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GB/GBC/GBA Collecting Thread
- Thread starter tiggerkiddo
- Start date
Thanks. I have never visited Craigslist before, but I will have a look. Was the one you got in good condition?
Yep! It had no faceplate so I got a couple on eBay but it was in terrific condition otherwise. What you want is to find people selling games and systems on there who don't know the value of what they're selling and are just trying to offload their stuff, and willing to negotiate on price. Since it's an unregulated listing site, just be careful meeting people in person to exchange goods. It's always good to try to meet people in a public and densely populated place if possible, like in a fast food restaurant or something.
I live in the UK, so I won't be meeting anyone by the look of things. I have noticed a few on US page, but not sure if it works similar to eBay. What is the best way to find one through a search, as it goes by countries and cities?
Small Mailman
Member
You just gut punched me in the nostalgia. I just got so wistful looking at this...
Ah, I see. No, it works generally only as an in-person site. Is there no UK equivalent for craigslist?
Not sure to be fair. The only site that works similar to my knowledge is, Gumtree.
I'm in Australia and I use Gumtree. You should try the UK site.
Tried it, but none up for sale ATM. Will keep an eye out for one.
Thanks. Just checked recently, and there are a few on there. Hopefully, I will be able get one.
Yeah, if you keep an eye on the site some should pop up at a low price I'd say. The site doesn't look to be super popular, though, so maybe a different site would be a better bet.
I have seen a few on Gumtree, with the best being one for £25. The bad thing is, it doesn't come with a charger, and the seller doesn't know if it still works.
I think it might be best to give it a miss.
Might be. You could still keep an eye out for the time being and see if something good pops up. A modded GBA is could definitely be pricier than a Micro, I think (unless it's cheaper to mod it yourself, maybe? I'm not sure about that). I think what it comes down to is which system's size and form factor you prefer. I ended up selling my Micro because it was so frickin' tiny it hurt my eyes to play on. So that might be worth considering, too. It looked super slick, but the screen and system itself were just ridiculously small.
I have heard many people say it depends on preference. I am preferably after something that is backlit unlike my SP 001. The modded GBA looks good, but not only are they more expensive; they are harder to get in the UK.
FWIW my own personal preference for playing backlit GBA is the OG DS Lite. I regularly play GBA games on it and the form factor and d-pad are terrific to me.
sixteen-bit
Member
I was never a fan of the DSL d-pad to be honest. The OG fatty DS had the best one, if you ask me.
It's funny, I always thought the DS Lite d-pad and Wiimote d-pad were considered amazing, but I guess I just assumed other people like the same kinds of d-pads I do. I've been reading on this forum today at least that a lot of people really don't like the DS Lite d-pad.
That's what I have, but it feels weird playing with only one screen on.
PumpkinSpice
Banned
IR port for Pokemon mystery gift?
I somehow prefer playing GBC games on GBC due to the desaturated screen. I feel like it makes GBC games look better.
I somehow prefer playing GBC games on GBC due to the desaturated screen. I feel like it makes GBC games look better.
Anyone ever played this:
Koro Koro Puzzle Happy Panechu!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koro_Koro_Puzzle_Happy_Panechu!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXq_BAb3JEI
Only heard about it yesterday and thought it looked interesting.
Koro Koro Puzzle Happy Panechu!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koro_Koro_Puzzle_Happy_Panechu!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXq_BAb3JEI
Only heard about it yesterday and thought it looked interesting.
NinjaCatfish
Member
Not much apart from the IR port for Pokemon/Ubi Key compatible games, and the fact that the SP can be backlit versus frontlit for modded GBCs. Also comfort preference.
lostinblue
Banned
You just weren't on the lookout for it.
You tend to judge screens by relation with... other screens. That's why US and PAL PSP-1000 screens were regarded as ghosted as fuck, because japanese weren't lagging by comparison (japanese were sharp, US were samsung), same thing when from PSP-2000 to PSP-3000 some things changed. Same for the yellow tint DS screens people only noticed them because one screen had the tint and the other didn't, otherwise they'd have top fetch another console in order to compare it. I could go on.
Anyway, I do notice it, but that's because of the screens I tend to use and the importance I give to ghosting time. I wouldn't a few years ago, it's a case of paying up to get picky.
Panels take time to change and "stabilize" a color, so a huge ass transition like black (0,0,0) to white (255,255,255) or vice versa takes the longest to stabilize, hence you usually see no ghosting on grey-to-grey transitions (the name given to normal gradations) but will most definitely see it if big gradations are asked and stuff is going faster than the screen can keep up with. Your eyes and brain can get used to it and "filter it out" though.
If you had a screen for a DS/3DS with zero ghosting you'd notice. Thing is we don't.
EDIT: This is a ghosted to hell and back panel. You might also remember passive matrix LCD's from the 90's, it was impossible not to notice the ghosting.
sixteen-bit
Member
I have a Ceramic White JP PSP-1000 from 2005 and it's ghosty as fuck. Did they also switch over to Samsung?
putermcgee
Junior Member
I'm not 100% on this because it's been a while, but I want to say Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble doesn't really work because the cart is upside down. At least with a regular GBA, the cart still goes in the top.
lostinblue
Banned
Definitely possible.
Ceramic White wasn't a launch PSP and the whole Samsung vs Sharp debate was in regards to launch consoles, JP, vs US and Europe.
They wanted to cost control it since forever after launch or we wouldn't have so many versions for a console that didn't sell through the roof (PSP-1000, PSP-2000, PSP-3000, PSP-N1000, PSP-E1000), it's only normal that they did go ahead with it at some point. Samsung panels were cheaper, we didn't get Sharp ones due to that.
