; copy it to GameQ/system, then restart with the card in slot A. This requests the updater regardless of the installed version. If an older GameQ opens the stock COLDCARD menu, enter the existing PIN and use Advanced/Tools → Upgrade Firmware → From MicroSD.

Remove this marker after a successful update. If the updater opens again after installation, press Cancel to enter the room. Then power off, move the card to your computer, and delete GameQ/system/recovery from the card. Eject, return the card to slot A, and boot normally. The blank marker stays active until removed; another updater screen does not mean the install failed.

3. Play your first game

1. Use the arrow keys to walk to a bookshelf along the top of the room.
2. Face the shelf and press Z. GameQ shows the game filename.
3. Press Enter to launch it.
4. In the game, Z is the Game Boy’s A button, X is B, and Enter is Start. Tap SHIFT/CAPS to toggle fast-forward.

Press Cancel to leave a game and return to the room. Save through the game’s own SAVE command first to keep your progress. Choose YES and press Z at its save confirmations, then wait for the saved message.

See Playing GameQ for the room, controls, saves, and common questions.

If installation stops

What you see	What to do
No firmware found	Put gameq-q1.dfu directly on the card, outside every folder. Use slot A, then press Enter to scan again.
Update not started	Note the full message. Check USB power and the firmware file, then retry. Cancel returns to the room.
The room opens instead of the updater	Check that the file is at GameQ/system/recovery and that you chose the marker for the version already installed on the Q.
Recovery opens on every restart	A blank or unscoped recovery file keeps requesting recovery. Power off, remove that file on your computer, eject the card, and restart.
Yikes!! or an unreadable game screen	Photograph the message and follow troubleshooting.

All documentation · Playing GameQ · Developer build guide