| Posted on 08:11:00 25/11/03 By NeoGoldenBoy | Hello: I'm new on this site, but actually I've read all the topics that were available when opening the Forum page, and I really like all the work you've done and I want to have a NESp, SNESp, and a PSp, but I would like to buy them, so I e-mailed Ben, but I didn't receive an answer, and abaout doing them by miself would be really great except for the fact that I don't have the consoles and something for doing the casing, that's the problem that I have, and I would like the casings to be really cool like Ben's ones. Other important thing is that I live in Mexico, so for me it's not that easy to get all the parts needed. Also I want to make I project that I have (but I don't know how....) my project is to make a "New GBA" like the GBA SP but improved, with the X, Y and Z buttons and also a joystick, so actually my project is a kind of fusion of a GBA SP with a GCN controller, so... Do you think its possible?, if it is please tell me how can I do it, well, that's all for now, hope you can help me, thanks. |
| Posted on 15:11:00 25/11/03 By Agent EQzE | Can't help you would on the projects part, sorry. Don't know of anyone currently selling their portables. As for the GameBoy Advance project, I just have to ask you: "Why?" Why does it need extra buttons? How would the extra buttons work in your project, I'm curious. Thank you. ---------------- Current Project: NESeqze Status: 42% -- Screen is being modified to run off batteries Site coming soon... |
| Posted on 21:11:00 25/11/03 By NeoGoldenBoy | Hi again: Well about buying the portables I thougth that Ben could make them and sell them (and also he reduces the price if you give him the console... or at least that's what I thought....) And about the otther buttons and the joystick on the GBA is because everybody (at least as far as I can see want's a joystick on a GBA, and I'm one of them, and have many other friends with the same Idea) and about the butons is for comfortability on games that uses a lot of buttons (like the fighting ones....) and also because if a GBA could have those buttons, it will work a lot better as a controller on their non-portable Consoles (like the GCN), and finally because I want to make things better and improve them; hope you can understand me, and also I'm curios... don't you like the idea... (just want to know opinions), and thank's again. |
| Posted on 22:11:00 25/11/03 By RPGTKNick | Well, I don't believe there's any extra communication ports (places for buttons to hookup) in the GBA. If there was, and you did set it up, it would be pretty useless, cosidering no games would/could/do use them. That, and GBA probably wouldn't have any software support for it. http://saoghal.cywh.com/n64m_pictures/n64m.html Nintendo 64 Mobile -- Project, Pictures and Instructions |
| Posted on 06:11:00 26/11/03 By NeoGoldenBoy | Thanks for your help and interest, What you're saying it`s true, in a GBA its useless to do what I want, but I think I've not explained well what I want to do, so I will put it again explaining it better, actually what I want to do is like a GBA SP2, I don't want to anly modify a GBA, I really want to make a new GBA with the things I've put before, so its no modify a GBA because it would be useless as you say; well that'a actually my project, so... Do you think it can be done? I know already something abaout electronics and programming, so I think I just need a little help to really build it, so that's why I've decided to become a member here and tell you my project, thanks again. |
| Posted on 06:11:00 26/11/03 By NeoGoldenBoy | Double post... Edited by - Black Six on 11/27/2003 5:13:33 AM |
| Posted on 06:11:00 26/11/03 By NeoGoldenBoy | Sorry for the double post... I don't know why it happened.... |
| Posted on 05:11:00 27/11/03 By Black Six | As far as I know, in order to do what you want, you would have to reprogram the GBA itself, as well as any games you'd want to make compatible with it; or program brand new games... You say you have programming experience, I don't know on what level, but I kind of doubt it'd be enough to do what you want, and I doubt anyone here would have the knowledge to be able to help you with that either. But hey, if you prove me wrong, all the better for you... It's not that life's so short, it's just that you're dead for so long. |
| Posted on 06:11:00 27/11/03 By NeoGoldenBoy | Well also I don't think that I'm capable of doing it completely by miself, because I don't know exactly what to do for that, I already knew that I needed to do what you say, but I haven't found someone who can tell me what does I need to do, so I posted here just in case someone could help me, but if nobody can I will be searching more, and I really want to do it so I wont give up until I've done it, but anyways thanks. |
