Despite being considered one of the greatest portable consoles of all time, every version of the Nintendo Game Boy Advance had a problematic design flaw, from missing headphone jacks to screens that were either too small or too dark. Now all can be repaired with ways and a new aluminum housing from Boxy Pixel it can even make GBA SP fit your Apple MacBook.
Of all the GBA versions Nintendo released, the company seemed determined not to make it look like the original Game Boy. The closest version was the folding shell GBA SP and, if you happen to have one that is still around, the new Boxy Pixel Game Boy Advance SP Undefeated Case is the closest ever to a Game Boy Advance Game Boy – or a GBAGB, for short.
The cases are milled from solid aluminum blocks using a CNC cutting machine in a process similar to how Apple currently makes its laptops and mobile devices, and while you can get anodized colored options of the Unhinged case in red, blue, pink and black, it seems a crime to go with anything other than natural aluminum silver. At $ 94, plus $ 20 + for a set of machined metal buttons, it’s not a cheap way, given that it’s also BYOGBASP, but you’ll never have to worry about having an aged hinge it will ever break.
YouTuber Male Nacho Productions managed to get his hands on the house Unhinged and distributed a detailed manual for anyone who wants to approach this way. According to Boxy Pixel, if you start with a standard version of GBA SP (even one with an improved screen) you can throw all the parts in the aluminum case without the need for gluing, although everything except the shoulder buttons will need to be updated and you will it needed a specially printed 3D adapter to securely hold the original battery in place.
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But if you want to make other improvements in this process, which may include improvements such as a larger battery, a USB-C port, a wireless charging coil, and a proper headphone jack, you’ll need to pull out the soldering iron and make small changes to the housing. (Which shouldn’t be so difficult, it’s aluminum, not vibranium.) If you’re having all the trouble sacrificing a GBASP and giving the Game Boy Advance a well-deserved OG Game Boy facelift, it looks like you could just as well go extra and modernize everything you can.
And, while waiting to first complete all the pre-orders for the Unhinged case, Boxy Pixel has revealed that it will most likely eventually offer custom pre-built units, don’t expect them to be cheap in any way. Buying a completely updated Game Boy Advance (backlit display, speaker amplifier, rechargeable battery, etc.) with a plastic case can cost you more than $ 500, so expect an aluminum version to approach the cost of a smartphone.