gbaHD | Hi-Def GBA Consolizing Kit

gbaHD | The Open-Source GBA Consolizing Kit
The folks over at Consoles4U have released a GBA consolizing kit based on the open source project called gbaHD from Zwenergy. This kit offers some features we haven’t seen on a GBA consolizer kit before which are very cool. So, how does it compare to the competition, let’s find out!
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► DIY gbaHD Kit: consoles4you.ch/en/gbahd-upcy...
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// Important Links:
► Flash The Spartan Edge: github.com/gbaHD/GBAHD-Shield...
► Setup the SD card: github.com/gbaHD/GBAHD-Shield...
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► ManCloud89 Twitter: / mancloud89
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---
Timestamps
0:00 Intro
2:58 Kit Parts
4:44 GGHD Tutorial
17:00 Features
20:14 Pros and Cons
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Disclaimer: This video is only for entertainment purposes. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of tools, equipment, or from the information in this video is the sole responsibility of the viewer and is to be used at the discretion of the end user/viewer and not Macho Nacho Productions or Tito Perez. If you are uncertain about any step of the process or feel unsure about your skill level, seek a more authoritative source.
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#gbaHD #GameBoyAdvance #MachoNachoProductions

[@racooninvasion]

Can we all agree that Tito's channel is probably the BEST retro modding channel? AWESOME video as always, Tito! I need my GBA in HD! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays my friend!

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Thank you Todd! 🙏 really appreciate it brother. Merry Christmas and Happy holidays to you and your family!

[@Jenisonc]

Hear hear!

[@Enders]

Why it gotta be like that though "the best" infers some contest... as if there has to be a contest... I love other retro modding channels too. Some day you gotta realize statements like that are subjective at best.

[@TheDavidish]

@@Enders I guess but Tito has such high quality videos and tutorials compared to many others

[@jessragan6714]

There's also Mr. Mario, but he doesn't get into the hardware side of modding like Tito does. Voultar does hardware mods, but he's not as friendly as Tito, so... you might be right!

[@SyCoREAPER]

Your soldering in past videos has been really good but this project its exceptional

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Thank you. Been getting a lot of practice 😅

[@BrooksIlg]

@@MachoNachoProductions Agreed! What temp(s) do you use with your j-tip?

[@patrickwalter8175]

Please never ever change your intro - It gives me chills every single time - It's so clean and perfect ... also love the video! lol

[@Kalvinjj]

That's one crazy kit, I thought for sure it was a GBA-SP based one instead, but this was unexpected. I quite like this new-ish trend of grabbing the important parts (like CPU and RAM) from a dead console and making a new one basically, that way you achieve 100% (or as close as possible) game compatibility, no emulation errors and so on while still getting all the advantages of an emulation console. Gotta say we're right on the edge between just using the FPGA to simulate the hardware itself, and the normal consolizers that just add stuff to an actual console.

[@monikam419]

I’m so happy to see more open sourced projects put out there, especially for this use case how cool!! I wonder if anyone in the future will make a browser plug-in so one can play their console-ized GB/GBA over the internet when away from home. This would also be a great work around for allowing un-jailbroken iPhones to play that library of games, and another way to crowd play longer grind-ey games like Pokèmon. As always love your crisp clean videos Tito, thanks for another!!

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Glad you enjoyed this one. Playing gba online would be amazing

[@Madblaster6]

I always say this but this is the best modding channel. High quality editing, very informative, step by step instructions, pros and cons, and comparisons. A lot of the time if I know how to do a mod I have a macho nacho video playing just in case I missed something. I especially like the more complex mods even if I won’t do them it’s good to know how they work and see what can be done.

[@howl3098]

Your soldering skills are amazing!! This video really motivates me to learn to solder SMD components as well. Recently my laptop's power button broke off its board so I'll need to solder those on via SMD. Which is gonna be interesting for sure.

[@MultiTucker77]

Just purchased with the affiliate link! Been watching your content for awhile now and always love the quality you put out. Can’t wait to watch this video multiple times as I make my own! Take care

[@hikoplays]

idk how i found this video but its genuinely calming.

[@PolecatReturns]

Really enjoy watching your videos. Even if I'm not doing said mod, the way you put together your videos is leagues above others I've watched. I sincerely wish you the best and always can't wait for your next video. Keep up the good work!

