Game Boy Advance Custom Console Box – SNES Classics Remix
Here’s a custom console box design I did for the Game Boy Advance in the style of the Super Nintendo console. Taking design input from the SNES Mini, the SNES Edition 3DS XL and of course the original Super Nintendo PAL console box design.
This was created to complete the SNES themed custom GAme Boy Advance console, with IPS screen mod, grey shell, colour matching buttons and of course, a SNES logo glass lend. More commonly found is the Super Famicom version, which looks equally awesome too.
I’ve even started to create an included A4 poster to go inside, like all the original Nintendo games and consoles used to come with. This poster is meant to show the range of actual Super Nintendo games officially ported to the Game Boy Advance. Following the official NES Classics line up of games, I changed the left aligned logo with the “SNES Classics”. i say “actual… ports” but largely most of the games are optimised in some way, so the list of official games is debatable.
This is an ongoing project of mine, so this page will be updated as the artwork improves. I intend to get these made and printed with some small batches being available for purchase.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me on social media.
Not exactly a weekly round up this week. But a single topic that actually could spawn an entire video or podcast on its own. Yellowing of retro consoles is a real thing and un-doing it is a big task. So here’s what I’ve been up to this week.
Game Boy DMG “Play it Loud” Clear – eBay Auction
I already have a diverse collection of Game Boys, you probably won’t be surprised to hear, including original DMGs. but strangely none are of the PLAY IT LOUD coloured housing range – or in this case, lack of any colour with the original see-thru transparent shell. But also, with my lockdown situation, I needed a DMG to measure up for an upcoming project and everything is in storage about 120 miles away. So I needed to grab one on the fly.
This bundle I won on auction after a quick search revealed that Game Boy console prices have risen dramatically since I first started collecting a good 6 years ago, for convenience I probably overpaid here against market prices, but I’m not concerned. Back then most retro shops and even eBay had Yellow ones, pockets and Game Boy Advances for £15-£20. Now, you are lucky to get consoles unboxed for below £30 really. Recently I have even started helping a friend get a Game Boy Colour and he faced exactly this challenge. In this listing I won, it also included some bundled games that are a bonus but nothing I don’t already have. Maybe I will keep them as test carts or pass them on.
What I didn’t realise at the time of bidding this particular one, is despite being in excellent condition otherwise, theres quite a bit of yellowing. Not the end of the world at all, but now I have an added task of restoring this guy as much as possible and reversing the yellowing is a process that takes care. There’s a few different processes to reverse this yellowing; you can use a mixture called Retro-Bite, or some Oxy-Action Whitener, or the
My approach with this guy, is the latter. We have just entered the summer season here in the UK and my garden is South facing, so should be able to get a solid 6-8 hours of direct sunlight for a couple of weeks to see the effects. I did this before with a GameCube Wavebird controller for a friend and did an excellent job. See below photo to show a before an after. So I am very hopeful that I will be able to repeat the same success on this Game Boy and return it to it’s former glory.
Ofcourse, then, my OCD now demands that I get hold of the orginal Play It Loud hard plastic case that it came in. If I can get one with the full retail card inserts, Winning!!
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If you’re not familiar with the Evercade yet and have any interest in classic video games, then you have to check out this new handheld. It isn’t just another ROM playing piece of plastic, but an affordable and capable handheld that uses it’s own format of cartridges, yes cartridges. Like the good old 80s and 90s before CDs and digital downloads made collecting less fun. Each cartridge comes in a hard plastic bookcase like the Mega Drive or Master System and comes with a collection of games from a specific platform or publisher. Like Atari, Namco or Data East. We’ve seen these sort of compilations many times through the years on other platform, but you will find some awesome retro classics on there, even from the 16-bit era, like Earthworm Jim, Splatterhouse and Boogerman.
The big news I wanted to share here was what I consider to be quite the game changer. Breaking the curse that plagues these sorts of platforms in the past, where it’s largely the same old compilations of old arcade and 8-bit classics we have seen multiple times over the years. The announcement of this particular cartridge has branched out including two absolute monster indie titles previously hard to come by in physical form. These two games are XenoCrisis and Tanglewood. This shows that there is now a new platform for indie titles to publish their games onto an affordable and easily available physical form and that Evercade are committed to bringing great content to this handheld. Without say having to dig deep for limited physical production runs or overpriced collector editions, which even puts me off sometimes.
