Game Sack

[MrMatthews]

Not to jump on the "shit on the trivial factoid" bandwagon, but I did kind of a double-take myself when Dave said 5-8 hours (or whatever it was). I was always under the impression that the DMG had a 20+ hr lifespan on 4 AAs. I never really tested this, but I remember getting a lot of mileage out of those batteries when the Gameboy was all I would play, and even now I've had the same set in one of my Gameboys since August 24th (I know that because I took a picture of it once I installed the backlight). I figure I play it for at least a half hour every other day or so, give or take.

Edit:

Another issue is how you play. Playing for extended periods may wear out the batteries faster than intermittent use.

Well, that makes a bit of sense. One of these days when I have some serious time to kill, I'll turn on the Gameboy with a fresh set of batteries and let it sit all day on some game's demo mode.

[sheath]

On a similar but also trivial note. Does anybody else find that their batteries die on their own, whether plugged into devices or not, without normal use?

[MrMatthews]

On the PSP, yes.

[Guntz]

I agree with MrMatthews here, Dave understated (and over) some of the hourly battery lives he mentioned. The Game Boy typically runs for around 13 - 15 hours in my experience. The Game Boy Pocket is absolutely horrible in that regard. I figure it gets 2 - 3 hours, even with nice rechargeable lithium cells. Even the Game Gear gets better hours than that. I'm seriously considering cutting up GBP cases so they can fit AA batteries. That would probably triple the system's average battery life.

Concerning the PSP, I find it never actually shuts down; it only goes to sleep, a low power mode. I need to find an instruction manual for it to find out how to get it to completely turn off, without having to disconnect the battery.

[Da_Shocker]

I remember when I got my Nomad and the batteries died in about 30 or 45 minutes. After that I never took that battery killer out of my house.

[MrMatthews]

I'm seriously considering cutting up GBP cases so they can fit AA batteries. That would probably triple the system's average battery life.

Wouldn't you have to change the capacitors, too? For shits n giggles, I altered a DMG so it can use a 9-volt battery, but I didn't really really run it other than to confirm that it would work. I don't know nuthin about electronic-type stuff, but I think you need to bottleneck that extra juice so it doesn't get sucked dry at the standard rate (at best) or cook your machine (at worst).

[Metalwario64]

Concerning the PSP, I find it never actually shuts down; it only goes to sleep, a low power mode. I need to find an instruction manual for it to find out how to get it to completely turn off, without having to disconnect the battery.

You have to hold the power switch up until it completely shuts down. It takes about 10 seconds or so. If you just flick it up then it goes into sleep mode. Unless you're saying the "off" mode is really an even less powered "sleep" mode.

As for the video, I'd like to point out a minor error. Dave states that the Famicom edition Game Boy Micro was only released in Japan, but it was actually released in America as well a few months later.

[kool kitty89]

I agree with MrMatthews here, Dave understated (and over) some of the hourly battery lives he mentioned. The Game Boy typically runs for around 13 - 15 hours in my experience. The Game Boy Pocket is absolutely horrible in that regard. I figure it gets 2 - 3 hours, even with nice rechargeable lithium cells. Even the Game Gear gets better hours than that. I'm seriously considering cutting up GBP cases so they can fit AA batteries. That would probably triple the system's average battery life.

Why not just use a Game Boy color instead? (not as good life as the original GB -at least better models of that- but still far better than the GBP)

[Guntz]

@:MrMatthews: Hmm, possibly. My dremeling isn't the best, so I'd wait until I could have this properly thought out. Maybe I can simpler way, like to tape some AA batteries with wires for the contacts.

@Metal Wario: Hmm, you have to hold it down for that long? Ugh, this is like what happened with the PS2 Slim. I couldn't figure out how to stop it from resetting. I looked in the manual and it said to hold the power button down until it shuts off. Man I hate that... Before that point, I had never owned a console with a power button like that.

@KoolKitty: Because the screen is tiny, the speaker sound sucks, the buttons aren't as nice as the Pocket's are and it doesn't use original GB hardware. There are some games that are different (intended or not) depending on which system it's played on, be it a Color system or the B&W version. The Pocket is a fantastic system. It's only fault is it's severely low battery life. It's embarrassing really. AAA batteries were a bad idea 15 years ago and they're still a bad idea today.

[108 Stars]

20 - 30 hours really is unimagineable with the original GameBoy. Really anything between 10 and 15 hours is what it could do depending on the batteries. There may be differences regarding how you use your GB like you said, but I think there is no way in hell to have it run 20 hours.

