Super Retro Advance Adapter indepth Review

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Last year, Retro-Bit - a third party manufacturer of clone consoles, controllers, and accessories - released two extremely interesting devices - the RetroPort Adapter, which connects to a SNES and allows original NES games to be played, and the RetroGen Adapter, which connects to an SNES and allows Sega Genesis/MegaDrive games to be played. Now Retro-Bit continues their voodoo magic with the Super Retro Advance Adapter, which promises to bring a certain beloved handheld to the SNES.

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Since it was initially announced, fans speculated about how the GBA would change the future of portable gaming forever by bringing SNES-like game experiences to a handheld while also producing new franchises and perhaps even doing some things that wouldn't be possible on Nintendo's legendary 16-bit platform. Throughout it's life, all of this was proven time and again as the GameBoy Advance became for all intents and purposes, the second coming of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

It is therefore with irony that Retro-Bit now has a product to bring GBA game experiences back to the SNES.

How good is this device? Read on.


Overview

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The Super Retro Advance Adapter is a standalone GBA clone that plugs into the SNES as if it were an SNES game itself. Using only the power provided from the SNES cartridge slot, the Retro-Bit Super Retro Advance Adapter has a self contained GBAOAC (GBA On A Chip) and interfaces with the SNES for standard button input.

Just like the RetroPort and RetroGen, audio and video are not provided through the SNES, but instead an RCA to stereo 3.5mm headphone jack located in the side of the device. This is because unlike the Super GameBoy, RetroBit's line of adapters do not run Super Nintendo software as a framework for the other platforms. In essence, while the console treats the Super GameBoy as a SNES game, the Retro-Bit Adapter line are not utilizing the SNES PPU at all, therefore there is no video feed to route internally.

It has been suggested that Retro-Bit could have solved this by writing a simple interface program, but that is easier said than done. SNES games were written in low level 65C816 assembly, a language so prone to errors it was abandoned in the mid '90s and isn't taught in programming classes anymore. There also aren't any C or C++ compilers for the highly custom 5A22 cpu Nintendo chose for the SNES.

As is, the included cable is required when using an actual Super Nintendo or Super Famicom. However, this is only true of the original Nintendo hardware and older, non Retro-Bit clone consoles. Newer Retro-Bit clones such as the Retro Duo Portable and the upcoming Super Retro Trio will pass the video feed directly to it's own video output jacks without the need of the additional cable.

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It should also be noted that the Super Retro Advance Adapter, like other Retro-Bit products, is designed to universally fit with all SNES consoles worldwide, featuring the slim design of Super Famicom game shells while providing the slits for the North American SNES. This essentially means it is completely region free.


Video output

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Like the RetroGen, the video encoder inside the Super Retro Advance Adapter provides extremely clean, clear and vivid NTSC composite video that looks great on any CRT television. Despite the fact that the device only provides composite video output as opposed to something higher quality such as S-Video or even RGB, the video clarity surpasses what many classic consoles are capable of producing, including the SNES itself. Games are bright, vibrant and clear. Early titles well known for being especially dark such as Castlevania Circle of the Moon are completely playable, and regardless of the composite signal, there is minimal color bleeding - allowing easy reading of text and visibility of even the smallest sprites.

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The original GameBoy Advance used an LCD with an aspect ratio of 3:2. When displayed on a 4:3 CRT television, the Super Retro Advance Adapter ever so slightly adjusts the image to display fullscreen. When using a 16:9 television, the slightly more widescreen nature of 3:2 is represented by nearly filling the entire widescreen display, but leaves a thin black border around the edges without any distortion. The device does not allow the user to adjust the aspect ratio, but I find it does a surprisingly decent job on its own. In fact, I prefer the full 4:3 display to the GameCube GameBoy Player's windowed display.

Audio

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The cable provided includes clean, interference-free stereo sound, and the Super Retro Advance Adapter reproduces the GBA's sound format almost perfectly. Unlike some GBA clones, all of the musical ranges the GBA is capable of producing are reproduced exactly within the same octaves, allowing gamers to enjoy their favorite GBA tunes when using the Super Retro Advance.

However, occasional Z-80 based sounds using the original GameBoy's sound hardware do not sound correct on the Super Retro Advance. Through rigorous testing, I so far have found this to only affect a small number of GBA titles in minor ways. For example, in the Pokemon games, the sound effect when you run into a solid object is far more subdued than on a real GBA. This is however such a minor issue that it may actually go unnoticed for those who aren't specifically listening for it.

Controls

The controls mapped to the SNES controller are 1:1 with their GBA counterparts. In other words, the buttons displayed on the SNES controller exactly reflect the mapping of the GBA controls. For example, pressing the SNES controller A button will activate the GBA's A button. For clarification, here is a chart of the mapping:

http://25.media.tumblr.com/47e94206328205249a3a9ad35a152c84/tumblr_mwqfz6K00U1rc7qlzo4_400.png

Some may be put off that the B and A buttons on the GBA are not instead mapped to the Y and B buttons on the SNES controller, but I understand why Retro-Bit chose to do this. There are many GBA games that include in-game button prompts such as "Press A repeatedly". If the Y and B configuration was used, the GBA A button would be mapped to the SNES B button, creating some potentially confusing situations.

Compatibility

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Like many emulators, the Super Retro Advance Adapter works by circumventing the boot bios, providing almost instant access to your favorite GBA titles and a legal loophole in what could otherwise be an illegal device to sell.

I am pleased to report that to the best of my testing abilities, compatibility appears to be extremely strong and very well may be perfect across all GBA titles. I have tested dozens of GBA titles and each work flawlessly.

The only compatibility issues I've encountered are with the Play-Yan Micro mp3/video player and running certain games via my M3 Simply SD Flashcart. The Play-Yan will refuse to boot up whatsoever. The M3 Simply will work for the majority of games I've tried. So far, the only problematic games using the M3 Simply are pseudo 3D titles such as Iridion II, Asterix & Obelix XXL, and Stuntman. Each of these will glitch out at certain points rendering them unplayable after a certain point. However, when I tested these games using the original cartridges, all worked without any problems.

As neither the Play-Yan or M3 Perfect are true GBA games in of themselves, incompatibility is unsurprising and should not count towards any tally of actual GBA games that do not work, which I have not found any through my testing so far.

Unfortunately, the Super Retro Advance Adapter completely lacks original GameBoy and GameBoy Color support. No GameBoy games will work on the device whatsoever, as the device lacks the original GameBoy hardware, just like the GameBoy Micro. GameBoy and GameBoy Color games will physically fit into the cartridge slot, but there's no point in even trying as they will do absolutely nothing.

However, I was able to get several GameBoy and GameBoy Color games working and PocketNES through my flashcart, although with sound and graphical issues.

Overall

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Good

-Reasonably priced
-Extremely easy to step up
-Great video output that fills a 4:3 display
-The SNES controller fits GBA games like a glove


Bad

-Completely lacks GB and GBC support
-Certain GB sound effects are incorrect
-Composite video output only, which is a shame considering the GBA could be made to produce S-Video or even RGB.

Conclusion

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Following on the footsteps of the excellent RetroGen adapter, the Super Retro Advance adapter from Retro-Bit doesn't disappoint. It provides great software support with clean and clear video. Is it better than the GameBoy Player for GameCube? No. However, considering the costs of the GameBoy Player plus GameCube, and that the GameCube controller is hardly an ideal controller for GBA games, the Super Retro Advance is a great alternative for playing your GBA games on a tv, and makes for a great gift this holiday season.

If you're interested in purchasing the Super Retro Advance, it can be found along with many other Retro-Bit products at thinkgeek.com, vintagestock.com, lukiegames.com and other retrogaming stores all across North America and worldwide.

For retailers or resellers who may be interested in carrying the product, contact www.innexinc.com / service@innexinc.com

[wiggyx]

Why didn't they just make it a stand alone console? Sounds like it requires virtually none of the SNES' resources. Woulda been cooler as a stand alone IMO.

[JSoup]

Why didn't they just make it a stand alone console? Sounds like it requires virtually none of the SNES' resources. Woulda been cooler as a stand alone IMO.

Expense? Would be more costly to produce and buy as a full system.

[StoneAgeGamer]

Expense? Would be more costly to produce and buy as a full system.

That would by my only guess. This way they don't have to supply power supply or controllers.

[wiggyx]

Expense? Would be more costly to produce and buy as a full system.