| Posted on 08:11:00 27/11/03 By Agent EQzE | I still don't exactly get the purpose of having the extra buttons and what their use would be, but you might be able to look up GBA programming and have a start. There's a link port in the back of the GBA SP that might be able to be used as input for the buttons. A simple circuit with takes the electricity coming from the Gameboy, runs it through the buttons, and sends it back to the Gameboy. I thought of this at one point, it would be a really cool apparatus, but the point is, there would be no use for it. Unless you sold it, some major game companies saw it, and decided to use it. Anyway... that's just my opinion. Don't mind me. :D ---------------- Current Project: NESeqze Status: 42% -- Screen is being modified to run off batteries Site coming soon... |
| Posted on 10:11:00 27/11/03 By Dom_Dunc | Do you mean you want to make a console portable but in the style of a GBA? Or that you want to customise a normal GBA? (i don't think that would be possible) |
| Posted on 06:11:00 28/11/03 By NeoGoldenBoy | I don't really want to modify a GBA, but also make one GB, as if I were the Big N company, ao what I want to do is really the Next GB (let's call it "GBA SP 2"), but as you can see I can't make it all alone, so I thought it was a good idea to "re-program" a GBA and use it's basic elements to make a new one, also all the buttons are planned for new games to come in the future, not for actual games, they wuold be very usefull in fighting games for example, or for the remakes of other games maybe from the SNES, also all the buttons are planned because as the GBA(SP) connects to the GCN, this console would connect to the "GameSphere" and act much better as a controller, that's exactly what I want to do. |
| Posted on 09:11:00 28/11/03 By SpongeBuell | HEY! I thought the gamesphere would be next!!! Actually, I think that would be too difficult for the final result. Sorry to be negative though. |
| Posted on 12:11:00 28/11/03 By Nerd Of Nerds | ok, sorry to crush your dreams, no i'm not. but what you are talking about (if i understand you right) is pretty much impossible. you can't "reprogram" the gameboy. you can write programs for it... and the adding extra buttons wouldn't work with commercial games, they won't just randomly say : "hey! just for fun lets add some random buttons that no one but this pothead will use!!!" its not possible... and i know quite a bit about electronics to know that this can't be done, uless your extra buttons are just relocated l an r buttons but there is no point in that now is there? wondering what you are on: nerd of nerds... |
| Posted on 16:11:00 29/11/03 By Agent EQzE | In otherwords, its impossible, sorry. Don't even bother trying, you can't do it. ---------------- Current Project: NESeqze Status: 42% -- Screen is being modified to run off batteries Site coming soon... |
| Posted on 08:12:00 02/12/03 By NeoGoldenBoy | Well, thank's for your opinions, but I really think I can do it, so I will try, It will take sometime but.... I still believe I can do it, maybe not reprogramming a GBA but doing it all (including the chips, because there are programmable chips...), in conclusion I still will try, thanks. |
| Posted on 13:12:00 02/12/03 By Agent EQzE | I really advise that you don't. Even if it's not impossible, it would be pointless in the end, if not just a waste of money. You really should reconsider... ---------------- Current Project: NESeqze Status: 42% -- Screen is being modified to run off batteries Site coming soon... |
| Posted on 13:12:00 02/12/03 By ryu | I agree it will just be a waste of time and resources. even if you programmed chips to accept the extra buttons you have no way to make a game that accepts them. if you suddenly acquired the knowledge to code a game you need something to make it into a GBA cartridge. why not try something else? |
| Posted on 17:12:00 02/12/03 By SpongeBuell | I also think it would be too difficult for it to be worth it, but hey, if you wanna prove us wrong and make your own games and hardware, then go for it. |
| Posted on 22:12:00 03/12/03 By NeoGoldenBoy | Thank's but I really want to build it, because it is sort of a dream that I have, and also as I've mentioned I know something about electronics and programming, so I could also make the games, and one of the purposes of making it is for selling the design (which is the really big problem, and also a hard to realiza dream...), but thank´s and if someone knows something that can help me... welcome, thanks again. |
| Posted on 12:12:00 04/12/03 By ryu | Alright I respect your decision to continue despite our warnings. Just one thing though how do you expect to make this if you need our help? From what most of us have said we feel what you want to accomplish is impossible so how do you expect us to give you tips? I think you are on your own with this one. Sorry:( |
| Posted on 14:12:00 04/12/03 By Agent EQzE | Well, if you won't listen to reason, then why not encourage it? Better that you get somewhere than nowhere, I guess. http://www.gbadev.org/ http://www.devrs.com/gba/ I dabbled in GBA programming as a side project for a while. Never did get anywhere, but I know how to get started. I'm planning on jumping back in someday, as I recently saw a 3D engine for the Gameboy which looks promising. If you're going for the extra buttons, look back at my post previously where I mentioned how two extra buttons could be linked through the link port. I think that's your best bet to do what you want to do. Good luck... you'll need it. :D ---------------- Current Project: NESeqze Status: 42% -- Screen is being modified to run off batteries Site coming soon... |
