I bought a Refurbished GameBoy Advance from Aliexpress for $50
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 มิ.ย. 2024
- I bought a refurbished GameBoy from Aliexpress for £38/$50... Let's open it up and see what inside! Is it worth it?
I bought this one: a.aliexpress.com/_mKgks5B
(I do not reccomend it & not affiliated link)
Screwdriver: ebay.to/2VTnTgA
Electric Screwdriver: ebay.to/31YAUJH
Soldering Iron: ebay.to/2VVj6uV
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This video was released early to my Patrons: patreon.com/theretrofuture
Oh thats why there are comment two days ago
What time is the livestream my good sir?
Around 8pm UK time
@@TheRetroFuture thank you
Agreed
"That's disgusting" *puts the membrane back*
i see some likes comin
*rub his chin with the same hand* that’s what concerned me more
409 like 😂
You missed the chance to call it the AliBoy lol
Alicrap.
saudi arabia taking notes.
AliBoy Express
From what I've seen around the internet, usually the replacement cases from China don't come with rubbers. So using the original rubbers in this is probably a way to maximize profit.
Replacing just parts instead of everything is a way of maximizing profit. I think elliot was expecting too much out of this one.
I have gotten 2 of these cases, one from ebay and one from Amazon. Both for Raspberry Pi powered systems. Both cases came with all rubber components.
This is the blue one I got from Amazon, comes with rubber pads.
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08C51R25B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
@@truealchiemist Well, the case without rubbers is $5 cheaper.
@@AmartharDrakestone Strange, I don't see a link anywhere to back dat up.
What else does it not come with?
@@truealchiemist Here you go: www.amazon.com/Replacement-Housing-Nintendo-Gameboy-Advance/dp/B07FQQL4VK/
Shell, buttons, screws, screen lens, back sticker and no membranes. $5 cheaper.
My guess - they scratched the contacts with wire wool. That'd explain the metal fragments....
Good eye.
Clearly this is a sign that I'm staying up too late since I'm watching this 8 minutes after is was released and I'm in australia ,oof
OOF!
I saw it launch, but I just went to bed when I saw the time!
Next video: Refurbishing a "Refurbished" Game Boy from Aliexpress.
"10 yawn"
Oh yes, that famous Chinese currency 😂😂
I made a joke about this too but mine got nery a like ☹️
@@Alexander_l322 I see you, I hear you, and your joke is valid
@@cool_sword thank you that means something to me.
@@Alexander_l322 do not worry, I'm on your side, too
@@z.e.l7412 thank you 😊
Was always curious about these. Yes, definitely try getting a refurbished gbc/gbp/dmg to see if you have the same luck!
Chinese factory worker: the pads aren't working.
Manager that doesn't know anything about electronics:
ScrATcH THeM
Don’t mind me, just doing my part by helping Retro with the algorithm...
Same :)
I will now say something unpopular, to further the conversation: Mince Pies always disappointed me, because I expected them to contain beef mince.
@Pourvase It’s funny when something goes full circle, and you end up loving it
@Pourvase not this time, I wasn’t. You’re close though if you wanna try again :D
Ah, every video needs an algorithm thread.
I’m so exited to see what happens next!
It’s absolutely disgraceful.
I come from the future and its rank to say the least.
@@TheRetroFuture lol
@@TheRetroFuture, I’m afraid that the stream on your other channel crashed.
$50!?! I should totally check aliexpress sometime. I was actually watching an Elliot coll video when this came out
Off topic - great to see most (I missed some of it) of your competition judging with Joey Does Tech. Must've been a tough decision. Congrats to the winners.
Merry Christmas Elliot, Emily and Diesel!
I was actually quite intrigued about this, because around here getting a used GBA will go for more than the listed Aliexpress one, but after seeing those scratched up contacts.. yeah probably better to save up a bit and invest more in individual replacement parts.
Also dealing with aliexpress is kind of a nightmare. Shipping times are insane. Customer service is non existent.