[@KrystianMajewski]

I picked up this kit based on this video. NGL, the soldering required was wild. But I preservered thanks to this excellent build walktrough. The final result is fantastic! Thank you so much!

[@TomAnderson.]

Watching Tito mod retro consoles is so satisfying for me.

[@hadesmcc]

Excellent video, some great soldering action going on here. Congrats!

[@Papaxa6655]

Thank you Mr Tito as always for teaching us a really good mod, Bravo!

[@viridionwaves]

I also think it would be great if you could do a comprehensive video comparing all of the consolizers (plus analogue pocket) in other aspects too, like picture quality, audio quality if possible, etc. You're content is awesome, thanks for putting these out!

[@javieraleman2989]

Can’t wait for the shoot out video! Can’t decide which one to go for! As of now I’m still leaning towards the GBAConsolizer

[@cactoidpinata]

This is neat, thanks for the video. I really like what I'm seeing of these pixel grid options, but I haven't got to see it in person on anything yet. What I'd really like to see is a Neo Geo Pocket Color consolizer. I've read that there's one in the works, so that would like to see a video of that when it releases!

[@stephenshelottiii3272]

Great video. Keep up the great work. Can’t wait to see what’s next.

[@Punmaster9001]

Like the others, I love this, especially how small it is. While the soldering is the most difficult part for most of these setups, and I speak as a less experienced user, your technque is interesting. It looks like the flux helps keep the solder on the tiny pins so you can do a quick swipe over them with the iron, and it looks like it won't bridge as easily as I've seen happen otherwise. I know it's sped up in the video so it might just look easier than it is. That's something I wouldn't mind practicing myself

[@MachoNachoProductions]

That is correct, the flux helps keep the solder on the pins/pads. It’s an absolute must to use

[@brentumina6072]

Flux is your friend when you're drag soldering or doing very fine pitch soldering. Ensuring you have the correct tip will help immensely in these situations also. Tito has a video going over his favorite modding tools that I highly recommend watching as well.

[@Punmaster9001]

@@brentumina6072 I already watched it, I have some of the tools, but haven't had as many opportunities as I'd like to work with solder

[@lucinawalker3261]

Cannot wait for the lag testing episode, lag is the bane of my rhythm gaming ass and I was always wondering if any of these extra boards delay anything.

[@Dtr146]

That's really expensive though. You can buy fully functioning game boys online for like $80. And for anybody not so keen on playing on original hardware can either use an emulator or for even better buy a GameCube with a GBA adapter

[@KrystianMajewski]

A Game Boy doesn't have video out for gameplay capture or streaming. A GameCube with GBA Adapter AND an HDMI mod will run similar prices

[@mrmii6596]

Another great looking option. I'm just kinda sad that there still isn't one with 240p RGB output for us CRT fans. Now, the gameboy player with gameboy interface is of course always an option but it gets annoying having to boot into GBI using a homebrew solution every time. It would be so nice to just have a dedicated consolized GBA with 240P output and support for SNES controllers.

[@AintNobodyAtAll]

It's an underserved market for sure. I would be way into this. HD retro consoles don't interest me.

[@timathypotato8034]

Luckily there is the Picoboot mod now which makes it super easy to install and can be setup to boot directly into gameboy interface, which would kind of solve your issue

[@SIPEROTH]

Crts aren't gonna be around forever. Most of this projects try to get old games on new screens because most people don't have CRT and even if they do it will go bad in a few years.

[@mrmii6596]

@@SIPEROTH Well I just want to enjoy them for the time being while we still have them. With proper maintenance they will last for a very long time to come most likely. Now of course we should be developing solutions for modern displays but I'd just love to see both. The more options, the better.

[@user-tm9ho3bm4v]

I miss CRTs

[@joeMusashii]

Holy shit bro that’s amazing playing our fave gba games in hd on a tv 😊

[@MrFaShocker]

Thanks for the content, you are raising in me desires that i doesn't have before.

[@brunobertuga9254]

This shield make everything much smoother. I built one last year with a gba sp board and it is a MESS of wires. Works like a charm though.

