The original GBA was a console that was surprisingly powerful in comparison with previous Game Boy models. Nintendo’s philosophy of making the most of old technology was clearly present in the Game Boy line. However, with the successor to the Game Boy Color Nintendo intended to give fans a powerful system that wouldn’t be a slouch in comparison with home consoles. The original plan was to create a handheld as powerful as an N64. While that handheld never came to fruition, the GBA was still powerful. As a 32-bit system it rivalled the Playstation in raw graphical power. It is even capable of 3D graphics as is on show in games such as Ecks Vs Sever, Super Monkey Ball, and Sega Rally Championship. The big drawback with the system was and is that it isn’t backlit. The screen can appear very dark at times, to the point that often it is difficult to see the action on screen. Hispeedido have provided a non-laminated, IPS display, that doesn’t require soldering, and is easy to install. This upgrade is competing with the IPS screens for the GBA from Funnyplaying and RetroSix. Read on to find out how well it works as a backlit option for the original GBA.
Installation
The screen kit is ‘drop in’ so no soldering is necessary for it to work. To control the brightness and filter options there are two touch pads that can be placed at convenient locations inside the shell for use. The Kit comes in a hard plastic case which is great, as it means nothing can get squashed in a bag. Inside the case is the screen itself, the screen board, lens, and both sizes of ribbon cables (the GBA’s use two different sized ribbon cables depending on model). This came in handy since the donor GBA that I used, contained the rarer, smaller ribbon socket.
Upon assembly, I prepared a purple official shell and used black buttons to make the build look like an upgraded stock system (original consoles were purple with grey buttons). After some effort getting the ribbon cables the right way around and making sure that everything fitted well, the system was ready to be closed up. The kit didn’t come with a bracket which would have made screen alignment easier. However, all fitted quite well anyway. Overall, the installation is quite an easy and satisfying process.
Looks and Performance
The buttons that I used had a subtle rubberized feel that made control feel fluid. The screen itself is bright, even on low settings. In the image below you can see how bright the screen is in comparison to a AGS 001. The brightness is a good few times brighter than with the original GBA SP. However, perhaps due to no bracket coming with the kit, there is some pressure on the lower right side of the screen which results in a lighter area on the bottom right. This is only visible when the screen is black, like during certain menu operations. The contrast of the screen seems to be very good, and things appear clear, rather than washed out.
This is a non-laminated kit, meaning that the screen and lens are seperate. The positive of this setup is that if you drop the system, it’ll be the lens that smashes (which is a cheap replacement), rather than the expensive actual screen smashing (as would be the case in a laminated display). The build looks great both in terms of the shell, and the screen. I am using the system with a GBA Everdrive, and have tested multiple, different titles. I haven’t noticed any dead pixels or screen tearing. In terms of battery life, the IPS screen draws a lot of power even from modern AA batteries. I would advise purchasing a battery pack mod for your GBA with this IPS kit. Hispeedido themselves offer battery mods, as do FunnyPlaying and other companies in this business. Without a battery mod, the AA batteries will last roughly around the same as with the FunnyPlaying kits. This, combined with a retail price of around £50 (£10 less than the RetroSix IPS kits) mean that the HISPEEDIDO kits are great value for money when you are looking for a quality backlit screen for a GBA.
Conclusion
The HiSpeedido IPS kit for GBA is a great backlight kit that is bright, colorful, and devoid of many of the problems that can effect LCD screens. If you have a GBA, the screen is probably going to be bothersome, as you can’t see many games in medium light conditions. It was a bit of an insult when Nintendo released the GBA in 2002 with no backlight. The HiSpeedido screen is economical at around £50, and is easy to install. I’ve really enjoyed putting this build together and testing it. If you’re going to upgrade the screen your options will be between the HiSpeedido, FunnyPlaying, and RetroSix versions. The HiSpeedid IPS kit should be considered as one of the better options. The kit I’ve reviewed is not laminated, and that allows for a wider range of shells to be used. Overall it’s a great kit. Happy gaming.
BongoBongo123 is an avid Zelda fan who also likes the odd game of Smash. His interests in gaming are broad but he loves a good Metroidvania or action RPGs.