Support NeoGAF

[NormalFish]

Thanks for the reply, wish I had the sort of knowledge to tackle this myself. I would play someone who knew what he was doing to take this on.

On that last point, I always thought the GBA was the least overlooked of all classic handhelds. Last traditional Nintendo handheld, strong library of SNES-like games, great Pokémon games and other RPGs, a number of collectable editions and hardware revisions, escalating hardware prices, sought after screen mods. I mean look at the GBA Everdrive... it was highly anticipated for months and sure enough it sold out.

I'd say the classic game boy gets he most attention, with the gba following behind. Sticking to Nintendo, it's the gbc that gets boned. It's a tough life for lovers of the curvier game boy.

 

[PumpkinSpice]

I'd say the classic game boy gets he most attention, with the gba following behind. Sticking to Nintendo, it's the gbc that gets boned. It's a tough life for lovers of the curvier game boy.

Pretty much. People like the original for the audio stuff and being so #retro on instagram, GBA gets some attention but it's mostly a younger crowd that grew up with it and haven't hit their quarter-life crisis like happened with NES/SNES/N64, and the GBC just gets forgotten.

 

[JLynn]

I personally love the GBA because it can play any game with the Game Boy branding with a smile on its face.

 

[Mega]

I'd say the classic game boy gets he most attention, with the gba following behind. Sticking to Nintendo, it's the gbc that gets boned. It's a tough life for lovers of the curvier game boy.

Pretty much. People like the original for the audio stuff and being so #retro on instagram, GBA gets some attention but it's mostly a younger crowd that grew up with it and haven't hit their quarter-life crisis like happened with NES/SNES/N64, and the GBC just gets forgotten.

Ah, forgot all about the chiptunes/DJ scene! And the retro hipster bunch who adore OG Gameboy! I was thinking more about the games themselves. In that regard, I think there's little love for the GB/GBC library compared to GBA.

 

[NormalFish]

Ah, forgot all about the chiptunes/DJ scene! And the retro hipster bunch who adore OG Gameboy! I was thinking more about the games themselves. In that regard, I think there's little love for the GB/GBC library compared to GBA.

Well the meme is that the GB/C library is basically just pokemon, so yeah fair enough. It's a huge bummer since I maintain it has some of the best 8bit games to date.

 

[kooplar]

I just bought a nes gba sp for about $20 dollars. The interior paint is faded away, but the buttons are still red and the top still has the gray stripes. It still works ok though. How good/bad of a deal was this?

 

[Mega]

Well the meme is that the GB/C library is basically just pokemon, so yeah fair enough. It's a huge bummer since I maintain it has some of the best 8bit games to date.

Yeah, I think that's a bunch of crap myself. It's more like people are unaware of what's good on the system.

 

[Grief.exe]

I just bought a nes gba sp for about $20 dollars. The interior paint is faded away, but the buttons are still red and the top still has the gray stripes. It still works ok though. How good/bad of a deal was this?

Does it say AGS101 on the back?

 

[Nudull]

Speaking of Looney Tunes, who else here has nostalgia for the Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle games? I remember...getting frustrated constantly. lol

 

[kooplar]

Does it say AGS101 on the back?

No, it's the 001. I was at the flea market and couldn't remember if ags 001 was the brighter one or not, but I took the plunge anyway and lost

 

[RadarScope1]

Problem I have is that I like playing at night, in bed. Lamp has to be right behind me to play. It's unfortunate.

You know what's a killer solution for playing GBC in the dark? An LED headlamp. Sounds goofy but when you get the lighting at the correct angle the damn thing looks backlit. And no ghosting.

 

[NormalFish]

You know what's a killer solution for playing GBC in the dark? An LED headlamp. Sounds goofy but when you get the lighting at the correct angle the damn thing looks backlit. And no ghosting.

I don't think I could bring myself to actually wear a headlamp to play my gameboy, whether or not it works lol.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

While Nintendo is at it they should re-release the OG GBA with the 101 LCD, 30 built in games, and a functioning cartridge slot.

 

[NormalFish]

While Nintendo is at it they should re-release the OG GBA with the 101 LCD, 30 built in games, and a functioning cartridge slot.

better yet, a proper backlit LCD instead of the crappy 101 screen.

 

[Grief.exe]

While Nintendo is at it they should re-release the OG GBA with the 101 LCD, 30 built in games, and a functioning cartridge slot.

better yet, a proper backlit LCD instead of the crappy 101 screen.