[@Septer_Sever]

I'd been following this project for awhile and, like you, I was waiting for someone to sell this in kit form. It looks awesome and I'm hoping for some comparisons, as I already own the GBA Consolizer. I do wish you had just replaced the ram chip or the CPU separately, so we could have seen what the issue was...but I get that you wanted the dang thing to just work ; ) Well done, as always!

[@Macraig_]

Who needs FPGA when you can harvest period accurate parts? This is so cool!

[@kwigbo]

Ordered this and can't wait to see if it will fit in my custom shell that also fits the woozle kit and Gamebox kits.

[@saysbadman]

This is pretty dang cool! I am interested in your up coming video of lag testing! For me part of the fun will be assembly. I do wish it had a USB input for USB controllers. I have a 8bitdo wired pro2 I would like to use.

[@Gerenocidiac]

The soldering in this modification is daunting. You’ve certainly reached professional level with your solder skills. This is not a mod for many people I would imagine, making a niche market even more so. This is something that will make me hold onto the broken GBA however. Maybe we will see this style of kit get more simplified over time.

[@Tron08]

When I first saw the thumbnail I thought for sure this was a kit that just used an SP mobo instead of an AGB one. But this was quite unexpected! Pretty cool though!

[@blorbb5398]

Absolutely beautiful and top quality video.

[@boyz176]

Always excited when tito releases a video 🎉

[@scamlikely12]

New sub your videos are made really well and with good quality 👍

[@vs_v0ld092]

Precision and respecting the medium is your personality. Great and up to date. I’m wanting to get three or four consolizers and stuff them in a custom case. Load up some flash carts with all the best multi player gba games. Most importantly, it’s for Four Swords Adventures on the GameCube.

[@cloud1488]

That thing looks crazy!

[@vitinhx794]

thanks for makin This video

[@mr.number9279]

An interesting project. Surprisingly it's quite affordable (at least, compared to other kits... still oddly expensive given GBAs can be cycle accurate emulated from like 60$ onward...) but that's more to do with the working cost in terms of microsoldering. Still, it seems to offer the best quality, and it's a nice form factor.

[@ericochoa4034]

Great kit just wish the power button wasn't so recessed into the case. It's the one gripe I have with the kit. It's hard to get at but other than that this is an awesome gba consolizer. The web ui firmware updater alone makes this the best kit out there in my opinion!

It always breaks my heart when you see people throwing away old consoles and systems because they are broken. Older hardware like NES, SNES, N64, GB, GBA etc are getting so old, that they start to become rare. Not only rare if you want a working model, but rare in general. This is why we need such projects and things like this. We have to utilise, recycle and upcycle those old devices as much as possible to preserve them.

[@mathieuberthalay21]

Thank you for your video

[@NO_obs]

awesome i got a gba like 6 months ago to harvest the cpu from and been waiting for a good kit to come out

[@potsatajaja]

i found it's the easiest to clean the pads, apply solder paste from a syringe and then just heat from below

[@dav3yb]

Seeing the form factor, i was really hoping for a nice SP motherboard consolizer. Super clean design though, and certainly great to help save old consoles that would otherwise be trashed.

[@ryujiyamazaki583]

Tito bro U smashed it again as always 😉

[@Toddimyre]

This thing is awesome. If I had any skill with a soldering iron, I'd definitely make this happen. Maybe, I'll be able to spare the $400 one day to get a pre-built one. Anyway, thank you for this awesome video. I can't wait to see what comes next.

[@Bos_Meong]

idont get it wht anyone would spend $400 on it when steam deck can do more. Buying the diy kit option sure, its fun But buying a prebuilt one? It doesnt make any sense.

[@Toddimyre]

@@Bos_Meong in that regard, the PSP, psv, ps3, ps4, 3ds, new 3ds, pc, and raspberry pis I have can also emulate. Possibly even the ps2, but I've not looked into it. And I'm fully down to emulate on a steam deck if I ever get one. But there's something special about the quirks of original hardware, even if they're modified to fit a different screen. Besides, I grew up playing a lot of these titles on the real thing and emulation just isn't quite the same.

[@michaelgergen4318]

I'm waiting for one that can do 240p for CRTs or 480p for integer scaling. For now, I think the Game Boy Player with GBI is still the best option.

[@bugiusproduction]

There is a 480p bitstream available that you can load manually.

[@PabloGil.]

