Turning a Nintendo DS into a Game Boy Macro* 

i did this with an original ds with a broken top screen and it was very easy. i want to clarify for anyone reading this that you don't need to buy a nintendo switch speaker if you're not using the boxy pixel top case - you can re-use the one from your top screen. you also don't have to work with that tiny resistor - they make resistors in many different sizes and shapes that are much easier to hold and solder. for the top case i just used what i already had and cut the hinges off and used some bondo to fill in the holes.

I put an IPS screen and rechargeable USB-C battery in a GBA I got for 40$. The entire thing cost me less than $130 and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Highly recommend. No soldering involved, so it was pretty easy to do. Love your videos!

I just did an IPS mod on my childhood GBA, and I think it is definitely a better option then creating a DS Macro. I can play GB, GBC and GBA games with a backlight and better screen now. The DS macro seems to only make sense if you have a broken DS. I also personally prefer the GBA form factor. Playing Metroid Fusion on the screen is amazing!

Brass products are a little more demanding than Boxypixel's usual anodized aluminum products. Brass will tarnish with time and normal-use, so it's highly recommended to polish, neutralize, and clear-coat the brass piece before installing it for your mod. This will preserve the brass reflective finish and prevent tarnishing for that 24/7 beautiful golden aesthetic. It isn't hard, just costs a few extra bucks and a day's worth of time. (Drying takes quite some time.)

RIP for those two DSs

For me, I love the form factor of the GBA and PSP, so the macro idea does appeal to me, but I think I'd probably want to just do a screen mod on a GBA instead. Plus I can play GB, GBC carts too.

Glad to hear your conclusions on the macro mod! I've modded many Nintendo handhelds at this point. The original wide GBA with a 101 screen mod is my favorite way to play GBA, even though I have an Analogue Pocket. Though the Pocket dock is amazing for non-handheld play. I love the DS, it has a decent library and the Lite model can play GBA. When the Macro mod first started popping up I thought it was cute, but kind of wasteful. Now that it's blown up years later, I kind of really hate it. There is so much functionality that is just cut out to make a more awkward GBA with a not very great display... GBA mods with 101 screens and IPS screens are cheaper, easier, and have WAY better looking displays. A DS Lite can play GBA games just fine, WITHOUT chopping it up and throwing away it's main DS game function, PLUS you get the flip screen for easy pocketing / screen protection! If you want a great way to play GBA, just mod a GBA, or buy a DS with a 101 screen... or buy a DS Lite and just play it? Does your DS Lite already has a broken top screen? If you can mod well enough to make a GBA Macro, you can mod well enough to fix a DS Lite top screen. There is an issue with DS Lites where the R button always stops working. It's my biggest complaint about the DS. I have fixed a few in my day, and if you make the system into a Macro, this R button issue will still happen! Uhhh, thanks to anyone who actually read this whole thing To people who love their Macro builds, I am glad you're happy with them. It's a slick and creative mod that I just personally don't care for.

I actually use my DS Lite to play DS games with an R4 and GBA with the EZ Flash Omega, love it, the size and clam shell design is perfect for portable gaming

There is a solution to the gba carts sticking out. Since you’re already using an r4 cart, you could also get an ezflash v which come in both ds and ds lite sizes. You can flash your gba rom onto it over r4 and it will act like a physical gba game except it will be flush with the case

I did this once with a DS Lite with a burned topscreen. Used stock parts with an added LED on the left connected to the resistor(I didn't use an SMD resistor). Also used a glue gun stick to diffuse the led light. Didn't reach the right side but still looked cool. Here are some of my takes from the experience: 1. You can use the top screen speaker but be careful where you seat it. Magnets and sleepmode. 2. My power button was also rek'ed. I replaced it with a push button located behind the back. Stylus is used to power it on or off. 3. What actually tested my patience was the shoulder button. The plate spring was oxidized(didn't register presses well enough) so I had to clean them. While dismantling the module, the rubber part flew away because I used a forcep to take it out. Took me a few hours with my face on the floor before I was able to find it.

Shoulda grabbed the flex amp for the macro mod. Gives better sound and has the resistor included. This mod is sooooo much easier with this flex amp

I always felt this was for salvaging broken consoles, not for modding something in mint condition

I thought about building one of these years ago, but I don't have any DS Lites with a broken top screen. I have an AGS-101 and a GBA with an IPS mod though. Both look better than the bottom screen of the DS Lite.