@@Deathtosquishy in my experience the tracking normally doesn’t work, so if the 3 months buyer protection wears out before receiving it, they normally provide a refund
Lol right and I waited 3 month for something that still hasnt arrived.
@@Deathtosquishy actually the extreme shipping times are often an issue with the service in your country. The packages arrive at your countries airport but since the postal service earns nothing when delivering these they just leave them there for a month before it gets processed. There are some more high priority packages that basically arrive in your country the same day but get delivered from there within a week while normal China post stuff just gets ignored for sometimes multiple month.
@@KiinaSu now that I believe. I don't understand it though. All it takes is a little effort and a little care for your fellow beings!
I would love to see you check a “refurbished” Gameboy SP, and see how Aliexpress butchers it!
Probably better then dkoldies.
Woah i've never been this early before. Thanks for the content! I have loved learning all about gameboys and fixing them as I only really knew computer hardware.
Awesome vid! Thank you for posting. Yes, please buy some more units. To see if this is how they do business. Thank you so much for the video.
3:37 I'm not sure if it's universal, but in the scale modelling world those parts are called flash, where plastic has spilled over the edge of the mould, and also seam/split lines which are basically the same thing but smaller and along the entire/most of the length rather than being little isolated parts. Extreme flash can sometimes leave you with little thin sheets of plastic sticking off the edges
When you find magnetic bits on the speaker, normally it can be traced back to the audio capacitors, chances are they are starting to wear out, which then causes oxidation on the magnetic part. You can try cleaning the speaker with isopropyl alcohol, or swap the speaker, but without replacing the Caps even a new replacement speaker may start to oxidize.
3:38 I think what you’re referring to is called “flash” when the plastic starts to leaks out of the seam of the mold during the injection process
Man, I've bought mine for ten bucks and got three games on top on it back then...
To be fair, the screen was scratched to hell and the buttons hardly worked anymore, but a new lense and some chrome polish to remove the oxidation (those pads were beyond isopropanols capabilities) did the trick. Thing looked great when I was done.
Speaking of lenses, are glass lenses worth it? The one I used is plastic and there's a dull spot that has always bothered me.
please crank up the aperture on your cameras. It would be nice if everything was in focus when you move it closer or further from the camera. Cheers!
I’d love to see what they’ve done to other sps, dmgs, pockets, etc
I always wonder how people could play without backlight back then
When I first got my GBA back in march I didn't got my IPS screen right away so I had to...it was doable but I never want to go back haha
I still have the one I bought new then I can tell you how. We had no other choice.
There was a little worm light I remember using as a kid that attached to it lol. It's no wonder my eyes are so bad now.
You had the Worm Light then. White LEDs were just hitting the market, and this was an early example of a white LED. It plugged into the link port, drawing power from the system. The GBA output lower voltage through the link port, and it was less effective on the GBA than the GBC.
we all had to get really good at holding our game boys at *just* the right angle where the screens caught the light from the lamp/sun/whatever without getting too bad of a screen glare
"you can find them for maybe 20 pounds" *shows eBay listing for Japan*. Yeah, if you don't count shipping or import taxes :D
Mate, I'm sure you've found some pretty cheap doing some effort scouting eBay for a while, but finding ones at 40 is a pretty good "Buy Now" price in 2020 if you take into account really cheap shipping (as AliExpress has).
Cheapest on US eBay right now is $60 and that's original and used, not refurbished.
i bought a used GBC on ebay £25 plus about £5 shipping. was in good working order. only problem was that developed, was the common sound issue with GBC's the caps.
@@stevensimpson3252 That's a nice find, too bad about the sound. I had 2 GBA's in my watchlist that went for about 25-30 (I picked up one of them), in between a sea of 40+ ones. They're there but they're certainly not the most prevalent and there's usually a compromise (eg. something stupid you'll have to fix or replace, like a battery cover or speaker). The other GB's (various models) I managed to pick up this month, were between 35 and 45 (not counting shipping) and I got lucky they were all in excellent shape.