But they'd be able to reach a far wider market. I.e. people who don't own a SNES. Just seems really short-sighted to me.

[The Adventurer]

The A and B button thing is actually a deal breaker for me. I hate playing GBA games on the DS because the buttons are laid out awkwardly in a 4 button configuration. It makes playing fast paced action games a chore. Having that same problem on this makes it very unappealing.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

But they'd be able to reach a far wider market. I.e. people who don't own a SNES. Just seems really short-sighted to me.

Retro-Bit heavily markets there line of Super Famiclones such as the RetroDuo and RetroDuo Portable. To them, something like this is an accessory to buy in addition to your RetroBit SNES clone. Indeed, this product was announced alongside their upcoming Super Retro Trio Genesis/SNES/NES clone.


The A and B button thing is actually a deal breaker for me. I hate playing GBA games on the DS because the buttons are laid out awkwardly in a 4 button configuration. It makes playing fast paced action games a chore. Having that same problem on this makes it very unappealing.

I share your concerns, and agree with you that playing GBA games is a chore on the DS Phat or DS Lite, as both have tiny face buttons.

But when using either an SNES or Super Famicom controller, the B and A configuration isn't as bad as you think. I've put several hours into testing the Super Retro Advance with everything form action platformers to racers and fighting games. Everything is quick and responsive with the B and A configuration. Before you declare it a "deal breaker", perhaps try playing games on an easily obtainable cheap Super GameBoy. The default control scheme for that is also the B and A setup. You may just find that you're transferring your distaste for the DS setup to the SNES unfairly.

[Leo_A]

If going the Super Game Boy route is out, I'd still be interested if they ever make a standalone Game Boy Advance console. Especially if an option for original aspect ratio and using Y & B was provided, S-Video or perhaps even component out was present, and they didn't limit the user to using a controller included with the device since I'd want to use something like an original SuperNes controller.

Of course my GameCube with Game Boy Player already does that since the disc never leaves the drive, but the concept grabs me enough where I'd want to check it out where as this halfway approach they did here just turns me off unlike if it was a full GBA equivalent of the Super Game Boy or a full console.



However, I was able to get several GameBoy and GameBoy Color games working


Were they running on a Game Boy emulator running off the GBA hardware? I presume so since I think it was you that told me that there wasn't a dedicated GB/GBC flash cart a few years ago.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

If going the Super Game Boy route is out, I'd still be interested if they ever make a standalone Game Boy Advance console. Especially if an option for original aspect ratio and using Y & B was provided, S-Video or perhaps even component out was present, and they didn't limit the user to using a controller included with the device since I'd want to use something like an original SuperNes controller.

I see what you're saying, but I think a standalone GBA clone is more of a fantasy than something that Retro-Bit will ever actually make. In fact, if they did ever make a standalone clone, you can expect it to have none of what you just said. maintains the 3:2 aspect ratio no matter what? Nope. Uses a Y and B button layout? Well, maybe, if they designed their own controller. Anything other than composite? Unlikely. Use original SNES controllers? Highly doubtful, but even if they did, they'd do the B and A control again.



Were they running on a Game Boy emulator running off the GBA hardware? I presume so since I think it was you that told me that there wasn't a dedicated GB/GBC flash cart a few years ago.

Yes, through the flashcart. Sorry if that was confusing, I thought it was clear. I guess author's fail maybe?

[Leo_A]

I don't expect a standalone GBA. Rather, I was explaining what I would buy.

Since that's exactly what my GameCube is these days, I don't need such a thing and it would never replace the real hardware. But such a thing would get my curiosity going which is the only reason I have any interest in this thing (A feeling I suspect you can well understand judging by threads like this and your YouTube channel).


Yes, through the flashcart. Sorry if that was confusing, I thought it was clear. I guess author's fail maybe?

It wasn't confusing, just was seeking confirmation that it was indeed emulation like I thought and that you weren't able to somehow interface this thing directly to a Game Boy or Game Boy Color rom image via your GBA flash cartridge or for some bizarre reason were able to make it interact with a GB/GBC flash cartridge (If one existed?) where it did nothing with the actual standalone retail cartridges.

Do you happen to have Activision Anthology around? I'd be curious to see how that one panned out or any of the NES Classic/Famicom Mini lineup or similar commercial emulation releases like the Capcom collection. Partly to see how well they translate and partly to see what you think about how they look when this expands them back to their original 4:3 proportions on a CRT.

Not only are they a good stress test of this (As is any emulator), but I imagine the missing horizontal lines of resolution on the NES releases (Done of course to adapt a 4:3 game to a 3:2 AR) will provide a rather strange appearance on the big screen and running in full 4:3.

[SparTonberry]

Very nice review, it sounds like a nice little device.

As mentioned, it would be interesting to know how the Classic NES/Famicom Mini games stand as they were among the few games I've known to deliberately fail (maybe Nintendo didn't want other companies using their emulator to release their games without licensing the emu from Nintendo)?
The Kunio or Hudson compilations might be worth checking as well. They did some kind of wavy motion thing to get around the resolution limits that looks awful on VBA but isn't as eye-searing on actual hardware. (compared to Nintendo who I believe actually modified the NES graphics around the necessary cropping).
And maybe for LOLs the GBA Videos. My guess is they probably work because they probably specifically check for the GBPlayer.
WarioWare Twisted/Yoshi Topsy Turvy are likely to work but be very difficult/annoying to play.


SNES games were written in low level 65C816 assembly, a language so prone to errors it was abandoned in the mid '90s and isn't taught in programming classes anymore.
:frustrated:
More like 65xx CPUs probably were considered too outdated.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Guys, give me a list of specific titles you want me to test on the Super Retro Advance and I'll get back to you with results tomorrow.

[Leo_A]

Guys, give me a list of specific titles you want me to test on the Super Retro Advance and I'll get back to you with results tomorrow.

How about Activision Anthology and the Classic NES release of Super Mario Brothers?

Just be sure to give them a spin on real hardware like the Game Boy Player first to see how they run. Many of the 2600 games like River Raid run a bit slow for instance but that's due to the constraints of the GBA that made 2600 emulation nearly impractical (Rather than a Super Retro Advance issue) and so you can see how Super Mario Brothers looks with missing scanlines at its proper 3:2 AR.

And a good 3D intensive GBA game would be V-Rally 3 or Stuntman. That engine is the most capable 3D engine I've seen on the GBA and probably would be a good test for this adapter.

[SparTonberry]

Any Classic NES/Famicom Mini game (antipiracy)
Any "Kunio-kun Collection" (3 volumes) or "Hudson Best Collection" (6 volumes) game. A test of the non-Nintendo NES emulator.
Any "Game Boy Advance Video" (a series of video-only cartridges, the precursor to kiddie-TV smartphone apps, contained anti-GBP code)
WarioWare: Twisted or Yoshi's Topsy-Turvy (gyro-sensor games)
There's a Top Gun game (I can't remember which of the two) that deliberately tries to screw with emulators. (emus would look for certain text strings in the ROM to determine what type of save memory a game uses. This game deliberately declares all the types it DOESN'T use, and of course goes antipiracy if any of them are detected successful.)

I haven't played WWT, but if you haven't played Yoshi, it's pretty difficult to explain. It's a platformer but the gimmick was that when you rotate the cart, inside the attached console with the attached screen, it shifts the direction of gravity. Ideally regardless of which way the screen is turned (within the sensor's range), gravity would be towards the real-world ground. Also why the game had a start menu where you choose which console you are using: original GBA (cart is inserted upright) or SP/DS (cart is inserted upside-down) So, you got a floor and wall at a 90 degree angle _____|. You turn the console 45 degrees, and now it functions as a hill \/. Pretty disorienting even on the original hardware (where most of the screen doesn't change but sprites like Yoshi do). Don't know about you guys but I rarely hold my portables perfectly level when playing so my eyes are used to compensating for that, like ground is relative to the bottom of the console, but then this game comes and says no, ground in the game is relative to the real ground.

[treismac]

How would the price of the Gameboy Player for the Gamecube compare to the price to this?

[Rickstilwell1]

Retro-Bit heavily markets there line of Super Famiclones such as the RetroDuo and RetroDuo Portable. To them, something like this is an accessory to buy in addition to your RetroBit SNES clone. Indeed, this product was announced alongside their upcoming Super Retro Trio Genesis/SNES/NES clone.



