Using a Game Boy Advance console as the focus of their project, a gamer modded the Nintendo handheld to include a powerful battery that looks like it could handle a Doomsday scenario and still game for several hours on a single charge. The Game Boy Advance modder shared their handiwork on social media, along with the list of parts that 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 shoulder 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 exclusive GBA titles, the Game Boy Advance also had backward compatibility with Game Boy games. Some GBA games, including Mr. Driller 2 and Super Mario Advance, have 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 had a clamshell design, frontlit screen, and a rechargeable battery.
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This Game Boy Advance Can Probably Outlive 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 their GBA SP to install a new replaceable battery with a capacity of 162,000 megawatt-hours (mWh). Bangooh’s GBA project was built by wiring a DeWalt XR Flex power tool rechargeable battery to a buck converter, and then connecting the buck converter to the GBA SP console on its underside. Given that the DeWalt XR Flex battery runs at 18V, and the GBA SP only requires 4V, the buck converter was a necessary step to making sure the battery does not damage the system in any meaningful way. Bangooh stated that the battery could carry a player through a long Game Boy Advance RPG from start to finish on a single charge.
Considering that the original battery life of the GBA SP system could reach as high as 10 hours, and that games like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Golden Sun can run for 50 to 100 hours on average, Bangooh’s battery life claim is bold but plausible. By comparison, a Switch 2’s battery can only last a few hours before it needs to recharge, depending on the game being played in handheld mode. In case the DeWalt battery runs low, it can be plugged into its proprietary charger and be back to full in a short time. However, the GBA SP loses most of its portability due to its added bulk, despite the trade-off of a significantly longer battery life. Additionally, Bangooh’s GBA SP had its L and R buttons removed, though they stated that the project was not complete as of this writing.
Other Crazy Console Projects Gamers Have Made
However, Bangooh’s GBA SP project is not the only incredible modding project that players have undertaken over the years. A Redditor named MaSaKee modified an N64 controller to house a GBA inside of it. The Game Boy Advance’s screen was placed above the Start Button of the N64 pad, with a Game Boy Advance game cartridge slot in place of the Rumble Pack slot, a speaker in between the C Buttons, and a functional D-Pad, B, A, and Start Button, with a USB-C adapter that can charge the system.
Another project series came from content creator BigRig Creates, who created cases for their Wii, Wii U, and Switch consoles that looked like the Porygon species from the Pokemon franchise. The creations were dubbed the PorWiigon, PorWiigon U, and Porygon-Zwitch, as each was modeled in sequence after Porygon, Porygon2, and Porygon-Z. The Porygon console line-up was made utilizing 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.
