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> Non-SP GBA has problems: AA batteries, buttons are mushy, unlit screen, bad power delivery causing noisy audio Impressive project and hacking aside, the the

> Non-SP GBA has problems: AA batteries, buttons are mushy, unlit screen, bad power delivery causing noisy audio Impressive project and hacking aside, the the original DS and the DS Lite (which both support GameBoy Advance cartridges) addresses most of these concerns. Do those two systems address the power delivery and noisy audio?

mikepurvis 5y ago
I think they do, but they're also a different form factor, and the screen is taller meaning that GBA games end up letterboxed. It's perfectly usable, but I can understand someone wanting to build a device to deliver an optimized "native" GBA experience.
selfhoster11 5y ago
Not to mention that IMO, AA batteries are an asset on vintage portable electronics. The last thing I need is to search for overly expensive, and possibly already dead, battery packs on eBay when mine turns into a spicy pillow. AA batteries are much easier to acquire, and can be rechargeable to reduce environmental impact.
babypuncher 5y ago
I actually prefer the AA batteries. I've built several custom Game Boy Advances and Colors. My favorite unit is a GBA I built in an aluminum chassis, which necessitated an upgrade to a built-in rechargeable battery. Being able to top off the battery with a USB-C cable is convenient, but I know the battery will no longer hold a charge in a few years or so and will have to be replaced. I've kept the original battery compartments on all my other Game Boys, because I know rechargeable AAs will be easy to find for the foreseeable future.
- anamexis 5y ago
  I imagine 18650 cells will also be easy to find for the foreseeable future.
  - maxfurman 5y ago
    Available, maybe, but not at the same level of ubiquity as AA.
    - wtallis 5y ago
      Ubiquity isn't the requirement here, since the use case under discussion isn't buying pre-charged batteries at the local brick and mortar store, but merely easy sourcing of a replacement rechargeable battery when the existing one will no longer hold a charge. 18650s are certainly commoditized enough to fulfill that purpose, unlike proprietary LiPo packs.
  - babypuncher 5y ago
    In theory yes, but they are quite a bit larger than AAs, so a significant redesign of the shell and battery compartment would be needed to accommodate them. They would also make the handheld bulkier and heavier. Meanwhile, these devices are already designed to accept AA batteries.
- titzer 5y ago
  How difficult is it to integrate a AA battery recharger into the design? That'd be the best of both worlds, as all you need is the (5V) power pins from the USB cable to charge.
- shreddit 5y ago
  I am always amazed to see my advance sp still turning on with its original battery. I seriously doubt any replacement battery would come close to this.
derefr 5y ago
The 3DS CPU would also support GBA cartridges, if there were any place on the console to plug them in. It's kind of amusing, actually — Nintendo didn't intentionally support GBA in the 3DS. But they supported DS in the 3DS the same way that the DS supported GBA: by embedding the previous generation's CPU, as is, within the die of the new CPU. Which means that inside the 3DS's CPU is a DS CPU; and inside the DS CPU mask they reused for this, there is a GBA CPU. Which is fully functional. You tell the 3DS CPU to reboot into DS mode; then tell the DS CPU you're now talking to to reboot into GBA mode; and there you go, you're now talking to a GBA CPU. Nintendo eventually did realize what they had done, and released a few special limited-run GBA "Virtual Console" games. (But those games aren't emulated; they run natively!) You can use Nintendo's own GBA firmware to run your own GBA ROM images natively on a 3DS, if you like—though I don't think Nintendo's GBA firmware supports things like a Real-Time Clock, so you're better off using a GBA emulator there. But the potential is clearly there for someone with skills like the OP here to lift the CPU out of the 3DS onto its own PCB with a GBA card-edge socket, and then write a GBA firmware for said CPU that actually interacts with it.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- willis936 5y ago
  Yep, and GBA uses the DMG/GBC's Z80 for extra audio capabilities. Unfortunately Nintendo gutted the Z80 except for audio in the DS. If they had left the full Z80 it would have allowed the DS to play DMG/GBC games we could have a handheld (n3DS) that could natively play every Nintendo handheld game ever made. The n3DS is still a dreamy piece of hardware.
  - philistine 5y ago
    The Game Boy ran at 5 volts. The Game Boy Advance ran at 3.3 volts. That's a very good reason they removed backwards compatibility of the OG Game Boy starting with the DS (and Game Boy Micro).
    - 5y ago
neverendingsigh 5y ago
The project page goes over the improvements to power delivery and audio output, so not sure what else you're referencing here. Also remember that the AGB's audio is pretty garbage for what it should theoretically be capable of; it certainly doesn't have an SNES-level (edit: sound capability). Zekfoo has done quite a bit here to maximize its potential, and the results are far better than the piling on of many additional capacitors that other modders have experimented with to mixed results. Ultimately, nobody's stopping anyone from playing AGB carts in a DS if that's what you want to do. (Don't look up "Game Boy Macro" mods.)
- pasquinelli 5y ago
  "certainly doesn't have an SNES-level FM synth." the snes soundchip plays samples.
  - neverendingsigh 5y ago
    My bad, wires crossed (heh). Point is it's still not quite as capable.
philistine 5y ago
They do, but you lose the backwards compatibility with the original Game Boy. That's a big reason the DS line is not as valued.