I share your concerns, and agree with you that playing GBA games is a chore on the DS Phat or DS Lite, as both have tiny face buttons.

But when using either an SNES or Super Famicom controller, the B and A configuration isn't as bad as you think. I've put several hours into testing the Super Retro Advance with everything form action platformers to racers and fighting games. Everything is quick and responsive with the B and A configuration. Before you declare it a "deal breaker", perhaps try playing games on an easily obtainable cheap Super GameBoy. The default control scheme for that is also the B and A setup. You may just find that you're transferring your distaste for the DS setup to the SNES unfairly.

For me it's just that when playing games that require you to hold down a run button i.e. Mario and Donkey Kong, the B, A placement on SNES is just too awkward to do that with. You have to angle your thumb way up in the opposite direction. The NES dogbone controller was pushing it but still not too bad, but SNES is way at an angle.

[wiggyx]

How would the price of the Gameboy Player for the Gamecube compare to the price to this?

They go for like 30-40 bucks, making this completely pointless. Why play gba on some cheesy aftermarket player when there's an excellent OEM option? They shoulda spent their time on something unique instead of this.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

How would the price of the Gameboy Player for the Gamecube compare to the price to this?

Typically for between $30-60. I've seen them sell recently for wild ranges. There are cheaper ones on ebay, but many without the boot disc. A GameBoy Player without the boot disc is little more than a paper weight, and finding boot discs by themselves is a near impossible task.


For me it's just that when playing games that require you to hold down a run button i.e. Mario and Donkey Kong, the B, A placement on SNES is just too awkward to do that with. You have to angle your thumb way up in the opposite direction. The NES dogbone controller was pushing it but still not too bad, but SNES is way at an angle.

I honestly don't think its a problem, but if you're the kind of person to complain about the excellent NES-101 'dogbone' controller, then I suppose an OEM controller will not satisfy you. You may want to consider alternative Japanese controllers that would solve the problem.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ceMger_adeM/SglmdKquT4I/AAAAAAAACEQ/GXyJugplriE/s800/Image480.jpg
The first is the Super GameBoy Commander, a controller designed with the SNES B and A buttons in mind as the primary buttons. This creates a problem of playing some games that require the shoulder triggers as they are moved to the face, but I think it's a great solution.

http://i43.tinypic.com/sazjmf.jpg
The other alternative I can think of is the Hori Fighting Commander, which uses a six button Genesis style layout. Again, the triggers are moved to the face, making some GBA games too awkward to play using this, but it sounds perfect for games like Mario vs Donkey Kong, which you complained about.



They go for like 30-40 bucks, making this completely pointless. Why play gba on some cheesy aftermarket player when there's an excellent OEM option? They shoulda spent their time on something unique instead of this.

I like the GameBoy Player. It's the primary reason I keep a GameCube around, since my modded Wii can play all GameCube games from any region. But there's a couple reasons why the GameBoy Player does not make the Super Retro Advance pointless.

First of all, the video output of the GameBoy Player is quite blurry, using a softening filter that is present even though component video.Using the same games and the same tv, I can tell you the video output of the Super Retro Advance is cleaner, clearer, and the colors more vivid. When I get a chance, I will take side by side comparison screenshots if you'd like.

Moving on to audio, this is another case where the Super Retro Advance outclasses the GameBoy Player. When compared, the GameBoy Player audio output is much more muffled and softer sounding to the audio output form an actual GameBoy Advance or the Super Retro Advance.

Although I'm not an audio expert by any means, I was told by ace9921:

On the GameBoy Advance's CPU, there are two analog audio outputs, one for the left channel, the other for the right.
But on the GameCube's Parallel port where the GameBoy Player plugs into, there are no analog audio inputs!
So what's done instead is to pass the audio through an ADC to make it digital, then it gets converted to analog again with the DAC inside the GameCube along with its RIDICULOUS low-pass filtering.
Analog to digital, and then back to analog.

Leaving the larger screen filling video output of the SRA vs the windowed GameBoy Player up to presonal preference and not something I'm going to argue for or against, the other big negative the GameBoy Player has is the controller.

Even with the Hori Digital Controller, the GameCube controller is NOT well suited for GameBoy Advance games, with its massive A and undersized B buttons. The SNES controller is a much more natural fit.


The one advantage the GB Player has is the ability to play GB and GBC games which the SRA does not, which is unfortunate. However, examining the motherboard, it says the revsion is only 1.0. It is possible GB/GBC support may be added in later.

http://www.tototek.com/store/images/GBA/AD_ADAPTER_03.jpg

Anyhow, I'll be testing games and give a report of a list of games I've tried and the outcomes of each.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Here is a full report of everything that I have tried with the Super Retro Advance Adapter so far, and the results.


Activision Anthology - completely glitch free, works 100%
Advance Wars - completely glitch free, works 100%
Advance Wars 2 Black Hole Rising - very minor graphic glitch during the capture a city animation. Doesn't affect gameplay.
Alien Hominid - completely glitch free, works 100%
Asterix & Obelix XXL - completely glitch free, works 100%
AstroBoy Omega Factor - completely glitch free, works 100%
Ballistic - Ecks vs Sever - completely glitch free, works 100%
Bubble Bobble Old & New - completely glitch free, works 100%
Capcom Classics Collection Mini Mix - Mighty Final Fight seems to have some slight slowdown. I'm not sure if this is caused by the game or the SRA.
Castlevania Circle of the Moon - completely glitch free, works 100%
Castlevania Harmony of Dissidence - completely glitch free, works 100%
Castlevania Aria of Sorrow - completely glitch free, works 100%
Classic NES Series Super Mario Bros. - completely glitch free, works 100%
Classic NES Series Legend of Zelda - completely glitch free, works 100%
Classic NES Series Zelda II - completely glitch free, works 100%
Dr. Mario & Panel De Pon - completely glitch free, works 100%
Drill Dozer - completely glitch free, works 100%
Doom II - completely glitch free, works 100%
Donkey Kong Country 2 - completely glitch free, works 100%
Dragonball Z Legacy of Goku II - completely glitch free, works 100%
Dragonball Z Buu's Fury - completely glitch free, works 100%
Famicom Classics Balloon Fight - completely glitch free, works 100%
Famicom Classics Famicom Detective Club Part II - Graphical issues that case portions of menus to disappear occasionally. The music plays in slow motion.
Famicom Classics Super Mario Bros. 2 (J) - Top left corner of the scoreboard where it displays MARIO x05 is black. There is noticeable slowdown when there are more than five sprites on screen at once.
Famicom Classics Zelda II Link no Bouken completely glitch free, works 100%. FDS FM Audio intact, sounds perfect
Final Fantasy I & II Dawn of Souls - completely glitch free, works 100%
Final Fantasy IV Advance - completely glitch free, works 100%
Final Fantasy V Advance - completely glitch free, works 100%
Final Fantasy VI Advance - completely glitch free, works 100%
GameBoy Advance Video Vol. 1 Pokemon - works perfectly. Also proclaims "NOT compatible with GameBoy Player". The video quality is pretty low, subpar compared to what the Play-Yan can do, but it does work.
Golden Sun - completely glitch free, works 100%
Golden Sun The Lost Age - completely glitch free, works 100%
Gradius Galaxaies - completely glitch free, works 100%
Hudson Collections 1-6 - All games work but the sound is really awful. Confirmed that the sound is awful on a real GBA too, so this has nothing to do with the adapter. Princess Tomato in Salad Kingdom text hard to read, as it is a bit blurry for some reason, much like Phantasy Stat 1 on the Phantasy Star Collection.
Ice Nine - completely glitch free, works 100%
Iridion 3D - completely glitch free, works 100%
Iridion II - On real cart, completely glitch free, works 100% on M3 Perfect, it crashes during boss battles
Kunio-Kun Collection Vol 1-3 [Famicom games] - all work, but Super Dodgeball has sprite flickering and slowdown. Not sure if this is the adapter's fault as this was the case in the original game.
Kirby - Nightmare in Dreamland - completely glitch free, works 100%
Klonoa Empire of Dreams - completely glitch free, works 100%
Konami Krazy Racers - completely glitch free, works 100%
Legend of Zelda LTTP & Four Swords - completely glitch free, works 100%
Legend of Zelda Minish Cap - completely glitch free, works 100%
Lunar Legend - completely glitch free, works 100%
Mario Kart Advance - completely glitch free, works 100%
Mario Vs Donkey Kong - completely glitch free, works 100%
Megaman & Bass - completely glitch free, works 100%
Megaman Battle Network - completely glitch free, works 100%
Megaman Battle Network 2 - completely glitch free, works 100%
Megaman Battle Network 3 - completely glitch free, works 100%
Megaman Battle Network 4 - completely glitch free, works 100%
Megaman Battle Network 5 - completely glitch free, works 100%
Megaman Battle Network 6 - completely glitch free, works 100%
Megaman Zero - completely glitch free, works 100%
Megaman Zero 2 - completely glitch free, works 100%
Megaman Zero 3 - completely glitch free, works 100%
Megaman Zero 4 - completely glitch free, works 100%
Metal Slug Advance - completely glitch free, works 100%
Metroid Fusion - completely glitch free, works 100%
Metroid Zero Mission - completely glitch free, works 100%
Mother 3 - completely glitch free, works 100%
Need for Speed Most Wanted - completely glitch free, works 100%
Ninja Five-O - completely glitch free, works 100%
Pac-Man Collection - completely glitch free, works 100%
Play-Yan Micro - Does not work at all.
Phantasy Star Collection - everything works, but Phantasy Stat 1 SMS is blurry for some reason.
Pocky & Rocky with Becky - completely glitch free, works 100%
Pokemon Ruby - The sound effect when you bang into something is muffled. Otherwise, completely glitch free, works 100%
Pokemon Emerald The sound effect when you bang into something is muffled. Otherwise, completely glitch free, works 100%
Pokemon Fire Red - The sound effect when you bang into something is muffled. Otherwise, completely glitch free, works 100%
Riviera - the Promised Land - completely glitch free, works 100%
Sonic Advance - completely glitch free, works 100%
Sonic Advance 2 - completely glitch free, works 100%
Sonic Advance 3 - completely glitch free, works 100%
Star Wars Flight of the Falcon - completely glitch free, works 100%
Super Mario Advance: Super Mario Bros. 2 - completely glitch free, works 100%
Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World - completely glitch free, works 100%
Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island - Transition fade out effects do not display properly when going down a warp pipe or selecting a stage. does not affect gameplay in any way.
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 - completely glitch free, works 100%
Tales of Phantasia - completely glitch free, works 100%
WarioWare - completely glitch free, works 100%
WarioWare Twisted - completely glitch free, works 100%. Gryoscope functions properly