| Posted on 14:12:00 05/12/03 By reaperman | have you checked out my GBA yet? it's at: http://www.geocities.com/reaperman93010/ features: 5" TFT monitor from a psone connected with RGB. smartmedia reader with support for larger asian cards and onboard flashing External joystick port which is compatable with all standard neo geo controllers. standard psx video out for composite, svid & rgb runs efficiently on my generic camcorder battery. progress update: yes, the page is old... on the down side, I'm in the middle of replacing the wire. I used solid wire and it likes to be fragile so I'm replacing it with braided. The case mold is done, but my first attempt to cover it with bondo resulted in a case which was too thin. another good site to visit is the miracle ray site. it inspired me to start it in the first place. |
| Posted on 20:01:00 14/01/04 By NeoGoldenBoy | Hello: I've retaken this post just to put some interesting info here, all of you said that i can´t do the mhhhhhhhhhh how to call it??? the "Fake successor of the GBA/SP" but there´s something that made me beleive that I can, there's a guy that's making portable Atari 2600's (Larry Ziegler) and he does the entire Circuit, so as I've said before I know something about electronics and also programming (I´m studying Computer Science, or something like that, because I live in Mexico so here it have a different name: Literrally it would be "Computacional Systems Engineer") and the plan of the carrer is to make Software and also hardware, so again I know I can, I just need a little more knowledge about Videogame systems and consoles. |
| Posted on 15:01:00 16/01/04 By Agent EQzE | Did you at least read my last post in this thread? I made some comments about how you could actually go about doing it... ---------------- Current Project: NESeqze Status: 45% - Screen's backlight being modified. Goal: Sometime or another... this month. Project EQzE, site coming soon at http://www.bingbangboom.us/ |
| Posted on 20:01:00 16/01/04 By NeoGoldenBoy | Yes, I did read it, but I just added the last reply because of the guy who makes the atari's circuit, who made me to check every option in order to do what I want, aldo thanks for your other post. |
| Posted on 05:01:00 17/01/04 By Agent EQzE | Alright, just curious. Tell me if you have any luck with it... ---------------- Current Project: NESeqze Status: 45% - Screen's backlight being modified. Goal: Sometime or another... this month. Project EQzE, site coming soon at http://www.bingbangboom.us/ |
| Posted on 14:01:00 18/01/04 By Robomop | If you realy want to do it and have the ability why not just make your own system from scratch so you dont have to depend on nintendo ect... for APIs and everything It probably would be easyer |
| Posted on 21:01:00 18/01/04 By Abbibi | Design an newer, better GBA from scratch. An interesting idea. There is a handheld currently available, called the Zodiac, which might fit the bill. I know you want to make your own system, but it's easier just to modify something already in existence. check it out at "tapwave.com". It already has an analog controller, and four buttons (and l/r buttons too). And it is MUCH more powerful than the GBA. With a higher quality screen. You can get more info on the zodiac at zodiacgamer.com |
| Posted on 08:01:00 19/01/04 By NeoGoldenBoy | Hi: Thanks, it's not a bad idea, I may consider it, the only thing is that I want the console to be compatible with all the GB/GBC/GBA Games, but it sure is an interesting idea, and my projects is, as I've said before planned as if I were the Nintendo Company (or Shigeru Miyamoto), so that's why all the things there on the posts, thanks again, and I will try and do my best to do that project, also I will start soon a SNESp (I bought a SNES Mini on eBay for only $39.00 ...). |
| Posted on 17:01:00 19/01/04 By Master Mew 007 | That's the ticket, go for an SNES portable! The GBA seems mostly to be just a repackaging of SNES games anyway, and you can play GBA/GBC titles on it with the Super Game Boy cartridge. There are even plans to give the Super Game Boy a Game Boy-style Game Link port! go to http://www.doomportables.org. They have a lot of cool console stuff there. I'm making a portable SNES as well. I'm using a first-generation SNES, and I cut out the locking tabs so it can play Super Famicom games. As such, I will stay in line with the other console portable that I am making and call this one the Super Famicom A. No integrated Game Genie support on this one, though. Anyway, my Interact PSOne LCD fit like a glove once the mounting system was put in place. Since the logo on the back of the LCD is purple like the SNES, and the LCD comes down to meet with a seam on the SNES, the result is that it looks 1337. Once I finish it and have the power circuits