@@rembrandx was the same lovely canary yellow colour, just like my original, which had battery leak corrosion, and which i couldnt find. so bought another on ebay. worked when it arrived, but gave it a bit of a clean inside and out with IPA and soap n water for the respective parts...just as Elliot does in many of his videos. Even the screen was in good condition, no scratches, obviously, aside from usual wear and signs of age.
I've seen some nintendo Ds lites in Aliexpress as well. I wonder if they are even worse than this...
You take a little of a gamble, normally they are ok, they have some use marks as they are mostly refurbished, I've bought one and still works fine after a year.
a.aliexpress.com/_mLdu4Qt
Like, one of these?
Can confirm that they are terrible, the Chinese shells for DS lites are absolutely garbage, and many times you get mix mashed top and bottom screens meaning you get 2 colour tones, top could be more blued and the bottom could be yellow. I bought one and I regret it
Try different GameBoys just to see ir they're poorly handled like that One, please. Greetings from Portugal, and a Merry Christmas!
"SOMEONE'S BEEN IN HERE!!!" - DankPods
To be fair, it is "refurbished".
But yeah, Frank would NOT be happy!
Could've found a better one at Cashies 😂
“Time to open up this nugget and see what it holds”
nugget boy
*opens the case* give up the treasures...
I love your videos and content. But. Are you ever doing the DS nitro video Elliot?
Hey buddy can we get an aftermarket batteries videos for the SP? There's a lot of stuff out there and as you've plenty experience I would trust your word on the subject. Cheers!!
So happy your channel is doing well
I'm kinda surprised the shell looked decently authentic (Judging from the "Start" & "Select" fonts and the Nintendo logo on top) instead of being something from a defective mold with different fonts.
3:35 The word for that is "flashing" - the stringy bits of plastic that have seeped out in the seams of a mold.
I would be curious to see what they did to the other Gameboy types such as a DMG. Are you going to make a video on your second channel of cleaning these poor Gameboys?
Bought my GBA on a trip to Thailand back in the day so the box and the color are a nice blast from the past.
Maybe the 2DS XL isn't considered retro yet. But could you look into the floppy screen hinges? I wish I could make it a little firmer.
I have been buying lots of handhelds from aliexpress lately. The family pocket 3000 is a great addition to my collection and would highly recomend it. This looks great
That's quite good, i bought one from someone that has seen water and had to replace all the switches(gba sp).
They used a little sandpaper to reveal more steel as the contacts are covered in a microfilm when 'refurbished'.... and rather than dissolve it, they opted for sandpaper.
Monsterous but not unheard of.
If they take the time to use new parts and clean most of the old ones, I'd say these Game boy's will sell pretty well. Personally, I prefer one where you can actually play in the Dark
I liked your take on something different the other day. Maybe do a Super Gameboy thing with fighters with multiple controllers and Wario Blast with four players with the multi tap. Some good titles are Animaniacs for music, Donkey Kong for Color, Space Invaders for Arcade and Namco Gallery series or even a crap one like Disney's Hercules would be neat. Great work. Thanks.
love your videos!
I have a GBA SP with backlit screen and a fake Pikachu shell from Aliexpress. The shell is a bit low quality but looks good enough and sometimes the speaker doesn't work unless I LIGHTLY bang the console against something soft, which is amusing. 50$ is 50$, I'm pleased enough with the purchase. Funnily enough I bought it because for the life of me I cannot find my original GBA SP...
Also depending on the seller, the customer service can be pretty good. I contacted mine because of the sound issue and he gave me an option to give me back 20$ so I can repair it myself if I want to or send the unit back for him to fix. I chose the former.
Sad to see that happen to a perfectly good GBA board
How did you comment 2 days ago????
