Game Boy & GB Advance Appreciation Thread

[Phantoon]

I've checked; Mr Driller never had the ability to save over here.

[MikeBeaver]

1 hour ago, spatular said:

thanks again guys , interesting info!

 

yeah i'll get batteries with tabs, that seems like a good plan.

 

i should have said this mr driller is the gameboy color one, pretty sure it's legit (although i don't know for sure, if its fake it's very good and i'm not sure anyone is putting that much effort into making fake mr driller carts!), it looks to be in really good condition, all the pins look good, it's the uk/euro one, in a clear cart so you can see that the Japanese ones have a battery on a bigger pcb, maybe they took it out because the save feature isn't too important, it just saves high scores i think so not too bothered if i can't fix it, was just interested. cheers!

 

if anyones interested this is the actual one i got:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144389473377

 

and this is a Japanese one:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144396721746

 

Are you able to open it so we can see te PCB? You know you're alwas welcome to send it over and I'll take a look at it though.

[spatular]

^ thanks for the offer! yeah i had a look inside it, it's in really good condition

 

16 minutes ago, Phantoon said:

I've checked; Mr Driller never had the ability to save over here.

thanks, that'll explain it! should have got one from a different region.

[spatular]

On 06/03/2022 at 06:40, MikeBeaver said:

 

This should help ( shameless self promotion ) as for battieries, they come in 2 sizes, eBay is fine for them, so I've found, but I do tend to buy in bulk 😛

 

after waiting for solder/flux to arrive, had a go of this ^ today and it worked! the broken cart seems to be working, thanks again! 
 

edit - not used flux before, its like magic!

[MikeBeaver]

1 hour ago, spatular said:

 

after waiting for solder/flux to arrive, had a go of this ^ today and it worked! the broken cart seems to be working, thanks again! 
 

edit - not used flux before, its like magic!

Happy to have helped

[SuperFamiTom]

Can anyone advise what I might realistically might be able to ask for an unboxed but pretty much immaculate original Game Boy? 
 

Found this morning at my partners parents house that’s being cleared out.
 

I’ll never want to use it or mod it myself as I’ve got a Pocket coming but I’m thinking of either keeping as an ornament for my office / games room or maybe selling if they’re worth a reasonable amount.

 

[MikeBeaver]

1 hour ago, SuperFamiTom said:

Can anyone advise what I might realistically might be able to ask for an unboxed but pretty much immaculate original Game Boy? 
 

Found this morning at my partners parents house that’s being cleared out.
 

I’ll never want to use it or mod it myself as I’ve got a Pocket coming but I’m thinking of either keeping as an ornament for my office / games room or maybe selling if they’re worth a reasonable amount.

 

Hi for £45 and up, I had no problems shifting them at £45, so 50 should be easily obtained I’d imagine.

[SuperFamiTom]

2 hours ago, MikeBeaver said:

Hi for £45 and up, I had no problems shifting them at £45, so 50 should be easily obtained I’d imagine.

Cheers. Will probably just keep it in that case then. After a good clean in all the nooks and crannies it really is in fantastic condition. No yellowing at all and just the tiniest mark on the screen that you can only see if you tilt it into the light. Might see if I can get some kind of a display stand off Etsy as it’ll look nice filling in a bit of space on a shelf. 

[MikeBeaver]

1 hour ago, SuperFamiTom said:

Cheers. Will probably just keep it in that case then. After a good clean in all the nooks and crannies it really is in fantastic condition. No yellowing at all and just the tiniest mark on the screen that you can only see if you tilt it into the light. Might see if I can get some kind of a display stand off Etsy as it’ll look nice filling in a bit of space on a shelf. 

I can send you a replacement screen plastic thingy if it bothers you, £2 posted 👍

[SuperFamiTom]

2 hours ago, MikeBeaver said:

I can send you a replacement screen plastic thingy if it bothers you, £2 posted 👍

That’s very kind but it’s only going to sit on a shelf out of the direct light so I’ll never see the mark. Much appreciated though. Cheers. 

[Protocol Penguin]

Can anyone recommend-me-do a case for my Game Boy Pocket and a couple of carts? Fed up of lugging it around inside a padded envelope.  

[fat flatulent git]

I grabbed Kirby Block Bowl, apparently brand new.

 

I've now got every Kirby game apart from the SNES game that didn't get a Japanese release.

[Colonel Panic]

Playing GBC games on an GBA is a bit crap, so I got my first ever GBC and have an IPS screen and new shell on the way!

 

These things are so cute. 
 

[dataDave]

That always takes me back to 1998. I had the solid purple one, and always wished I’d gotten the atomic one instead.

[phillv85]

I got the Atomic Purple Pocket in Spain when I was a kid. It was only a few years ago I realised it was a Japanese exclusive colour for the GB Pocket.

[Colonel Panic]

Did this mod yesterday. The IPS screen is AMAZING. The case is okay… not as dark as the original and a bit brittle. 
 

I got purple silicone pads, but used the default buttons which I’m not mad about. Might put the originals back in. 

[Vimster]

Wish I could do electronics. That looks great. Would love to put an IPS screen in my old purple one. 

