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[Peagles]

Yeh looks the same as the box posted in this thread over at Atari Age where a bunch of people got ripped off by some dodgy seller.

If it works the same though, all good. I just think sellers should be honest about it. I've tried badgering the seller on Ali Express, they swear black and blue they're genuine but 'unfortunately can't take any pictures of the mainboard' lol.

 

[prateeko]

Hmmm, interesting about the (R) vs (TM). I have some old pics of some amazing (brand new!) Pokémon Center GBAs I bought last year (as some of you may recall my collection was destroyed when my parents house was robbed back when I was in school and two things I lost which I especially missed were my brand new, never used Celebi and Suicune GBAs...). Now these were released later and special edition, but they have (TM) next to the GBA logo. Here's a pic:

And a couple shots of the GBAs (never used or turned on obviously since this is for collecting purposes - even still have the of original AA batteries included <3):

 

[Highwind]

What should I look out for with fake circuit boards?

 

[theSlacker]

Just going to assume that those $60 ones from yesterday are the same and I need to prepare to file a claim to get money back when it's not even gonna be here for a few weeks.

 

[prateeko]

Just going to assume that those $60 ones from yesterday are the same and I need to prepare to file a claim to get money back when it's not even gonna be here for a few weeks.

Yup, that's what I'm suspecting. The guy lists a 30 day money back so you could potentially ask for money back and refund before shipping, but i think I'll just wait and see.

As far as seeing if it's a fake I have a tri wing screwdriver so my plan is pop it open and compare it to some of the used GBAs I have (I have 2 used Suicune ones I bought along with the midnight blue TRU edition one I got recently). I doubt the fake motherboards would have the proper nintendo logo or same chips so I'll compare em side by side when I get em but for anyone who has a box with (R) on it you could always pop open the GBA with a triwing and compare it to online pics of GBA mother boards. The other possibility is these are cheap, used GBAs and the boxes are fake. Who knows, although I doubt it'll be real (the shells look aftermarket based on the the nintendo logo alone), but that's a risk I was okay with at $60...

 

[baphomet]

Yup, generally counterfeit merch isn't required to be returned either. Worst case scenario I got a free clone GBA.

 

[prateeko]

Yup, generally counterfeit merch isn't required to be returned either. Worst case scenario I got a free clone GBA.

Well we know the LCDs that Lee Chan and RCG and others are using are 3rd party anyways right? The shell and buttons and whatnot are all 3rd party anyways in the kits so the only thing different here is the motherboard right? It may be easy enough to swap out for an original motherboard with these clones, in which case it may be as cheap as the LCD kits that are sold out now?

Time to play the wait and see game while I still try and find someone who can place a sweet backlit LCD I to my (used) genuine Suicine GBA...

 

[theSlacker]

What I feel bad about is making Silent Storm regret the thing he was happy about having. Sorry bro, it's really not that bad. :c

 

[Highwind]

The other possibility is these are cheap, used GBAs and the boxes are fake. Who knows, although I doubt it'll be real (the shells look aftermarket based on the the nintendo logo alone), but that's a risk I was okay with at $60...

I am leaning towards this tbh for my unit.

I have a US and European GBA and I compared them to the modded one and everything all seem to match perfectly other than the fact all 3 black chips are different from each other (though all 3 have chips with Nintendo branding on them).

So I a guessing these are legit boards but everything else is aftermarket. I mean, as it stands right now there is nothing on this board that indicates it's a fake. It seems the actual board is legit while everything else is 3rd party which is kind of what I was expecting.

What I feel bad about is making Silent Storm regret the thing he was happy about having. Sorry bro, it's really not that bad. :c

The only thing I am bummed about is the box (and manual which was hiding somewhere in it). The board seems to be fine otherwise.

 

[theSlacker]

I am leaning towards this tbh for my unit.

I have a US and European GBA and I compared them to the modded one and everything all seem to match perfectly other than the fact all 3 black chips are different from each other (though all 3 have chips with Nintendo branding on them).

So I a guessing these are legit boards but everything else is aftermarket. I mean, as it stands right now there is nothing on this board that indicates it's a fake. It seems the actual board is legit while everything else is 3rd party which is kind of what I was expecting.



The only thing I am bummed about is the box (and manual which was hiding somewhere in it). The board seems to be fine otherwise.

Some of the upgrade kits that I've seen come compete with one of those boxes with the R on them so they are probably just a standard created thing. Same thing with the shells where the listings I've seen have just the 4 colors of the ones that were in that ebay listing. Last page of that linked thread on atariage has a link to an auction just like that. The important thing is the boards, so if you got a legit one of those there is nothing to sweat.