While they're at it they should increase the resolution to 480x320 or 720*480 with a clean internal upscaling unit. Would be beautiful.

 

[D.Lo]

While they're at it they should increase the resolution to 480x320 or 720*480 with a clean internal upscaling unit. Would be beautiful.

No that would look far worse and achieve nothing good.

Native resolution is the only way to go. You cannot improve bitmap graphics by increasing the resolution, and usually make them look worse.

 

[PumpkinSpice]

Come on, get with it. For playing games out of home or away from your TV, just have:

1. A Game Boy Pocket for playing original GB games
2. a Game Boy Color for GBC games
3. a non-backlit original Game Boy Advance for GBA games

and a GameCube, GameBoy Player, GBI, a way of running GBI, an s-video/component/rgb cable and a GC->GBA link cable for playing games at home, as well as a Super Game Boy and SNES for playing the 3 or so worthwhile SGB enhanced games

Right? This is literally the only correct answer for this fucked up hardware line.

 

[D.Lo]

Come on, get with it. For playing games out of home or away from your TV, just have:

1. A Game Boy Pocket for playing original GB games
2. a Game Boy Color for GBC games
3. a non-backlit original Game Boy Advance for GBA games

and a GameCube, GameBoy Player, GBI, a way of running GBI, an s-video/component/rgb cable and a GC->GBA link cable for playing games at home, as well as a Super Game Boy and SNES for playing the 3 or so worthwhile SGB enhanced games

Right? This is literally the only correct answer for this fucked up hardware line.

Apart from GBI those are hobo selections

I run:

• A backlight modded biverted DMG for black and white games
• A 101 SP for Game Boy Color and GBA games (fuck the haters I like the screen)
• A Game Boy Micro for GBA games
• Super Game Boy 2 to RGB modded Super Famicom Jr for SGB games
• GB Player + component cable via GBI to Framemeister/RGB cable to PVM, plus a GC to SNES controller adapter to use a SNES pad

DS Lite is another good GBA-only choice.

 

[PumpkinSpice]

Apart from GBI those are hobo selections

I run:

• A backlight modded biverted DMG for black and white games
• A 101 SP for Game Boy Color and GBA games (fuck the haters I like the screen)
• A Game Boy Micro for GBA games
• Super Game Boy 2 to RGB modded Super Famicom Jr for SGB games
• GB Player + component cable via GBI to Framemeister/RGB cable to PVM, plus a GC to SNES controller adapter to use a SNES pad

DS Lite is another good GBA-only choice.

I have other stuff. I've just spent years coming to the conclusion that my choices above are best.

I've seen the bivert mod in person and I just don't like the way it looks. It doesn't look like Game Boy games any more, the contrast is weird. Games were just designed around the crummy screen, and the GBP improves things just enough to not ruin that look while making things more clear and less ghosty (and less green).

I also have an AGB-101. This is OK as an all rounder, but a) I don't like running GB/GBC on GBA since the screen is slightly smaller and you have the annoying L=stretch bullshit and b) that ghosting; it's not a deal breaker in all games, but anything that scrolls fast it is and c) it's too vibrant... GBA games were (MOSTLY) designed around that awful screen, you'll find stuff is just way too colorful when not run around the original screen. I have the same complaint as c) for GBC games.

I also agree that the SNES controller is better than a GBA link cable for GBP but the stock choices for SNES adapters don't have great button mapping and I doubt too many people can handle making their own to fix that.

And yeah the DS Lite really is a good recommendation for people that just don't want to go too deep into GBA. Like, you probably already have one, the screen is just as good as the 101 screen, it's downright OK. But yeah, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who wants to get serious.

 

[NormalFish]

101 is gorgeous in stills but I also struggle with ghosting.

 

[Rich!]

If you have a means to rip your carts otherwise, the 3DS is fantastic for GBA games. You can pack GBA ROMs into cia files and install then in your home menu

They don't run via emulation, they run natively as the 3DS has GBA compatible hardware it's basically the same as how the Wii U can play Gamecube games. And you can adjust brightness, add/remove motion blur and play scaled or 1:1 pixel mode

I mentioned before that I used a GBA test suite on both the real hardware and the 3DS in GBA mode - both had identical results. It's for all intents and purposes the same as using the real thing. By contrast, the rom crashed on the gpsp emulator.

