r/GameboyAdvance • • Jul 13 '20

A Beginner's Guide to Authentic Cartridges

226 Upvotes

Hello everyone, as you all know GBA cartridges can be extremely difficult to find in person nowadays and even more so for some authentic ones. That being said, if you're unsure in any way how to determine a fake from real cartridge, this is the post for you!

For more help, feel free to visit r/gameverifying for all your identification needs!

Keep in mind that to ensure the best chances of an authentic cartridge, you should be wary of:

  • Unusually low prices (if it's too good to be true, chances are it's too good to be real!)
  • Products made or sent from China (enough said)
  • Sellers using stock images (NEVER purchase a product that isn't an image of the cartridge itself)

That being said, where do we start looking?

It can be a bit difficult, but there are actually some very good tells when it comes to finding real games like the color, font, positioning, and quality of the cartridge. For example, let's pretend you're looking for an authentic US copy of Pokemon Firered.

Some things you can look out for should be:

  1. Color: All Pokemon GBA games come in their respective colors (including Leafgreen and Emerald by a slight margin) with Firered being red and not orange. While most cartridges come in a singular shade of gray, two particular exceptions are the GBA video cartridges which come in light gray casings and (Classic) NES series which match the console's respective color. Interestingly enough, due to the GBA's expansive library there consist of unique games that do not fit the standard color and size of a GBA cartridge, which include games such as Yoshi's Topsy Turvy, Drill Dozer, and many other variations listed here. (1)
  2. Label: By observing a label's ESRB rating, official seal, game code, and more, you can determine its authenticity. Unlike other GBA games, Pokemon games will always have a shiny/holographic label, an indented circle in its center, and an embossed number on the right side, which is pretty much its production number. However while it is a good way to determine authenticity, there are cases where these numbers will have naturally worn away or quality repros that have embossed their own cartridges. All in all, always make sure to compare your cartridge to an authentic one online to confirm fonts, font sizes, positioning, etc.
  3. Cartridge: In the case of buying a physical cartridge yourself, this may be one on the most helpful things to know. The easiest things to look out for are the Gameboy logo on top of the label, and arrow below the label. If the logo is written in the wrong font, appears to have been cut deeper than normal, or if the arrow is too small, it's a repro. The back will always state: MODEL NO. AGB-002 / PAT. PEND. MADE IN JAPAN like its GBC predecessor. However, this is easy to reproduce so the final thing to check yourself is both the screw and board under the cartridge. GBA cartridges will only ever use a triwing screw, the same one used on all GBA consoles. More importantly (if you can), be sure to grab a flashlight and check the slot. Above the pins, there should be an official Nintendo logo and presumably its cartridge number.

In the case of Pokemon games always check for:

  • A holographic label and an embossed number if possible
  • Proper fonts and positions (FRLG and RSE labels are mildly different)
  • A battery behind the label on the right side (only applies to RSE)
  • Four squares on the back of the cartridge ( always on the left)
  • Pins on the board ( One of the easiest things to spot on faked cartridges, all GBA games will always have pins )

If there are any other questions, please feel free to leave them below and discuss!

Useful Links:

(1) https://www.reddit.com/r/Gameboy/comments/6i19k4/gba_game_cartridge_colors/


r/GameboyAdvance • • 5h ago

Total collection, what ya think

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41 Upvotes

Got it from my aunts childhood home when cleaning, asked if I could have it, said yes. Only two things that don't work are the battery back plate, the clip snapped, and the light screen thing just below the cartridge case.


r/GameboyAdvance • • 5h ago

Finally got the new shell , buttons and screen! First time putting one together but I’m proud of how it came out!

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18 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance • • 9h ago

I ported my Mode7 style racing game to the GBA with 4 player link cable multiplayer using my own GBA Maker IDE! Would anyone be interested in the tool?

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24 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

I ported my arcade racing game VORTEX to the Game Boy Advance using my own GBA Maker tool!

VORTEX was originally my dream project. I always wanted to make a 16-bit style Mode7 racing game, inspired by those classic retro arcade racers. I eventually made it as a browser game, with pseudo 3D graphics, fast arcade gameplay and multiplayer. But I always wanted to see it running on an actual console.

So I decided to port it to the GBA!

The GBA version features Mode7 style graphics, up to 4 player link cable multiplayer and probably some of the best music you'll ever hear on a GBA haha! GBA Maker supports WAV audio, so I could bring the original soundtrack over without being limited to traditional GBA sound generation. ;D

And yes, it runs on real GBA hardware!

The original browser version:
https://caffeinated.pl/vortex

Soon, I'll release VORTEX GBA on itch.io too!

I've been developing GBA Maker alongside GBC Maker. It's still in very rough shape, but it's already capable of building games like VORTEX using simple Lua like syntax, without needing to dive into low level GBA programming.

Would you guys be interested in a code first GBA development tool like this? What features would you want it to have?


r/GameboyAdvance • • 11h ago

Reshelled it this last weekend. Pretty proud since it's my first SP

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31 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance • • 9h ago

Today's haul from my favorite local retro store! 🥰

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21 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance • • 56m ago

Buttons seem to have stop working in only this game?

