This modder proves everything’s better with a GBA SP screen attached
Is this a Game Boy Advance SP or Nintendo DS Lite? Who can say? | Image: Retrohai hai Softbank
Have you ever looked at a Nintendo DS and thought it would be cooler if the top screen was swapped for the Game Boy Advance SP’s? Or looked at a Super Nintendo controller and wished it had a GBA SP screen bolted onto the back? Whether you have or not, Hardware modder Hairo Satoh, aka Retrohai hai Softbank, has you covered with some truly cursed reimaginings of Nintendo’s portable consoles. (Recall their portable emulated PlayStation built into the Takara Roulette Controller.)
Let’s go on a little journey through Satoh’s Instagram account. Before we get into my favorite mutated Nintendo handhelds — frankententos, if you will — know that Satoh also does some very pretty custom jobs on the company’s various portable consoles. And they’re made to order.
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A post shared by Hairo Satoh (@haihaisb)
This one they posted recently is a good example. We are Known Transparent Case Stans here at The Verge, but this goes a step further with its colorful hologram stickers and ChromaFlair-style color-changing sheen. Oh, and it runs Game Boy Advance games.
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A post shared by Hairo Satoh (@haihaisb)
That controller mod I mentioned up top isn’t the only time Satoh has turned a console gamepad into its own handheld. The GBA SP’s screen looks remarkably at home on an SNES (well, Super Famicom, technically) pad…
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A post shared by Hairo Satoh (@haihaisb)
…and on a PS2 Dual Shock controller, too.
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A post shared by Hairo Satoh (@haihaisb)
But why not jam one onto a Nintendo DS Lite, too? It doesn’t make sense at all, even if this is a mash-up of the two most attractive pieces of hardware Nintendo ever made, but I don’t need any justification for this thing’s existence. Also, this is the point where things start getting a little cursed.
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A post shared by Hairo Satoh (@haihaisb)
I guess this is also a Nintendo DS?
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A post shared by Hairo Satoh (@haihaisb)
Again, but more colorful.
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A post shared by Hairo Satoh (@haihaisb)
Ah yes, the Original Game Boy Advance SP DS (OGBASPDS).
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A post shared by Hairo Satoh (@haihaisb)
I’m enamored with the concept of a multi-position adjustable screen on this original DS.
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A post shared by Hairo Satoh (@haihaisb)
What if… GBA SP but also T-Mobile Sidekick?
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A post shared by Hairo Satoh (@haihaisb)
Give me this and the ability to emulate the fantastic vertical-scrolling shooter Ikaruga, please.
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A post shared by Hairo Satoh (@haihaisb)
I’m sorry, what?
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A post shared by Hairo Satoh (@haihaisb)
Ah, yes, this makes sense.
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A post shared by Hairo Satoh (@haihaisb)
I can’t say I understand the extra buttons and d-pad here, but I respect the chaos.
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A post shared by Hairo Satoh (@haihaisb)
The Nintendo Long Boy DS.
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A post shared by Hairo Satoh (@haihaisb)
I think this is probably the final boss of Satoh’s inventive creations.
Satoh didn’t respond to us when we reached out, but we’d love to know more about these creations. How much of these are made up of custom hardware on the inside? How many of them are emulating Nintendo’s handhelds, rather than rejiggering its original hardware components to fit? If we receive a response, we’ll dig in some more.
Is this a Game Boy Advance SP or Nintendo DS Lite? Who can say? | Image: Retrohai hai Softbank
Have you ever looked at a Nintendo DS and thought it would be cooler if the top screen was swapped for the Game Boy Advance SP’s? Or looked at a Super Nintendo controller and wished it had a GBA SP screen bolted onto the back? Whether you have or not, Hardware modder Hairo Satoh, aka Retrohai hai Softbank, has you covered with some truly cursed reimaginings of Nintendo’s portable consoles. (Recall their portable emulated PlayStation built into the Takara Roulette Controller.)
Let’s go on a little journey through Satoh’s Instagram account. Before we get into my favorite mutated Nintendo handhelds — frankententos, if you will — know that Satoh also does some very pretty custom jobs on the company’s various portable consoles. And they’re made to order.
This one they posted recently is a good example. We are Known Transparent Case Stans here at The Verge, but this goes a step further with its colorful hologram stickers and ChromaFlair-style color-changing sheen. Oh, and it runs Game Boy Advance games.
That controller mod I mentioned up top isn’t the only time Satoh has turned a console gamepad into its own handheld. The GBA SP’s screen looks remarkably at home on an SNES (well, Super Famicom, technically) pad…
…and on a PS2 Dual Shock controller, too.
But why not jam one onto a Nintendo DS Lite, too? It doesn’t make sense at all, even if this is a mash-up of the two most attractive pieces of hardware Nintendo ever made, but I don’t need any justification for this thing’s existence. Also, this is the point where things start getting a little cursed.
I guess this is also a Nintendo DS?
Again, but more colorful.
Ah yes, the Original Game Boy Advance SP DS (OGBASPDS).
I’m enamored with the concept of a multi-position adjustable screen on this original DS.
What if… GBA SP but also T-Mobile Sidekick?
Give me this and the ability to emulate the fantastic vertical-scrolling shooter Ikaruga, please.
I’m sorry, what?
Ah, yes, this makes sense.
I can’t say I understand the extra buttons and d-pad here, but I respect the chaos.
The Nintendo Long Boy DS.
I think this is probably the final boss of Satoh’s inventive creations.
Satoh didn’t respond to us when we reached out, but we’d love to know more about these creations. How much of these are made up of custom hardware on the inside? How many of them are emulating Nintendo’s handhelds, rather than rejiggering its original hardware components to fit? If we receive a response, we’ll dig in some more.