I use my 3DS for all my GBA games now anyway - I think that should be acceptable to all here as it isn't emulation! And the battery life is insane on GBA mode. Actually, the 3DS is just fantastic for retro titles all round thanks to that 240p screen:

 

[Beer Monkey]

as well as a Super Game Boy and SNES for playing the 3 or so worthwhile SGB enhanced games

It's worth noting that Donkey Kong is actually more colorful in the actual playfield (!) on GBA (including GBA/GBI) as there is an additional color present in the sprites. It's subtle but real. I suspect there may be other games that do this. Of course on SGB you have crazy additional bright colors in the status areas outside of the playfield and the stunning overworld-type screens, and this is missing, so it's a mixed bag.

c) it's too vibrant... GBA games were (MOSTLY) designed around that awful screen, you'll find stuff is just way too colorful when not run around the original screen. I have the same complaint as c) for GBC games.

That's why playing GBA/GBC games on a CRT is just perfect. I just reach up and twist the chroma knob to adjust color saturation on a game-by-game basis. Problem solved, and with zero blur of course!

I mentioned before that I used a GBA test suite on both the real hardware and the 3DS in GBA mode - both had identical results. It's for all intents and purposes the same as using the real thing. By contrast, the rom crashed on the gpsp emulator.

Ooh, where is this suite?

And is there a GUI utility to tweak the CIAs yet?

EDIT: Count the colors in DK (1994) in the actual playfield on GBI versus GBP. See the additional color in the sprites? Look for the flesh color in Mario that is not present in the background tiles, only the sprites. You'll see this bonus color on other screens in sprites like barrels and such.

 

[Rich!]

It's worth noting that Donkey Kong is actually more colorful in the actual playfield (!) on GBA (including GBA/GBI) as there is an additional color present in the sprites. It's subtle but real. I suspect there may be other games that do this. Of course on SGB you have crazy additional bright colors in the status areas outside of the playfield and the stunning overworld-type screens, and this is missing, so it's a mixed bag.



That's why playing GBA/GBC games on a CRT is just perfect. I just reach up and twist the chroma knob to adjust color saturation on a game-by-game basis. Problem solved, and with zero blur of course!



Ooh, where is this suite?

And is there a GUI utility to tweak the CIAs yet?

I haven't got the suite to hand right now but can find a link. And there has been a new footer generator and new cia builder for a while both, both with easy guis.

 

[Pancakes R Us]

Speaking of Looney Tunes, who else here has nostalgia for the Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle games? I remember...getting frustrated constantly. lol

I had this game back in the day, loved it. I think it had password saves. I've been meaning to re-buy it.

 

[EmiPrime]

Is it normal that on a modded OG GBA with the 101 screen there is an area at the bottom that's yellow? It's mostly visible when the screen is white like on boot up.

It's difficult to photograph well but I noticed it immediately when I first turned it on. Like a fading cigarette burn.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

Have there been any serious probes into a high end hardware clone of the GB/C/A like the RetroUSB AVS is for the NES?

 

[sixteen-bit]

Have there been any serious probes into a high end hardware clone of the GB/C/A like the RetroUSB AVS is for the NES?

Isn't that what the Revo and GB Boy Colour are?

edit: guess they are not hardware clones? i don't own them but i remember a thread where Rich! was singing the praises of the Revo.

 

[PumpkinSpice]

Have there been any serious probes into a high end hardware clone of the GB/C/A like the RetroUSB AVS is for the NES?

There is clone hardware, but there are screen issues with those things (wrong aspect ratio, wrong res, bad scaling) and the usual low quality buttons found in clone hardware controllers are irreplaceably stuck to the handheld.

I've seen FPGA GB implementations before. Kevtris was showing off some GB stuff for his Zimba 3000, and I'd imagine bolting on GBC capability shouldn't be that hard. GBA might be more tricky, I'm not sure if lower end FPGAs could handle a 17mhz ARM7.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

Isn't that what the Revo and GB Boy Colour are?

edit: guess they are not hardware clones? i don't own them but i remember a thread where Rich! was singing the praises of the Revo.

From what I've read the Revo isn't high end, it's budget. Middling screen, bad speaker, middling build quality, no support for GB/C carts.

