JayBoyModz Custom Backlit GBA (Hardware)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
Eighteen years. That's how long it's been since the launch of the Game Boy Advance. It continued the legacy of Nintendo's massively popular Game Boy line, and to many, is considered the very best portable game system to ever exist. Not only did it feature an incredibly strong software library, but the GBA also had a comfortable form factor that later revisions to the line (SP, Micro) wouldn't be able to hold a candle to. Being a system from the early-2000s, though, it had a few things that held it back from true perfection; backlit screens were still an anomaly at the time, so if you wanted to play anywhere that didn't have bright lighting, you'd basically be playing blindly. Not only that, but the sound quality on the GBA was less than impressive, and the handheld was powered by AA batteries, which might not be a problem for everyone, but can still feel like an annoyance to scrounge for, if you don't keep them stocked around the house anymore.
Why exactly are we talking about the GBA, you ask? Well, what if I told you that there was a way to remove the biggest flaws from the Game Boy Advance, without resorting to emulation on another device, or having to spend time playing Operation with various parts of your system? The answer to that is in the form of this perfected GBA, made by JayBoyModz.
GBA mods have been around ever since the advent of the Afterburner, when modders began opening up their systems to install a frontlight to make the screen visible in low lighting. It was fine for its time, but the Afterburner wasn't perfect, as it didn't light up the entirety of the LCD, and it could cause weird distortions when viewed from a certain angle. Later, after the AGS 100 and 101 GBA SPs were introduced, people began transplanting those screens into a system that wouldn't make users' hands cramp up after playing for extended periods. While those that have experience tinkering with hardware might not be daunted by the idea of cracking a GBA open, there's a lot that goes into the process: you need to acquire a backlit screen, a ribbon cable, a screwdriver capable of opening the GBA, a soldering gun, and of course, the ability to solder. Not to mention that you'll need to keep in mind that some models of the system don't have the right pin connectors to fit the mod out of the box.
So, if you're like me, and feel daunted by the process of going through all that work, yet you don't want to give up the dream of having a well-lit Game Boy Advance, Etsy seller JayBoyModz happens to sell tricked-out GBA systems, with all the trappings and trimmings that you could ever ask for. Not only does he make backlit GBAs, but he also can add other upgrades such as a rechargeable battery, an audio amp along with a newer, better speaker, a brightness controller, a glass screen lens, USB-C charging, a light-bleed protector, a voltage regulator, custom buttons and shells, and last but not least, an accelerator, which can let you overclock the GBA. That's a lot of stuff to put in one small handheld! GBAtemp reached out to the seller to ask if we could demo one of his systems to do a review, and I got the chance to play around with the best custom Game Boy Advance he could offer.
Softly packed in a pile of tissue paper and styrofoam peanuts was the little GBA, fully outfitted in a light blue case shell with orange buttons that were made to represent Tempy! It looks absolutely fantastic; the shell is vaguely translucent as well as the buttons and orange trim. The casing is cut well, meaning everything fits together nicely, with the plastic pieces all sitting flush with each other. There was only one thing that stood out to me, which was the battery cover, as it happened to push ever-so-slightly out against the GBA itself. It's hardly noticeable, and I only came across this due to the fact I was actively trying to find the slightest of imperfections with the unit. Considering that there's a lot of mods going on under the hood, a minor rise in the battery cover is more than worth the tradeoff.
Upon flipping the power switch, I was greeted by a vibrant glow, which was far brighter than even what my AGS 101 SP could output. Thanks to the digital brightness control, I could cycle between five different lighting levels by pressing Select + L/R. I preferred using the second-brightest setting, as it was plenty bright. The brightest setting itself is exceptionally bright, but in some games, it washes the color out just a slight tad.
In all my years of gaming, I've played GBA titles a variety of ways, and though emulation on the Switch, or the Vita, or even the 3DS is serviceable, there's something to be said for experiencing games on their original hardware, the way they were meant to be enjoyed. The original GBA is so nice to hold; there's no heavy second screen like the DS, nor is it too small like the SP is, and with a backlight like this, you'll never have to worry about not being able to see your screen. There weren't any issues with light-bleed either, and the only time I could see the outline of the backlight was when I tilted the GBA at an unreasonable angle. When playing in even the most pitch-black darkness, you're never going to encounter any excess light spilling out from the sides beneath the screen.
Since this custom GBA runs off an internal battery pack, you won't have to worry about your AA batteries getting decimated by using the screen on max brightness. In fact, the newer screen is actually more power-efficient than the original screen that came with the GBA, so regardless, you'll get more mileage out of each charge/battery than you would on a regular GBA. When you want to charge it, all you have to do is grab the charging cable, which is included in the box, and thanks to the indomitable power of magnets, it snaps right on and begins to charge. With the 1600 mAh battery upgrade, you're looking at around 15 hours (though I averaged a bit longer than that) of playtime before you need to charge it back up again. If you prefer AA's, you can opt to keep them in the build, although, it's hard to resist wanting the magical magnetic charger!
For those who have tried enjoying tunes on the GBA, you might remember how tragically quiet the audio could be, sounding fairly muffled when played through the handheld's low-quality speaker. Luckily, the speaker and amp mod manage to make the GBA play loud and proud; almost so loud, that I'm questioning if people will be able to hear the GBA blast its audio all the way across town!
Earlier in the review, I mentioned that there was an Accelerator chip. If you've never heard of one of those before, it's a little chip that once soldered to the GBA's board, allows you to overclock your system. There's three options to choose from: 1.5x, 0.85x, or 1.75x speed, which can be incredibly useful if you're replaying an old JRPG and want to skip through text, or if you want to mess around and see how wildly different it is to play platformers like Super Mario World or Sonic Advance at nearly double speed. It's a fun little feature use every now and again, and if you still happen to have an old flashcart, you can run some homebrew on the GBA for old time's sake, and get some extra CPU cycles when it comes to intensive homebrew.
All that considered, I absolutely love this custom GBA; JayBoyModz did a fantastic job on all fronts when building the system. The plastic housing both looks and feels nice, and the buttons are clicky and don't stick, unlike how cheaper materials tend to do so. Careful work went into ensuring the backlighting didn't spread outside the screen, and the glass screen lens really makes looking at the GBA's 32-bit sprites a real treat. If you ever want to have a Game Boy Advance that is not only amazing to play games on, but can also be a stunning showpiece on your shelf, I would not hesitate to recommend this seller.
Verdict
- The screen is downright amazing.
- Build quality is great.
- Ability to choose your own custom shell colors.
- The battery cover protrudes just a little bit from the shell, in order to hold the rechargeable battery pack.
