The Game Boy Advance is a console that not only leveraged the success of its predecessors, but also established several rules in the world of handheld systems. Two decades after its official release, the classic GBA remains relevant thanks to an impressive number of hacks and modifications, and one of the most interesting projects is GBA Remote Play, which will let you turn your Game Boy Advance into a retro multi-console with the help of RetroPie and a Raspberry Pi.
During its nine years of official availability, the Game Boy Advance received all kinds of accessories (official and otherwise) designed to expand its basic functions. From wireless adapters to TV series and movies on cartridges, MP3 players, and even blood glucose meters (no joke), the console could do far more than Nintendo ever suggested… provided it was paired with the right hardware. In fact, its predecessors had even more outlandish options, including a helmet that drugged children.
Fast forward twenty years, and the console is fertile ground for modders and enthusiasts around the world. One of them is Rodrigo Alfonso, who recently shared on GitHub the necessary steps to reproduce his project GBA Remote Play. What's the idea? Turn a Game Boy Advance into a retro multi-console by streaming from a Raspberry Pi loaded with RetroPie, without sacrificing portability.
GBA Remote Play: Your Game Boy Advance as a Retro Multi-Console
The technical details Rodrigo shared on GitHub are impressive and definitely worth a deeper read, but if you just want to know the basic requirements to build your own GBA Remote Play, you'll need a Raspberry Pi 3B or higher, a Game Boy Advance cartridge to serve as the support for the rest of the hardware, a 3D-printed shell, a Link cable, a 18650 battery with a compatible holder, a voltage booster, speakers, a mini amplifier, and all the basic soldering accessories.
The surgery session isn't too extensive, and a good part of the process is optional (if you want, you can skip the overclocking on the console), but the plan is to force the Game Boy Advance to boot via Link, so that the Raspberry Pi prepared with RetroPie and the rest of the software streams to the console. As if that weren't enough, you can also modify the resolution, using 120x80 pixels in a 2x tile pattern, or 240x80 and add fake scanlines for an even more retro CRT effect. What are you waiting for? That console isn't going to hack itself.
Official GitHub profile: Click here | Source: Hackaday