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• Upvotes

In Magical Vacation (original japanese cart) the start button isn't pulling up the menu to save (which I could do earlier.)

I can walk around with the d pad and interact with A button but in combat I can't do anything but pull up the reference chart with the left trigger and hit back with B.

Buttons seem to all work in my other games and were working in Magical Vacation earlier. Any help would be much appreciated


r/GameboyAdvance • • 7h ago

Nyko accessories Game Boy Advance ad

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4 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance • • 2h ago

How do I know they real?

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0 Upvotes

Just purchased these off ebay couple days ago. Do any look fake? How do I tell?


r/GameboyAdvance • • 1d ago

This will be my first pokemon game ever .

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38 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance • • 5h ago

This is a legit copy, right? It’s online for way too little money!

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0 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance • • 6h ago

Gpsp cable link suport!!

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0 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance • • 6h ago

Bit Generations - Nintendo maximum minimalistic

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1 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance • • 10h ago

Teste de cena de luta no GBA Studio

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1 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance • • 1d ago

Today I went bankrupt 🥲💸

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167 Upvotes

Today I finally bought the old Nintendo handheld that was missing from my collection. It was painful, but I finally got it. 💸💸💸💴

I currently live in Japan and the prices here are ridiculous. Even in hidden shops out in the countryside, it feels like everything has turned into a tourist trap.


r/GameboyAdvance • • 1d ago

Anyone else with a custom ags101

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35 Upvotes

I modded this guy a while back do you prefer a stock version or a modded shell swap version. I picked this guy up with a Gameboy case and dslite that was near mint and Pokemon blue for 75 at a thriftstore. I got super lucky but the ags was beat to hell so doing the shell swap was the logical option. Did a battery swap on this one shell swap and flash cart and protective case.


r/GameboyAdvance • • 1d ago

GB Albums

4 Upvotes

Hi all. I write punk and metal on the gamboy using lsdj. I recently turned my LSDJ sav files in Gameboy roms thanks to Bird Cartel. The link is below. They are all free:

https://optimuschad.itch.io


r/GameboyAdvance • • 1d ago

Gameboy Advance Kirby Bubbles

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45 Upvotes

Laminated screen. IPS v5


r/GameboyAdvance • • 1d ago

My Complete Game Boy Advance FPS Collection: All 13 Titles

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45 Upvotes

I’ve finally completed my collection of all 13 first-person shooters released for the Game Boy Advance.
There are 16 boxes in the photo because I own both the North American and PAL versions of DOOM II, Duke Nukem Advance, and Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever. I picked up the extra copies because I found them in good condition.
Some of the games, including Ice Nine and Greg Hastings’ Tournament Paintball Max’d, are still factory-sealed.
The final game I needed was Greg Hastings’ Tournament Paintball Max’d, which arrived recently. Interestingly, it received a score of just 2.2/10 from GameSpot.
From DOOM and Duke Nukem Advance to more obscure titles like BackTrack and Ice Nine, it’s fascinating to see how different developers approached first-person shooters on the GBA’s limited hardware.


r/GameboyAdvance • • 1d ago

Low volume

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5 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

Just finished a full restoration on this guy right here, everything works fine and the board Is perfect (no corrosion or resolder stains).

Since i bought It the audio has been super low, i couldnt see any corrosion and the audio capacitor Is fine, what could be the problem? The volume slider works from half to full, the First half of the slider Is mute and the It starts to turn the volume up, without headphones i can barely hear It, with headphones on tho it's a Little bit louder.

Any advice?


r/GameboyAdvance • • 2d ago

2002 me: holy crap how is this game possible???

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242 Upvotes

Saw the new Street Fighter movie. Was so entertaining, it inspired me to play through older games. It's crazy how devs were able to scale down the full Street Fighter Alpha 3 experience into a single GBA cartridge.


r/GameboyAdvance • • 1d ago

Is this cartridge legit?

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3 Upvotes

I just got this Fire Emblem Pal, and I’d like to know if the cartridge is legit. Thanks in advance to everyone for your help! 😁


r/GameboyAdvance • • 1d ago

Players choice boxes

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26 Upvotes

Going through old stuff, I found these games from my childhood. After some research and going through the boxes, Leafgreen is only one that still has all the contents (the other boxes have the cartridges but not all the manuals, etc). Not much of a gamer anymore but from what I’ve seen online is that they have some value. I was wondering what I should do - not in a rush to sell them so are these considered long term holds? If not I’d happily sell them right now

Edit: please remove if not allowed thanks!


r/GameboyAdvance • • 1d ago

How can i solve this problem?

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5 Upvotes

I found this GBA AGB-001 on the street; it won't turn on. I tried taking it apart, but I couldn't find the problem—can anyone help me?


r/GameboyAdvance • • 1d ago

Chromacore,(free homebrew)

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9 Upvotes

I just released Chromacore, a tiny arcade game for the GBA. Think Puzzle Bopple as Tetris, but one button. It’s free!

I originally made this game over 10 years ago during a weekend game jam, but never released it. It was originally made in Unity targeting iPhone. I found the old repo for it, and realised it would be a good fit for the GBA. New version is implemented in the agbrs.dev framework