Game Boy Advance Screen
 

I just picked up a GBA today and am kinda shocked at how dark the screen is. I realize it isn't backlit and there are the afterburner kits as well as various "worm lights", but I mean it is DARK !!!! Can barely see mario world in a brightly lit room. Is this norm? Could I have a bad unit? THANKS

Just sit by a lamp.

Yup norm, it sucks indeed. (I only use mine for traveling and luckily the personal light on the plane works OK but it sucks when I'm somewhere without a lamp)

I told a coworker about the afterburner kit several months ago and he bought one and installed it. It looked so good I can't believe Nintendo let something as important as that idea go in the trashcan!!

The used a pretty cheap screen. Even the Neo Geo Pocket had a High Reflective TFT and it looked great without a light. Nintendo went with a much cheaper kind of lcd screen.

There is suppose to be a new Game Boy Advance released next year with a built in light. Still waiting for more details though.

What kind of battery life did the Neo Geo Pocket get though?

Battery life = unimportant in this age of rechargable batteries.

What percentage of GBAs would you say have rechargable betteries in them? I think the number is very low.

Given the choice, I imagine people would choose screen quality/visibility over battery life though.

:up:

Well, some older handhelds had brighter screens and people bitched about the battery life then. Either way, it's not like you can't see the GBA screen, you just need a good light source (and a properly designed game).

I believe there is even an official rechargable battery pack for the GBA, and it's only $10.

I don't think that's true. If you can show me that it is I'll probably buy it.

For the GBA, there are several lighting solutions, but none of them work very well, except for the afterburner kit. The problem, like someone said, is that the screen is just of poor quality. I guess Nintendo wanted to keep costs down and battery life up.

Even the afterburner itself has some problems. It drains battery life, and some games don't appear clearly. Also, the light is more of a bluish hue than a clear white.

The NeoGeo Pocket's problem was that it used expensive and obscure watch batteries - CR2032 - to be exact. It was also a pain to replace them since the covering for the batteries was screwed on.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...games&n=714522

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...games&n=714522

As I'm sure you noticed, neither of those is made by Nintendo.

I didn't say first party, I said official, as in "officially made by someone". :p

I bought the Interact one and it was horrible. Only would last a couple of hours. I have been happy with regular rechargable batteries.

Yeah I just use NiMH batteries with my own recharger.

well, i decided today that i am going to return my new GBA and super mario world to toysrus....it is just brutal to see the screen and i think it is ridiculous to have a giant light tower extending from the top of the unit....

if nintendo does decide to release a lighted unit next year i will be first in line....

NINTENDO....ARE YOU LISTENING????

No - they never have and they never will... It's okay though cuz most people seem to like em regardless. :)

The afterburner is very good, I carry my game boy everywhere I go now and it works perfectly. It's pretty hard to assemble (you gotta open the GBA) and it's also hard to maintain, (it gets dusty very quickly), but other than that, it's great. Here's a link www.tritonlabs.com

While I DO have an afterburner, I have never fully understood people's frustration with the GBA. I have always played in rooms like my living room without a nearby light source, and being able to see the game fine and without trouble playing. I guess all it takes is a little patience. Once you start playing, you learn to easily catch light and see the GBA. Although, I must admit the afterburner is great for dark playing.

It just used the CR 2032 for data backup. The main power was 2 AA batteries (For the Neo Geo Pocket Color). The Color version doesn't require a screwdriver in order to replace the backup battery.

FYI, you can get CR 2032 batteries very cheap on eBay(50 for like $23.50, shipped). They are probably one of the more common button type batteries out there.

DW