mikepurvis 5y ago

I think they do, but they're also a different form factor, and the screen is taller meaning that GBA games end up letterboxed. It's perfectly usable, but I can understand someone wanting to build a device to deliver an optimized "native" GBA experience.

selfhoster11 5y ago

Not to mention that IMO, AA batteries are an asset on vintage portable electronics. The last thing I need is to search for overly expensive, and possibly already dead, battery packs on eBay when mine turns into a spicy pillow. AA batteries are much easier to acquire, and can be rechargeable to reduce environmental impact.

babypuncher 5y ago

I actually prefer the AA batteries. I've built several custom Game Boy Advances and Colors. My favorite unit is a GBA I built in an aluminum chassis, which necessitated an upgrade to a built-in rechargeable battery. Being able to top off the battery with a USB-C cable is convenient, but I know the battery will no longer hold a charge in a few years or so and will have to be replaced. I've kept the original battery compartments on all my other Game Boys, because I know rechargeable AAs will be easy to find for the foreseeable future.

anamexis 5y ago
I imagine 18650 cells will also be easy to find for the foreseeable future.
- maxfurman 5y ago
  Available, maybe, but not at the same level of ubiquity as AA.
  - wtallis 5y ago
    Ubiquity isn't the requirement here, since the use case under discussion isn't buying pre-charged batteries at the local brick and mortar store, but merely easy sourcing of a replacement rechargeable battery when the existing one will no longer hold a charge. 18650s are certainly commoditized enough to fulfill that purpose, unlike proprietary LiPo packs.
- babypuncher 5y ago
  In theory yes, but they are quite a bit larger than AAs, so a significant redesign of the shell and battery compartment would be needed to accommodate them. They would also make the handheld bulkier and heavier. Meanwhile, these devices are already designed to accept AA batteries.
titzer 5y ago
How difficult is it to integrate a AA battery recharger into the design? That'd be the best of both worlds, as all you need is the (5V) power pins from the USB cable to charge.
shreddit 5y ago
I am always amazed to see my advance sp still turning on with its original battery. I seriously doubt any replacement battery would come close to this.

derefr 5y ago

The 3DS CPU would also support GBA cartridges, if there were any place on the console to plug them in. It's kind of amusing, actually — Nintendo didn't intentionally support GBA in the 3DS. But they supported DS in the 3DS the same way that the DS supported GBA: by embedding the previous generation's CPU, as is, within the die of the new CPU. Which means that inside the 3DS's CPU is a DS CPU; and inside the DS CPU mask they reused for this, there is a GBA CPU. Which is fully functional. You tell the 3DS CPU to reboot into DS mode; then tell the DS CPU you're now talking to to reboot into GBA mode; and there you go, you're now talking to a GBA CPU. Nintendo eventually did realize what they had done, and released a few special limited-run GBA "Virtual Console" games. (But those games aren't emulated; they run natively!) You can use Nintendo's own GBA firmware to run your own GBA ROM images natively on a 3DS, if you like—though I don't think Nintendo's GBA firmware supports things like a Real-Time Clock, so you're better off using a GBA emulator there. But the potential is clearly there for someone with skills like the OP here to lift the CPU out of the 3DS onto its own PCB with a GBA card-edge socket, and then write a GBA firmware for said CPU that actually interacts with it.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
willis936 5y ago
Yep, and GBA uses the DMG/GBC's Z80 for extra audio capabilities. Unfortunately Nintendo gutted the Z80 except for audio in the DS. If they had left the full Z80 it would have allowed the DS to play DMG/GBC games we could have a handheld (n3DS) that could natively play every Nintendo handheld game ever made. The n3DS is still a dreamy piece of hardware.
- philistine 5y ago
  The Game Boy ran at 5 volts. The Game Boy Advance ran at 3.3 volts. That's a very good reason they removed backwards compatibility of the OG Game Boy starting with the DS (and Game Boy Micro).
  - 5y ago

neverendingsigh 5y ago

The project page goes over the improvements to power delivery and audio output, so not sure what else you're referencing here. Also remember that the AGB's audio is pretty garbage for what it should theoretically be capable of; it certainly doesn't have an SNES-level (edit: sound capability). Zekfoo has done quite a bit here to maximize its potential, and the results are far better than the piling on of many additional capacitors that other modders have experimented with to mixed results. Ultimately, nobody's stopping anyone from playing AGB carts in a DS if that's what you want to do. (Don't look up "Game Boy Macro" mods.)

pasquinelli 5y ago
"certainly doesn't have an SNES-level FM synth." the snes soundchip plays samples.
- neverendingsigh 5y ago
  My bad, wires crossed (heh). Point is it's still not quite as capable.

philistine 5y ago

They do, but you lose the backwards compatibility with the original Game Boy. That's a big reason the DS line is not as valued.