Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Architecture of the Game Boy Advance

copetti.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 87 posts

Re: Architecture of the Game Boy Advance

#21

Post by kevin_thibedeau »

Kipters wrote: post #11
abhinav22 wrote: post #2

Game Boy Advance, especially the SP, was the greatest handheld console to me. Had rechargeable batteries that you could charge by plugging in (back in those days, as a kid, it was a game changer), played all your existing library of game boy games, amazing folding mechanism and portable, small size and of course a great library as well. Perfection. And as I say that, the Switch has proven to be an amazing challenger…

And if you got the AGS-101 revision it was even better since it sported a backlit display that was better in every dimension compared to the front-lit AGS-001

Except for use in sunlight.

Re: Architecture of the Game Boy Advance

#22

Post by anonunivgrad »

kiwijamo wrote: post #18
anonunivgrad wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Switch is great but you have to get a third-party dock and AC adapter for optimal portability[1]. I'm kind of perplexed by the bad design of the official dock. [1] There were some issues with unofficial docks/adapters bricking consoles, but they seem to be sorted out in the current gen third-party accessories.

I use the official dock and just leave it at home attached to my TV. Are there any advantages to using third-party docks over the official ones? The official one seems to work well--it charges my Switch when unused (I actually mostly use the dock as 'storage' when I am not using it) and provides me with the option to play on my TV (not that I do that often). I also have a nice bag which I occasionally use to take my…

Yes, compare the portability of https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JK9DFKH and https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D64QLQ1 with having to lug around the official dock and adapter. If you want to take your Switch with you to plug into other people's TVs, it's night and day.

Re: Architecture of the Game Boy Advance

#23

Post by Igelau »

abhinav22 wrote: post #2

Game Boy Advance, especially the SP, was the greatest handheld console to me. Had rechargeable batteries that you could charge by plugging in (back in those days, as a kid, it was a game changer), played all your existing library of game boy games, amazing folding mechanism and portable, small size and of course a great library as well. Perfection. And as I say that, the Switch has proven to be an amazing challenger…

The greatest handheld console was the Genesis Nomad.

Cons:

- It was the size of a brick.

- It was designed with oddly skewed angles.

- It didn't have room for batteries inside, so they had to be shoved in a little pack that clipped on to it.

Pros:

- It was a handheld Sega Genesis.

- You could connect it to your TV.

- You could connect a second controller.

- You could run it off A/C power.

- Ergo it's also a console! In a roundabout, not-all-peripherals-supported kind of way.

Re: Architecture of the Game Boy Advance

#24

Post by emsy »

Kipters wrote: post #15
mikepurvis wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can now get IPS screen mods for basically all Game Boy models I think; there are some YouTube channels like Retro Future which cover Game Boy modding fairly extensively. I had an original purple GBA as a kid and I had a great time on it with ALTTP, Mario Kart, Breath of Fire, and so on, but it having an unlit screen was what eventually killed it for me— I wonder if it's still in a box somewhere in my parents'. Th…

Most of these mods require you to destructively alter the original case, which is something some people (including me) would never do, also there are some quality issues in many of these displays. It would also rub me in the wrong way to use an aftermarket display instead of the one that came with the device, even if it wasn't so destructive.

They usually sell with pre-cut replacement cases in fancy colors.

Re: Architecture of the Game Boy Advance

#25

Post by justsomeshmuck »

bombcar wrote: post #3
abhinav22 wrote: post #2

Game Boy Advance, especially the SP, was the greatest handheld console to me. Had rechargeable batteries that you could charge by plugging in (back in those days, as a kid, it was a game changer), played all your existing library of game boy games, amazing folding mechanism and portable, small size and of course a great library as well. Perfection. And as I say that, the Switch has proven to be an amazing challenger…

The backward compatibility continued into the original DS - which was a phenomenal lineup increase - I also fondly remember the Game Boy Player for the GameCube - a precursor to the switch in some ways.