I'll be happy to amend this list with additional games. Just tell me what you'd like to know if it works and if there's any problems.

[wiggyx]

Typically for between $30-60. I've seen them sell recently for wild ranges. There are cheaper ones on ebay, but many without the boot disc. A GameBoy Player without the boot disc is little more than a paper weight, and finding boot discs by themselves is a near impossible task.



I honestly don't think its a problem, but if you're the kind of person to complain about the excellent NES-101 'dogbone' controller, then I suppose an OEM controller will not satisfy you. You may want to consider alternative Japanese controllers that would solve the problem.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ceMger_adeM/SglmdKquT4I/AAAAAAAACEQ/GXyJugplriE/s800/Image480.jpg
The first is the Super GameBoy Commander, a controller designed with the SNES B and A buttons in mind as the primary buttons. This creates a problem of playing some games that require the shoulder triggers as they are moved to the face, but I think it's a great solution.

http://i43.tinypic.com/sazjmf.jpg
The other alternative I can think of is the Hori Fighting Commander, which uses a six button Genesis style layout. Again, the triggers are moved to the face, making some GBA games too awkward to play using this, but it sounds perfect for games like Mario vs Donkey Kong, which you complained about.




I like the GameBoy Player. It's the primary reason I keep a GameCube around, since my modded Wii can play all GameCube games from any region. But there's a couple reasons why the GameBoy Player does not make the Super Retro Advance pointless.

First of all, the video output of the GameBoy Player is quite blurry, using a softening filter that is present even though component video.Using the same games and the same tv, I can tell you the video output of the Super Retro Advance is cleaner, clearer, and the colors more vivid. When I get a chance, I will take side by side comparison screenshots if you'd like.

Moving on to audio, this is another case where the Super Retro Advance outclasses the GameBoy Player. When compared, the GameBoy Player audio output is much more muffled and softer sounding to the audio output form an actual GameBoy Advance or the Super Retro Advance.

Although I'm not an audio expert by any means, I was told by ace9921:

On the GameBoy Advance's CPU, there are two analog audio outputs, one for the left channel, the other for the right.
But on the GameCube's Parallel port where the GameBoy Player plugs into, there are no analog audio inputs!
So what's done instead is to pass the audio through an ADC to make it digital, then it gets converted to analog again with the DAC inside the GameCube along with its RIDICULOUS low-pass filtering.
Analog to digital, and then back to analog.

Leaving the larger screen filling video output of the SRA vs the windowed GameBoy Player up to presonal preference and not something I'm going to argue for or against, the other big negative the GameBoy Player has is the controller.

Even with the Hori Digital Controller, the GameCube controller is NOT well suited for GameBoy Advance games, with its massive A and undersized B buttons. The SNES controller is a much more natural fit.


The one advantage the GB Player has is the ability to play GB and GBC games which the SRA does not, which is unfortunate. However, examining the motherboard, it says the revsion is only 1.0. It is possible GB/GBC support may be added in later.

http://www.tototek.com/store/images/GBA/AD_ADAPTER_03.jpg

Anyhow, I'll be testing games and give a report of a list of games I've tried and the outcomes of each.


Your own thread, no less ;)

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?157681-NES-and-SNES-RetroPort-GameCube-adapter-video-review


Definitely interested in a side-by-side. Looking forward to it :)

[bigbacon]

i assume something like this will make it into another all in one thing so you'll end up with one console with like 8 cart slots.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

wiggy, you know I'm a big fan of your work so I don't want to be arguing with you. The reason I didn't mention the SNES RetroPort is because it's a controller adapter, not something native. I mean heck, I've got a PS2 to SNES controller adapter, so I could theoretically argue the PS2 makes for the best GBA controller for the Super Retro Adapter. It would be silly to say something like that.

[Leo_A]

Thanks for the overview.

How did the Classic NES releases look on your 4:3 tv with their 3:2 aspect ratio with missing scanlines re-expanded to 4:3 proportions? They already look odd on the Game Boy Player at their converted 3:2 AR when played on my tv (Although not half bad on my backlit SP) so I imagine they look even more off rather than being helped by this thing's full screen 4:3 output.

I'm not buying this so don't feel bothered to do it just on my account, but V-Rally 3 and Stuntman's 3D engine would be a good test for this.


http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ceMger_adeM/SglmdKquT4I/AAAAAAAACEQ/GXyJugplriE/s800/Image480.jpg
The first is the Super GameBoy Commander, a controller designed with the SNES B and A buttons in mind as the primary buttons. This creates a problem of playing some games that require the shoulder triggers as they are moved to the face, but I think it's a great solution.

A & B are situated the same there as on a normal Super Nintendo controller so I don't see how this would solve his complaint?

For those that want the best button layout possible, a Super Game Boy for non enhanced Game Boy games switched to use Y & B via the SGB menu and a Game Boy Player paired with the GBA to GCN link cable to a model 1 GBA for your controller are the ideal setups in my opinion.

I also like the NES Retroport paired with the Game Boy Player for things like GBC games and other games that don't utilize the shoulder buttons and sometimes use that instead. The SNES Retroport, at least mine, still has me using A & B though instead of Y & B. So it's nice paired with my ASCII SuperNES Fighter Stick playing something like the Konami Arcade Collection cartridge since I don't own a NES arcade stick but it doesn't resolve button mapping issues on a gamepad with platformers and some other genres where simultaneous use of both buttons is important.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Thanks for the overview.

How did the Classic NES releases look on your 4:3 tv with their 3:2 aspect ratio with missing scanlines re-expanded to 4:3 proportions?

Squished. I've never been too fond of how the majority of the the Classic NES series games look on the GBA. The only real acceptable game to me is Zelda 1, the rest are always weirdly compressed. PocketNES does a much better job with this.




[regarding the GameBoy Commander]
The A & B are situated the same there as on a normal Super Nintendo controller so I don't see how this would solve his complaint?

