38 replies to this topic

[AtariDude]

Hi everyone.

I wanted to ask a question. I have the Gameboy Advance and I was told that I could play Gameboy Color games with the Advance. I just got Commander Keen for the Gameboy Color and I tried to see if it would insert itself into the GBA. I did not want to force it and possible break the game but it did not appear to fit inside.

Do you need some sort of adapter to get Gameboy color cartridges to fit inside the GBA cartridge port or are they supposed to fit automatically?

Am I supposed to remove the plastic casing of Commander Keen or does the plastic casing remain on the entire time?

I know that this might appear as dumb questions but the gameboy.com site tells me that gameboy color games will work with the GBA with some exceptions for older games but does not seem to mention about connecting directly or needing an adapter of some type for the cartridge port.

[Ze_ro]

Any Gameboy game should fit into the GBA just fine. It's worth noting that since the older cartridges are about twice as tall as the GBA carts, they will stick out the top of the system funny, but they should still work. Just push the cartridge in until you hear it click into place, and turn the system on. It should work fine.

If that doesn't work, then there might be some odd damage on your cartridge or something that causes it to bulge at the sides maybe? If this is the case, you might need to file down the edges or something.

--Zero

[AtariDude]

Ok thanks.

This is a new cartridge that was shrink wrapped and I bought it from Ebay's Half.com. I was just worried that I might break it if I put too much pressure and wanted to know if maybe I was not supposed to do that.

Anyone here have experience with getting Commander Keen for the Gameboy color to work with the GBA? Does it need to be filed at the edges as was mentioned in the previous post or should it fit directly out of the box?

[Agent X]

Cartridges for original Game Boy or Game Boy Color are physically larger than cartridges for Game Boy Advance. The GB/GBC cartridges can be inserted into the GBA cartridge slot, but since they're larger, part of the cartridge will stick out beyond the edge of the slot.

[Agent X]

AtariDude said:

Does it need to be filed at the edges as was mentioned in the previous post or should it fit directly out of the box?

I haven't played Commander Keen for GBC. Under normal circumstances, the cartridge right out of the box should fit into the slot.

AtariDude, do you have any other Game Boy or Game Boy Color cartridges in your collection?

[NE146]

Ummm any GB/GBC cart should fit into any GBA just fine. Are you sure you're putting it in correctly?

Matter o' fact here's a pic of my GBA with a Zelda cart in it, and my GBA-SP with the GB-Camera in it.. they just slide right in as usual

Attached Thumbnails

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[AtariDude]

Agent X said:

AtariDude said:

Does it need to be filed at the edges as was mentioned in the previous post or should it fit directly out of the box?

I haven't played Commander Keen for GBC. Under normal circumstances, the cartridge right out of the box should fit into the slot.

AtariDude, do you have any other Game Boy or Game Boy Color cartridges in your collection?

No. I have the original gameboy from way back in 1989 but my sister used it more than I did and eventually she took it. I have no idea what she did with it. The GBA I have has only games for the GBA itself. This is the first Gameboy color game that I bought.

[Nintendo Penguin]

There are a few instance where some really old Game Boy games will not play correctly on the Game Boy Advance, but those are rare instances.

All Game Boy Cartridges should fit inside the GBA and GBA-SP.

[JB]

Nintendo Penguin said:

There are a few instance where some really old Game Boy games will not play correctly on the Game Boy Advance, but those are rare instances.  

And these compatabiloity problems also show on a GBColor, as the GBA contains an entire GBC for backwards-compatability.

[MegaManFan]

I honestly had the same thought the first time I went to put a GB game into a GB Advance.. is it supposed to fit/look/feel like this? But despite my fears I shoved it in until I heard it click tight, and flipped on the power. Bingo! Yeah it looks odd sticking out of the top (or if you have the SP, the bottom) but it works just fine for me.

[AtariDude]

Ok. Confession time. I figured out why it was not fitting. I was putting it in backwards. I thought the face label had to be in front of the GBA. Now that I see NE146's picture did I realize that I was putting it in backwards. Oh well. At least now I can play the game.

I also got myself a magnifier for the GBA so that I can play Medal Of Honor: Underground because on the GBA it was really hard to see the screen well. Now the magnifier makes it look more like a normal game.

[MegaManFan]

The Game Boy Player is the best screen magnifier I've ever seen.

[AtariDude]

True but you need another accessory called the Nintendo Gamecube I think to make it work right

I hate having to buy another item just to get the Gameboy Player to work right

[Ze_ro]

AtariDude said:

Ok. Confession time. I figured out why it was not fitting. I was putting it in backwards.

Heheh... don't feel too bad, I did the same with the Lynx when I first got it. When it didn't work though, I just tried it the other way.