@@vocationalview953they're a member
Perfect video! Cleaning the Ali Express Gameboy Advance! Actually make it look nice XD
How about checking out the Revo K101 plus? It supposedly plays gameboy advance original cartridges! Also available on AliExpress.
3:37 those are called ''flashing/flashings''
the chinese replacement shells for everything before the GBA SP seem to be really high quality (I've bought one for a GBC with a destroyed case so I could give it to a friend but... not broken, and one for a GBA, which I'm probably gonna get another one for and replace, maybe pick up one of the backlight mods that are easy to install). the moulding of those cases looks great in general.
i find it's better to potentially just buy a game boy with no housing (there are some on ali and ebay sold, actually) and the chinese housing, and try to get away with using the original buttons and screws.
yoo i was just thinking about buying it thanks for the video
I would love to see more of these kinds of videos, just to see the atrocious mess they make of the consoles, however I wouldn't want you wasting a bunch of money on them, although I would like to see if you can a) build a gameboy (any make or model, whatever is easiest) from parts bought on Aliexpress/eBay/Wish/what have you preferably all loose parts where possible, and, b) make a really nice modded gameboy (again, any make or model.) Using the cheapest stuff you can find on the same websites.
Hi Elliot do you know about the pokemon mini? I think you would love how game boy like it is and its also cartridge based. Have a gander at it when you can :3. I would love to see a video about it in any of your channels. Cheers
the particles on the speaker were attracted by over time usage because there is no filter in the speaker place
Got the same type of refurbished orange GBA about 5 years ago on eBay, looks like I need to take her apart and inspect the damage
I got my clear pink gba at a goodwill for $2 with a copy of the sims 2 in it for free lol. Just added a ips v2 mod and i love it to death.
saw some with the ips screen pre-modded in for around $90 a while ago, always wondered if I should pull the trigger
hey elliot, i found a really interesting cassette player called the cassette boy color. it's not too expensive and since you like gameboys and cassette players, it's right up your alley. im kinda interested in buying one haha. they're about $100 USD plus shipping on ebay for a few listings and the original DMG color is $269 USD. would be super cool if you could get one a post a video.
i wanna add that unfortunately it doesn't play games. it just looks like a small gameboy. but i wanted to know if its worth it or if it plays well.
I think they used "bombril" to clean the metal button contacts. This would explain the metal scraps on the speaker
the stringy bits, or burrs, found on molded plastic pieces is known as "flash"
The black stain may be the mold release agent from the machine that makes these. I see that kind of stain sometimes on cheaper PS and ABS model kits.
I just upgraded from a backlit purple GBA to a DMG-01 style shell V2 ips kit for the GBA. Very easy to do. I think they should have used fine steel wool on that electrolysis. Oops
Funnyplaying shells are really good quality, as close to original as I think you'd find.
im tempted to get a couple premodded ones off ali with the fairly high end display mods. I'd rather support bennvenn, frankly, but money has been ridiculously tight for me for longer than this year, and my mod skills are so out of practice. when i can afford cool stuff again, i think i'll go for some of his stuff (and retromodding and all)
Great work Elliot. That's a very useful thing you did in this video. I wanna ask you something. I bought a cracked Super Nintendo for 9 pounds/45 lei (I'm from Romania and here we use "Lei") from a local website and I don't found anywhere a new shell for this console. Where can I find such a thing? Thank you.
I bought my DsLite on Aliexpress. The diagonals of the D-pad don't work properly, the L and R buttons are hard to register but otherwise it's fine. I never checked the inside of it but it might be dirty. It really depends on the Aliexpress seller! (I wish i knew how to fix the diagonals, it's really annoying)
hack on some mechanical keyboard switches to a gameboy.
i recommend kailh choc switches since they are low profile. I like the sound of kailh choc jades.