It didn´t matter much anyway because soon enough the parents would notice the heavy battery consumption and pretty much every one got a rechargeable battery pack. On that noteI had a friend who was pretty dumb; he bought the rechargeable battery pack and then bought rechargeable batteries. And he recharged neither. He just bought rechargeable batteries again every time they went empty, completely failing to understand the concept. ^^
When I showed him my GameBoy running with the battery pack but without any batteries in the back it must have been magic to him.

My battery pack finally died two years ago after hundreds of times of recharging. And my GB is having more and more vertical lines disappearing on the sides. But the trusty brick served me well. Still the best handheld when it comes to games to this very day.

[Guntz]

You can in fact replace the dead Ni-Cd batteries in your old rechargeable packs with some fancy new ones, like NiHm or some type of lithium cells. You can even fix those dead LCD lines too. It's just LCD connections loosening up over time. Open that Game Boy up and fix the connections. There's guides out there on how to do it.

[MrMatthews]

I've done it. It's a really annoying process.

[kool kitty89]

I've done it. It's a really annoying process.

Probably easier just to use rechargeable AAs. (unless it's the pocket . . . )

@KoolKitty: Because the screen is tiny, the speaker sound sucks, the buttons aren't as nice as the Pocket's are and it doesn't use original GB hardware. There are some games that are different (intended or not) depending on which system it's played on, be it a Color system or the B&W version. The Pocket is a fantastic system. It's only fault is it's severely low battery life. It's embarrassing really. AAA batteries were a bad idea 15 years ago and they're still a bad idea today.

Speaker sounds sucks on most Nintendo handhelds except some of the brick game boys and maybe some GBAs. (DS tends to be OK depending on the model)

As for the d-pad and buttons. I prefer the Color's over the pocket's as well as the overall shape. (the original GB is still more comfortable due to the size, but the GBC is better to hold/play in every way than the pocket IMO)

Interesting note on games playing different, I hadn't realized that. (other than the obvious color options) I know the Super Game Boy has slightly off audio due to a slightly higher clock speed, but didn't know anything about the GBC. (other than the color enhanced games generally playing better -not just added color, but less slowdown and flicker too)

The original GBA is even better than the GBC comfort wise, though I'm not sure about the battery life (screen is definitely better though).

I hate the buttons and d-pad Nintendo used for the GBA-SP and DS and that only got worse with the DS Light. The GBA/GBC d-pad was small, but it was nicely shaped, textured, and responsive (like a smaller version of the SNES or N64 D-pad -the best Nintendo ever did IMO, though not the best D-pad ever). The shoulder buttons on the original GBA were also nicer than any subsequent ones on a Nintendo handheld.

The GB Light would be a nice option if it weren't so rare/expensive.

Hmm, they never made AA pack adapters for the GBP? (that would have been a neat 3rd party peripheral)

20 - 30 hours really is unimagineable with the original GameBoy. Really anything between 10 and 15 hours is what it could do depending on the batteries. There may be differences regarding how you use your GB like you said, but I think there is no way in hell to have it run 20 hours.

I'll believe 30 hours on the brick GB (at least late models with good alkalines -lithiums are cheating ) before I'll believe the GBP gets 10+ hours on alkaline AAAs.

Running a system for 20 hours straight will tend to give poorer results than more realistic use. Continuous drain on electrochemical cells can cause the charge to dissipate too quickly, though not necessarily burning out the battery. (ie even with long drain, you could stop, wait, and the batteries will have more life in them as the electrolyte defuses and electrodes have a chance to refresh -so to speak; though shorter bursts of operation would be preferable -say blocks of 2 hours on followed by least 2 hours off)
This is far more of a problem with the cheaper dry-cell type batteries, but alkalines will do it to a fair extent as well. (non-rechargeable lithium cells barely do that at all -once they're dead, they're pretty much 100% dead -they don't gradually die/decline in voltage either, but do so very suddenly . . . a flashlight with lithium cells won't really dim when near-exhausted, just suddenly die)

Temperature is also a problem. Relatively high temperatures will tend to compromise optimal battery life (chemicals react at sub-optimal rates and electronic equipment may consume more power due to higher resistance). At 50 degrees F, you might see a notable difference from 100 degrees. (albeit it's really the temperature ofthe system+batteries that matters, not the surrounding room -so someone playing the console with warm vs cold hands will impact that too)
At extremely low temperatures, the cells won't work at all, but that's not something that will occur realistically. (well, well out of the ambient temperature range)

So ideal (realistic) circumstances would be a cool environment with a late generation brick GB using 4 fresh good-quality alkaline AA cells with the contrast normalized and volume turned off or very low. (though the volume really shouldn't have a major impact either)

It didn´t matter much anyway because soon enough the parents would notice the heavy battery consumption and pretty much every one got a rechargeable battery pack.