Anyway, It's not that Sharp screens wouldn't show ghosting, they did, but they ghosted infinitively less than Samsung ones did. I think PSP-2000 had less ghosting than both, thing is this might be slight against a Sharp screen and quite an upgrade from the samsung panel. This said, they do have noticeable ghosting as well.
Really interesting post, thank you. Not to get too off-topic, but I've always (well, for a while now, at least) felt like my eyes have trouble "tracking" movements like that in movies and TV shows especially, less so in games, so I wonder if that's related somehow.
lostinblue
Banned
That sounds like it's related to motion resolution, LCD's usually have it on the 300/350 lines range for a 1080p image (should be 1080 lines).
If not it's down to ghosting. Moving objects lack sharp detail on a ghosted panel, thing is everything LCD has ghosting so I'd have to suggest testing "that" against plasma (6 ms max ghosting time and usually full 1080 lines) or OLED (0-2 ms ghosting time but 300/350 lines of motion)
It might also be down to framerate, films are using 24 frames after all, did you see the Hobbit on the cinema at 48 fps?
You can also try engaging motion enhancements on sets that support them, Clear Motion set to high on Samsung 240 Hz LCD's (series 8 and 9) or impulse on Sony sets via strobing.
Only testing in order to scratch some possibilities off the list.
These are all good ideas, thank you. I'll try to test 'em out and I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks man!
I have it. It's a solid puzzler, with pretty unique and interesting gameplay mechanics (beyond the tilt sensor gimmick.) Building and exploding the bomb blocks is very satisfying. I bought it full price at retail when it was new-ish and I felt I got my money's worth.Anyone ever played this:
Koro Koro Puzzle Happy Panechu!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koro_Koro_Puzzle_Happy_Panechu!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXq_BAb3JEI
Only heard about it yesterday and thought it looked interesting.
Shadow Ranger
Member
So I've fixed an error of mine and got myself a micro finally. I will get a blue/black one of these days though!
I wish I could find one locally. I'm pretty distrusting of a lot of the online sellers on ebay and amazon too, but one of these days i'll just take the plunge. I'm mostly worried about screen condition on a lot of them.
Shadow Ranger
Member
I can be extremely anal at times but thankfully this one really is mint condition. I tempered my expectations a little, even though it was described as a mint but thankfully it (the unit itself) really is flawless.
Absolutely always ask the seller for any blemishes however small, but I do understand the worry even then.
sixteen-bit
Member
You could always go the new in box route, but you'll definitely pay a premium. A few people in this thread and the Micro <3 thread got some new old stock from Arcade Shock back in 2012 due to a pricing error they honored, but that has been fixed.
PumpkinSpice
Banned
Anyone know of a cheap way to get a GameBoy cartridge connector? I checked ebay with no luck, broken systems are going for way more than they have any business being, and I'd rather not cannibalize one of my working systems.
I'm looking to make my own save backup tool.
I'm looking to make my own save backup tool.
Did my first ever mod. Pretty happy with it. Screen and shell came from Lee Chan on ebay. The shell is obviously a clone and it is most apparent from the battery cover and bottom seam, but otherwise it feels and looks fine. The buttons it came with weren't that great so I stuck with the originals. It also came with both a glass and plastic lens, but the glass one didn't have any adhesive on it. Not sure what kind of glue would work best so I stuck with the plastic one for now which was pre-adhesed.
He sent me a roll of super thin double sided tape, so I used that for my glass lens.
Oh, I got that too but I figured it was just for securing the screen itself to the inside of the shell. it doesn't cause the lens to protrude at all?
putermcgee
Junior Member
Based on the pictures from Lee Chan's other items, it looks like the GBA backlight mod doesn't require soldering. The frontlight kid they sell has an extra wire attached to the screen, and that's what I see people soldering in how-to videos... but their backlight kit doesn't have that.
Are the pictures just not showing it, or is there now a solderless option?
Are the pictures just not showing it, or is there now a solderless option?
No soldering required for the kit I just got from him.
putermcgee
Junior Member
Awesome, thanks a lot. I noticed the listing said only 3 remaining, so I bit the bullet.
I'm going to go with a black shell myself.
By the way, how different, in terms of internal space, was the aftermarket shell compared to your original? I know you swapped in your original buttons, but how tough do you think it would be to use your original shell?
Is it easy to put together, and how much did it cost?
Pretty dang easy. The hardest part was trying to keep my fingerprints off the screen while installing it. here is where you can buy a screen and shell. I only payed $55 for mine so the price might go back down once he gets more in stock.
Thanks. I thought it was an actual GBA, but it's just parts. I only have a SP 001.
putermcgee
Junior Member
I'm also considering this because I think the Japanese Toys R Us midnight blue GBA is my holy grail. The motherboard in the auction is different from the one I was planning to mod, so I'd probably gut it and only use the shell.
I'm assuming the 32 and 40-pin motherboards are physically the same (same size and screw holes) besides where the screen's ribbon cable attaches.
I'm assuming the 32 and 40-pin motherboards are physically the same (same size and screw holes) besides where the screen's ribbon cable attaches.
sixteen-bit
Member
Wow, that midnight blue is gorgeous. Absolutely striking color.
putermcgee
Junior Member
There are a lot of nice GBAs that I've always wanted, several that I actually owned at one point, but none compare to that Toys R Us model.
Also, a lot of the better GBA models that I like are special because the screen covers had some kind of design on them, and that would all be undone by replacing one with a glass screen.
Also, a lot of the better GBA models that I like are special because the screen covers had some kind of design on them, and that would all be undone by replacing one with a glass screen.
