When it comes to opening up and tinkering with your favorite game consoles it’s completely natural to be nervous. This year I decided it was finally time to try and upgrade an old Game Boy Advance handheld console, and in reality, it couldn’t have been easier.
Time for an Upgrade
In 2024 there are a lot of mods that you can do to your GBA that make it fall more in line with modern handhelds. Given my trepidation, lack of experience with tinkering, and absolutely no knowledge of soldering, I choose to stick with a laminated IPS screen upgrade, and a fresh shell with buttons to house it. Basically, everything I see while playing is now brand new, while the internals remain the same.
I purchased an old GBA off of Facebook Marketplace, and while the outside was a little beaten up it still worked which was all I needed for this project. Now came the daunting part, taking the device apart.
As anyone nowadays would, I first watched a GBA dismantling video to get an idea of what needed to be done and surprisingly there weren’t too many screws to be removed before reaching that iconic Nintendo motherboard. With the motherboard out, it was time to prepare my new parts.
For compatibility’s sake, I chose to go with FunnyPlaying’s Laminated 3-inch IPS screen to suit their GBA shell with some fresh buttons. After having these products in hand, I can say from my experience they couldn’t be better. It looks and feels just like the original handheld, but with a newly lit screen finally making gaming in the dark a possibility.
Inserting the IPS display into the new shell was simple. There was no soldering with this kit so I simply connected the ribbon cable to the new screen, and motherboard, and the device was ready to reassemble. This was the most worrying part of the process, bending the ribbon cable, inserting my new buttons, and fitting it all inside the shell before screwing down the motherboard made me second-guess every movement, but ultimately when the screws were in it all felt secure.
To finish off the process I now just needed to put my new bumpers in and screw the whole shell together. Surprisingly, fitting those bumpers in and getting them secure while screwing the shell together proved to be the most frustrating part, but after a few attempts I got it all back together, threw some batties in and it was go time.
Now, the once old and weathered handheld I had bought was a new, fresh gaming goliath machine to conquer my favorite classic titles on. This IPS display could not look better, and the color combination of black and white was the perfect choice for my shell. However, my biggest takeaway overall was just how simple the whole process was.
Who Is This For?
Even for somebody like me who had no prior experience, and previously was put off the idea of modding to avoid soldering, FunnyPlaying’s GBA offerings make everything simple and easy. While it still requires steady hands and being gentle with your device, I truly believe anyone could get it done if they follow a step-by-step guide.
Now with my first mods done to this GBA, it’s time to look at what’s next. I’m thinking a USB-C battery mod might be next, but with so many options out there I’ll be doing some more research before making my final decision.