The SNES controller is rounded at the ends, whereas on the GB Commander there's a lip to rest your thumb on. It might seem small, but it really does make a difference. It won't appeal to everyone, but I find that since I bought one I couldn't imagine using my Super GameBoy without that controller.

[Rickstilwell1]

Squished. I've never been too fond of how the majority of the the Classic NES series games look on the GBA. The only real acceptable game to me is Zelda 1, the rest are always weirdly compressed. PocketNES does a much better job with this.




The SNES controller is rounded at the ends, whereas on the GB Commander there's a lip to rest your thumb on. It might seem small, but it really does make a difference. It won't appeal to everyone, but I find that since I bought one I couldn't imagine using my Super GameBoy without that controller.

It's more of the angle of the buttons on the SNES controller that is too steep, not the controller itself. The dogbone controller has nothing wrong with it, just that or an original Game Boy's button angles are the limit to what I would call comfortable. With an SNES pad you have to arc the base of your thumb upwards instead of sideways or downwards and isn't the best position to keep your wrist for an extended period of time. On Nintendo DS it doesn't even matter much just because those tiny buttons are so close together you don't really have to re-orient your whole hand. I guess if your thumbs are wider you might be able to hit the bottom of the A button with the base of your thumb while keeping your thumb completely horizontal, but there is still plenty of room to miss your mark, clipping the edge of the button not quite deep enough for the press to register.

[Gameguy]

Can anyone compare the video or sound quality to using these things?


http://i42.tinypic.com/33en5gg.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/2zi67h5.png

[wiggyx]

^^^ I've heard mixed reviews :/


wiggy, you know I'm a big fan of your work so I don't want to be arguing with you. The reason I didn't mention the SNES RetroPort is because it's a controller adapter, not something native. I mean heck, I've got a PS2 to SNES controller adapter, so I could theoretically argue the PS2 makes for the best GBA controller for the Super Retro Adapter. It would be silly to say something like that.

I'm not either, just saying that there are some options. I mean, the Super Retro Advance is an adapter itself, and if the controller is a big part of the issue with the GCN player, then it's good to know that there is at least one really cheap option to resolve the problem :)

[Az]

Does this differ any at all from the AD Adapter that was released a few months ago, or is it the same thing just rebranded?

I ask because I've seen those go for a few bucks less but they've been out a bit longer

[Greg2600]

Inability to play GB and GBC games on this thing is a fail.

[davidbrit2]

So it's a glitchy GBA that plays at the wrong aspect ratio and requires an SNES for no real reason? Sweet, I'll take zero.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

So it's a glitchy GBA that plays at the wrong aspect ratio and requires an SNES for no real reason? Sweet, I'll take zero.

but that's
http://blog.pshares.org/files/2013/03/WRONG-face-slap-300x282.jpg

If you bothered to read, it is not glitchy. It plays 99% of all GBA games flawlessly, and those it doesn't have very minor issues. It does not display the wrong aspect ratio. It scales to fit to a 4:3 crt. 4:3 and 3:2 are virtually identical to begin with. If you use a 16:9 tv, the 3:2 aspect ratio is maintained. Also, so sorry it requires an SNES to run. Retro-Bit hasn't found a way to make it run on magic yet.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Does this differ any at all from the AD Adapter that was released a few months ago, or is it the same thing just rebranded?

The AD Adapter is the Hong Kong branding. I can't be certain, but it likely is the same internally. Retro-Bit does not market their products in Asia themselves.

[davidbrit2]

but that's
http://blog.pshares.org/files/2013/03/WRONG-face-slap-300x282.jpg

If you bothered to read, it is not glitchy. It plays 99% of all GBA games flawlessly, and those it doesn't have very minor issues. It does not display the wrong aspect ratio. It scales to fit to a 4:3 crt. 4:3 and 3:2 are virtually identical to begin with. If you use a 16:9 tv, the 3:2 aspect ratio is maintained. Also, so sorry it requires an SNES to run. Retro-Bit hasn't found a way to make it run on magic yet.

It's already got its own A/V output. Might as well add SNES controller ports and a power input instead of wasting money/effort getting it to piggyback that stuff off an SNES. Plus it can't play GB/GBC games. I'll stick with an SP. I don't see a whole lot of point to this; it's not like a GC plus GB Player would be very expensive.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

It's already got its own A/V output. Might as well add SNES controller ports and a power input instead of wasting money/effort getting it to piggyback that stuff off an SNES. Plus it can't play GB/GBC games. I'll stick with an SP. I don't see a whole lot of point to this; it's not like a GC plus GB Player would be very expensive.

I agree that it is sort of weird that it isn't a standalone clone with its own controllers, but its done to save on costs. A standalone clone would be at least $20-30 more expensive than this to do what this already does. As I explained to Wiggy, Retro-Bit heavily promotes there RetroDuo brand which are NES/SNES combined systems. The RetroPort, RetroGen, and Super Retro Advance are essentially accessories for the RetroDuo line that also happen to work with the original hardware. I suspect that Retro-Bit may eventually add the Super Retro Advance into their multisystem hardware. This is version 1.0.

According to the Retro-Bit sales rep, GB/GBC support will be added in the future as bugs are kinked out. As is this does not have the hardware to render them, just like the GameBoy Micro and DS line.

I too, loooove my GBA SP. As for the GB Player arguement, see my post to wiggy on page 1. Other than GB/GBC support, this clone outclasses it in every aspect from video and audio output to control.

[Leo_A]

$20-$25 more just for their a single SNES clone controller, a single controller port, a AC adapter, and little else? We're not talking about high quality expensive electrical components here. This stuff is built very cheaply that they're utilizing and doesn't cost very much. It's why two included controllers for instance are nearly universal with these clone systems. If it added $10 to their production cost per controller, I guarantee you that it would be far less common.

I'm sure they'd have to charge a bit more than they're charging here since you're getting more, but I don't think their extra expenses would be of that level and there's also some savings as well since not everything in this adapter would be carried over if it were made a standalone Game Boy clone. I bet $10 over the price of this adapter would cover it and maintain their profit margin or very possibly even grow it.

[Gameguy]

$20-$25 more just for their a single SNES clone controller, a single controller port, a AC adapter, and little else? We're not talking about high quality expensive electrical components here. This stuff is built very cheaply that they're utilizing and doesn't cost very much. It's why two included controllers for instance are nearly universal with these clone systems. If it added $10 to the price, I guarantee you that it would be far less common.

I'm sure they'd have to charge a bit more than they're charging here since you're getting more, but I don't think their extra expenses would be of that level and there's also some savings as well since not everything in this adapter would be carried over if it were made a standalone Game Boy clone. I bet $10 over the price of this adapter would cover it and maintain their profit margin or very possibly even grow it.
Personally I think it's intentional, I feel they're trying to get the people who just want to play GBA games on a TV to buy their NES/SNES systems as well. They're like car salesmen forcing you to buy a bundle just to get one of the options. They can get away with it because they can point to the original Super Gameboy needing the SNES console as well.

[wiggyx]

But then there are people like me who might be interested in this if it were stand alone, but aren't at all interested in yet another adapter. I think that they may have narrowed their market too much by trying to generate more sales of their clone consoles. My experience with GBA players (which has become significant as a result of my business) has taught me that many aren't really that into retro, but really just love the GBA, and I can only imagine that a stand alone would interest many of them a lot more than an adapter

[bacteria]

GBA TV Converter sucks, even if you hardwire it to a GBA the video quality isn't good because the image flickers as it constantly tries to adjust the pixels for accuracy, so the edges of the image wobble. I tried it.

The Retro Advance Adaptor looks interesting - where can I get one, I live in the UK ? Looked on ebay, didn't see any.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

GBA TV Converter sucks, even if you hardwire it to a GBA the video quality isn't good because the image flickers as it constantly tries to adjust the pixels for accuracy, so the edges of the image wobble. I tried it.

The Retro Advance Adaptor looks interesting - where can I get one, I live in the UK ? Looked on ebay, didn't see any.

Keep in mind, it generates NTSC video output, but for someone of your modding skill that shouldn't be any real concern.