 

[Mega]

If you have a means to rip your carts otherwise, the 3DS is fantastic for GBA games. You can pack GBA ROMs into cia files and install then in your home menu

They don't run via emulation, they run natively as the 3DS has GBA compatible hardware it's basically the same as how the Wii U can play Gamecube games. And you can adjust brightness, add/remove motion blur and play scaled or 1:1 pixel mode

I mentioned before that I used a GBA test suite on both the real hardware and the 3DS in GBA mode - both had identical results. It's for all intents and purposes the same as using the real thing. By contrast, the rom crashed on the gpsp emulator.

Great pics.

Do you have any information or links verifying 3DS has 100% native GBA support? I remember reading how the Ambassador games basically put the 3DS into a GBA mode but the system itself doesn't have all the parts (GPU?) of a GBA.

There is clone hardware, but there are screen issues with those things (wrong aspect ratio, wrong res, bad scaling) and the usual low quality buttons found in clone hardware controllers are irreplaceably stuck to the handheld.

That's what irritates me most about the Revo K101 Plus. There are three scaling options; two of them make games blurry or distorted and the other is a tiny 1:1 picture in the middle of the screen. None of them are good and make the PQ worse than the ancient AGS-101 screen, which shouldn't be the case for a modern LCD. A 2x integer scale even if it meant a bit of the picture out of frame would have been perfect.

 

[Grief.exe]

Great pics.

Do you have any information or links verifying 3DS has 100% native GBA support? I remember reading how the Ambassador games basically put the 3DS into a GBA mode but the system itself doesn't have all the parts (GPU?) of a GBA.

The 3DS has the full GBA hardware, but Nintendo would boot into the GBA which would leave all the 3DS functionality behind.

Modders may have found a way around that issue, but will have to wait for more information from rich.

 

[Grief.exe]

I bought one of those AGS 101 screens that I linked from Ali earlier.

I need to brush up on the OG GBA mod by rewatching a few videos and reading some documentation. Ironically, I need to acquire another GBA from Craigslist, my childhood Glacier model isn't working anymore.

 

[Beer Monkey]

The 3DS has the full GBA hardware, but Nintendo would boot into the GBA which would leave all the 3DS functionality behind.

GBA injection on modded N3DS XL, once you fix Nintendo's dimming and blurriness, is not just brighter than an original GBA modded with an AGS-101 screen, the image is slightly larger in 1:1 mode. It's pretty much my new favorite way to play most GBA games other than on a CRT. Exceptions being stuff that will get image retention like Metroid Fusion, and games with tilt or light sensors (tiny list there, though Wario Ware is one of my all-time faves). The GBA emulators on Vita do not cut it, lag is substantial.

If they can hack in 3DS functionality that would be amazing.

I bought one of those AGS 101 screens that I linked from Ali earlier.

Let us know how it works. I've heard mixed stories about third-party screens, which I'm guessing this is?

 

[Grief.exe]

Let us know how it works. I've heard mixed stories about third-party screens, which I'm guessing this is?

It is listed as OEM...As much as that's worth.

I see it as a fun project either way.

 

[Mega]

The listing said low supply and they look like the originals. Must be someone that came into possession of a small remaining batch of the NOS screens found some years back in a factory or warehouse.

 

[Beer Monkey]

The listing said low supply and they look like the originals. Must be someone that came into possession of a small remaining batch of the NOS screens found some years back in a factory or warehouse.

I keep wondering. It's a possibility for sure. I'm a little paranoid.

Off topic, does anybody know of the whereabouts of ISOs for the latest versions (regular, LL, ULL) of GBI? My versions are out of date. I'm completely capable of gathering the right tools and converting the DOLs, but honestly, I'm lazy. It's kind of silly to not make the ISOs available.

 

[Nudull]

Is it still worth it to get a Game Boy Player these days, in light of the Virtual Console? I've wanted one for my Gamecube for the longest time, but I could never get my hands on one.

 

[Rich!]

Is it still worth it to get a Game Boy Player these days, in light of the Virtual Console? I've wanted one for my Gamecube for the longest time, but I could never get my hands on one.

With gbi, hell yes

Don't use the official Nintendo software though

 

[Beer Monkey]

Is it still worth it to get a Game Boy Player these days, in light of the Virtual Console? I've wanted one for my Gamecube for the longest time, but I could never get my hands on one.

I got a near mint loose one for like $20 shipped off eBay last winter. Permanently attached to my silver GameCube now, looks great.

 

[Grief.exe]

The GB Players can go for cheap without the disc, since it's assumed the disc is required and thus they are useless without the disc.

