Gizmodo: gba

Nintendo Reminisces About Shelved Concepts, Including Dual-Card DSi, Touchscreen GBA

John Herrman — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 07:45:40 EDT

Kotaku caught a GDC presentation by Masato Kuwahara, Nintendo's DSi Hardware Group leader, where he ran through some Game Boy concepts that fell off the fast track at one point or another.

The nearest miss is the dual-card DSi, apparently rejected for being a little too fat. Also shown was a 1998 Game Boy Advance SP touchscreen "concept" which never made it past the "let's bolt a touchscreen on and see what happens" phase.

The most interesting not-quite in the whole presentation is the lard-assed Game Boy Advance predecessor from 1995, which was shelved for terrible performance and, well, the fatness. That's a DS next to it, in case you were wondering. Check out the full story at [Kotaku]

DSi Drops GBA Support (and the Homebrew that Comes With It); Old DS Cool Again

Mark Wilson — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:05:00 EDT

Bad news, folks. We totally missed it in the wake of poor battery life specs, but Nintendo's new DSi will completely ditch support for GBA titles. That not only means no more playing GBA backups (they only loaded from the now extinct GBA slot), but even if you were to load some sort of GBA emulation through the DS slot, chances are that the DS's processor wouldn't be fast enough to handle it (integrated GBA hardware processed these games before). Also, no GBA slot means that the lightly supported but excellent DS rumble pack and similar accessories are dead too. I can't speak for everyone here, but the DSi is becoming a bigger disappointment by the second. [Kotaku]

Multi-Platform Universal Console Mod Plays Everything Modularly

Jason Chen — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:20:00 EDT

This game console mod does things slightly different from older mods we've seen. Instead of taking an old console and shoving it into a smaller body, this guy made a universal body and modularizes consoles—in effect, turning consoles like the N64, NES, Megadrive, Jaguar, GBA, and PlayStation into insertable "cartridges" that can be played on this main unit. He's only got the N64 working (he says it's the hardest one), but will keep working on other systems until he can pretty much play everything made before 1998 on this thing. [Modded By Bacteria]

Glucoboy Makes Blood-Testing (Sort of) Fun With GBA and Online Gaming Rewards

Sean Fallon — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:40:15 EST

When it comes to diabetes blood-testing the word "fun" does not spring to mind. However, the Glucoboy could change all that by rewarding consistent testing and good results. When the blood glucose meter is combined with a Game Boy Advance or Nintendo DS, kids can earn points that will unlock mini-games on the included cartridge or rewards on the GRiP incentive-based web community.

The concept has been around for years, but is only being released now due to a 3 year struggle with Nintendo for approval to manufacture the device. Why Nintendo dragged their feet on this one is a mystery. Do they have something against kids with juvenile diabetes or what? All that aside, the device is now available in Australia for around $260. Plans are in the works to make the Glucoboy available worldwide in the near future. [Product Page via Next Gen via Joystiq]

Philips Universal Game Charger, At Last

Mark Wilson — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 14:46:07 EST

Packing all my chargers before trips has become completely ridiculous, so I'm pretty excited at the Philips 5-in-1 Universal Game Charger. It allows you to charge 4 Nintendo handhelds (DS, DS Lite, GBA, and GBA Micro) as well as the PSP.

We need wireless energy asap so I can play ~~Super Princess Peach~~ Super Killer Man 4: Ultra Bloody and Boobies Too without worry. Look for the wired solution sometime around CES. – Mark Wilson

Philips 5-in-1 [via crunchgear]

KNC HR-2800 Gaming-Capable Media Player

Jason Chen — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 17:40:49 EDT

This KNC HR-2800 seems to be a media player and more, thanks to its 400MHz processor and 1.3-megapixel camera. Add to that 1GB of internal storage, an SD card slot, 3.6-inch TFT, and built-in speakers so you can play back MP3/FLAC/AVI/MPEG4/DivX/XviD files. Sound good so far?

Well, because it has a 400MHz processor, you can play NES and Game Boy Advanced games on it using the directional pad and buttons on the right. Better yet, it's only $127 if you import it from China. – Jason Chen

KNC to launch in China with MP4 Player 'HR-28' [AVING]

Nintendo's Pay-Per-View Vending Machine

Noah R — Wed, 16 Nov 2005 10:31:30 EST

Look out iTunes video store! Nintendo and AM3 are now distributing video content for the GBA Movie Player this winter in Japan. Taking the form of an old-school "Gashapon" (toy capsule) machine, this device allows you to insert your GBA movie player flash memory card, crank a handle and instantly download anime episodes to watch on your GBA. Episodes are around 25 minutes each and priced at 300-yen to download, with popular shows being offered, such as Pokemon and Detective Conan. There even appears to be a "free content" button, presumably giving you trailers, etc. The machines will be dotted around at Japanese Pokemon Centers, Toys "R" Us stores and other kid-friendly outlets.

Gashapon How-To [Product Page]

They'll Stick Anything into a GBA Slot

tgrumet — Fri, 28 Oct 2005 13:39:50 EDT

Tired of just slipping the old XY/XX and Tickle Girl into the slots of your Nintendo DS? Well it looks like Sega is now making retractable (hehe, he just said retractable) DS pens and screen cleaners that will fit into the handheld's GBA slot. Just for fun. Will these products be at all useful? Your guess is as good as mine. But it sure provided a good excuse for linking to Tickle Girl.

Nintendo DS Slot Filling Pens and Cleaners [Kotaku]

eBay Deal of the Day: Non-Bootleg GBA Carts Plus Some Helpful Tips

johnb — Mon, 08 Aug 2005 11:41:57 EDT

It's not every day that you get an earful of counterfeit identification tips when browsing for a copy of Super Robot Taisen Wars, but it's a great feeling when you do. Astute reader Russ sent us one of his auctions complete with multiple images relating to real and fake GBA games, including a exegesis on each. Quite a nice fellow, that Russ.

They also have a number embossed into the label (see in photo the "09" under the "A", you have to hold it at an angle to the light to see it). Check the seller, if they are in Hong Kong, it is most likely a pirate copy. They also rarely come with manuals, and sometimes come with a FOLDED box(to prevent damage in shipping, yeah right).

Assessing the authenticity of the above cart is left as an exercise for the reader.

Super Robot Taisen Wars A-Gameboy Advance-NOT a Bootleg [eBay]