Super Retro Advance Adapter indepth Review

[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.



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.

[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.



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.



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.


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.


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.

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