Little do they know, it's actually objectively worse with the disc for enthusiasts.

 

[prateeko]

The listing said low supply and they look like the originals. Must be someone that came into possession of a small remaining batch of the NOS screens found some years back in a factory or warehouse.

I mean I assume these are 3rd party (although back in the day it was always 3rd party - screens were by Sharp and another manufacturer and even in the heyday of AGB-101s the screens were likely screens 3rd parties made for Nintendo but I don't think Nintendo themselves have ever manufacturered the screens).

Let us know how it goes! I assume either someone made more (and the ones a couple years ago were left over stock) since there always seems to be a steady trickle of systems on eBay from China but not the same type of supply that used to exist, thus higher prices.

 

[Peltz]

Is it still worth it to get a Game Boy Player these days, in light of the Virtual Console? I've wanted one for my Gamecube for the longest time, but I could never get my hands on one.

Fuck. Yes. With GBI ULL, GB Player has become my absolute favorite system/hardware ever.

Literally, the best library of games of all time and now in the finest image quality and in th ideal gameplay environment on native hardware. GB Player was just okay before with the stock software, but now that we have GBI ULL it's pure 240p bliss.

It's especially true when you factor in all the great GBC and GB games that exist. It sort of represents the final culmination Nintendo's expertise in making pure sprite based video games. GBP and GCN together were sort of the end of an era for Nintendo being on the cutting edge of things and it's totally worth owning especially if you have the pricey component cables.

 

[TheMoon]

Is it still worth it to get a Game Boy Player these days, in light of the Virtual Console? I've wanted one for my Gamecube for the longest time, but I could never get my hands on one.

Of course?! The very few GBA gems that are on VC pale in comparison to the entire GBA library.

 

[Mega]

Fuck. Yes. With GBI ULL, GB Player has become my absolute favorite system/hardware ever.

Literally, the best library of games of all time and now in the finest image quality and in th ideal gameplay environment on native hardware. GB Player was just okay before with the stock software, but now that we have GBI ULL it's pure 240p bliss.

It's especially true when you factor in all the great GBC and GB games that exist. It sort of represents the final culmination Nintendo's expertise in making pure sprite based video games. GBP and GCN together were sort of the end of an era for Nintendo being on the cutting edge of things and it's totally worth owning especially if you have the pricey component cables.

Just a friendly reminder that you need to use GBI LL (not ULL) for 240p if you're using the GC Component cables. ULL forces 480i (or 480p if the display supports it) for some unknown reason, which doesn't look right.

 

[Peltz]

Just a friendly reminder that you need to use GBI LL (not ULL) for 240p if you're using the GC Component cables. ULL forces 480i (or 480p if the display supports it) for some unknown reason, which doesn't look right.

I'm telling you man, I'm running ULL in 240p over GCN component cables. I'm not sure why it's not working for you.

It's definitely not 480i or 480p for me. I think the odd refresh rate is messing things up on some sets.

My set is a Sony PVM 20m2u and it definitely works on that.

 

[Mega]

Maybe the GC detects I'm using a multi-sync CRT and a quirk in the ULL software jumps straight to 480p (whereas a retail game would normally give the option of enabling it). I'll check ULL again with 1. dual output to my SD BVM and HD JVC, and 2. output to SD BVM only.

 

[Synless]

Ok, I found a AGS-101 SP for $20 at a used toy store in town. My original GBA is a 40-pin. So two things.

1) Do I need to solder to do the ags mod with the 40-pin?

2) what is the best guide?

 

[soxinthebox]

The GB Players can go for cheap without the disc, since it's assumed the disc is required and thus they are useless without the disc.

Little do they know, it's actually objectively worse with the disc for enthusiasts.

Why is it worse with the disc? Does it even work without it?

 

[Peagles]

Ok, I found a AGS-101 SP for $20 at a used toy store in town. My original GBA is a 40-pin. So two things.

1) Do I need to solder to do the ags mod with the 40-pin?

2) what is the best guide?

You'll just need to make sure you get a 40-pin ribbon cable adapter, rather than a 32. You don't need to solder to get it working, but soldering one wire in increases the brightness substantially.

Why is it worse with the disc? Does it even work without it?

The official software has issues. Homebrew GBI is far superior.

 

[Synless]

Any suggestions on where to get decent GBA (glacier) and GBC (Kiwi) shells? I have ordered a few off eBay and they sucked.