I agree using an original gba with a new screen is the best way. I did this on my childhood gba and the older kit that lets you use a gbasp screen. It took less than an hour and was incredibly easy. It also increased the already amazing battery life, and still gives me older gameboy compatibility and link cable port

Helder's game tech makes an amp with the tiny resistor on a flex pcb so it's alot easier to do the mod

Back in ,the day I had the DS Flashcart M3DS Real that came with an expansion pack from the Slot-2 that fits perfectly on the DSLite slot and it is essentially a GBA flashcard. The device keeps the GB, GBC, and GBA ROMs stored on the DS flashcard and transfers them to the GBA slot cart when you want to play GBA games. I think is the best option for a GBA Macro.

This seems like a cool project if you like to fiddle with things but I think the best GBA console is gonna be an actual GBA modded with an IPS screen and whatever other little additions you want to make.

That Sonic Rush theme in the background takes me back man

get yourself a set of helping hands with a light/magnifying lense. or spend 90 bucks and get a basic solder scope with a screen. these things CHANGED MY LIFE when soldering.

I think one of the biggest advantages to this kind of mod vs an original gba or gba advance is the bigger battery. Otherwise its not very cost effective

7:04 Bob: "I could swallow this and it would do nothing" Me: Do it. 👁👄👁

Me: he should use an ez flash *starts talking about ez flash* Me: why isn't he using the low profile shell? *I threw it out* Me: Damn it Bob!

Before the various IPS screens came out, I saw the benefit to using a DS or DS Lite. But now I think it's just way better to grab a IPS kit and an OG GBA.

I have a gold and black one from Boxy. In fact I have all the game boy shells boxy has made in black with brass buttons.

thanks for doing these bob, some of this stuff looks like a real pain and i appreciate you doing all the crampwork, i never would have started modding if i hadn't seen you take these leaps 💪really wanna do a macro one day, but want to wait for a more comprehensive reshell option 🙏

oh wow I have the EZFlash and actually didn't realize what that little piece was for, thanks!

That stomach shot was something. I felt the HUNGRY sense from here

For cleaning brass, get a pack of “sunshine cloths” my wedding band is brass and those things are absolutely amazing.

I would say the DS lite is one of the most difficult to disassemble system I have done up to date. Joycon's are a walk in the park compared to it. I used to have a bottom board hanging around but I think I threw it away since some of the buttons might have been broken too. Only system I've done that is worse than the DS is the PSP, that thing is in a league of it's own with how weird the inside is.

I've seen people selling GB Macros on Etsy for around $200+. I was very intrigued but they seemed a bit expensive, which is why I held off. I honestly think I would probably be happier just springing for an Analog Pocket as it would do GBA plus several other consoles as well. Thanks for the video Wulff! You've definitely answered all the questions I had about the GB Macro.

Thank you to Twitch chat member LegendOfTHIEF at 5:49 for asking the questions we're all wondering but are to afraid to ask: "I wonder how long the top screen will last in an air fryer"

I love these DS videos definitely one of my favorite topics

The only in-video ads I don't skip past. YAHUNGRY?!

they make resistors that work for this in many different sizes/form factors. if the boxy pixel shell requires that tiny one, i wish you would have specified that in the video.

“Smokers Yellow” DS LOL

What about those GBA flash carts that have the optional top for DS? Those sit flush too!

For those of you wondering if you should attempt a mod like this or fix up an original GBA, here's my take. The GBA Macro mod has the advantage of using a DS Lite LCD panel that has essentially been mummified and preserved by the touchscreen. Once removed, it will be in immaculate condition, and is as close as you can possibly get to a GBA SP 101 screen without paying obscene amounts of money. The biggest downside of the Macro, in my opinion, isn't even the lack of innate backwards compatibility with GB/GBC due to using DS hardware, its the form factor of the final product. Its incredibly comfortable, except when using the shoulder buttons. The DS Lite was always meant to be held with the bottom screen leaning backwards and the top screen offering as a counterbalance, when you have to hold the whole thing vertically like with the GBA macro, it is INCREDIBLY straining on MY fingers to use L and R. If you can find a 3D printable grip, I'd recommend that, but many of the ones available online or pre-made and sold on places like eBay or etsy cover the AUX port, which to me is an essential part of a handheld gaming console. tldr; exceptional screen for a good price, poor ergonomics for the shoulder buttons