--Zero

[tiggerthehun]

The only game I've had trouble with on my gameboy sp is "Kirby's tilt and tumble"... All the controls become reversed, making gameplay nearly impossible... and, unfortunately, just flipping the sp over doesn't help, as the bottom half of the sp gets in the way of the screen.
At first I was like "What the fudge?!?!" - but then I realized that the cartridge was now being put in upside down - thereby screwing up that internal mercury sensor.
But I've given that cart to my girl, and she's quite happy with it - so all is not lost.

[JB]

tiggerthehun said:

The only game I've had trouble with on my gameboy sp is "Kirby's tilt and tumble"...  All the controls become reversed, making gameplay nearly impossible... and, unfortunately, just flipping the sp over doesn't help, as the bottom half of the sp gets in the way of the screen.  
At first I was like "What the fudge?!?!" - but then I realized that the cartridge was now being put in upside down - thereby screwing up that internal mercury sensor.  
But I've given that cart to my girl, and she's quite happy with it - so all is not lost.

That's an idea.
Open the cart and rewire the tilt switch backwards.
...
Wonder how easy it is to do.

[Ze_ro]

Am I the only one with a Gameboy Advance that isn't an SP?

Personally, I prefer the non-SP layout. Not having a backlight kind of sucks, but I'm certainly not going to pay 1.5x as much for another Gameboy... especially not when I could always get an Afterburner.

--Zero

[NE146]

Ze_ro said:

Personally, I prefer the non-SP layout. Not having a backlight kind of sucks,

Not only that.. but the whole BATTERY deal is something I think is what makes the SP more attractive to me. I love how you just recharge it and voila, it's playable for hours and hours.

Yes I still got an old GBA (actually I have a couple), but the SP is my choice hands down. I wouldn't even call it a "SP-Layout".. to me it's the classic Gameboy layout since really that's what it is when it's unfolded.. it's the old classic Gameboy layout

[Vectrex-Atari]

I skiped the GBA and went straight for the GBA SP. The main reason I bought one is so that I can play my favorite classic SNES games.

THe only complaint I really have with it is its small size. I have pretty big hands and after an hour of playing, my hands feel like I have been playing a 5200 game too long.

[Ze_ro]

Yeah, I don't like the size of it either... it's quite obviously made with kids in mind, and my gargantuan hands almost engulf the thing. Even with the horizontal layout of the (original) GBA, I'm getting carpal tunnel from the thing, and I don't think extended use of an SP would do me any better. I love the size of the Lynx though, maybe I should pick up an extra Lynx and splice the GBA insides into that

--Zero

[JB]

NE146 said:

Ze_ro said:

Personally, I prefer the non-SP layout. Not having a backlight kind of sucks,

Not only that.. but the whole BATTERY deal is something I think is what makes the SP more attractive to me. I love how you just recharge it and voila, it's playable for hours and hours.

Yes I still got an old GBA (actually I have a couple), but the SP is my choice hands down. I wouldn't even call it a "SP-Layout".. to me it's the classic Gameboy layout since really that's what it is when it's unfolded.. it's the old classic Gameboy layout

I love the GBA. I considered the new wide design a PLUS. The GBO was big enough, but the Pocket/Color was too dang small for my hands.
And the SP is as wide as a Pocket/Color, as well as the thinnest yet.

I say if a rechargable battery's that important(and I must admit it's a rather good idea), get a GBA and spend the price diffrence on a battery pack.

[Albert]

That picture with the GB Camera hanging out of the bottom of the SP is too funny.

I personally prefer the GBA SP to the older GBA, mainly because of the backlit screen and built-in lithium on battery, and also because it more easily fits into a pocket. However, I do like the ergonomics of the GBA better, as the controls are a bit tight with the SP. I also don't like that you need an adapter to use headphones with the SP.

After buying my GBA when they came out, I hardly ever used the thing because the screen sucks. But since getting the SP, I've been playing it a lot more. And with the GBA Anthology coming out, I know that trend will continue!

..Al

[Ze_ro]

JB said:

I say if a rechargable battery's that important(and I must admit it's a rather good idea), get a GBA and spend the price diffrence on a battery pack.

I got one of these for my birthday, and it works very nicely. It claims to get about 24 hours worth of life out of each battery charge. I really doubt they last a whole day, but they do seem to last quite a while.

Edit: Oh wait... perhaps they mean 24 hours for both packs combined... that sounds more realistic...

--Zero

[JB]

Albert said:

I personally prefer the GBA SP to the older GBA, mainly because of the backlit screen and built-in lithium on battery, and also because it more easily fits into a pocket.  

I should admit I'm one of the few people that's never had a problem with the reflective screens(well, except with Circle of the Moon...).
My eyes seem to just be more sensitive than most people's.

[hex65000]

No you are not alone.

I actually like the form factor of the first GBA. And after doing the Afterburner kit and buying a batch of NiMH batteries and a charger It's virtually an SP. The rechargables don't hold out the best (about 2 hrs of play), but I don't care terribly. Of course Triton labs dropped the price of their kit to $25 v/s the $35 I paid for it... Doh!

Hex.
[ Look mom! No more eyestrain! ]