Here's what RetroBit provided.

http://www.lukiegames.com/Super-Retro-Advance_p_17907.html

http://www.stoneagegamer.com/super-retro-advance.html

http://www.dascheap.com/gba-adapter-super-retro-advance-gba-to-snes-retro-bit.html

[TheChristoph]

On the controller debate, I've always found it maddening that the X and Y buttons were essentially "dead" when playing GBA games on the DS. I was pretty disappointed to see that this was still the case here. Why not have them mirror A and B, but reversed? If X mirrored the A button, then all this consternation regarding controller layout would be allayed. You'd have A and B in their original position, as well as the SNES convention of Y/B, just moved over one row. It's a perfect compromise that nobody does; I just don't understand it.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Video review is now up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWjifZaJm60

I'm planning on doing a 'Stress Test' video to show various games running in a follow up video. Anyone who wants to see any specific titles, let me know which ones and I'll see what I can do.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

I have also completed two stress test videos wherein I show various GBA titles all running on the SRA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN5P2jMQbyg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8RiRzOoeXE

[Bazoo]

Thank you Satoshi! I received mine today. For some reason, I had trouble working it out of the box. I'm not sure if my SNES was just too dirty and couldn't get the charge going, but at first nothing came on. Then, only a white screen, and after about twenty minutes of basic cleaning it...was still kind of finnicky. I tried a few games, still finnicky. Then I blew in the cart and the GBA cart, and that fixed it. After I got the first game running, a three or four games operated just fine.

I kinda wonder if it was just my SNES but I played other carts just fine after that--it seemed like re-inserting the GBA cartridge did more good than messing with the SNES. Does anyone else have trouble with this?

[Satoshi_Matrix]

If it stays at a white screen, it's most likely your GBA games that are dirty, not the SNES or the device itself. The white screen is the boot bios bypass. try saying that three times fast.

[TheChristoph]

Just watched your review, Satoshi. Nice stuff. It's kind of unfortunate that the 3.5mm jack has to stick out the side like that. Wonder why they couldn't have it come out the back. Obviously irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, it just would have looked nicer that way.

Aesthetics aside, and controller preference deal aside, this really does seem like a sweet piece of gear. I think I'm going to wait for some Retron5 reviews though.

[Jorpho]

Is that a proprietary cable? I feel like I've seen a 3.5 mm -> 3x RCA cable before, but I've never been clear on what exactly they're good for.


It's kind of unfortunate that the 3.5mm jack has to stick out the side like that. Wonder why they couldn't have it come out the back. Obviously irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, it just would have looked nicer that way. The cartridge mold and the circuit board design would have to be a little more contorted to support something like that, I suspect. As it is, it's just a matter of sticking the connector on the edge and including an extra notch in the halves of the mold.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Is that a proprietary cable? I feel like I've seen a 3.5 mm -> 3x RCA cable before, but I've never been clear on what exactly they're good for.

Not by any means. You can use any 3.5 mm -< 3x RCA cable. The one provided works great, but if you wanted to use your own, longer cord, you're free to do so.




The cartridge mold and the circuit board design would have to be a little more contorted to support something like that, I suspect. As it is, it's just a matter of sticking the connector on the edge and including an extra notch in the halves of the mold.

This is exactly correct.


For those interested, I just completed a little mod I thought about earlier today.

http://0-media-cdn.foolz.us/ffuuka/board/vr/image/1365/49/1365497796037.jpg

I modified a Intec Superpad to have a more 'ideal' mapping. Now, the Y button is actually routed to the B button input, and the B button is actually routed to the A button input.

This means you can now use the Y and B buttons instead of being forced to use the B and A buttons.

It required cutting traces and soldering a few wires around the traces. This effectively makes this a SRA only controller, though it also doubles for the RetroPort NES adapter as well.

If anyone is interested, I'll post a mini tutorial on what to do to get this up and running yourself, and I could also offer this a service for those without soldering skills.

[Leo_A]

I'd of rather have seen it at 4:3 (Particularly when you loaded up the unlockable NES Metroid on Zero Mission) instead of stretched to 16:9, but thanks for the videos. Looks like they did a very solid job of reproducing the GBA's hardware.

Are you sure that the sound on that Game Boy emulator is better on the real deal? Seems odd that it's so far off here yet the half dozen other games I'm familiar with sounded just right.


If anyone is interested, I'll post a mini tutorial on what to do to get this up and running yourself

Sure, I'd be interested to pare one up with my SuperNes Retroport. Have two of those from back in the day for multiplayer that haven't been plugged in for at least a decade.

[Rickstilwell1]

I'd of rather have seen it at 4:3 (Particularly when you loaded up the unlockable NES Metroid on Zero Mission) instead of stretched to 16:9, but thanks for the videos. Looks like they did a very solid job of reproducing the GBA's hardware.



Sure, I'd be interested to pare one up with my SuperNes Retroport. Have two of those from back in the day for multiplayer that haven't been plugged in for at least a decade.

How comfortable / responsive are those SNES controllers? Are they very close to the quality of stock SNES controllers? All the modern ones I have tried are utter crap but the stock SNES controllers have a really jacked up price. These are less desirable but still look good enough to pass so it looks like they can be had for a few bucks less than the originals.

I don't know why these modern 3rd party companies can't seem to get their controllers to feel at least somewhat authentic. Especially with the d-pads.

Sometimes I even wondered if it would be cheaper to import Super Famicom controllers in bulk and sell the extras.

[Leo_A]

It's been a while like I said so I'm going off memories. But if the SuperNes controller gets 5 stars out of 5 (And I'd rate it as such), I'd give the average clone controller about a 1.

With those two ends of the spectrum for comparisons out of the way, I'd give the SuperPad about a 3.5 out of 5. It blows away anything you'd find packed with these modern clones such as RetroBit's own designs. It feels comfortable and a lot like the stock pad and I don't recall any major issues. Once in a while, it wouldn't register a button press though where as my trusty original gamepad never missed. I don't recall any d-pad, start/select, or shoulder button issues.

Beats with ease one of those Chinese counterfeit controllers you're liable to end up with if you go looking for a late model SuperNes gamepad with the molded Nintendo logo like was packaged with the system redesign in the late 1990's.

But a safe way to go with no risk of buying junk that isn't expensive unless the price has ballooned recently are these. They're just as nice as Nintendo's own design, feels very similar, and obviously has turbo functionality.

http://www.thestrong.org/online-collections/images/Z006/Z00624/Z0062472.jpg

[Satoshi_Matrix]

I'd of rather have seen it at 4:3 (Particularly when you loaded up the unlockable NES Metroid on Zero Mission) instead of stretched to 16:9, but thanks for the videos. Looks like they did a very solid job of reproducing the GBA's hardware.

But again that's wrong. I filmed using my HDTV, and it doesn't stretch the image at all, it's bordered and infact isn't truly fullscreen, like what happens when you play DS games on a 3DS. a 4:3 tv slightly crops the extreme edges since 3:2 is slightly wider than 4:3. On a 16:9 display the image is centered and fully displayed. Games are certainly still playable on a 4:3 display, don't get me wrong, but its completely wrong that a widescreen tv in anyway stretches the display.



Are you sure that the sound on that Game Boy emulator is better on the real deal? Seems odd that it's so far off here yet the half dozen other games I'm familiar with sounded just right.

I'm absolutely certain. Goomba Color uses both the ARM and Z-80, but since the SRA lacks the Z-80, the 8-bit sound effects are off pitch. The only GBA games I've encountered this are the Pokemon titles, when you bump into something or leap off a ledge. These are the same sound effects from the original GameBoy Red/Blue/Green/Yellow, so they're not truly GBA sounds and therefore there's my working theory as to why they don't sound right whereas everything else does.




Sure, I'd be interested to pare one up with my SuperNes Retroport. Have two of those from back in the day for multiplayer that haven't been plugged in for at least a decade.

I'll post something in a few hours.



How comfortable / responsive are those [Intec Superpad] controllers? Are they very close to the quality of stock SNES controllers? All the modern ones I have tried are utter crap but the stock SNES controllers have a really jacked up price. These are less desirable but still look good enough to pass so it looks like they can be had for a few bucks less than the originals.

The Superpads are middle of the road in terms of comfort/quality. They aren't OEM controllers by any means, but they also aren't truly awful. I never use mine because I have better controllers. Here, I simply thought to mod it since if I screwed up, it would be no big loss. Don't buy a Superpad if you're looking for a general purpose good controller.



I don't know why these modern 3rd party companies can't seem to get their controllers to feel at least somewhat authentic. Especially with the d-pads.