Yeeeeeees I love it♥️

[@yeolemillinial8295]

one of these days they are going to have an option to tunnel the link port through wifi for potential online play and it's going to be the best thing to ever happen to the GBA

[@MachoNachoProductions]

That would be pretty amazing!

[@sanrasuzumaki942]

Great video as usual, I said it before and say it again, I love the intro man, thanks for the video. 12:43 where can I get this hub?

[@PookaLuka]

Love this kit, wish I could buy 1 already built and ready to go.

[@HansBelphegor]

I hate to be that guy, but what would it be worth to you? I might make a batch

[@shanez1215]

I don't remember if you said it already, but the reason why the solder pads for the RAM chip are so long is because some GBA's (including the SP) uses a smaller version with the same pinout. Edit: also really hoping the Spartan Boards get cheaper due to the shortage slowly resolving. I'm hoping since they used to be not in stock at all.

[@Begohan1234]

Wow amazing video. I really would love to do this stuff as a hobby, but I have no soldering skills and am not sure where to even begin. What would it take to get a tutorial for soldering and some of the equipment and flux you prefer? I'm amazed how you just drag that across those pins and it magically solders them all perfectly, you make it look easy.

[@returnofmerenguespersempre6664]

Thats pretty amazing! Would love a HD neo geo mod!

[@lonergothonline]

I love these new pcb old chip open source projects.

[@selfelected3832]

I really like your soldering very nice you Inspire me to do better

[@albertwayne2323]

Fantastic video as always, and an awesome kit, but that price hurts .

[@Evercade_Effect]

This is amazing and seems to be the best GBA kit so far but requires mad skills that you have to assemble. 😉

[@Septer_Sever]

If the GBA Consolizer was ever in stock, that mod is easier. A bit cheaper too, because you don't need the Spartan Edge board.

[@davidt3563]

It would be a shame if this channel had 2ds/3ds content! Especially new 2ds/3ds mods! Oh the humanity! (I'm only slightly kidding, your content is amazing Tito

[@Onerso]

Epic

[@Dyaxxis]

Interesting kit. I always consider it a valiant effort to salvage components with signs of corrosion on the leads, however... I've experienced over several decades that corrosion can sometimes migrate through the leads of an IC, which may eventually cause damage beyond repair. I don't know whether or not the examples in this video was the case, but it appears likely to be. Just my 2 cents. 😎

[@PoutingTrevor]

"It is a bit fiddly but you will eventually get it." Finally, someone who believes in me.

[@r.a.w.talentart]

Super smashing great

[@SerraRoyale-MG]

I would love to see a kit that looked like a mini SNES in various GBA Colours when assembled.

[@MJ-py7ho]

Tito - what temperature and airflow do you use for your air station for removal of these chips?

[@habeeb102]

Great video as always, though "low caps", lol.

[@FancyGeeks]

Frankly, it's not fair that you're this talented. 😂

[@kazinwho]

This is super cool, but the difficulty and expense prices me right out. I also kinda prefer the "Switch" style units, where you can play the GBA portably as well...

[@victorlafay4969]

Except for the source link on this video, every GBAHD I have found for sale is really a GBA Woozle (on Etsy and eBay)

[@GigaLem]

Now I want to see a version of the GBAHD shell that looks like a Gamecube asctetics wise

[@modermonkula]

One day I'll make one of these

[@design-flux]

Wonder if they’ll introduce support for RetroNAS via WiFi? Could use the micro SD for (temporary) near edge storage of rom and save data.

[@mattbunky]

I have a damaged sp board, I would hope that maybe they would release a sp version. Might want to tackle this since I feel like my soldering skills have improved

[@fazzitron]

Having worked with Bluetooth myself, it can sometimes just be a finicky protocol. The lag might not be very fixable and the dropped inputs could be caused by someone nearby using a microwave.

[@currytigre]

Out of all the GBA consolizer's you've done videos on, if you could only keep one, which would be your favorite/the best?

[@Iktofed]

I wasn't considering this option a while ago because of the lack of color correction for early gba games that have the bright as fuck colors. But it looks like this has been added through an update since then. That's pretty neat.

[@nacho90000]

i harvest the lcd for a gba sp (a crappy one) to put them in a gba, so i have a gba sp disassembly, can take the chips of the gba sp for this mod??