 

[Highwind]

Yep, thats the main thing that matters. Shell is definitely aftermarket but the board is identical to my other ones.

Wish I knew beforehand but no big deal. It works and is legit minus the shell.

 

[prateeko]

Probably the buttons are fake too (basically everything but the motherboard, the GBA did sell a lot and I imagine it's easy to get old ones and strip out the motherboard from them), since I know when I got a replacement GBA SP shell eveything but the innards were included. The buttons may feel diff but it's the inside that counts, right?

 

[Agent Unknown]

Yeh looks the same as the box posted in this thread over at Atari Age where a bunch of people got ripped off by some dodgy seller.

If it works the same though, all good. I just think sellers should be honest about it. I've tried badgering the seller on Ali Express, they swear black and blue they're genuine but 'unfortunately can't take any pictures of the mainboard' lol.

I read that thread and they said you know your backlit mod is a "counterfeit" if it has Phillips screws instead of tri wings and that another giveaway is a Chinese tax sticker over one of the screw holes. Welp...a pic of the back of mine below. :/

Or does this not really matter if the motherboard is genuine? It has the standard markings behind the battery slot that let you know whether it's 32 or 40 pin, should that mean the motherboard itself is made by Nintendo/taken from an actual GBA?

Edit: Never mind, per posts a above, pretty much all of these are using aftermarket shells and buttons, motherboard is the important thing. Not saying the people on Atari Age didn't have a bad customer service experience but guess maybe they're overreacting a bit because these modded units aren't exactly kosher?

 

[Borman]

Ive always expected everything but the motherboard to be fake on these, so Im not worried about that at all. I figured most people did hah.

 

[Agent Unknown]

Ive always expected everything but the motherboard to be fake on these, so Im not worried about that at all. I figured most people did hah.

Yeah, I don't care as long as the motherboard is official.

 

[Peagles]

Yeh I mean my goal is to keep mine as original as possible but the motherboard is definitely the deal breaker.

 

[bounchfx]

I figure this is probably the best place to ask...

I have a box of maybe 20+ GBA game boxes (opened), all near perfect condition. I was going to throw them out the other day after collecting them up to this point in my life, but someone reminded me that someone else may like to have them. Let me know if there's any interest, I can take a photo. Again, it's only the boxes + manuals.

 

[Rich!]

I figure this is probably the best place to ask...

I have a box of maybe 20+ GBA game boxes (opened), all near perfect condition. I was going to throw them out the other day after collecting them up to this point in my life, but someone reminded me that someone else may like to have them. Let me know if there's any interest, I can take a photo. Again, it's only the boxes + manuals.

Wait. Throw them away? You could have £200+ worth of shit there. Unless you like throwing away money, list them here.

 

[Agent Unknown]

Lately I've been thinking about trying out the Dragon Quest series for the first time (the only turn based RPGs I've ever played are Chrono Trigger and Earthbound). I was told by someone DQ IV is the best one to start with but I remembered the Dragon Warrior 1&2 cart for GBC, plus Dragon Warrior Monsters looks like a fun game to mess with, any thoughts? Any DQ entries on GBA?

 

[Rich!]

Lately I've been thinking about trying out the Dragon Quest series for the first time (the only turn based RPGs I've ever played are Chrono Trigger and Earthbound). I was told by someone DQ IV is the best one to start with but I remembered the Dragon Warrior 1&2 cart for GBC, plus Dragon Warrior Monsters looks like a fun game to mess with, any thoughts? Any DQ entries on GBA?

Wait, you've never played pokemon? Play Pokemon.

 

[fantastico]

So it seems my new purchase is a fake

Are there likely to be any issues with it? The sound is fine and the buttons feel the same as my legit GBA. All the games I've tried on it work fine. All the screws are tri-wing, will it fit into the shell of my non backlit GBA?

 

[Rich!]

The easiest way to see if your console is a fake or not without opening is to look at the code printed on the motherboard through the gap in the battery compartment. I don't have those numbers to hand though.

There is also a specific homebrew ROM that can detect which hardware you're on if you have a flashcart, but I've forgotten what it was lol. Either way, a clone would probably throw a false reading anyhow.

 

[Peagles]

So it seems my new purchase is a fake

Are there likely to be any issues with it? The sound is fine and the buttons feel the same as my legit GBA. All the games I've tried on it work fine. All the screws are tri-wing, will it fit into the shell of my non backlit GBA?

If the mobo is real I wouldn't worry too much.

