Modern Vintage Gamer | Game Boy Advance: Incredible tech on just 2 AA Batteries

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


A look back at the Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo's ARM based 32bit handheld that was a 2D powerhouse in 2001 and could also run impressive 3D games too. And it all ran on 2 AA batteries!

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
01:31 - 2D Games
08:09 - Isometric Games
09:35 - 3D Games
11:48 - Homebrew and the Community
13:57 - Conclusion
 
I strongly recommend the Anbernic RG406H to enjoy GG, GB, GBC and GBA games in the best possible conditions.
The main advantage here is the excellent 960x720 screen, which allows for a very large display, yet integer scaled, of all these consoles. And the console is comfortable to hold, it has decent grips.
 
I strongly recommend the Anbernic RG406H to enjoy GG, GB, GBC and GBA games in the best possible conditions.
The main advantage here is the excellent 960x720 screen, which allows for a very large display, yet integer scaled, of all these consoles. And the console is comfortable to hold, it has decent grips.
I think a decent smartphone with a controller like Gamesir G8 is better. You can even play N64 games and can have an OLED display + better speakers. Only disadvantage here is that it's less portable.
 
I think a decent smartphone with a controller like Gamesir G8 is better. You can even play N64 games and can have an OLED display + better speakers. Only disadvantage here is that it's less portable.
It hardly feels like the experience you would get on proper handheld device, which is exactly what the RG406H provides. And the screen is great quality. But whatever suits you best !
 
Last edited:
I strongly recommend the Anbernic RG406H to enjoy GG, GB, GBC and GBA games in the best possible conditions.
The main advantage here is the excellent 960x720 screen, which allows for a very large display, yet integer scaled, of all these consoles. And the console is comfortable to hold, it has decent grips.
I play GBA games on the PS Vita. Seems good enough and it gives me a reason to use the Vita more often lol.
 
Original vertical layout is still one of the most comfortable handhelds, just a shame about the non-backlit screen but we can fix that today.
 
It hardly feels like the experience you would get on proper handheld device, which is exactly what the RG406H provides. And the screen is great quality. But whatever suits you best !
Maybe you thought i meant a normal controller. Have you already tried it with one of those controllers where you put the smartphone in?
J1j2ZQJ.jpeg

It's the exact same feeling while playing, just much more power and a much better screen.

But i also get why people prefer all-in-one solutions, it's the same reason why people prefer consoles over pc.
 
I play GBA games on the PS Vita. Seems good enough and it gives me a reason to use the Vita more often lol.
I just googled the Anbernic, then I saw your comment and remembered that I have a Vita as well, lol. Or I'll just play on my original GBA SP or Micro (although both need new batteries).

Great video as always, although not really much new stuff. One of the greatest handhelds of all time.
 
I just googled the Anbernic, then I saw your comment and remembered that I have a Vita as well, lol. Or I'll just play on my original GBA SP or Micro (although both need new batteries).

Great video as always, although not really much new stuff. One of the greatest handhelds of all time.
Vita resolution is a poor fit for all these old consoles though.
 
I strongly recommend the Anbernic RG406H to enjoy GG, GB, GBC and GBA games in the best possible conditions.
The main advantage here is the excellent 960x720 screen, which allows for a very large display, yet integer scaled, of all these consoles. And the console is comfortable to hold, it has decent grips.
….why not just get RG 34XX (looks like OG GBA) or 34XX SP (looks like GBA SP)?
 
What are their resolutions ? Screen ratio ?
They both have the same screen, 3.4" fully-lamintated IPS 720x480 (3:2)

They're smaller and less capable than the 406H, but are also half the price of 406H and if playing GBA stuff is your main use case get the job done just as well
 
Last edited:
To me the GBA was the fusion between an SNES and a Megadrive in portable format. It had a powerful CPU allowing 2D games with lots of sprites and shit happening without slowdowns as well as a large color palette and nice background effects. And it did all of this better than these 2 16 bits machines. The only thing it sucked at was resolution (not really a problem back then compared to other portable devices available) and of course the sound, and there was no real excuse for this.

Too bad it came in the 2000s when our eyes (well at least for me) were set on that 5th to 6th generation of consoles leap that was really huge. I quickly forgot my GBA and didn't appreciate it for what it was back then.
 
They both have the same screen, 3.4" fully-lamintated IPS 720x480 (3:2)

They're smaller and less capable than the 406H, but are also half the price of 406H and if playing GBA stuff is your main use case get the job done just as well
480 is okay for GBA but not for GG / GB / GBC. You can't integer scale without losing a lot of space.

406V/H is 720 vertically which is an integer multiple of 144 for GG / GB / GBC. And 960 horizontally is an integer multiple of 240 for GBA, with minimal loss vertically (very small black bars). And as it is a 4/3 screen, you are filling a ton of space, so it just feels right. For GG this is a perfect fit actually, you fill the entire screen while being integer scaled both vertically and horizontally, and with the 4/3 ratio the original screen used.

In summary, I would pick 406V/H any day rather than what you talk about.
 
Last edited:
480 is okay for GBA but not for GG / GB / GBC. You can't integer scale without losing a lot of space.

406V/H is 720 vertically which is an integer multiple of 144 for GG / GB / GBC. And 960 horizontally is an integer multiple of 240 for GBA, with minimal loss vertically (very small black bars). And as it is a 4/3 screen, you are filling a ton of space, so it just feels right. For GG this is a perfect fit actually, you fill the entire screen while being integer scaled both vertically and horizontally, and with the 4/3 ratio the original screen used.

In summary, I would pick 406V/H any day rather than what you talk about.
Oh yah, for general use 4:3 is definitely better for both native SDTV consoles (SNES/Genesis/etc) and scaling as you mentioned.

I was just saying those other options are better (and cheaper) for GBA since this is a GBA thread
 
I had always disliked the screen which isn't backlit, that's until last week when I grabbed my DS Lite to play some games on the bus. Due to the sunlight it was quite difficult and I realized that my GBA is the perfect handheld to use outside on a sunny day. I also absolutely love the shape and size of it and my DS Lite has never been as comfortable.
 
Top Bottom