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Forum Modernize a GBA
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  • Console Builds
  • oled
  • hardware
  • tactile_switch
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Modernize a GBA

f5kn
f5kn over 7 years ago

So, the Game Boy Advance came out in 2001, and is notorious for having a bad LCD screen, as it doesn't have a backlight. It wasn't until 2005 that they finally released a model with one.

But I was thinking that the original GBA (which has a great form factor) should have a much better screen, like an OLED screen. Would that be possible? You might need to reverse engineer some stuff, but it could work, right?

Also, batteries are a bit of a problem as well. Yeah, you could use rechargeable batteries, but wouldn't a cellphone battery work that much better?

And what about tactile button switches for the A/B button and the D-Pad?

 

What else could you do to modernize that small wonder?

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  • kidiccurus
    0 kidiccurus over 7 years ago

    Adding an OLED screen would be ridiculously difficult. If you watch Ben's LCD hacking videos you can get an idea of the challenge involved. The AGS-101 gameboy advance sp had an amazing backlit screen and rechargeable battery. Why not source one of those?

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  • kidiccurus
    0 kidiccurus over 7 years ago

    Adding an OLED screen would be ridiculously difficult. If you watch Ben's LCD hacking videos you can get an idea of the challenge involved. The AGS-101 gameboy advance sp had an amazing backlit screen and rechargeable battery. Why not source one of those?

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  • f5kn
    0 f5kn over 7 years ago in reply to kidiccurus

    Well, Ben is not a guy who runs away from a challenge, is he? xD

    Seriously, though, I believe the image would look so much better in an OLED screen (bright, saturated colors, deep dark blacks) that it could justify the time spent working on it.

     

    EDIT: It could be hard to find a 240x160px OLED screen, though.

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  • kidiccurus
    0 kidiccurus over 7 years ago in reply to f5kn

    If the colours are that fixated on video quality the a gameboy player is the way to go so you can view the games on a full TV. Otherwise an ags-101 or possibly micro is fine. Having seen an AGS the screen is pretty much perfect.

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