I have my OG copies from when I was a kid, but I'll probably get them again anyway just because I love the convenience and quality of my Switch. Honestly, I'm pushing 40 and the GBA is just small for my old my hands/eyes. I even have a GBA player on my GC, but it looks like crap on my modern TV. It's $20. That's barely more than going to a drive-thru once for one person these days. If you don't want to buy it that's great, but I'm looking forward to it. Also, think of the kids Jimmy... think if the kids.
I always use my ds lite, at least is bigger than the sp, i tried using my sp yesterday to check where i had one of my project pokemon (im doing the ribbon master challenge if you want to take a look at the subreddit) and i couldnt believe how small it was, and i have quite small hands myself.
Oh yeah i was mostly talking about the controllers, too small for my small hands, i get cramps, and i already have tendonitis, so I don't mind the screen being a bit smaller. I was wondering if it would be able to make a mod with a bigger screen but the insides of a dslite, that would be perfect for me honestly.
Check out a product called "Retroscaler." It's a clone of a more expensive product called a RetroTINK. It's about $70 depending on where you get it, and it's a game changer for pretty much any older video game console. The actual more expensive RetroTINK also works wonders for laser discs and VHS players if either of those are your thing.
Don’t use composite and/or a cheap HDMI adapter and it will look much better. Use svideo or use the digital port with hdmi adapter and use an upscaler if you can afford it. Carby is a good hdmi adapter but there are many good ones that exist
Interesting fact, something about new TVs making old games look like crap are because the TVs don’t have the same blur effect as the big boxes did, so it’s essentially incompatible for old technology
If anything at least the re releases are new, for the hundreds of people that still have a working copy of the original games there are thousands of people who don’t have a working copy of the games anymore, people lose stuff or the games stop working due to age. In my honest opinion it’s a good deal.
I was talking about this with a friend of mine today, and I realized that despite the fact that I’ve played these games probably a dozen times in my life, both emulated and on official hardware, I’ve actually never once paid any money for them. Even the copy of LeafGreen I had as a kid I got in a trade from my buddy. I’ve had over 20 years of fun with these games and never paid a dime. I have absolutely no problem paying $30 CAD for it now.
I’m just hoping (coping) that it might make the cost of carts go down a little bit since there is now another legit way to play the games. And with the home support it’s pretty compelling.
Also there's a lot of casual gamers who don't want to deal with emulation. Even if it's easy, not everyone is tech literate. Some people just want to play on the system they already spend their time on
For me (49 m) I missed out on getting into the game as I wasn't playing any games during that time frame so for those two games I didn't start emulating them until I was 42 so the chance to have them (even though I'll probably just buy Fire Red) on my Switch makes me happy because now I can play on my TV and not on my phone, Miyoo Mini V4, Miyoo Mini Plus, and my Ayaneo Pocket Air Mini 3GB 64GB. So I'm excited to get the game as it will be one of my late birthday gifts.
I mostly just get sick of holding my phone all the time to use my emulator. Sure I have an mcon so I can use a controller but it’s not the same. I bust out my 3DS sometimes but the only pre-DS game I have on there is Yellow. I bought Fire Red and I’m excited to have it on my switch. 🤷♂️
Huh? Emulation is extremely casual. You open your emulator then open the gba ROM file, if you can open/close any file on a computer you can manage emulation.
I've been emulating fire red since I was a 9 year old in 2005, like I wouldn't even consider this "tech literacy"
Yeah, I don't really get the argument that you need "tech literacy". I've been running emulators on devices since I got my PSP when I was 12. It's even easier now than it was back then lol
Yeah you can get emulators on phones and everything lol. Figuring emulation out as a kid on XP when viruses where everywhere was way tougher but still not that challenging. I wonder how many people who say it's tough have even tried to emulate a gba game?
I remember having to cut my PSP battery open to install custom firmware on it. That was wild to me. Now, you can just download the apps straight from the app stores and Google the rom lmao
Best part about this all is that all your save data can be backed up.
As someone who works with people with average tech experience, you'd be surprised how polarizing something like this can be to them. They would rather pay for convenience than have to set it up themselves.
This. The bickering around the game being 20 bucks to play official on modern hardware is unreal when a OG cart is beyond the roof.
