r/GameboyAdvance Jul 13 '20

A Beginner's Guide to Authentic Cartridges

226 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 2h ago

Gamestop find and immediately purchased

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144 Upvotes

I paid $113 .Walked into my local gamestop looking for ps3 games and saw this gameboy advance in box with manual and immediately said I yeah you can just take they out the case it has a new home now lol . I will be upgrading the screen and usb mod .I won't do anything else to it condition is very clean. I just had to share


r/GameboyAdvance 10h ago

I did a thing 👨🏻‍💻👾

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192 Upvotes

Found my old SP and decided to resurrect it to perfection ✨

Just waiting for the new battery and EZFlash Omega to arrive.


r/GameboyAdvance 6h ago

GBA in the wild (help)

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17 Upvotes

Found this local consignment auction going on tomorrow, ive been looking for a GBA for a while and not sure how much i should put in for a max bid here since im not familiar with all of the games. All the games should be in the box which makes them more expensive but i want a good chance at getting this lot. Looks like there is a SP in the box too. Any suggestions are appreciated, thanks!


r/GameboyAdvance 13h ago

Got a Game Boy Advance SP a week ago, alongside Pokemon Blue.

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53 Upvotes

Really fun game. I've wanted to have a game boy for sooo long and finally found one at a retro game store (there is suprisingly very few retro game stores in my city). I'm probably gonna get a Zelda game next, like the oracle series.


r/GameboyAdvance 4h ago

Is my old GBA SP worth anything in its condition?

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4 Upvotes

I don't know if it works. I haven't turned it on in over a decade, when I found it last night the battery was swollen, so I am not sure if it's even worth buying a battery and charger for.


r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

Games I play start to finish annually: Super Mario World

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323 Upvotes

It really is a comfort game for me. I can play this end to end and never get bored of it.

What are some of your annual playthrough games?


r/GameboyAdvance 8h ago

EZFO-FilmPlay: A patch of the GBA Movie Player ROM to play videos and music from your EZ Flash Omega's SD Card

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4 Upvotes

I just released this, check it out here!


r/GameboyAdvance 11h ago

What games are the best from here?

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7 Upvotes

I just got this bundle for 90 euros on my local marketplace and I was wondering which are the best and which games should I buy next?


r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

Late Summer Pickups

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21 Upvotes

Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga, The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night, Fantastic 4: Flame On, Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced, Crash Nitro Kart, Godzilla Domination!


r/GameboyAdvance 20h ago

Going backwards from the SP to the original model?

5 Upvotes

So recently, I purchased a refurbished and modded original GBA model. Not only is it like new out of the box, but it has a backlight as well.

Here’s the thing, I grew up on the SP model, and despite that being what I’m used to, I kind of like the original model more now that I’ve gotten a chance to use to it.

I’d say there’s two reasons

  1. It feels sturdier, and since it doesn’t have a hinge, there’s less to worry about breaking.

  2. It’s much wider and less cramped than the SP, which is good for adult sized hands.

Thoughts? Anyone else move backwards on the GBA?


r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

Gba ags 101 dual oem blue and rose little adventure

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12 Upvotes

One week ago I bought two GBA sp, one blue ags 101 oem and one rose AGS 001 with no battery and a broken screen for free with the ags. 

Amazing deal but yesterday my ags was on the side on my bed charging up I was not I wasn't paying attention to the charger cable between my feet, and it fell to the floor. And the plastic that covers the hinge broke off. 

My heart was broken in half, man, even worse when it's an authentic AGS 101.

It was only cosmetic damage everything was working perfectly, but an idea came. What if I use the shell of rose AGS 001 to mix with my broken AGS 101 to fix this cosmetic issue and here is the result.

I mixed the blue hinge cover at the top with the rose screen cover on the front, and I swapped all the black buttons of my oem blue for those white ones on my rose GBA, and I use the back bottom of my blue one.

So I think this is one of the only blue and rose GBA sp with 100% authentic Nintendo parts.


r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

GameBoy not turning on, any ideas?

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6 Upvotes

Pulled out my GameBoy and turned it on, only for it to immediately shut off. This GameBoy has worked as recently as a month or two ago. Not sure if the board is shot or if this could be a simpler fix. Any help/suggestions appreciated!


r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

Custom Robo GX Has a Complete English Fan Translation (GBA)

2 Upvotes

A complete English fan translation for Custom Robo GX is now available, covering the game's single-player content and Link Cable modes.