The only RU-vid channel that I love the ads lol

The only benefits are: 1) You like the aesthetics 2) You have a DS Lite with a broken top screen, but don't want to fiddle with replacing it. 3) DS Lites (especially with a broken top screen) are like, half the price of stock GBA units in good condition. There are also GB Macro mods out there that leave the touch screen and build in a toggle button that lets you switch the screen between top and bottom displays, allowing you to still play DS games (with minor hassle)

IPS moded GBA is the best way. I'm amazed at the screen every time I turn it on.

Wulff: where Is the resistor? Ds: gone reduce to atom

Kirby Canvas Curse is SICK! I agree Bob I agree

I'm pretty sure you don't need that resistor if you only want GBA functionality as long as you have the DS set to boot straight to the GBA. I know this because 5-10 years ago I convinced a friend of mine to rip the top half of his DS off without knowing if it would work. It would no longer boot to the OS but it did still play GBA games and we did zero soldering.

The only reason I'd consider making one of these is if I had a broken DS laying around, but I'd never go out of my way to make one, seems kinda pointless since better options are available

You can play gb/gbc with goomba color. It comes with a tool to fit gb/gbc roms into a kind of emulator rom from which you can select the games. Works good on my game boy micro with ez flash 4

GBA is my favorite game system from my childhood, and my favorite retro gaming library. I sank days into Metroid Fusion and Advance Wars as a kid. I mostly emulate now, but I still have my old GBA. I've been thinking of modding it with upgrades, and your videos like this really inspire me. Might need to try my hand at soldering...

I was conflicted when I learned of this mod last week, although I think the half-broken pink DS which I rescued from the e-waste recycling heap might be a great candidate. As for that tiny resistor, it ain't no joke... A couple of years ago a friend put me up to modding a couple of GPU's. The resistors that I dealt with were so obscenely small, I must've dropped 10 of them just from breathing. Learning to work with those tiny resistors is a great way to level-up one's soldering skills.

Appreciate how direct and eco friendly the message of this video was! I’ve seen photos of systems like that online and they always looked cool, but I can totally see what you mean about destroying a good working system 👏

Bob your sofa grew during the factor ad 😹 good video tho

Playing GBA on the DSi XL looks amazing, this mod style might work better with an XL

8:48 I can't lmfao

I've done this mod a few times, both with bloxypixels face plate and using stock faceplates. It is a very easy mod. The hardest part was getting the speaker to stay still during assembly. I love the aluminum faceplate it just gives it a quality feel and looks amazing with the intended glass screen lens. I'm currently working on a few with the fat ds. I only do this when shells are beyond repair due to the hinge. I haven't had good luck with replacement shells. If you have the parts sitting around give it a shot.

It’s literally a lobotomy for broken ds lites.

Tbh this mod looks like a waste of time if the top screen of the ds lite isn't broken already. But at least we got another great wulff den video

There’s something else you can solder on that enhanced audio and even has that resistor on it, super easy

I was already familiar with the game boy macro, I just wanted to say that yours is the best I’ve ever seen

13:30 there are gba flash carts that sit flush with the bottom and can take a microSD card to store the gba games.

The DS Macro mod is only really intended for when you already have a half-broken DS/i/Lite. It's supposed to be more for "on the budget" type opportunities.

You can get a glass screen cover, theres an audio mod which i dont recomend. Also had problems screwing the brass front w plastic back. Only do this if u have a broken one. Do not destroy it if it works

You can make them with out the resistor. Just requires keeping the stop screen ribbon cable and trimming it down to just the lighting part and tucking it away. Mine has worked like that for the last 2 years

I have a gba, gba sp, ds lite and a macro that I modded myself. I'm a noob, so I ran into several hiccups too but its now my favorite way to play gba games. I purposefully ebayed a ds lite that had a broken hinge and audio issues. I would never break a functioning ds lite to make a macro, it'd hurt me too much. Also for those curious about the quality of the screen: just looking at how a ds lite lower screen looks while playing a gba game doesn't do it justice. By removing the touch screen that sits over the video screen, the picture is a lot sharper and brighter, it looks excellent.

