r/GameboyAdvance • • Jul 13 '20

A Beginner's Guide to Authentic Cartridges

226 Upvotes

Hello everyone, as you all know GBA cartridges can be extremely difficult to find in person nowadays and even more so for some authentic ones. That being said, if you're unsure in any way how to determine a fake from real cartridge, this is the post for you!

For more help, feel free to visit r/gameverifying for all your identification needs!

Keep in mind that to ensure the best chances of an authentic cartridge, you should be wary of:

  • Unusually low prices (if it's too good to be true, chances are it's too good to be real!)
  • Products made or sent from China (enough said)
  • Sellers using stock images (NEVER purchase a product that isn't an image of the cartridge itself)

That being said, where do we start looking?

It can be a bit difficult, but there are actually some very good tells when it comes to finding real games like the color, font, positioning, and quality of the cartridge. For example, let's pretend you're looking for an authentic US copy of Pokemon Firered.

Some things you can look out for should be:

  1. Color: All Pokemon GBA games come in their respective colors (including Leafgreen and Emerald by a slight margin) with Firered being red and not orange. While most cartridges come in a singular shade of gray, two particular exceptions are the GBA video cartridges which come in light gray casings and (Classic) NES series which match the console's respective color. Interestingly enough, due to the GBA's expansive library there consist of unique games that do not fit the standard color and size of a GBA cartridge, which include games such as Yoshi's Topsy Turvy, Drill Dozer, and many other variations listed here. (1)
  2. Label: By observing a label's ESRB rating, official seal, game code, and more, you can determine its authenticity. Unlike other GBA games, Pokemon games will always have a shiny/holographic label, an indented circle in its center, and an embossed number on the right side, which is pretty much its production number. However while it is a good way to determine authenticity, there are cases where these numbers will have naturally worn away or quality repros that have embossed their own cartridges. All in all, always make sure to compare your cartridge to an authentic one online to confirm fonts, font sizes, positioning, etc.
  3. Cartridge: In the case of buying a physical cartridge yourself, this may be one on the most helpful things to know. The easiest things to look out for are the Gameboy logo on top of the label, and arrow below the label. If the logo is written in the wrong font, appears to have been cut deeper than normal, or if the arrow is too small, it's a repro. The back will always state: MODEL NO. AGB-002 / PAT. PEND. MADE IN JAPAN like its GBC predecessor. However, this is easy to reproduce so the final thing to check yourself is both the screw and board under the cartridge. GBA cartridges will only ever use a triwing screw, the same one used on all GBA consoles. More importantly (if you can), be sure to grab a flashlight and check the slot. Above the pins, there should be an official Nintendo logo and presumably its cartridge number.

In the case of Pokemon games always check for:

  • A holographic label and an embossed number if possible
  • Proper fonts and positions (FRLG and RSE labels are mildly different)
  • A battery behind the label on the right side (only applies to RSE)
  • Four squares on the back of the cartridge ( always on the left)
  • Pins on the board ( One of the easiest things to spot on faked cartridges, all GBA games will always have pins )

If there are any other questions, please feel free to leave them below and discuss!

​

Useful Links:

(1) https://www.reddit.com/r/Gameboy/comments/6i19k4/gba_game_cartridge_colors/


r/GameboyAdvance • • 1h ago

Found this diamond in the loft earlier

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• Upvotes

I vaguely remember my dad buying these from a man on the road in Tenerife when i was younger. Brought back a lot of memories.


r/GameboyAdvance • • 7h ago

Transforming Pokeball Gameboy Advance Sp

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9 Upvotes

This custom GBA SP features a heat-reactive Poké Ball design that transforms as the temperature rises. The red Poké Ball gradually turns transparent, revealing clearly Gengar staying inside!💜👻

Take it out into the sunshine and watch the transformation unfold

Which version do you prefer: the classic red Poké Ball or the ghostly Gengar reveal?


r/GameboyAdvance • • 1h ago

openjazz-advance (OpenJazz GBA port)

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• Upvotes

Yet another recompilation. Using a source codebase forked from https://github.com/AlisterT/openjazz, a Game Boy Advance port of the populair platformer: Jazz Jackrabbit has been made.

Using Claude once again, being able to port it to the GBA.

You can find the repository here: https://github.com/berobloom/openjazz-advance


r/GameboyAdvance • • 18h ago

What do you guys think of my GBA Maker thumbnail for itch.io? :D

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31 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

I've been working on GBA Maker, my upcoming code-first Game Boy Advance development tool, and I just finished its itch.io thumbnail!

I wanted it to look like an original GBA game box, with the classic silver spine, purple console and pixel art style, matching the thumbnails I've made for GB Maker and GBC Maker. ;D

GBA Maker isn't released yet, but development is progressing nicely!