[zipper]

Does anyone have a recommendation / link for bulk boxes sized for shipping CIB original Gameboy games? I’m preparing to swap my collection down to cart only.

[Alex W.]

Reggie has been inexplicably slandering the Game Boy Micro:

 

Quote

"From my perspective, the concept of Game Boy Micro was a nonstarter," Fils-Aimé wrote. "The hardware was exceptionally small, not only were the control buttons difficult for any reasonably-sized adult to manipulate, but also the screen was tiny. This ran counter to current consumer electronics trends of making screens larger."

 

I only raise this here because I need to point out to somebody, anybody, that the trend at the time was to make smaller and smaller versions of customer electronics items. The iPod line was in its half-decade process of steadily shrinking beyond all usefulness at the time they launched the Micro. He's talking out of his arse.

 

https://www.eurogamer.net/game-boy-micro-was-a-nonstarter-reggie-fils-aime-warned-nintendo

[MikeBeaver]

13 minutes ago, Alex W. said:

Reggie has been inexplicably slandering the Game Boy Micro:

 

 

I only raise this here because I need to point out to somebody, anybody, that the trend at the time was to make smaller and smaller versions of customer electronics items. The iPod line was in its half-decade process of steadily shrinking beyond all usefulness at the time they launched the Micro. He's talking out of his arse.

 

https://www.eurogamer.net/game-boy-micro-was-a-nonstarter-reggie-fils-aime-warned-nintendo

 

He also, does NOT have normal fucking sized hands! the man is a giant, with honking great slabs of meat for hands, "reasonably sized adult" ??? Yes, it's a tad small, but when you're the BFG, of course it's too bloody tiny!

[yakumo]

how hard is the ips mod for a gameboy og one or gameboy color?

[Phantoon]

The Game Boy Micro is an excellent bit of kit. However, at the time that seemed to be the prevailing opinion. Joke is on them though, because I ignored them and got one while it was still a single price. And as a person with Gruffalo sized hands it's still fine.

 

That said, the GBA was clearly circling the drain at the time, so it was an odd time for a refresh

[Phantoon]

Just now, yakumo said:

how hard is the ips mod for a gameboy og one or gameboy color?

Depends on the mod. For an original Gameboy, pretty easy with an IPS V4. One bit of soldering to move the speaker across and that's it. You do need to swap the case and lens for a different one though.

 

The latest laminated FunnyPlaying kit for the GBC is fantastic, and not ridiculous to fit, however soldering is required, and it's slightly more involved. It's easy as soldering goes, but it can be offputting. I'd look at The Retro Future's YouTube channel. He does these mods and it should give a good idea of what's involved.

[Nathan Wind]

The Micro is a torture device.

[yakumo]

9 minutes ago, Phantoon said:

Depends on the mod. For an original Gameboy, pretty easy with an IPS V4. One bit of soldering to move the speaker across and that's it. You do need to swap the case and lens for a different one though.

 

The latest laminated FunnyPlaying kit for the GBC is fantastic, and not ridiculous to fit, however soldering is required, and it's slightly more involved. It's easy as soldering goes, but it can be offputting. I'd look at The Retro Future's YouTube channel. He does these mods and it should give a good idea of what's involved.

Thanks for that I try and find some youtube videos showing the mod being installed.

[Colonel Panic]

The FunnyPlaying laminated kit is what I installed in a post above. Most of the soldering is easy enough even for a beginner. The only part that is a bit tricky if you're a beginner is soldering wires to the Start and Select circuit so that you can change screen settings.

[MikeBeaver]

23 minutes ago, yakumo said:

Thanks for that I try and find some youtube videos showing the mod being installed.

Macho Nacho is a good start for search terms, his videos are good, inforative and easy to understand.

[megamixer]

Had a GB Micro when they were getting sold off relatively cheaply by Woolworths (remember them?!?). Never used it that much as it was just too small. The screen was indeed nice and sharp but still too small for my liking. It was a weird and slightly pointless hardware revision when you could play all of your GBA carts on your spanking-new DS which had a bigger screen...

 

Also, they didn't support GB/GBC carts or most previously-released peripherals, and I believe you had to buy a new link cable specific for the Micro.

 

It was just a novelty thing in my eyes. Damn cool but just a bit pointless. For me, the choice was between soldiering on with my SP, or just playing GBA games on the DS.

 

Also, they never bothered with the interchangable faceplates over here as far as I recall so that cool feature was completely missing. The Famicom plates that you could get in Japan looked awesome.

[ox1973]

I own a couple of Micros and they have seen so much playtime over the years I couldn't even hazard a guess as to how many hours. The silver is still in OK condition but the Famicom has been to hell and back - 'used' doesn't do it justice 🤣

 

The thing is, for someone that used to travel a lot for work, it was the perfect companion. Stick it in your jacket pocket and whip it out whenever you have a spare 5 minutes. Waiting in the airport? Perfect. In a taxi going from one meeting to another? Perfect. 10 minutes in the hotel before dinner? Perfect.

 

And the games, oh the games. Fire Emblem. Advance Wars. Castlevania. Metroid. Mario Kart. Does it get any better?

[Nathan Wind]

Yes, you could play them on a big GBA and not have to soak your hands in warm water for an hour afterwards.