Then you obviously don't know about Retro-Bit's Super Retro Controllers.

http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/R5JZCoXyG1U/hqdefault.jpg

Like most other things Retro-Bit makes, these are awesome especially in terms of the d-pad. These rival, if not succeed, the quality of the d-pad of the OEM Nintendo controllers. I'm not kidding.

I did a video review of them a while back. You can buy these individually or with the RetroDuo Portable. Retro-Bit also now makes 2.4Ghz wireless ones that are powered by 2x AAA batteries if that's more to your liking.
Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5JZCoXyG1U



Sometimes I even wondered if it would be cheaper to import Super Famicom controllers in bulk and sell the extras.

Super Famicom controllers are great, but most western people probably won't want to deal with the fact that the cords are only 3 feet.


[About the Asciiware Asciipad]
This is a very solid third party controller, but I honestly think it gets TOO much praise. I recently made a video comparing it to what I think is the greatest SNES controller, the Hori Commander.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWEqqu_jGCg&noredirect=1

[Leo_A]

But again that's wrong. I filmed using my HDTV, and it doesn't stretch the image at all, it's bordered and infact isn't truly fullscreen, like what happens when you play DS games on a 3DS. a 4:3 tv slightly crops the extreme edges since 3:2 is slightly wider than 4:3. On a 16:9 display the image is centered and fully displayed. Games are certainly still playable on a 4:3 display, don't get me wrong, but its completely wrong that a widescreen tv in anyway stretches the display.

3:2 is a good bit wider than 4:3. It's closer to 16:9 in fact [Edit: Actually, it's 1.5:1 where as 4:3 is 1.33:1 and 16:9 is 1.77:1 so it does lean a bit closer towards 4:3]. So I doubt edges are cropped on a 4:3 tv since a significant amount of screen area would not be displayed (Unlike say cropping an Academy ratio movie to 4:3... the loss is minimal since they're so close and you might only notice it, if at all, during the opening and closing credits especially on a set with a lot of overscan).

And you said earlier that this output full screen 4:3. So when I saw your YouTube video being full screen 16:9 where I was expecting pillarboxed 4:3, I naturally assumed you had selected to stretch your video to 16:9 when you uploaded it. That's what I was commenting on rather than what aspect ratio the Super Retro Advance outputs.

But since you've brought up what aspect ratio this outputs, just how can it be different on a 4:3 tv or a 16:9 with this? Is there a button switch you use to select between the two where one outputs the untouched 3:2 appropriate for your HDTV's stretch mode and the other something more appropriate for 4:3?

Otherwise, the aspect ratio is going to be the same. A 4:3 signal for instance is still 4:3 no matter if it's on a 4:3 tv or a 16:9 tv. The only way to change the aspect ratio on the 16:9 tv to something wider is to stretch it. The same signal can't be two different aspect ratios at once.

So I don't understand how this can be 3:2 on the 16:9 HDTV (Even though in your YouTube videos, it sure seemed full 16:9) and essentially full screen 4:3 on a 4:3 tv as you said earlier.


I'm absolutely certain. Goomba Color uses both the ARM and Z-80, but since the SRA lacks the Z-80, the 8-bit sound effects are off pitch. The only GBA games I've encountered this are the Pokemon titles, when you bump into something or leap off a ledge. These are the same sound effects from the original GameBoy Red/Blue/Green/Yellow, so they're not truly GBA sounds and therefore there's my working theory as to why they don't sound right whereas everything else does.

Thanks


The Superpads are middle of the road in terms of comfort/quality. They aren't OEM controllers by any means, but they also aren't truly awful. I never use mine because I have better controllers. Here, I simply thought to mod it since if I screwed up, it would be no big loss. Don't buy a Superpad if you're looking for a general purpose good controller.


That's essentially what I said although I think they're a tad bit better than middle of the road. But it has been years since I've used mine (Like you, no reason to use an inferior controller and I haven't had the opportunity in many years to get a multiplayer SuperNes game session going). But I still stand by my comments comparing my memories of how they were during multiplayer sessions years ago to what I've experienced with the average modern clone controller and such.


Then you obviously don't know about Retro-Bit's Super Retro Controllers.

http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/R5JZCoXyG1U/hqdefault.jpg

Like most other things Retro-Bit makes, these are awesome especially in terms of the d-pad. These rival, if not succeed, the quality of the d-pad of the OEM Nintendo controllers. I'm not kidding.


I'm going off my experiences with clones in general including Retro Bit products like the Retro Duo. So I was talking in generalities rather than with those specific controllers.

I'm shocked that these particular gamepads from Retro-Bit's aren't horrible as is typical. I'm somewhat skeptical that they're better than the stock gamepad, but it definitely sounds promising.

What's their cable length like? That's one area clone companies like to skimp out on.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

As promised before, here's how to modify a Superpad to 'correctly' work with the Super Retro Advance. This will also work nicely with the NES RetroPort and the default setting of the Super GameBoy.

I can also provide this mod as a service. pm me if you're interested.

Materials:

-Super Nintendo with game that uses Y, B and A to test
-Intec Superpad
-Star screwdriver
-A dull knife blade or flat head screwdriver
-A thin chisel or sharp knife
-very short strips of wire
-Soldering iron
-Solder with flux
-Basic soldering skills and ability to follow directions



1. Before anything, test your Superpad to make sure it's working properly before you even start.Once you're satisfied the Superpad works, pause the game and leave it running. You'll need to return to it to test your results.

2. Take your star screwdriver and remove the screws from the back of the controller. Make sure you don't strip the screws. Sometimes old screws can be a pain to deal with, but take your time and they should all come out.

3. Lift off the back, and with the controller face down, carefully remove the pcb, paying attention to unhook the L/R triggers.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/e81a082de34728373a27a477dd6f8d7c/tumblr_mx9dviObCh1rc7qlzo1_1280.jpg
4. Your pad will look like this. I have labelled the button traces for the face buttons in accordance to their Super Famicom colors.

5. Next, take your dull blade and scrape off the trace cover to expose the copper trace for the Y, B and A buttons. Do not dig into it. You just want to expose the shiny copper. This should be done closer to the 4021 gloptop than the buttons as the button caps need to still make clean contact.

https://31.media.tumblr.com/b635c614e504ea9c8c25468f6d4e27cc/tumblr_mx9dhzvEKz1rc7qlzo1_1280.jpg
6. Next, cut the traces with your sharp blade where I have indicated x marks. You'll need to sever these connections. You have to go deeper than you may think. Once you think you've disconnected the connections, plug in the Superpad into your system and try to use it. If the Y and B are still functional, you need to cut deeper. If neither work, then congratulations, you can go to the next step.

7. Next, solder two small wires where I've indicated in the above image. These wires may be difficult to solder depending on what solder you're using and how much space you left yourself to work.

8. Once the wires are soldered, the Y button signal should not be leading anywhere, B should be going to Y, and the A button signal is now being routed to both the A and the B buttons.

9. Test to make sure this is true, and if so, close up your controller and enjoy. You have now successfully modified a Superpad into a RetroPort and Retro Advance controller using the Y and B buttons!

[Leo_A]

As promised before, here's how to modify a Superpad to 'correctly' work with the Super Retro Advance. This will also work nicely with the NES RetroPort and the default setting of the Super GameBoy.

You keep saying NES RetroPort. I assumed it was a typo the first time, but now I'm confused.

Don't you mean SNES RetroPort? This would be a good pairing with the Game Boy Player for another use or two button games like NES downloads on the Wii Virtual Console if one doesn't have the NES Retroport and wants something more comfortable than a sideways Wiimote.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

[regarding aspect ratio]

I suppose strictly speaking, 'cropped' isn't the correct word. On my CRTs, the image DOES get fully displayed, but the edges are in overscan territory, not natively visible unless you manually adjust the horizontal scan range.

On my HDTV, it does naturally adapt a "best fit" aspect ratio. It does this for all kinds of things. I don't see this as being stretched, but I suppose it could be seen that way by people who insist on 1:1 aspect ratios. I could've forced it to be 4:3, but my tv, camera, and even youtube all display in 16:9. It seems silly to put borders when it can be filled. That's just my personal feelings.





I'm going off my experiences with clones in general including Retro Bit products like the Retro Duo.

I'm shocked that these particular gamepads from Retro-Bit's aren't horrible as is typical. I'm somewhat skeptical that they're better than the stock gamepad but it definitely sounds promising.