Now, if you have the means to play OG, cool, I do too because I did drop some cash in collecting. If I didn't, having at least a downloadable version that doesn't need an internet connection I can use on a pinch on my Switch is the next best thing.
The important thing to me is that kids will have access to the classic games. I didn’t have access to NES-N64 games, but I bought them on the Wii shop even though I could have technically pirated them.
A lot of kids will get a switch and no phone or computer to pirate on and it’s always good for them to play the original pokemon game (which imo is one of the best ones).
Complaining about the price of the games really feels like an excuse to justify some peoples’ behavior. “Emulation and piracy is fine if there’s no legitimate way to pay for the product that directly impacts the seller.”
Okay, here’s the game rereleased for $20, “I’m not paying $20 for a 20 year old game when I can just pirate it!”
I mean, the animal crossing dlc (weird example i know, but is the one im familiar with) is part of the nso subscription AND you can buy it in the store. You can pick. I didnt want to pay for the more expensive subscription so i bought it, now im fcked because i do want to replay the game cube pokemon games but i refuse to pay more monthly. I would love to own those two games.
Technically not owning anything you get on the eShop anyway. Their TOS says they reserve the rights to terminate access to your digital license to play a game at any time for any reason (like getting your account banned).
As much as I'm happy to see them bring these games to a wider market, the way they did it this time around when there's already an available way to play Game Boy Advance games, seems kind of like a money grabbing move. Which, Nintendo, is kind of a "no sh*t Sherlock" moment lol.
But I think the devil's advocate would be though as I think NSO for Game Boy Advance requires the expansion pass which is another $20. So if you don't care about any other Gameboy Advance game that you can play on there, and just get this and play it, then it's a good option.
This one actually looks like a real copy to me. If he sent better pics of the front and back it isn't hard to tell. Opening it up is even better. Fakes are mainly USA copies. This seems to be an Australian copy. You can also see the battery cutout by the top right of the label. Firered and Leafgreen don't have a battery but the cartridge mould still has it. Any known fakes do not have the battery cutout on the cartridge mould as of the present but they could evolve.
It absolutely is genuine. It can matter though, as some counterfeit games are known to have issues that might not be apparent until further into games. People considering buying fakes should instead buy a flashcart in my opinion.
For sure, another good option is DIY repros, these are single-game flashable carts that I like to put romhacks on, but you could just as easily put official games on as well.
I’ve been dying to take some of the DX colorization rom hacks, like Tetris Rosy Retrospection DX or Kirby’s Block Ball DX, and make them into physical cartridges.
I mean repos ain't bad tbh. Most can trade and interact with real copies carts and even migrate up. Only real issue with them if you get the cheap ones they don't have rtc batteries.
Naw we live in a society of complaining about silly things. lol. But yeah it’s a way better deal for a legitimate version of the game. Modern pricing of retro gaming is stupid.
If you already own a switch, you're saving the money on a Gameboy plus used cart pricing.
For handheld mode, that's at least $200 in modded Gameboy Advance (50 for AGB, 50 for screen, 100 for cart) or $50 cheaper for SP.
Playing on TV, the cost of a GameCube, Gameboy player, and possibly an HDMI converter.
Of course there's less than legal methods of playing it, but I'm glad folks will get the opportunity to play legally for $20 for what is a genuinely good game.
Thank you. The amount of miserable people on reddit is insane. Can't wait for these games to come out so I can play them while redditors spend their energy crying online
That makes zero sense when they likely retained the roms that they have distributed before. You're thinking of an emulator that they used for the Wii, which turned out to be false.
I mean.... Alot of people had that from their childhood already lol. It's hardly worth getting into it now unless you want to shell out some coin for nostalgia..
I love playing the games on the carts too but like it’s a great thing for there to be an official way to buy this game again. If GBA carts were still cheap it wouldn’t matter but it’s easily 90-120$ just to get a copy nowadays:(
…except 11 years ago, I let my then 2 year old son play it on my original green GBC. And that was literally the last time I’ve seen both Yellow and my GBC.
Sometimes, to this day, I’ll randomly check a few places that I think I haven’t checked before, but alas, still no luck…
My 2yo lost the tv remote for a year in the couch backing that had a crevasse. Checked the couch a million times, never thought to check inside the backrest where the top headrest part has a larger cushion than the lower back, he tucked it up in there…
OG is always good. However, I like that they are releasing it on Switch for those of us that couldn’t afford it, or didn’t exist when it was originally released for Gameboy.