Dang! Was there really an official orange GBA back in the early 2000's? I love it!🧡
Such a shame to think how many pcb's they've damaged by scratching up the button contacts like this. So unnecessary! those contacts will oxidize way faster now most the copper has been removed :(
If alcohol doesn't do the job, use a pensil eraser, if that doesn't work, use vinegar to remove some oxidation, then resolder/tin the pads. Never ever scratch the thing!!!
hey man, not sure if this is the best place to ask, but whats your method for getting stripped and/or stubborn screws out of a GBA SP? love your work and youve inspired me to try modding, but im stuck on these damn screws!
Thanks for doing this, I was looking for a cheap gba
Great video lad keep up with the good work
My network kind of down so i watching this on a 2g network horrible loading time even at 144p, but retro reviewing a purchase item i cant missed that.
Hey there Retro future! I brought a Gameboy Advance SP off of eBay for AU$140 with a case to put games and the SP in, and a charger. However there is some sort of orange stuff on the screen I have never seen before. Is the screen wearing out?
The burrs are called flash, btw. Or rather it's where they did a poor job of trying to get rid of flash and left behind a jagged mess.
The term you're looking for (for the stringy bits of plastic) is flashing!
Great video keep it up.
This is crazy! super cheap too for a gba!
You can't find game boys at that price here (10-20 pounds) here they are sell at the aliexpress price or higher, so it's a good option. I've bought things there before and my purchases has been protected, and get half or full refund if there's a problem with the product.
the injection moulding defects you mentioned are called 'flashes'.
Here in Germany a gba is around 50€ with lot of scatches etc 😫
Bin auch schon länger auf der Suche! :(
@@moskbarto9436 Wenn du was weißt, gern melden. :)
And here, right next to Germany (in Czech Republic) we don't even have a gameboys to buy and if, it's like 100 euros so this is why I am here thinking about buying one from aliexpress (because it's even cheaper than buying from UK for 30 pounds + 20 pounds shipping + tax)
lol. I have 3 normal GBA and 3 SP I think I'm good without this one. I've also bought one of those replacement shells and they aren't very good but might still be better if your GBA has become yellow from sun light.
might be worth getting one of these just to have a cheap gba to mod. soldering a power switch and swapping a screen and shell doesn't sound like a terrible deal
i finished the video and um, nevermind
I think they used a Dremel tool with an iron brush bit. It looks similar.
There are some backlit gbas on aliexpress for like 70 pounds which you could look at!
Good video Mate
I buyd it in like 2017 and it worked really well for me and it still working great .
I guess now I know who to blame for buying out those gameboy lots from Yahoo Japan Auctions. Shame really these undergo shoddy refurbishing so you have to refurbish them once again.
BTW if someone was interested in those you can upgrade to Aliexpress Standard Shipping for about 4 EUR so you probably won't end up waiting for it so long as Elliot did.
Yes! If you could find a Game Boy Micro, that would be so cool!
54 Dollars is actually a pretty good price in switzerland. Most people here think their old dirty GBAs are worth gold or something. So if you intent to mod it anyways one form aliexpress would actually be less expensive.
Love your videos better when you refurbish or rebuild the gameboys
Now get one of those pre backlight modded ones
You mentioned something about the speaker not being crackly, and they might've cleaned it with IPA. Is that something that is a reliable fix for crackling speakers, cleaning the surface of the speaker itself?
Yes buy some more!. Weird they'd scratch the living heck outta the contacts what gave them the idea that was good?.
Do a vid fixing the mistakes I reckon since there'd be more than a few of these getting around
If they ever do a modern TV series of Adrian Mole, this guy should play him.
I'd like to see more of these
Me sees gbas being cheap in a 2 year old video immediately goes to ebay and gets disappointed from prices.
lmfao yesterday I was watching a video in 0.25 speed in order to catch a perfect screenshot and forgot about it, so this video started at that speed and Elliott sounded massively drunk lmao
Being new to the modding community, I heard mentioned several times in this video to use isopropyl alcohol to clean the motherboard, contacts, etc. and I wanted to ask, is there a specific type of percentage isopropyl alcohol I should use or is any fine?