To use one Game Boy Advance console as the focus of his project, one gamer modded Nintendo's handheld to include a powerful battery that looks like it could handle a Doomsday scenario and still play for hours on a single charge. The Game Boy Advance modder shared their handiwork on social media, along with the list of parts they used in their project.
Originally released in 2001, the Game Boy Advance (GBA) was Nintendo's successor to the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color portable consoles. The GBA included new L and R axis buttons, a larger screen, an upgraded sound chip, and game cartridges that were half the height of an original Game Boy cartridge. Along with the ability to play GBA exclusive titles, the Game Boy Advance also had backwards compatibility with Game Boy games. Some GBA games, incl Mr Driller 2 and Super Mario Advancehas since been added to the GBA's Nintendo Classics library for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers to enjoy. The GBA received an upgraded revision in 2003, as the Game Boy Advance SP featured a clamshell design, front-lit screen, and a rechargeable battery.
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This Game Boy Advance can probably survive a doomsday scenario
While the GBA SP is considered one of Nintendo's most memorable consoles for its design and features, one gamer chose to modify it into a bulky machine that looks like it could survive a doomsday scenario. On the Game Boy subreddit, a Reddit user named Bangooh modified his GBA SP to install a new replaceable battery with a capacity of 162,000 megawatt-hours (mWh). Bangooh's GBA project was built by connecting a DeWalt XR Flex rechargeable power tool battery to a buck converter and then connecting the buck converter to the GBA SP bracket on its underside. Given that the DeWalt XR Flex battery runs on 18V, and the GBA SP only requires 4V, the buck converter was a necessary step to ensure that the battery does not damage the system in any meaningful way. Bangooh said the battery could carry a player through a long Game Boy Advance RPG from start to finish on a single charge.
Given that the original battery life of the GBA SP system can reach as high as 10 hours, and that games such as Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Golden sun can run for 50 to 100 hours on average, Bangooh's battery life is bold but reasonable. In comparison, a Switch 2's battery can only last a few hours before needing a charge, depending on the game being played in handheld mode. If the DeWalt battery starts to die, it can be plugged into its own charger and recharged in no time. However, the GBA SP loses most of its portability due to its extra bulk, despite the trade-off of significantly longer battery life. Also, Bangooh's GBA SP had its L and R buttons removed, although they stated that the project was not finished at the time of writing.
Other crazy console projects that gamers have made
However, Bangooh's GBA SP project isn't the only incredible modding project that gamers have undertaken over the years. A Redditor named MaSaKee modified an N64 controller to house a GBA inside it. The Game Boy Advance's screen was placed above the home button on the N64 pad, with a Game Boy Advance game cartridge slot in place of the Rumble Pack tray, a speaker between the C buttons, and a functional D-Pad, B, A and Start button, with a USB-C adapter capable of charging the system.
Another series of projects came from content creator BigRig Creates, who created cases for their Wii, Wii U, and Switch consoles that looked like the Porygon species from Pokémon franchise. The creations were named PorWiigon, PorWiigon U and Porygon-Zwitch, as each was modeled in sequence after Porygon, Porygon2 and Porygon-Z. Porygon's console line was made using 3D printed materials and other electronic components. With the Switch 2 now available, it remains to be seen how fans will get creative with Nintendo's latest console in future projects.