installed, I will post a picture of it. ^^ As for programming your own GBA button thing, I can see it. Why? Because of historical events. The SNES controller can be connected to the NES easily, just by replacing the NES controller port with an SNES controller port, or replacing a SNES controler jack with an NES controller jack. You use the existing connections. Perhaps the GBA uses a NES/SNES hybrid(2 buttons, but with triggers). It would cost money to develop a new design, esp. when they could have just as easily have been using NES circuitry the whole time, as the first GB was from 1989, and up until the GBA, they had the exact same buttons as an NES. The buttons in Super Mario All Starts are done in a similar manner, assigning two buttons to one function. It may be easy to add the buttons to the GBA, but once again, you'd need support for it. If you must, make some sort of removable pass-through cart(ala Game Shark) that makes the X and Y buttons as as turbo buttons or multi-button buttons(ie: Y is Turbo R, or Y=R+L, etc.) for the pinouts, check the above site, and remember that the data is similar for the NES. Also, for the complete schematic or the NES controller and its pin-outs, go to http://nesdev.parodius.com. They have it there. Also, I am intrigued by this 3-D GBA engine. Tell me more, please! ^^ With a 32-bit 33MHz RISC processor, they should be able to at least churn out something on par with Hover that came with Windows 95A. ^^ Esp. with that low of a resolution. "Launch the Flaming Bowling Ball Cannon! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!" -B.J. |
| Posted on 15:01:00 20/01/04 By Agent EQzE | quote: -------------------------------------------- Also, I am intrigued by this 3-D GBA engine. Tell me more, please! ^^ With a 32-bit 33MHz RISC processor, they should be able to at least churn out something on par with Hover that came with Windows 95A. ^^ Esp. with that low of a resolution. -------------------------------------------- I've never heard of Hover, so I can't compare... but here's the link to the 3D engine: http://www.theteahouse.com.au/gba/ Download the GBA demo and try it out. It's pretty good... perfect for games like Doom. It's got an awesome lighting system, which is basically the highlight of it. Not to mention, it's portable to other systems like the GP32 and such. It's open source, at least for personal things, which is the best part! ---------------- Current Project: NESeqze Status: 45% - Screen's backlight being modified. Goal: Sometime or another... this month. Project EQzE, site coming soon at http://www.bingbangboom.us/ |
| Posted on 11:05:00 06/05/04 By NeoGoldenBoy | Would old computer parts work for building my project (a portable video game system console)? or at least a home videogame console? If some parts do...what parts are good, or in what project or thing computer parta would work? It is a Pentium Computer that has no CD, Diskette and HD, anything else is there. |
| Posted on 12:05:00 06/05/04 By gannon | well, I'm sure you can get a lot of resistors, transistors, and capacitors from the motherboard. |
| Posted on 05:05:00 07/05/04 By Sparkfist | The CPU (or other chip) heat sinks are useful for the systems that have heating issues (PS2 and N64), powersuply fan and CPU fan and if you know anything about metal working (and not concerned about the case) you can make a case for you finished project. Just some suggestions |
| Posted on 17:06:00 06/06/04 By funnyman | I had bought a Super Joy Fun Stick Player Mech Game Player Game thing on ebay and I Just resently just thought to build a NES and a 1/2 (NESp) i had it built with 5 GIG Hard Drive for The games which you can save the game like the Legend of Zeldas so i could save couse my battery has been dead sence 1995 on the 1st zelda 1998 on the 2nd one also to save state position, and the hard drive solves this problem. i have the case designed to look like a GBA SP to protect the screen (who wants to play Super Mario Bros. with a cracked screen). The Hard Drive was hard to make work but I did it. |
| Posted on 12:06:00 08/06/04 By Someone | can you post some info about how you made the HD work? It sounds interesting! |
| Posted on 12:06:00 11/06/04 By funnyman | you have to have the correct amount of batteries for the Hard Drive to work and plus and emulators on the drive to do the saves. i would redomend firewire for two reasons 1)it is smaller 2)it is faster 3) IT IS EASY to split to connect to the wire that lockes out the FAMICOM games. Samuel Everline for more details email me at arealjackass1988@yahoo.com |
| Posted on 22:06:00 11/06/04 By funnyman | Just finished my NES and a 1/2 which is what i call my NESp. I tested it at a hospital and there were some kids there, when they saw it they thought it was a GBA sp un-till I loaded Rad racer. they wanted to know how i could do it so i opened it up ( dont use screwes i use latches) and showed them it wasnt a GBA sp an sp has L and R buttons and this is rather large due to the HD and the batteries. Now Building SNES and a 1/2 (SNESp). i dont want to use a Hard Drive for this one. |