As a Club Penguin fan... The part of the video were you break the DS with the Club Penguin: EPF stickers was a pain to watch lol

I know you worked hard and had a rough time getting this mod done, but... This is easily my most-hated mod I've seen floating around YT. Especially when it means perfectly fine DS Lites have to die.

The pack of resistors I bought only costed like $1.97 for 12 on eBay, but I also just bought LED’s from Amazon for it too from Jake Simmons tutorial and all it was pretty easy to do lol I really like the shell you used it reminds me more of Samus colors

Great vid as always Bob. Today I picked up the Zelda Game and Watch on a clearance sale and the first thing I thought of when I saw that awesome little screen was "someone should turn this in to a GBA" hint hint

I built one of these instead of these and I love it. Instead of of buying a DS lite I just bought the bottom motherboard, and installed it that way.

Considering my DS Lite has a broken top screen (the right hinge broke off), this honestly might be the avenue I'll go down for it. I already have a DSi XL, Old 3DS XL, and New 3DS XL (all of which are modded with CFW). So honestly I don't really need the DS Lite. The Gameboy slot is just about the only purpose it gets as you have to keep the top hinge super steady just to play anything on the top screen

I have a dslite with both a busted top screen and a broken hinge. This mod was made for me. I'm hyped.

Hands down one of my favorite mods of all time. I have the black anodized face plate from boxypixel.

I lost count on how many of them I made haha my philosophy is make one that just works without fancying it up and I sell it for a very low price and people seem to also like that.

This is my favorite type of Bob video. Mad

I love my anbernic. It saves me the head ache of ever having to do a mod where my skills are not that good.

i just did the rhotronix mod that gives the gameboy macro a tv out so you can still use the top screen, its a pretty good compromise

I only think it's worth it if you have a broken and beat up ds lite and another way to play DS games. Also, you should pick up Helder's Mod for this because it takes care of the resistor and adds an amp for audio.

I had no idea about that small resistor. When I was a kid my sister broke my ds in half and it worked just fine as a Gameboy advance. The main problem being we only had one Gameboy game at that time

I love soldering tiny components, for that though…binocular microscopes are necessary 😂

As someone whose first game system was a DS Lite, this hurts my soul

Helder's flex ampod fixes the audio loudness of the switch speaker and replace the ohm resistor for the screen.

I got my Analogue pocket at the beginning of this week, so I am mainly waiting for mods for the pocket to take off so I can make my analogue pocket look like an og gameboy.

Gameboy macro is great, but only if the DS you have has a problem and the top screen doesn't work basically. But best way to play GBA games is basically a modded GBA itself. Once you add in a backlit screen (IPS mod or mod that puts the best SP screen into it, AGS 101 one), you gain the best GBA ever. And if you go to extreme with mods, you can create a really nice one but that will cost a crap ton (300-400 at least most likely), making it very expensive but in end a very nice gba :). But if you just sticks to the IPS/etc screen just for backlit screen, it can cost you less than 150 bucks most likely. Only ended up costing me 100ish to get IPS screen for my GBA(parts and shipping).

wow interesting to know how complicated the process is, I manage to get one of these a while back from a guy on Mercari for $40 free shipping

My problem with having an EzFlash is saving, where roms need to be patched to work with its weird saving support, and require about 30 seconds to actually work. The worst part is that even going through all of that, saves for games like Mario vs DK and Wario Land 4 just get wiped no matter how long you wait so i lost a good chunk of my progress in MvDK and WL4, which has completely put me off on even bothering to try playing Mother 3 given the risk of getting super far and just having it not save. For 50-60 bucks, it’s alright in a pinch, but for about 40 dollars extra, i think I should’ve gone for the Everdrive GBA mini just for the convenience of all save formats being supported without the need for patching and rom hash matching… or just buying some repro carts could work for me too at that point.

I have a ds lite that the hinges broke on so I love that I found this video because it so happens that I really liked playing gba games on it. Have never done anything like this before but I'm might give it a go sometime.

