Despite being considered one of the greatest consoles of all time, every version of the Nintendo Game Boy Advance has a problematic design flaw, from missing headphone jacks to screens that were too small or dark. They can now all be fixed with mods, and a new aluminum housing of Boxy Pixel can even make the GBA SP match your Apple MacBook.
Of all the versions of the GBA that Nintendo has released, the company seemed determined not to make it look like the original Game Boy. The closest version was the collapsible GBA SP, and if you have one of those still lying around, the new Boxy Pixel Game Boy Advance SP Unhinged Housing is about the closest thing to a Game Boy Advance Game Boy – or in short a GBAGB.
The housings are ground from solid blocks of aluminum using a CNC cutting machine in a similar process to how Apple currently makes its laptops and mobile devices, and while using anodized color options of the Unhinged cover in red, blue, pink and black can get. , it feels like a crime to go along with something other than the natural aluminum silver. At $ 94, plus $ 20 + for a matching set of machined metal knobs, this is not a cheap mod as it is also BYOGBASP, but you also never have to worry about the aging of a hinge again.
YouTuber Macho Nacho Productions managed to get hold of the Unhinged housing and shared a detailed tutorial for anyone who wants to tackle this mod. yourself According to Boxy Pixel, if you start with a stock version of the GBA SP (even one with an upgraded screen), you can drop all the parts in the aluminum housing without having to be soldered, although everything except the shoulder buttons needs to be upgraded, and you need a special 3D-printed adapter to keep the original battery safe.
G / O Media can get a commission
But if you want to do other upgrades in the process, which could include improvements like a larger battery, a USB-C port, a wireless charging coil, and a proper headphone jack, you need to break out. the soldering iron and make some small adjustments to the housing. (Which should not be so difficult, it’s aluminum, not vibranium.) If you’re bothering to sacrifice a GBASP and give the Game Boy Advance a well-deserved OG Game Boy facial development, it looks like you too walk the extra mile and upgrade everything you can.
And while he waits to fill in all the pre-orders for the Unhinged housing first, Boxy Pixel has revealed that it will likely also offer custom units, just don’t expect it to be cheap at all. Buy a fully upgraded Game Boy Advance (screen with background, speaker amplifier, rechargeable battery, etc.) with a plastic housing can cost you $ 500, so expect an aluminum version to creep closer to the cost of a smartphone.