Super Retro Advance Adapter indepth Review

[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 Player

There 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.

[nusilver]

Hey Satoshi, long time no talk! I saw this on Twitter and have become incredibly interested thanks to your review. Nice work, as always!

I wanted to ask, in your conclusion to your review you say that it's not as good as a GBP, but you don't really elaborate on why, unless I'm just overworked and failing at comprehension. Can you, please?

I have a GBP, of course - like many, it's the only reason I still have a GameCube - but I rarely yes it because it means having to hook up the GameCube, whereas my SNES is ALWAYS ready to go (I also recently got a 1CHIP, by the way.....yay!)

Also, it's incredibly easy to replace the lead on a Super Famicom controller with that from an American SNES controller. I'll never understand why EVERYBODY doesn't do this! Lol.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

in your conclusion to your review you say that it's not as good as a GBP, but you don't really elaborate on why, unless I'm just overworked and failing at comprehension

Well I think that might just be the case! lol

Actually, the SRA is better than the GPB in most aspects. The video quality, the sound clarity, the way the games fill an entire 4:3 CRT screen without being windowed, or fill a 16:9 HDTV with only a hint of a black border. The clone is great, playing games just like the real hardware to the point you'd never know it's a clone.

The biggest problem with the SRA is lack of GB and GBC support. It still means if you want to play GBC games on a tv without emulation you need a GBP. But for all things GBA, this is my adapter of choice.

[nusilver]

Well I think that might just be the case! lol

Actually, the SRA is better than the GPB in most aspects. The video quality, the sound clarity, the way the games fill an entire 4:3 CRT screen without being windowed, or fill a 16:9 HDTV with only a hint of a black border. The clone is great, playing games just like the real hardware to the point you'd never know it's a clone.

The biggest problem with the SRA is lack of GB and GBC support. It still means if you want to play GBC games on a tv without emulation you need a GBP. But for all things GBA, this is my adapter of choice.

Thanks! Yeah. I gotta have this. Unfortunately I haven't found a media contact at RetroBit/Innex - I could review for IGN or for my own site -so I'll have to wait until next month since it's freelance tax season. Cheers!

[Spartacus]

I thought I give my opinion as just an everyday gamer.

I purchased a new Super Retro Advance Adapter on Ebay for $34.99 shipped after reading this thread. I did notice that the Retro Adapter filled more of the screen on a CRT TV than did the Gameboy Player. But there was no difference between the two when I used it on an 32" LCD TV, which I personally prefer to play on.

After a lot of back and forth comparisons on both TV's, I could not pick a clear winner as to which had a better picture on either TV.

What I did notice was that the audio for the Retro Adapter was muted compared to the Gameboy Player on both TV's. Turning up the sound on the TV's wasn't any problem, and after adjusting the audio, they sounded the same to me.

What I enjoyed the most about Retro Adapter was using an SNES controller to play. I also purchased two Retro-Bit's Super Retro Controllers on Ebay for $10 shipped and thought they were great for the price.

I would expect to pay about the same for a Gameboy Player with disc as I did for the Retro Adapter. To me, the ability to play GB, GBC and GBA games with the Gameboy Player makes it a much better deal.

My only real problem with the Gameboy Player is that it's attached to the Gamecube and I have to use Gamecube controllers to play Gameboy games. The standard Gamecube controller doesn't feel right with Gameboy games. The Hori Digital Controller is better, but it's expensive. I found Gamecube gamepads on Ebay for $6.95 shipped from China. For the price, I can't really can't complain and it provides a cheap solution to my only real complaint about using the Gameboy Player.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

What I did notice was that the audio for the Retro Adapter was muted compared to the Gameboy Player on both TV's. Turning up the sound on the TV's wasn't any problem, and after adjusting the audio, they sounded the same to me.

Whoa whoa, are you sure about that? I did quite a few tests comparing this to the GBP, and I found the complete opposite - it's the GBP that's muffled compared to to the much clearer sound of the SRA! This was the case on both my CRT and HDTV, but more clearly on the CRT.

My only real problem with the Gameboy Player is that it's attached to the Gamecube and I have to use Gamecube controllers to play Gameboy games. The standard Gamecube controller doesn't feel right with Gameboy games. The Hori Digital Controller is better, but it's expensive. I found Gamecube gamepads on Ebay for $6.95 shipped from China. For the price, I can't really can't complain and it provides a cheap solution to my only real complaint about using the Gameboy Player

Except that those things are absolute piles of shit. The build quality is so low they could break by looking at them funny. My advise would be to save your money and buy a RetroZone SNES RetroPort and use an OEM SNES controller if you must go the GBP way.