You could put it in a legit shell but you'd need to trim the insides for the mod to fit.

 

[Rich!]

If the mobo is real I wouldn't worry too much.

You could put it in a legit shell but you'd need to trim the insides for the mod to fit.

My GBA has a legit motherboard but the case, glass lens, screen and buttons are all aftermarket lol

Doesn't matter. It is as good as the real deal, even better considering majority of the consoles are now over a decade old and have worn down/aged casing. The motherboard is what counts.

Oh and the D Pad and power switch. The third party ones are shit. Swapped those round with official ones as soon as I could lol

 

[Peagles]

My GBA has a legit motherboard but the case, glass lens, screen and buttons are all aftermarket lol

Doesn't matter. It is as good as the real deal, even better considering majority of the consoles are now over a decade old and have worn down/aged casing. The motherboard is what counts.

Oh and the D Pad and power switch. The third party ones are shit. Swapped those round with official ones as soon as I could lol

Yeh this is what I meant.

I wonder if there really is just a huge stock of old GBA mobos in China. Did China get the original GBA? I had an iQue SP but haven't seen the Chinese GBA.

 

[Rich!]

I dunno. A lot, if not all, of the original GBA was produced in Japan, but the screens were produced in China.

I actually think that the supply we've been using are the rejects. It would explain how there's a lot of dodgy ones with dead pixels and such, like the few I ended up with. Of course, Nintendo probably have ridiculously high standards for passing production, so realistically most of the screens are absolutely fine for use.

 

[Ultima_5]

Lately I've been thinking about trying out the Dragon Quest series for the first time (the only turn based RPGs I've ever played are Chrono Trigger and Earthbound). I was told by someone DQ IV is the best one to start with but I remembered the Dragon Warrior 1&2 cart for GBC, plus Dragon Warrior Monsters looks like a fun game to mess with, any thoughts? Any DQ entries on GBA?

Start with 5 on the ds or 3 on the gbc

 

[Borman]

My chinese system has shipped. Will let everyone know more as I get it

 

[Highwind]

Afternoon.

Swapped out the buttons in this one for legit ones as the buttons were shit. Feels much better now, might even swap the lens as it's a big scratched. Anyone have a seller they could recommend?

Checking my motherboard, it seems I have a 32-pin connector. My "broken" silver one has a 32-pin as well while my purple has a 40-pin.

I wouldn't worry too much just as long as the motherboard is legit. That's all that matters.

 

[Grief.exe]

Lately I've been thinking about trying out the Dragon Quest series for the first time (the only turn based RPGs I've ever played are Chrono Trigger and Earthbound). I was told by someone DQ IV is the best one to start with but I remembered the Dragon Warrior 1&2 cart for GBC, plus Dragon Warrior Monsters looks like a fun game to mess with, any thoughts? Any DQ entries on GBA?

Check out Dragon Warrior III on the GBC, it is supposed to be excellent.

 

[LAM09]

My chinese system has shipped. Will let everyone know more as I get it

Is that one of the ones that were going cheap?

 

[Borman]

Is that one of the ones that were going cheap?

Yep

 

[LAM09]

Yep

Kl. Look forward to hearing your impressions.

 

[prateeko]

Yep

One from this "super-deal" seller on eBay?

 

[psylah]

Cousin from Japan.

 

[Borman]

One from this "super-deal" seller on eBay?

Yep

 

[Rich!]

Hm....ordered another EZ Flash IV and it's coming from China of course....but delivered by Swiss Post. It's all legit with a tracking number, it's just bizarre. Swiss Post for a China to UK delivery?

Hopefully they live up to the swiss stereotype of being amazingly reliable.

 

[Big_Al]

Was going through my stuff and whilst I don't really collect old consoles anymore I randomly found Super Ghouls 'n' Ghosts for GBA in my drawer. Stuck it into my DS Lite and still works a treat, still a great game too Real nostalgia trip.

 

[prateeko]

Hm....ordered another EZ Flash IV and it's coming from China of course....but delivered by Swiss Post. It's all legit with a tracking number, it's just bizarre. Swiss Post for a China to UK delivery?

Hopefully they live up to the swiss stereotype of being amazingly reliable.

I really hate to break it to you but EVERYTHING you're looking at is coming from china. All of these flash carts are Chinese made. I love my EZ Flash IV since I've transferred all my saves onto it and can carry one cart, but the build quality is garbage. It works but it's clearly not made in the US/JPN. Same with all of these backlit systems, it's clear all the parts are aftermarket (just look at the Nintendo logo at the top), but at these prices that's what you're going to get. It'll probably be comparable, but def worse, than OEM, and if that bothers you then getting a used GBA off ebay andcaseswappjng should be an easy enough fix (esp for OG buttons). Hell, you could also gut an AGS-101 for the screen but that's all a lot of work which is why the cheaper, markedly not-authentic/original option exists, right?