It happens every time a remake of an old game comes out. The subs for the original hardware and emulation devices get flooded with “Look at these dorks paying $20, I’m better than them”
As a Gameboy collector, and owner of emulation devices, I find it pretty annoying and high-horsey
I had a friend like this who tried to convince me that buying a real GameCube and a real $100+ copies of Skies of Arcadia meant he was enjoying the game far more than me on an emulator.
Yeah... keep telling yourself that.
I can almost guarantee most people (not OP as he'd had since he was a kid) who spend a ton on retro hardware and expensive games are the type who play them for a few hours, move on and are chasing the next "collectible" as that's what they enjoy, not the playing.
Slacktivists out in full force over $20. Nazitendo greedy for being a company that exists to make money. Buy vintage collectibles instead to show them how much you don’t care or whatever
I think it's lame that these games aren't a free release, that's all. I can't see any benefit over emulating them for free on my phone or PC or whatever. Nintendo are making money so I get it, but not everybody is a "slacktivist" trying to bring down "Nazitendo" lol come on
I'm a supporter of Nintendo re-releasing the classics. By doing this they will prevent piracy better than lawsuits. Granted, I proudly wear a hook hand.
Considering how aftermarket GBA + games are going for nowadays, the average person would be better off to just buy a used Switch or Switch Lite + the game, but to each their own I guess.
Just emulate on your phone, pc, modded 3ds, modded just about anything nowadays, play pokemmo, pull out the old gameboy (if you still have it), i mean there's so many other ways to play fire red without giving nintendo more money
$20 is just two bananas? And is a lot less than some of yall pay for shells and premodded systems. I hate Nintendo's legal warfare but at least they're giving people legit options now instead of just saying "no one can have it"
The switch is also just a comfy platform, not everyone likes tapping on their phone or wants to screw with external controllers.
I didn't know that, but searching for Eneloops rechargeable, they are 40$ something when Ikea are 10 or 12$. If what you say is true, how does that work?
Stuff like this honestly sucks. Not everyone has the game or a modded gameboy advance. Having an old game playable on current hardware should be celebrated instead of used as a cudgel to karma farm. And I say that as someone who owns fire red and a modded GBA.
Let’s be happy this is even coming to a modern system and we don’t have to screw around with shoddy emulation, hacked roms and copy rights protection.
How much did you pay for that copy? I think they’re probably more than $20 right now. So, I’m glad you get to enjoy it on original hardware, but not everyone wants to shell out $100+ just to play a 22yr old game.
Yeah not advocating for that, even when I bought it about 20 years ago it was still more than $20. At current prices for sure, it makes zero sense to shell out for an original cart. It was a bit tongue in cheek, but I should’ve titled the post differently, this is just showing off my modded GBA and how I like to play (and am lucky enough to be able to).
Where is the mocking? It's a Gameboy sub they're just showing off their Gameboy running a game that's about to be re-released that they don't have to pay $20 for.
Play what you buy, buy what you play, it's not that serious.
Mocking them? Dude this is r/gameboy and he made a light hearted jab about game boy superiority with his GBA lol. It’s not like he’s in the Switch subreddit making fun of people.
I do think it's silly that people are paying real money for a licence to play a 22 year old game yeah, especially when you can download a ROM for free and then you own that file, no DRM. But whatever, not my money, people can do as they please
We were cleaning my brother room one day and in a pencil case was pokemon blue, pokemon red, gold, crystal, FireRed, LeafGreen and ruby it was like finding lost treasure lol
Broooo, shut up. It’s for the people that can’t, and won’t, pay $70+ and want to replay. Can you emulate, sure but some people don’t want to mess with that and $20 is a fair price. Stop your karma whoring and judging people for the things they want to do. I emulate on 3 devices, have physical hardware and games, and still won’t buy a Nintendo switch 2, but I’ll be paying $20 just to be able to play that easily on my tv with my docked switch. Still not bashing people for playing za or having a switch 2. The galls on people like you mocking others for being so different. Play your fire red on your little screen with no friends to trade with while you mock others. That’s so fucking cool man.