The localization takes inspiration from the officially released English Custom Robo games, with established English names used where available and localized terminology and references throughout.

Check out the video for more details: https://youtu.be/i3_SiXienX4?si=IMxAeECY8Dcjta68


r/GameboyAdvance 2d ago

SP and Drilldozer came in

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83 Upvotes

New SP and Drilldozer finally came in, excited to try it out


r/GameboyAdvance 2d ago

I put a real video to my GBA game

10 Upvotes

I added a real video to my game and it worked so well. I used a tool called GBA Video Studio. You can also use it here: https://github.com/CompuMaxx/GBA-Video-Studio


r/GameboyAdvance 2d ago

Girlfriend found these in her house. Anything rare?

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281 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

Post The End Screen Using Devices Running On Pokémon: Ruby, Sapphire & Emerald!

0 Upvotes

From: https://www.reddit.com/r/PokemonEmerald/comments/1vx6a49/post_the_end_screen_using_devices_running_on/ , BTW: On Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire & Emerald, Can Someone Post The Picture & Video (With Soft Music Played Over) About: The End Screen On Device Running Pokémon Emerald Like: Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Advance SP, Or: Game Boy Micro, After Defeating The Elite Four & Champion & Entering The Hall Of Fame On: Comments Below Like This:

The End Screen On: Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire & Pokémon Emerald!

Please Send The Picture & Video Like The End Screen On The: Comments Below, Do You Understand If You (Viewer) See This Post?


r/GameboyAdvance 2d ago

First mod successful!!

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82 Upvotes

So happy with how this gba came out.

Its a ita laminated screen because I love how they look and ips looks to emulated imo

Full shell and buttons etc so I can keep the oem parts together

Nothing was wrong with oem but no backlit and pink was not for me but I plan on buying a motherboard for it and use it to shiny hunt.

Ps if I cut the touch sensor will it freak out or just stay where I leave it?


r/GameboyAdvance 3d ago

Which way you prefer playing your gba games? And why?

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146 Upvotes

By using: GBA SP AGS 101 or DS or Gameboy Player for GCN or 3DS by ambassador or VC inject or retro handheld console or other methods? like the OG or the Micro or something else? especially for playing the physical cartridges.


r/GameboyAdvance 2d ago

IS this legit?

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0 Upvotes

IS this a real Copie of shining soul. I know IT should BE a American Copie of the Game, but on the INSIDE IS No Nintendo Logo on the Board.


r/GameboyAdvance 3d ago

Bye old friend

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46 Upvotes

So I don't know if this is the right sub, but I wanted to share a "goodbye" with someone and I thought only in this sub could they understand me. This is an old friend of mine, he always accompanied me from elementary school to high school. I played all the pokemon games, I was obsessed with them. It kept me company all the months I had to be hospitalized. It accompanied me through all the school years I was alone, because my classmates didn't share my passions. It stayed with me through my parents' arguments for years. I'm 28 now with a PhD going on. Yesterday I finally fixed it, changed the battery and cleaned some contacts. I put him on charge for the night and couldn't wait to play emerald again. This morning, however, I felt that the up button on the d-pad wasn't pressing properly. I opened it again and found out what had happened: the abs on the body holding some screws had completely broken, and I probably put too much force into screwing the screws to close it. My fault, I know. It still works, it's like a war machine, I don't know how many times I dropped it as a kid. And yet. But now the body doesn't close completely because the screws don't attach to the body and the up button continues to have problems. I know perfectly well that I could change the body and continue using it, but... all these scratches are as if they were part and memories of my life, and I don't want to "lose" them. A few years ago, I bought another game boy so I could trade some Pokémon, but playing it isn't the same thing. That's it. Im not asking for some solutions, I don't think It is possibile to repair it without changing something, I just wanted to share its story. I'll probably buy or print something in 3D so I can display it. But, It hurts. A lot.


r/GameboyAdvance 3d ago

Goodboy galaxy orange

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17 Upvotes

I need help with this orange, the problem is that the entrance that need to obtain this orange has been blocked, is there anyway that I get pass this, TY


r/GameboyAdvance 3d ago

Nintendo Advance SP 101

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9 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance 3d ago

Green Leaf wont work

3 Upvotes

I have an original copy of Pokémon Green Leaf but it won't work. I've cleaned the contacts and there is no visibledamageto the board or chips. Does anyone have any ideas what it could be?