| Oh, we love a
good system launch, and the Game Boy Advance has not disappointed. With enough great games
to keep us playing for many, many hours, we were in dire need of all the best accessories
to properly pamper up our experience. Sure, some of you may be 'hardcore' enough to rough
it with the default setup, but anyone with eyes knows you need a light on that bad boy,
and battery bills can be rough on the pocketbook. We were fortunate enough to check out a
whole load of new GBA accessories from the three biggest names in console accessories:
We've battered and tested these bad boys
beyond belief, and we've got some picks. Click on any of the linked accessories above, or
on the name of your favorite accessory making company, and you can find more in-depth
reviews of these products. But for those of you who like to cut to the chase, these are
our top picks for GBA accessories:
Rechargeable Battery:
Cobra Power
Plus Advance
AC Adapter
Power Pak
Cobra AC
Adapter Advance
Light
Light Shield Advance
Carrying Case
Wacky Pak
Link Cable
Power Link Plus
Just Plain Fun
Shock and Rock
Rechargeable
Battery
Cobra Power Plus Advance
SRP: $19.99
 Nuby pulls
another serpent from their Cobra line to make your GBA playing experience more enjoyable.
The most important thing that needs to be said is that this monster lasts up to thirty
hours when fully charged. Thirty hours is a phenomenal amount of time for a rechargeable
battery, especially for a game system. A full charge would last over two weeks at playing
for two hours each night. There is even a button on the underneath of the battery that
illuminates the eyes on the Cobra to show how powerful the batteries' charge is. This
eliminates the guessing how much playing time is left on the batteries. Click for more…
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AC Adapter
Power Pak
SRP: $14.99
 Nyko’s
Power Pak is not a big, beefy monster to give you unlimited hours of gameplay on a
rechargeable battery. Rather, they have created a nice, tidy battery pack that offers
about seven hours of gameplay on a charge. That’s not tons of gameplay, but it is
quite a bit. If you have to commute more than that in a day you need to move. And seven
hours on the GBA is about all I can take at a time. However, if you’re a die-hard
enthusiast, or if you just can’t put down Castlevania until you’re finished,
have no fear: You can play this bad boy even while it’s charging. That’s right,
the Power Pak doubles as an AC adapter for your GBA. This is definitely the battery to use
if you’re travelling – the slim AC adapter and the battery compartment adapter
will fit nicely into almost any carrying case or pocket. Think of this less as a
rechargeable battery, and more as an AC adapter that includes a bonus battery charge of
about seven hours. Way cool.
Cobra AC Adapter Advance
SRP:
 Power is
always an issue with the GBA. Sure, batteries last longer than in the GBC, but the cost of
replacing them after you’ve become thoroughly addicted to THPS2 just keeps rising.
Rechargeable batteries are great, but you do usually have to wait for them to charge at
some point in time. That’s what makes a good AC adapter worth having. As some gamers
have noticed, the GBA doesn’t come with a plug to accommodate an AC adapter, so any
external power will involve replacing the battery cover. Nuby’s Cobra AC Adapter
Advance comes with a wall plug and a battery cover adapter. The battery cover is embossed
with the ultra-tough Cobra design, but is otherwise very low profile. The wall plug also
sports a Cobra head, and connects to the jack on the battery cover adapter. Installation
is a snap, and the power flows well. Get it!
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Light
Light Shield Advance
SRP: $9.99
 The
GBA has a major weakness: the screen is dark. That’s not news to anybody who has
picked up a unit and tried to play in low light. For some reason, Nintendo decided to opt
out of the backlit screen. Such is life, and we must cope. The Light Shield Advance is not
a bad way to do so. The light is designed to function as both a shield for your GBA screen
and to illuminate your gameplay without causing reflection. Indeed, it folds very nicely
over your GBA, making it by far the easiest light to store with your unit and protecting
your GBA screen from grubby fingerprints or scratches. The lighting quality is a bit of a
stickier issue. The Light Shield Advance works great in dark conditions. If you’re
playing under the covers at night, or on the bus after dark, it makes the screen easily
visible. However, if there is other ambient lighting, the Light Shield Advance
doesn’t fill in very well. It’s almost as if you can’t tell the light is on
when there is other light. That’s frustrating because I often find myself playing in
a lighted room, but not quite being able to see the screen as well as I’d like to.
Given the choice, I will turn out all the lights in the room and play with only the Light
Shield Advance, rather than try to angle my unit just right under the closest lamp. I wish
the Light Shield Advance did a better job filling in when playing with ambient light.
Still, after checking out the cream of the crop lights for the GBA, the Light Shield
Advance could be my favorite. The easy storage and shield function put it over the top,
and you’ll find yourself fighting with the other lights out there, too. As with most
of the GBA lights, the Light Shield Advance also features a pass-through port for
multiplayer gaming and an on-off switch so you can conserve batteries in optimal
conditions.
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Carrying Case
Wacky Pak
SRP: $9.99
 Pelican’s
Wacky Pak is the best carrying case for the GBA we’ve seen from a third party
manufacturer. The Wacky Pak is made of burly nylon that we haven’t been able to bust.
It’s a lot like a miniature backpack. There is a main flap which sports a small
pocket and the ubiquitous bungee-holder that is so popular on backpacks these days. The
flap clips closed with a plastic clasp. Under the flap is the main compartment to hold
your GBA. The pocket for the GBA unit is nice and roomy, so it will fit many bulky
accessories, such as a light and charger. There is also a mesh pocket in front of the main
storage compartment, which is the perfect place to keep your games. The Wacky Pak is
finished out with some nice little extras. A keyring holder hangs from the mesh pocket
inside, ready to keep all your most important items together. On the back of the carrying
case is a belt clip and a hiking clip, useful for attaching the Wacky Pak either to your
person or your backpack. So far our Wacky Pak has kept us nicely together. It should also
be noted that this carrying case will work just fine with your GBC, although the colors
won’t necessarily match.
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Link Cable
Power Link Plus
SRP: $7.99
 It’s
a little bit more expensive than the regular link cables, but if you’re into
multiplayer, then this is your best choice. The Power Link Plus is a four-pronged link
cable. That’s right – no need to daisy chain four different cables together with
this bad boy. We love the ease and clean gameplay we get from this cable. Plus, if you
have one of these, then you don’t have to worry about not having enough cables so
everybody can play. C’mon, you know you love being the sugar daddy in the game, and
this will put you in that position. Get one now!
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Just Plain Fun
Shock and Rock
SRP: $24.99
 Nyko brings us another excellent accessory, and one of the most creative
available for the GBA, the Shock and Rock. If you remember the Shock and Rock from the
Game Boy Color, then you pretty much know what’s in store. But if you haven’t
experienced the contentment of the Shock and Rock, then now is the perfect time. Combining
a rumble pack, rechargeable battery, enhanced grip, and better sound, this is an
all-around good idea to go with your GBA. Click
for more…
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Shawn
Rider |