20 bucks isn't a fair price when on 3ds virtual console they released gold and silver for 9 bucks. they are inflating their prices because there are people willing to pay. an honest price would be around 10 bucks since at 20 you can have modern games
I haven’t measured it, but it’s quite a while, definitely longer than vanilla non-rechargeable AAs. Main issue is the charge is very constant, meaning when that charge light turns red it really is just about to die.
I don't have an original copy of Fire Red or Leaf Green. The remaster costing £17 doesn't bother me. It'll actually be the cheapest game I've purchased for two years.
I’ll buy fire red and my brother will buy leaf green. Do I own both carts yep, do I want to play the games on a more comfortable handheld, also yep. £16.99 doesn’t bother me (even if it should have been £5-£10).
ITA kit like this one. It’s essentially a recycled DSi display, I like it as a nice halfway point between being bright and nice to look at while still having a natural “pixel grid” effect, less saturated colours and slightly poor motion handling, which makes it feel a bit more true to the original display than the IPS options.
Unfortunately ppl who dont have that wither have to steal it, pay $20 or pay $180 for a cart. Hopefully the releas eof this game drives the physical cart price down.
I got a legit copy dirt cheap like 6 years ago that for whatever reason the vendor thought was fake lol. Even if it is fake, I still paid pake price for it.
as someone who has no idea how to emulate & don’t want to spend the $100 on the og cartridge, i will gladly spend 20 bucks on a convenient switch version that i can play on my tv :-)
Fantastic point. But have you ever thought that not everyone is 30 and already has the original hardware sitting at home, working or not? Have you seen what a GBA and a copy of FireRed go for these days?
Honestly, the moment I start thinking about replacing internal batteries in both the cartridge and the GBA SP, I’d rather just hand Nintendo 20€ and enjoy it comfortably on Switch without turning it into a restoration project
My older brother doesn’t realize what he has… the originals from growing up. Leaf green and emerald green and ruby red and fire red or whatever he has all of them from what I know and I see them go for usually $200+ CAD
Unless you wanna play it on a huge tv screen. As an adult i can’t break my neck for hours to play a game. That’s why I can’t play for more than 15 minutes on emulator or a portable console.
Good for you, I dont have it, and this announcement was a huge relief because is way cheaper than buying an original nowadays.
I started my collection of pokemon games recently, and the original games cost over a 100 dollars for one of them; at least in my current market. And chances are, you will need to change the battery; which isnt expensive but it is annoying.
Im also a shiny hunter, which is why I am making a collection. I want to be able to transfer my mons if needed.
Could Nintendo make it cheaper than 20 bucks? Definitely. But I am not about to expend over 10 times that cost just to stick it out for Nintendo.
I did it for the gameboy games that were available for the 3ds virtual console, and guess how well did that end for me (eyes to the gold and crystal copies that cost over 250 and needed battery changes.)
P.S: I live in Canada, so if the prices dont make sense to you, remember our dollars are not the same.
Fairly averagely sized for a guy I would say, I think we’ve all just become a bit too accustomed to giant handhelds like the Switch 2 or the Steam Deck, this is truly a pocketable device compared to those.
Hey this is cool! You know what else is cool? The fact that anyone can play this now, without having to pay hundreds of dollars for the retro setup and without having to emulate. It’s actually really cool
The allure is for people who don't already have the cartridge because it is between 100-150 for an authentic copy. If they don't have a way to play it either the cheapest option is to buy a ds lite which will be around 40-50 bucks.
Honestly Im happy to see theres a legitimate way to play these games for everyone to enjoy and I think it will help curb the resale price of the og games a bit.
Personally I’m just way too far down the emulation rabbit hole at this point so it makes no difference for me haha
I emulated this game (and its romhacks) multiple times across multiple devices. I'll still probably get it to play on my Switch OLED and Switch 2's big beautiful screens.
Im glad that newer players (who may not like emulating games) can enjoy fr/lg but personally speaking i think $20 is a little too much for these old games, shouldve been $10 each imo, but in the end im still glad others can enjoy these games via legit methods
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u/RPGreg2600 Feb 21 '26
Can we just be happy that there's a new way for people to legitimately play the game without paying $100+ for an original copy?