[@AdrianDX]

This thing has WiFi. Dumping roms, bios and read/write saves would be super cool! Imagine these devices being able to save snapshots or stream video via network as well in the future

[@viridionwaves]

I'd also like to know how these consolizers compare to the analogue pocket. Could you include the Analogue Pocket in your lag comparison video? I think it would be great if you could.

[@gideonbaker8412]

This thing is awesome. I have a gba that I can upcycle. I have way too many dead SPs. Would those chips work as well? What about consolizers for the sp as well? Your channel is great. Thank's man.

[@Matando]

Does this support loading multiboot roms? If it does it could be used as a way to test whether the CPU and RAM from the donor GBA are good. There are probably already homebrew roms that were made for testing emulator accuracy that can handle the necessary testing functions.

[@XDM_Studios]

did you see that Drag soldering skills?? 👌

[@tealflip]

Another great video as always. If I get the proper tools and a GBA, I think this would be a fun project. Are you able to use GBA-SP chips on this as well?

[@PureBloodedwolf]

I don’t see why not.

[@bugiusproduction]

This kit is not for the SP, the SP CPU has a larger chip size

[@PureBloodedwolf]

@@bugiusproduction I didn’t know that now is there any performance differences at all?

[@bugiusproduction]

Not as far as I can tell. But if i start finding lots of broken sp boards i might build an sp version of the shield.

[@gadgetmadlad6691]

I wonder if you could use a super boy advance cartridge instead as I think that would also contain all the console parts needed. The only difference I'm aware of is the CPU is clocked slightly higher.

[@user-gj6vg6nq2f]

This is so legit !

[@TalonsRebellion]

I just hope that using the GBA shell as a controller becomes more mainstream.

[@TAGMedia7]

Only a matter of time until that SD card port finds some new uses.. maybe even that FPGA, too...

[@blakryptonite1]

bro, MiSTer costs about same price. You could easily compile a script to dump/write save data on carts via gbxcart rw.

[@RapidCancel]

what are the controls like using a SNES controller? If I remember right, using woozle's mod you can make Y=B and B=A. Can you do the same here?

[@jamesd235]

Tito could you run a GBA videos on one of those? If so could you do a review of how those run on it? That's definitely an advantage over the GB player if so!

[@bluesmokegamer272]

These are cool if you're into DIY, but the analogue pocket seems make these projects less important.

[@severojr29]

True. It sucks you have to wait a long time to get one though.

[@ThisUploaded]

This is preserving original hardware, the pocket is only emulating that hardware. While it's still a great option for game preservation, hardware preservation is a different thing all together.

[@saysbadman]

For me part of the allure is assembling myself. It's like going and buying a model car/plane kit from the store when they already sale toy car/planes off the shelf.

[@Ranqers]

That’s what I’d do if given the choice. Eventually emulation will be the best option as time moves on. And it’s the same price and plays more games. This is more for enthusiasts who know how to solder. I don’t know how to do it unfortunately so it gets too expensive when comparing options.

[@mrej112]

Analoge Pocket has no soul imo, real hardware is more fun to work with and play on :)

[@ninetendopesaitama2107]

Always enjoying your mod videos but i prefere the MiSTer and pocket for my gba needs. I really like it that this project is recycling gbas. ☮️

[@fajrdn]

You need flat solder tip to solder those tiny pins

[@elmono8894]

Does the kit comes with a card detection switch? I got a bga pcb which someone removed the card reader to install it on a ds lite...

[@wardogdauwdd3020]

Is there a way to connect a arcade control pad and coin op machine because i love to turn a gba into s full arcade machine with one of these mods

[@Blink.M2Dev]

Nice video, but sooo much flux, do you use flux-core solder also? Just curious, in the class 3 / aerospace field we know the damage flux can do especially on ICs. Drag soldering is so much fun :)

[@SHDerek]

Might be a dumb question but would any of these consolizers be usable with a capture device to stream/record?

[@MrMegaManFan]

I love the end result but there’s too much tiny fiddle soldering for a neophyte like me.

[@Wesley_H]

Being that it has internet connectivity, it must have some kind of system clock. Will it bypass the game clock on cartridges with depleted batteries?

[@AmigaofRochester]

Beautiful mod. If you're looking to get this done, give us a shout. We do all things SMD and would be happy to help build this for you!