K1 GBA SP - First Hands-on Impressions

[Aeter]

I'll wait until someone confirms this will work with the GameCube Link and when the RTC function is added. Then those two things happen I'll definitely purchase one of these.

there have been discussions of a software based RTC solution. i'm assuming it would work by advancing the time when the system has power, so events that happen at a certain time will function, however, events that would normally happen when the unit is powered off will not. when you power-up again the clock will advance and the rom should see that and trigger new events. again, i am assuming this is how they would attack the problem. according to what the k-team is saying a hardware based RTC will be in their next form factor, the k2. as much as i personally dislike pokemon games even i can admit that they made a huge impact on the GBA and thus left a standing impact on gamers of that era. there really should have been a hardware based RTC for this model, but due to costs (and perhaps design) it was not included. at least they are going to attempt to correct this oversight in the next release.

i'm pretty sure the gamecube link will work. since the rom is running on hardware its as close as can be to running an actual cart on hardware. the gamecube won't know the difference. i will see if i can get a cable for next to nothing for the sake of this review.

-another world

Doesn't RTC just save the time when you quit and than compare it with the system time when started again, or am I wrong here?
At least that's how I always thought it would work.

 

[Another World]

i recall that there were games that had events happen even when powered off. if you went to play the next day you missed that event.

-another world

 

[Aeter]

i recall that there were games that had events happen even when powered off. if you went to play the next day you missed that event.

-another world

Yes, but the events can't actually happen when powered off, so they must be triggered by checks, as I kind of implied earlier, but in a more specific fashion.

 

[pyromaniac123]

I'm pretty sure that the pokemon games that use rtc can be patched.

 

[Generation 16]

I'll wait until someone confirms this will work with the GameCube Link and when the RTC function is added. Then those two things happen I'll definitely purchase one of these.

there have been discussions of a software based RTC solution. i'm assuming it would work by advancing the time when the system has power, so events that happen at a certain time will function, however, events that would normally happen when the unit is powered off will not. when you power-up again the clock will advance and the rom should see that and trigger new events. again, i am assuming this is how they would attack the problem. according to what the k-team is saying a hardware based RTC will be in their next form factor, the k2. as much as i personally dislike pokemon games even i can admit that they made a huge impact on the GBA and thus left a standing impact on gamers of that era. there really should have been a hardware based RTC for this model, but due to costs (and perhaps design) it was not included. at least they are going to attempt to correct this oversight in the next release.

-another world

The Pokemon games aren't the only ones with RTC, you know.

 

[Another World]

my comment was in regards to how popular pokemon was on the gba and how it made the gba more popular. for that reason alone RTC should be supported.

-another world

 

[raystriker]

@anotherworld
i have a k1 gba sp too, so in your k1, do you have too press the buttons hard? I know it sounds foolish, but i'm too used to my ds lite and gave away my gba sp years ago. And i think i forgot how the gba felt.(the buttons, ergnomics etc.)

yes, i do have to press them hard, past the click point. i've been told that they may eventually break in and be much easier to use. i didn't want to comment on this until the review because i want to see if that is indeed true. but you asked, so i will answer honestly.

as for the gba, i have two of them here and i am getting a 3rd to compare to for this review. none of them behave that way. i game pretty much daily so my fingers naturally pushed where my brain expected the buttons to respond, and they did not. i'll have to chalk it up to having to do with the hardware design. i had similar issues with the dingoo products, especially the d-pads. if it isn't 1st party it usually isn't as responsive it seems.

how are your shoulder buttons? mine are extremely responsive and feel great. its only the face buttons, excluding the light button, that does this. also, can you tell me the PID of your unit? you can get the number in the help screen, then page down to the last page.
-another world

mine k1's shoulder buttons work perfectly fine. I'll send you my pid no. in a pm

 

[Heran Bago]

Don't forget the Lizzy MacGuire diary/pda game thing with a real time clock.