The Super Gameboy for SNES predates that by nearly a decade

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Game_Boy

Re: Architecture of the Game Boy Advance

#26

Post by Kipters »

emsy wrote: post #24
Kipters wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of these mods require you to destructively alter the original case, which is something some people (including me) would never do, also there are some quality issues in many of these displays. It would also rub me in the wrong way to use an aftermarket display instead of the one that came with the device, even if it wasn't so destructive.

They usually sell with pre-cut replacement cases in fancy colors.

Yeah, but that would mean using an aftermarket case. Some people just want the original non-augmented experience, with all the quirks (also I doubt an IPS mod + case could be any cheaper than just getting an AGS-101).

Re: Architecture of the Game Boy Advance

#27

Post by hobby-coder-guy »

Kipters wrote: post #15
mikepurvis wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can now get IPS screen mods for basically all Game Boy models I think; there are some YouTube channels like Retro Future which cover Game Boy modding fairly extensively. I had an original purple GBA as a kid and I had a great time on it with ALTTP, Mario Kart, Breath of Fire, and so on, but it having an unlit screen was what eventually killed it for me— I wonder if it's still in a box somewhere in my parents'. Th…

Most of these mods require you to destructively alter the original case, which is something some people (including me) would never do, also there are some quality issues in many of these displays. It would also rub me in the wrong way to use an aftermarket display instead of the one that came with the device, even if it wasn't so destructive.

> It would also rub me in the wrong way to use an aftermarket display instead of the one that came with the device, even if it wasn't so destructive.

Why?

Re: Architecture of the Game Boy Advance

#28

Post by Wowfunhappy »

mikepurvis wrote: post #12
Kipters wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And if you got the AGS-101 revision it was even better since it sported a backlit display that was better in every dimension compared to the front-lit AGS-001

You can now get IPS screen mods for basically all Game Boy models I think; there are some YouTube channels like Retro Future which cover Game Boy modding fairly extensively. I had an original purple GBA as a kid and I had a great time on it with ALTTP, Mario Kart, Breath of Fire, and so on, but it having an unlit screen was what eventually killed it for me— I wonder if it's still in a box somewhere in my parents'. Th…

The lack of native resolution kills it for me, on a sprite-based console.

Re: Architecture of the Game Boy Advance

#29

Post by biswaroop »

Kipters wrote: post #15
mikepurvis wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can now get IPS screen mods for basically all Game Boy models I think; there are some YouTube channels like Retro Future which cover Game Boy modding fairly extensively. I had an original purple GBA as a kid and I had a great time on it with ALTTP, Mario Kart, Breath of Fire, and so on, but it having an unlit screen was what eventually killed it for me— I wonder if it's still in a box somewhere in my parents'. Th…

Most of these mods require you to destructively alter the original case, which is something some people (including me) would never do, also there are some quality issues in many of these displays. It would also rub me in the wrong way to use an aftermarket display instead of the one that came with the device, even if it wasn't so destructive.

The IPS V2 fixed the quality issues in the early displays.

I can honestly recommend buying another GBA and modding it. The panel is 4x upsampled, which brings a very cool look to many classic GBA games. It's also a fun experience hacking around in it.

Re: Architecture of the Game Boy Advance

#30

Post by thought_alarm »

abhinav22 wrote: post #2

Game Boy Advance, especially the SP, was the greatest handheld console to me. Had rechargeable batteries that you could charge by plugging in (back in those days, as a kid, it was a game changer), played all your existing library of game boy games, amazing folding mechanism and portable, small size and of course a great library as well. Perfection. And as I say that, the Switch has proven to be an amazing challenger…

Nintendo's greatest technical achievement is the staggered backward compatibility between the original GameBoy, GameBoy Color, GameBoy Advance, DS, and DS 3D.

It's a game console compatibility lineage that stretches 30 years from the first GameBoy in 1989 to the end of the 3DS in 2020.

It's a remarkable achievement for a game console platform. It only happens with incredible foresight, planning, and strict software controls.

Post reply on HN