Take Tanglewood. Widely available as a digital download largely for Steam and PC, but otherwise only available physically on a limited amount of original Sega Mega Drive cartridges. As this game was developed entirely using the original SEGA Mega Drive dev tools (the back story is awesome alone and was even featured on the BBC), it is by nature a MEGA DRIVE game. Like all the good Disney releases for SEGA’s 16-bit console, Tanglewood is a cute platforming game with incredible detail to animation and character design. Reminiscent of Lion King and Castle of Illusion series of games. I have so far resisted the urge to play this, until I get a physical copy.
XenoCrisis is also technically a MEGA DRIVE game and available on physical cart form their website, at an eye-watering £55. Again it is already wildly available on digital download on Steam , PS4 and even Nintendo Switch. It is with no doubt a great shooter game. It’s an over head arena shooter that somehow to me feels like Amiga classic Alien Syndrome mixed with Konami’s Contra style chaos. I haven’t played through this one yet, as I don’t own it. But being a huge Contra fan, I am looking forward to picking this one up when this release is available later in the year
I did never pick up the actual MEGA DRIVE cartridges obviously for both these games, so soon I will be able o grab them for Evercade on one cartridge for an acceptable £14.99 to enjoy on a £50 handheld. What I love about these price points, is that it’s exactly what made the Nintendo Game Boy such a success. Yes, there is more powerful and better hardware out there, but the affordability made the Game Boy a monster of a success back in the day and I hope this means we will also see on the Evercade a vast library of awesome indie titles, continuously released in the years to come.
Who knows what other awesome indie titles we can see on the Evercade?! Maybe even titles like Shovel Knight, Hotline Miami, 198X, Celeste or Super Meat Boy could all make an appearance. I’m sure the hardware limitations might make titles like Fez (god I love that game) or Limbo from coming to this platform as they were very much built for HD style smart gaming systems. But anyway, take this as the first huge Evercade release.
Have you ordered an EVERCADE console yet? What other popular independent games would you like to see released on this platform? Reach out on social media to let us know what you think.
Those of you not familiar with Analogue yet and have any interest in classic Nintendo and Sega games consoles, then catch up fast. These lot are a start up company from Seattle, that specialises in making modern hardware dedicated to playing original video game cartridges on your modern screens, monitors or multiple media set up. Making splashes with the original Nintendo Entertainment System compatible NT and then what really grabbed my attention, the Super Nintendo compatible SUPER NT.
So some would say it was only a natural step for them to offer up a piece of SEGA MEGA DRIVE hardware and that’s exactly what we have here. The MEGA SG is a retro games console specifically designed for playing retro SEGA games with the cart slot and even the original controller ports but with that HDMI out connector for enjoying on your flatscreen TV. It is region unlocked so you’ll be able to use American Genesis carts and Japanese games without issues and micro USB 5V power connector so you can save a plug socket and just power the thing from the USB output of your TV or another device. So, if you are passionate about MEGA Drive games and want to play the original game cartridges, here’s the perfect solution.
Massive Wins:
- Genesis & Mega Drive Cartridge Slot (yes it’s multi region)
- 2 original MEGA DRIVE controller ports
- Headphone Jack for that original audio experience
- HDMI out at 1080p 60
- Micro USB power 5V
- About as big as a Nintendo Switch Dock laid flat
You’ll notice that in the title I didn’t specify just MEGA DRIVE games and said “Classic SEGA”. Well that’s simply because using the adapters, you can play also Master System, Game Gear and even the really old game card system that ws just out long enough to be on the original Master System 1 console. The Master system converter comes in the box with the MEGA SG which is a nice touch and then the others are available as a separate adapter pack for $50, which will be kind of cool to finally have a sudo Super Game Gear set up and enjoy GG exclusives once again.
I was lucky enough to snag one of the awesome limited edition Hyperdub versions, which not only comes in a dark Black translucent finish and matching 8-bit do wireless 6-button controller with the Hyperdub logo, but also a one off Mega Drive cartridge containing an album of exclusive music from the HyperDub label. Being an electro head and a huge passion for dub, beats and breaks, this was a winner for me. But putting that to one side for now, look at it! I’m gonna bring out my South London roots and go as far to say it looks SICKKKKKKK!
Yes, you have the Mega Drive Mini now and it’s a good piece of hardware for running some Mega Drive classics, so many people won’t see the need to pay so much for one of these. But, without being a tech snob, these little boxes are for the elite way to play games in HD using the original cartridges. I mean, if you don’t have the carts, what’s the point?! For me, like the SNES one, this is the perfect MEGA Drive experience and I can’t wait to replay through Sonic 3 or the bundled Hard Corps.
The MEGA SG is available from Analogue.co for $249.99 excluding international’s shipping and import duties. For us UK folk, this does end up being just shy of about £300 all in.