They're excellent, best third party controllers in years. The dpads feel SO GOOD its hard to believe these controllers come from a the RetroDuo lineage, where the dpads have always left a lot to be desired.


You keep saying NES RetroPort. I assumed it was a typo the first time, but now I'm confused.

Don't you mean SNES RetroPort? This would be a good pairing with the Game Boy Player for another use or two button games like NES downloads on the Wii Virtual Console if one doesn't have the NES Retroport and wants something more comfortable than a sideways Wiimote.

haha, I suppose I mean the Retro-Bit RetroPort. The thing that lets you play NES games on the SNES by RetroBit. The problem is that RetroZone also a product called the NES RetroPort, which in their case is an NES to GameCube controller adapter.

[Leo_A]

I just edited it in so I bet you missed it, what's the controller cord length like on these? Generous or rather short like clone controllers often are?

[Satoshi_Matrix]

about 5 or 6 feet. typical SNES controller length.

[Leo_A]

Not too bad then. A 1st party gamepad from North America is close to 8' in length.

[BlastProcessing402]

4:3 and 3:2 are virtually identical to begin with.

@_@



On the controller debate, I've always found it maddening that the X and Y buttons were essentially "dead" when playing GBA games on the DS. I was pretty disappointed to see that this was still the case here. Why not have them mirror A and B, but reversed? If X mirrored the A button, then all this consternation regarding controller layout would be allayed. You'd have A and B in their original position, as well as the SNES convention of Y/B, just moved over one row. It's a perfect compromise that nobody does; I just don't understand it.

Great idea, but you know people would just complain about them being moved over a row (or worse that Y and B were "swapped" from how they "should" be) rather than praise it for being a good compromise.



But a safe way to go with no risk of buying junk that isn't expensive unless the price has ballooned recently are these. They're just as nice as Nintendo's own design, feels very similar, and obviously has turbo functionality.

http://www.thestrong.org/online-collections/images/Z006/Z00624/Z0062472.jpg

They're just as nice as Nintendo's own design because they are literally Nintendo's design. Or rather designed by the same subcontractor. You can even open an ASCII pad up and swap out it's short japanese length cord with a long US length 1st party cord, plug and play, no soldering or anything.

Best controller ever, BTW.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

I still don't agree with that. The Asciipad doesn't have enough throw in the dpad and the buttons. The much better, but much less well known option is the Hori Commander.

For people like you, I made a comparison video between the Asciipad and the Hori Commander showing off why I think the Asciipad is overrated and the Hori Commander doesn't get the praise it deserves in the west, at least.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWEqqu_jGCg&noredirect=1

[SparTonberry]

Hori controller.
Without even checking the odds of a Horifying Pricetag are probably good. :P

[Leo_A]

Great idea, but you know people would just complain about them being moved over a row (or worse that Y and B were "swapped" from how they "should" be) rather than praise it for being a good compromise.

X isn't doing anything so I don't see why someone would complain that it now was being mapped to the B button to provide the user with another option.

Short of going back in time to 1991 and relabeling Y & B as B & A like they really were since games were more likely to use those for your primary buttons, what they really should've done is just provide an options setting in the OS for the DS like they did back on the Super Game Boy accessory years earlier to solve this issue.

Nintendo just must not care since their own emulators on the 3DS do the same thing. Only Sega's own Game Gear emulator has button remapping options on the 3DS Virtual Console. I'm shocked they at least allow their Wii U VC emulators to have remapping options...

[Satoshi_Matrix]

My best guess as to why they would do this is for the sake of simplicity. If a game has an in-game tutorial that teaches you what each button does or has an in-game button configuration menu, they want the buttons labelled in-game to match the physical labels for the buttons.

Doing this makes the most sense if you're going to have a one button configuration. Why didn't they have multiple like the Super GameBoy and GameBoy Player? Probably because when the DS runs GBA games, it no longer is treated as a DS, but instead a GBA. It's very likely that this was a technical limitation on Nintendo's part rather than a plot against gamers or that it simply wasn't deemed important enough to spend the time adding button configs.

[SuperEliteGamer]

What the actual f*ck?
Ok,that's great and all i guess.
But....
What's the POINT???
1.I have a collection of GBA SPs.
2.And a GB Player
3.A DS Lite,too
4.There's a thing called emulators,you know.
You obsessed with stuff like that or something?

[Jorpho]

2.And a GB PlayerThere has already been some discussion of the relative disadvantages of that previously in this thread.


You obsessed with stuff like that or something?We're all just brainwashed, clearly.

[treismac]

You obsessed with stuff like that or something?

This is a video game forum, after all.

[SuperEliteGamer]

This is a video game forum, after all.

I meant obsessed with modding and all.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Ok,that's great and all i guess. But....What's the POINT???

The point is that this is an alternative to the GameBoy Player for GameCube to play your GBA games on a tv.


1.I have a collection of GBA SPs. 2.And a GB Player 3.A DS Lite,too.

Sure, so do I, so do most of us. This is an alternative, much like the GameBoy Micro was an alternative to the GBA SP. Retro-Bit's Super Retro Advance has certain clear advantages over the GameBoy Player, as I mentioned throughout this thread if you bothered to read.



4.There's a thing called emulators,you know.

Are you that guy that was defending the biggest troll on this forum in a long time, MyTurnToPlay? Anyway, agree with it or not, there are a large number of gamers - especially on retro gaming forums like this one, that prefer physical games and hardware to emulation and intangible digital downloads. If you prefer pure emulation and want to game on a tv, pick up an Ouya. It's GBA.emu plays 99% of GBA games flawlessly in 1080p on your big screen tv. It works beautifully.

Myself, I fall somewhere inbetween. I love physical media, but I also enjoy the convenience of emulation. I use my Super Retro Advance to play GBA games on my CRT, and My Ouya to play GBA games on my HDTV.

If you want to stick with emulation fine, that's great for you. but it's not and never will be the preference of everyone.



You obsessed with stuff like that or something?

Well duh. Retro gaming is a passion of mine, and it's presumably a passion of everyone else here. If it isn't a passion of yours, what are you even doing here?

[RP2A03]

I meant obsessed with modding and all.

I don't know about you, but I derive pleasure from molesting hardware.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Indeed. Modding/hacking is just fun. Same goes with games themselves. Why do we have cheat codes, cheat devices, rom hacks, etc? Because tweaking games is enjoyable. GameGenie codes that mess with things is fun to see.

[bb_hood]

The point is that this is an alternative to the GameBoy Player for GameCube to play your GBA games on a tv.


Yes, and it seems like a very good alternative. I have no desire to buy and hook up a Gamecube, nor do I like playing handheld nintendo consoles. I always have a snes hooked up.
I would consider getting one of these.

[Leo_A]

Probably because when the DS runs GBA games, it no longer is treated as a DS, but instead a GBA. It's very likely that this was a technical limitation on Nintendo's part rather than a plot against gamers or that it simply wasn't deemed important enough to spend the time adding button configs.

If they're able to redirect where the GBA's video output is displayed with a system setting, I don't see why buttons would pose a significant issue. I'm quite sure that Nintendo's engineers could've easily handled this had they decided to when they initially designed the DS.

[wiggyx]

I don't know about you, but I derive pleasure from molesting hardware.

This. More than playing games even.


I'm shocked that these particular gamepads from Retro-Bit's aren't horrible as is typical. I'm somewhat skeptical that they're better than the stock gamepad, but it definitely sounds promising.

AS you well should be. Remember, "better" is a relative term. I feel that the retrobit controllers' d-pad and buttons are too squishy and that they rebound too slowly. And after gutting one, i see why. The silicone bits are quite thin and have a sloppy fitment inside the shell.


As far as the Hori pad being "better" than the Ascii pad, they use virtually (if not entirely) identical components, so any difference between the two in terms of D-pad or button feel is likely due to inconsistent wear between the two rather than construction or components used.

[SuperEliteGamer]

@Satoshi_Matrix
Yes,i'm aware of the Ouya,it's cool.
And yes,there's something special about having physical copies.
But they cost.

@RP2A03
Lol,yeah,it's fun to experiement and all with stuff like that.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Speaking of modding, I modified an OEM SNES controller for use with the Super Retro Advance by redirecting the traces from B and A to Y and B. Same process as the Superpad, so I no longer need it, if anyone is interested in buying it.

To mod an OEM controller was a lot more challenging as the traces just don't like to be soldered to and they're also MUCH thinner.