Screen modding a GBA seems to achieve quite pleasing results. You can now get laminated screens for the GBA just like you had for the GB color last year (wait, from 2021 maybe?) and that seems to yield the best image (of all these mods) But I remember watching on youtube someone building one and not liking the rigidity of the accompanying front shell (that has to be the one purpose made for this laminated screen)

The problems with using a ds flash cart can easily be overcome. I had (or have?) a set with a ds flash cart and a compact gba flash cart (meant for the DS Lite) where the ds cart could easily change what's on the gba cart.. So you loaded the ds cart, chose your game, and it took a backup of the save from the current game, then flashed the game you want alongside it's savegame backup to the cart and you could then start the gba game from the menu

fun fact, if you set it to autoboot before you take the top screen off then you dont need to add a resistor if you only play gba

In my opinion there isn't anything better than using a CFW'd 3ds, you can create GBA Virtual Console injections which allows GBA games to run on the original GBA CPU in the 3ds, which is there to maintain ds backwards compatibility as that CPU was also used for DS games, so when a 3ds is used for GBA and DS games it is the exact same hardware CPU wise and the games run identically except for the screen scaling in DS games which can be remedied by using TWPatch, GBA games however look beautiful without any further modification. Not to mention you also get the access entire 3ds library, and other emulators such as NES, SNES, original GB and GBC, Game Gear, Genesis. Anyone looking for a way to play classic games portably should seriously look into a modded 3ds.

I have an EZ-flash card that was made to fit in the DS lite cart slot, i had the super DS lite back in the day. Still kicking around, but I can do most of what I want to with my N3DSXL.

You should've mentioned another roundabout solution - the 3ds. The 3ds had gba games given to ambassadors only, and interestingly it uses hardware rather than emulation. If you use custom firmware, you can use a program called new super ultimate injector to inject rom files to launch from the home screen. Gba games run perfectly and have the scanlines and colors you would expect. It's the most authentic feeling way imo to play gba games outside of cartridges. Playing on ips oled screens looks pretty but for me just feels kind of ehhh.. I know it's not original nintendo hardware and therefore I'm constantly reminded that I'm emulating a game rather than playin a game, if that makes sense. The 3ds's hardware level incorporation of gba makes it feel flawless and balanced, while the 3ds's screen being shittier than modern emulating handhelds and gba mods oddly makes games feel way more like you remember them

Hey Bob. Thanks for the amazing videos. I know you hear this a ton already, but seriously, it’s great stuff. I don’t plan to ever pick up a soldering iron, but I’ve already watched this video twice. Your editing style, concise language, and high quality shots really make for a relaxing viewing experience. I even watch your ads, lol. All of this to say, thanks.

Now I want to see a collab with the retro future to make a legit DS macro with 4 screens

pre tin the pads ahead of time and hold the resistor with some pliers or tweezers

This used to be great when ags-101 screens and gba ips screens were hard to come by. Now, not so much. There are many handheld emulators with larger screens that can handle gba games just fine.

A drop-in IPS screen is a better way to play on original hardware. After 6 months I finally received mine, took me a couple of hours of work (no instructions, a couple of errors, alignment, etc) and now I can play GB, GBC and GBA on an original GBA. Bought it from AliExpress, and it's the same sold by some retro modding store, from which I got the instructions. So no soldering required, just take the old screen and drop the new one, it has pixel mode, b&w mode, several levels of brightness, and cheaper than getting a modded GBA, or spending hundreds on boxy pixel shells (they're great, but pricey)

Not sure what kernel/emulator you're using for GBA games, but I have an ace3ds+ clone R4 (which is the recommended cart to get) running GBARunner2 and haven't had any issues with GBA games other than just some audio issues at times. Gameplay is fine though.

I've personally never seen the appeal of this mod, but it is cool to see how far some of the mods go for it.

I made an original GBA with boxy pixel shell, buttons, IPS mod from Retro Game Repair shop and a 2000 mAh usb-c rechargeable battery mod from Handheld legends I think. It's probably the best version of original GBA imo. A laminated backlit ips screen makes such a difference on any GBA.

I believe in balance philosophy. I have a 2ds xl modded and I have a DS Lite with a GBA slot built in. I use the homebrew scene on my 2ds xl and run GBA games from the home screen. It uses similar architecture to that of the GBA (ARM7 chip). However the form factor on my GBA is amazing! Too much money to get it modernized though.

You’re like the Gandalf of this kind of stuff at this point

Very cool, but I think Id rather swap out the screen in my Advance SP