Aldo, broman, did you get shipping confirmation from the seller? And which color did you request?

 

[Borman]

I really hate to break it to you but EVERYTHING you're looking at is coming from china. All of these flash carts are Chinese made. I love my EZ Flash IV since I've transferred all my saves onto it and can carry one cart, but the build quality is garbage. It works but it's clearly not made in the US/JPN. Same with all of these backlit systems, it's clear all the parts are aftermarket (just look at the Nintendo logo at the top), but at these prices that's what you're going to get. It'll probably be comparable, but def worse, than OEM, and if that bothers you then getting a used GBA off ebay andcaseswappjng should be an easy enough fix (esp for OG buttons). Hell, you could also gut an AGS-101 for the screen but that's all a lot of work which is why the cheaper, markedly not-authentic/original option exists, right?

Aldo, broman, did you get shipping confirmation from the seller? And which color did you request?

Yeah I have a tracking number. I ordered an orange one.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Cousin from Japan.

Gotta cop that Famitsu GBL tho

 

[prateeko]

Gotta cop that Famicom GBL tho

That's super sweet but I think those go for A LOT. Always makes me sad there was never any kind of backlit GBC

Yeah I have a tracking number. I ordered an orange one.

Huh, hopefully mine ships soon too. I decided to risk a purple/indigo one at $60. Let us know how it looks when it shows up!

 

[sixteen-bit]

That's super sweet but I think those go for A LOT. Always makes me sad there was never any kind of backlit GBC

Sadly they do go for a lot . I'd love one.

 

[Rich!]

I really hate to break it to you but EVERYTHING you're looking at is coming from china. All of these flash carts are Chinese made. I love my EZ Flash IV since I've transferred all my saves onto it and can carry one cart, but the build quality is garbage. It works but it's clearly not made in the US/JPN. Same with all of these backlit systems, it's clear all the parts are aftermarket (just look at the Nintendo logo at the top), but at these prices that's what you're going to get. It'll probably be comparable, but def worse, than OEM, and if that bothers you then getting a used GBA off ebay andcaseswappjng should be an easy enough fix (esp for OG buttons). Hell, you could also gut an AGS-101 for the screen but that's all a lot of work which is why the cheaper, markedly not-authentic/original option exists, right?

Aldo, broman, did you get shipping confirmation from the seller? And which color did you request?

Yeah I know all that about the EZ Flash IV...I've owned one since it first came out.

And yeah of course it's coming from China, I was just expressing surprise that Swiss Post were involved, in China. Usually it's EMS or FedEx.

 

[prateeko]

Yeah I know all that about the EZ Flash IV...I've owned one since it first came out.

And yeah of course it's coming from China, I was just expressing surprise that Swiss Post were involved, in China. Usually it's EMS or FedEx.

Ahhh, I misunderstood your post. Wanted to make sure you weren't under the illusion of quality for some of these items, but realize you were surprised that it's coming from Swiss Mail (and that they are reliable).

 

[bounchfx]

Wait. Throw them away? You could have £200+ worth of shit there. Unless you like throwing away money, list them here.

ahh, doubtful, but I wouldn't know either way. Remember, they are just boxes (minus one or two), but you are right, worth gauging interest first. I'll post a picture of them all in an hour or two after some errands.

 

[mightynine]

Got an interesting question. My 2nd modded GBA came in and it feels lighter than the Dingy DMG I bought from Rose Colored Gaming. Why would that be? Just the paint used as opposed to an aftermarket shell?

 

[Peagles]

Yeah I know all that about the EZ Flash IV...I've owned one since it first came out.

And yeah of course it's coming from China, I was just expressing surprise that Swiss Post were involved, in China. Usually it's EMS or FedEx.

Now that you mention it, I'm certain I've had that weird Swiss post thing before!

 

[prateeko]

Got an interesting question. My 2nd modded GBA came in and it feels lighter than the Dingy DMG I bought from Rose Colored Gaming. Why would that be? Just the paint used as opposed to an aftermarket shell?

Where did you get it from? RCG uses glass lenses which could add some weight.

 

[mightynine]

Where did you get it from? RCG uses glass lenses which could add some weight.

The 2nd came from eBay and doesn't mention a glass lens, so that's it.