 

[pyromaniac123]

Don't forget the Lizzy MacGuire diary/pda game thing with a real time clock.

I hope this is a joke.

 

[ProtoKun7]

Don't forget the Lizzy MacGuire diary/pda game thing with a real time clock.

I hope this is a joke.

Dude, Lizzie McGuire is serious business.

 

[Another World]

the gba link cable had non-specific ends, correct? as you, you could plug either end into either gba and it worked? or was there a specific order like end-1 had to go in system 1 and end-2 went in system 2?

it seems the generic link cable i was supplied for this review is not interchangeable, the small end must be placed into the k1 gba sp. unfortunately i do not have two of the same game to test on official gba sp units with the supplied cable. so i am unsure if it is a quirk with the k1 gba, with the generic cable, or if this is how it should be.

thanks,
-another world

 

[Minox]

the gba link cable had non-specific ends, correct? as you, you could plug either end into either gba and it worked? or was there a specific order like end-1 had to go in the host system and end-2 went in the client system?

thanks,
-another world

Actually, I'm fairly sure the smaller purple end of the GBA link cable was supposed to be connected to the host/another link cable, while clients were to use the other thicker grey end.

 

[Another World]

that is exactly how it is behaving. i wasn't sure as i've never owned a gba link cable.

-another world

 

[ZAFDeltaForce]

The more I hear of this, the more tempted I become

 

[ProtoKun7]

I remember the white link cables; player one had a thinner casing over the plug and player two's was thicker (and I think they were labelled 1P and 2P). Sounds like pretty much the same except the colour.

 

[pixelelated]

I am definitely tempted, because I prefer the SP form factor, but the K101 seems like the one to wait for, since it will have a hardware-based RTC and actual headphone jack.

 

[Fishaman P]

It sounds great, but I think I'm gonna wait for the K2 for a couple of reasons.

1) Why use a 320x240 screen? I'm fine with the higher resolution, but 360x240 would make more sense as it matches the original aspect ratio without black bars.

2) No RTC (for Pokemon, etc). They had it working fine in prototypes, but left it out on purpose. Why?

3) Battery life. 5 hours seems a little short seeing as how the original SP got at least 10 hours with a fresh battery.

 

[Another World]

i'm not a purist. i actually like the resolution/aspect ratio it uses. i only notice differences when i compare to an original, and when i do that the graphics just seem "taller". when playing (by the hour) it isn't even noticable.

from what i was told the RTC in the prototype might have been software based. there are a few posts that mention that it may be included in a future update. the few people i've talked with who have RTC have not dissembled their unit to see if it is hardware based. so for now i'll go with what i've been told/read.

as for the battery life. the sp got such a long charge because of the higher quality battery, type of lcd used, and the type of lighting. the k1 gba sp uses a modern lcd screen and a 700mAH battery. i own a bunch of chinese handhelds and none of them get the battery life they claim. 5 hours is not only average for a chinese handheld these days but is more than sufficient for a solid block of gaming.

with that said, not everything is golden on this side. i do have 1 complaint about the unit so far and that would be the d-pad and buttons. a few posts up i stated how the buttons need to be pushed rather firmly for them to work. i want to save the details for the review, but FYI the buttons and d-pad are pretty much like most chinese handhelds, they leave something to be desired.

-another world

 

[pixelelated]

I'm still concerned about the higher resolution. I just fired up Metroid Fusion on my CAANOO to compare it at 240 x 160 to scaled up to 320 x 240, and it made things noticeably more blurry. Hopefully the new firmware will let it run native, but at that point the screen size might just be comparable to a Micro.

 

[Fishaman P]

Software-based RTC would be fine; just as long as Pokemon sees a clock that shifts the date every 24 hours, I'm good.
As for the battery, I'm a little more comfortable now. The specs page on the official site says a 500mAh battery and 80mAh during usage, so any old 850mAh battery you can find on eBay for $5 will give you 10 hours of battery life, which is considerably more than my heavily-used SP gives me now.