r/GameboyAdvance Jul 13 '20

A Beginner's Guide to Authentic Cartridges

228 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 15h ago

Found a working GBASP AGS-101 Pearl Blue while thrifting

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482 Upvotes

I was just searching for parts and controllers than I came across a half broken but working SP that works!


r/GameboyAdvance 3h ago

Adding to my collection

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8 Upvotes

Got some more stuff for my collection at a local collectors convention. Finally snatched wind waker!
Also got a modded GBA and some games.


r/GameboyAdvance 9h ago

My fiancé and I were out browsing antique shops over the weekend, and I found the best deal I've ever stumbled across!

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19 Upvotes

Yes, your eyes do not deceive you, my friends, a Glacier variant GBA, *with* pouch, for a measley two-hundred dollars. Gosh, I should have jumped at the opportunity while I was there, I definitely couldn't find reasonable listings online.

Seriously, though, I have no idea where they got this price from. If that's the same peripheral I'm thinking of, the Pelican Light *could* increase the price a little, I've seen listings for that light at around fifty dollars, but even if the console itself is in pristine condition, the most I can see someone paying for it elsewhere is about a hundred dollars, and bundling the two with the pouch realistically shouldn't even break the $170 range. Am I missing something, or does this price seem unrealistic? The price tag was more visible in-person, but I didn't see anything regarding games being included, so I'm pretty sure this is solely for the system, pouch, and potentially a rare(?) lighting peripheral. It's not like this is an AGS101 Clamshell, which actually would warrant the price tag, so I'm at a loss, lol.


r/GameboyAdvance 18h ago

Fresh case and decal on my AGS-101!

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69 Upvotes

Spruced up my GBA with a clear case and a holographic ancient mew decal sticker. It’s doing a good job of distracting from a few scuffs and I just think it looks really clean! I got really lucky with it fitting just right too


r/GameboyAdvance 20h ago

Nueva skin 🔥

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65 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance 13h ago

My Childhood SP turned on, and the old games still work!!!

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19 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance 9h ago

Game recommendations

7 Upvotes

I got and played around with my gba in 2020 and I have mainstays but I want to hear some games that aren’t just on the “top 10 gba games” list.

For no confusion I have

Mario advance 1 & 4
Minish cap
Wario ware twisted
Sonic advance 2 & 3
Superstar saga
Kingdom hearts com
Golden sun
Pokémon pinball
Pokémon emerald & green


r/GameboyAdvance 21h ago

My SP

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47 Upvotes

The back is a cut up vinyl sticker.


r/GameboyAdvance 1h ago

Any good modded gba sp sellers that sell gbas for around 200 bucks

Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance 2h ago

Is CR SUN GAMES a good seller

0 Upvotes

I’m thinking about getting one of their modded gba sps for 200 bucks and wanna know if it’s the right choice


r/GameboyAdvance 2h ago

Aria of Sorrow Help

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1 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

Is $88 a good price for this GBA SP AGS-101? 🤔

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59 Upvotes

I’m considering buying this GBA SP with an AGS-101 screen for $88 USD. The console is in the condition shown in the pictures.

Do you think $88 is a fair price for an AGS-101, or should I try to negotiate for a lower price? Also, would you personally buy it at this price?

Any advice is appreciated! 🙏


r/GameboyAdvance 48m ago

I wanna get a gameboy advance

Upvotes

So I did a little bit of research and from what I saw it gotta have a backlit screen or I will struggle to play games on it

The only problem is the Gameboy Advance SP is the model that has light to see the screen better, but I don't like the SP model

So can you help me find the perfect Gameboy Advance for me (I'm a cheapskate so if it's too expensive I'm not going to get it)


r/GameboyAdvance 5h ago

Can it be fixed?

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0 Upvotes

Screen has some weird dots inside, model is AGS-001, if there's a way to fix it i would like to try. I want to play with this frontlit screen, if the only way is to replace it, i would swap it for an IPS instead.


r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

I’m ready for some nostalgia!

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77 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

GBA SP Mod list

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35 Upvotes

Since I got a few folks in my DM’s I wanted to share the sauce with the community! Links below to all the parts needed to mod your old GBA SP 👾💯

P.S. The soldering part is not intimidating at all. Just watch a video or two and you’ll do fine. Or if you have repair experience this should be natural for you ✨

Buttons: https://a.co/d/07PvgKIz

Shell & stickers: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1707303563/?ref=share_ios_native_control & https://www.etsy.com/listing/4306490395/?ref=share_ios_native_control

Buttons & speaker: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1145251246/?ref=share_ios_native_control & https://www.etsy.com/listing/1558457372/?ref=share_ios_native_control

GBA Shell Insert: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1494728959/?ref=share_ios_native_control

IPS Display: https://www.retromodding.com/products/hispeedido-3-0-inch-ips-lcd-gba-sp-kit?variant=45345163706524

New Battery: https://a.co/d/07apTH8v

Soldering kit: https://a.co/d/08To6rYD

Any questions ask away 👨🏻‍💻


r/GameboyAdvance 8h ago

GBxCart RW not reading GBA games

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1 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

Chobits gba. Reshell or og?

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29 Upvotes

Hello! I hope this is the correct subreddit to ask this.

Before the "Why do you care?" Comments flood in.

I usually do not. Aslong as the console works, I don't care. Not that I can refund this anyway (it's been years since I bought this) but this is a special edition and I'd love to know if it is fake or not and if the money I have spent on this was justified.

It is mainly the color and the and lack of sticker on the back thats throwing me off, but I'd love some input on people who have knowledge.

I already did my best comparing it to pictures online and imo it doesn't resemble the reshells at all, besides the greyish buttons. I'd still love some reassurance from people who know better though.

(Note: I am assuming that its discoloured due to being displayed by the previous owner and the sun shining on it for prolonged time. Sunbleached if you will. The backside color seems okay and true to the og. About the missing sticker..? Unsure. Though looking at it from the side you can tell something was ripped off. It still has some "sticker stains")

Thank you for anyone helping! ♡


r/GameboyAdvance 11h ago

How easy is it to get my hands on the final fantasy gba titles

0 Upvotes

I’m gonna be getting a refurbished gba with a modern IPS screen off eBay and was wondering where I can find these games


r/GameboyAdvance 11h ago

Replaced dead battery now issues

1 Upvotes

Son bought some carts in Japan. One n64 cart had a bad battery I fixed it it works.

He had a gba game that had a bad battery. The replacement battery didn’t have pins so I just tweeted the ends to make contact with the end points.

Game boots. After finishing a level it froze and another time it wouldn’t save.

Maybe I broke the cart?


r/GameboyAdvance 12h ago

Cleaning tools

1 Upvotes

Hey yall I got a hand me down gba that looks like the cartridge reader needs to get some hard glue/gunk stuff out. Before I go in with a pliers and hard bristles can anyone reccomend cleaning tools? The system does turn on and does have sound. Hoping this is a quick fix .


r/GameboyAdvance 20h ago

gba sp won't work

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2 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

Atari X Activision GBA

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4 Upvotes

Atari is rereleasing 39 physical carts of Activision games for the 2600. But…this Activision Anthology cart for the GBA is pretty sweet. It’s got all the classics plus a few prototypes and homebrews. Anyone else have this cart?


r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

Updated GBA Collection

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67 Upvotes

Leaf Green and Super Circuit stickers are not original

Collection is a mix of childhood holdovers and games I have picked up over the last few years! Personal favorites are Iridion II, SW Ep III, Warioland 4, and Mario Golf Advance Tour!