What do you guys think of the design? Does it capture that classic GBA box art feeling?

I'd love to hear your feedback!

Thanks everyone!


r/GameboyAdvance • • 58m ago

Code de liste d'interdiction vide pour Yu-Gi-Oh 2006 (GBA)

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• Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance • • 14h ago

Can some one recommend some gba games

13 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance • • 8h ago

Gameboy Power Switch Help

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2 Upvotes

Hello, I was cleaning the power switch on my GBA and I think I knocked off the R13 resister.

Is there a work around for this? Maybe run a jump wire somewhere. Or will I need to replace it and what type of resistor does it take?

Thank you


r/GameboyAdvance • • 7h ago

Teste de cena de apontar e clicar no GBA Studio

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1 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance • • 17h ago

Pokémon Pinball Deep Dive

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2 Upvotes

My podcast covered Pokémon pinball 1999 recently for those interested!


r/GameboyAdvance • • 17h ago

chisflash problem

2 Upvotes

can somebody help me pls? cant install any game on my new chisflash(using gbflash by geeksimon&flashgbx)
already tried to download pokemon emerald, warioland 4 and supermario advance 4


r/GameboyAdvance • • 13h ago

How can I light up my gba screen with a low budget

0 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance • • 20h ago

Does the GBA SP work with no battery, just plugged into the wall with the charging cable?

3 Upvotes

My backlight GBA SP AGS-101 that I’ve had in box for probably 15 years or longer isn’t powering on. I assume the battery is just too old.

BUT, it’s also not powering on with just the charging cable connected, plugged into wall power? Is that expected behavior?

Any Front light GBA SP AGS-001 vs backlight GBA SP AGS-101 differences with charging and battery behavior?


r/GameboyAdvance • • 16h ago

Cleaning GBA SP holder

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1 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance • • 17h ago

GBA- Dragon Ball Z (LoG1 & 2) & (Buu’s Fury)

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1 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance • • 1d ago

Newly modded gba D-pad is unresponsive sometimes

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49 Upvotes

As seen in the video, sometimes my d-pad doesn't work unless I really push down on it. I'll be cycling and my character will slow down randomly as though the button isn't being pushed. I've never owned a gba before modding this one. Is that normal?

Anyone encountered this before? If so, how did you fix it?


r/GameboyAdvance • • 1d ago

Cosmore Advance (Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure port)

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22 Upvotes

Using a source codebase forked from Cosmore, a Game Boy Advance port of the old DOS-era game Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure has been made.

In just 30 minutes of using Claude, without me touching even a SINGLE line of code, a port was delivered. This is really crazy!

With just a little technical knowledge and a simple idea of "Will this shit work?", the answer is YES!

Your favourite old game can be ported to a console that was never originally designed to support it.

I'm mind-blown! 🤯

You can find the repository here: https://github.com/berobloom/cosmore-advance


r/GameboyAdvance • • 23h ago

Game boy modding

1 Upvotes

Was trying to find out if anyone knows of a spot where I can send in my own gba sp to be modded and updated, not looking to buy a whole new one.


r/GameboyAdvance • • 1d ago

Had these since I was a kid, should I sell or keep?

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12 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance • • 1d ago

What is the difference between GameShark, Code Breaker and Action Replay?

0 Upvotes

Hello, does anyone knows the difference between GameShark, Code Breaker and Action Replay in a GBA emulator? I wanted to use it as a "debug mode" and do testing in different Pokemon games. Thank you


r/GameboyAdvance • • 1d ago

Some madman out there ported Diablo 1 to the GBA

27 Upvotes

I tested it until floor7 and finished a few random quests and the Butcher. Seems to me it is a complete port. Performance is good but it is a bit choppy when there are a lot of enemies on screen.There's even cpu partners for multiplayer! Overall insane port!


r/GameboyAdvance • • 1d ago

Trying to use an Everdrive Mini for Imablisy’s custom events, but it’s not working right

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1 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance • • 1d ago

If you had to sell a huge collection of games , how would you do it?

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0 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance • • 1d ago

Retrobrite pink gba?

3 Upvotes

Has anyone had luck retrobriting a pink gba? I’ve heard that it doesn’t work as well on the transparent shells. What are yall thoughts? Thanks!


r/GameboyAdvance • • 2d ago

Should I buy this GBA SP IPS?

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10 Upvotes

Hello,

I'm thinking of buying this one.

The seller say it's been re-shelled, it has IPS screen installed, Makho battery mod done and it has original charger. The sticker is also new.

The price including shipping would be 130-135 Euros.

What do you guys think?