We never did. Hell, my brother and I rarely ended up using rechargeable AAs even, but Alkalines (usually energizer) seemed to last practically forever in our GBs. (and that was while pokemon was big, so they'd tend to get a few hours of play at a time -007 and Mario Land 2 were pretty time consuming too) I'm not positive, but it seemed to be something like more than a week between battery replacements most of the time (and that was with playing a couple hours almost every day in the summer), though they would go a lot longer than that for periods of less consistent play. (obviously, since they weren't being used as much . . .)

We did start using rechargeables a lot more once we got a GBC, more so with the GBA. (though for road trips and flights, lithiums or alkalines were preferred due to duration) Never got a batter pack . . . unless you count a crappy barely-functioning 3rd party one bought on clearance. (or maybe from a dollar store, I forget)

I should test this at some point . . . and ask A Black Falcon about it again. (though I'm not sure how accurate the test would be on an aged GB)

[Guntz]

Speaker sounds sucks on most Nintendo handhelds except some of the brick game boys and maybe some GBAs. (DS tends to be OK depending on the model)

Well, to be more accurate, the sound overall sucks on the Color. Really, it does. Either with headphones or the speaker, it doesn't compare to the Pocket, let alone the Brick, which is easily the best sounding Game Boy ever, similar to how the HDG Model 1 is the best sounding ever.

As for the d-pad and buttons. I prefer the Color's over the pocket's as well as the overall shape. (the original GB is still more comfortable due to the size, but the GBC is better to hold/play in every way than the pocket IMO)

Maybe it's just my Color systems, but I find the D-pad and buttons to not be as nice as the Pocket's are. On the latter, the buttons D-pad are both clicky and soft, kind of like a good mix of the DS Phat and Lite buttons.

Above all though, what I love about the Pocket is it's fantastic looking screen (the LCD itself has a light texture on it, separate from the drawn graphics) and it's really big. Much bigger than the Brick or Color screens. Really, I find that to be a huge letdown with the color. Could they have made that screen any smaller? I realize a bigger screen would have been more costly, considering how advanced the LCD was compared to the Pocket, but since I don't mind how the Pocket's screen looks, I prefer it's bigger screen.

Oh an unrelated note, did you know there are Pocket systems that lack a power indicator light? I have a red one and from the looks of it, I've got another one in the mail without an LED too.

Interesting note on games playing different, I hadn't realized that. (other than the obvious color options) I know the Super Game Boy has slightly off audio due to a slightly higher clock speed, but didn't know anything about the GBC. (other than the color enhanced games generally playing better -not just added color, but less slowdown and flicker too)

Well, the only really good example I can think of off the top of my head, is Conker's Pocket Tales. The layout of the game is different depending on which Game Boy you play it on, be it a B&W version or the Color system. In fact, the game changes so much, you can't use a save file from one system on another. Thankfully, you can have more than one save file.

The original GBA is even better than the GBC comfort wise, though I'm not sure about the battery life (screen is definitely better though).

The thing I find strange with the GBA's screen is how un-reflective it is. Every previous GB system was pretty good about letting in sunlight, illuminating the screen. The GBA on the otherhand, is still hard to see, even in broad daylight. I should try making LED front/backlight mods for my GBA systems, like how people have done it on the Game Gear. Got lots of LEDs and GBAs.

I hate the buttons and d-pad Nintendo used for the GBA-SP and DS and that only got worse with the DS Light. The GBA/GBC d-pad was small, but it was nicely shaped, textured, and responsive (like a smaller version of the SNES or N64 D-pad -the best Nintendo ever did IMO, though not the best D-pad ever). The shoulder buttons on the original GBA were also nicer than any subsequent ones on a Nintendo handheld.

I don't mind the SP and DS Phat buttons and D-pads, they could be worse (like the DS Lite's). They may not be very good, but at least they act like microswitches, which I find better than the mushy Lite controls.

The GB Light would be a nice option if it weren't so rare/expensive.

That's what back/frontlight modding standard GB systems is for. Nonfinite Electronics has a very nice set of backlight kits available, they work with Brick and Pocket systems.

Hmm, they never made AA pack adapters for the GBP? (that would have been a neat 3rd party peripheral)

Not to my knowledge, no.

[kool kitty89]

Well, to be more accurate, the sound overall sucks on the Color. Really, it does. Either with headphones or the speaker, it doesn't compare to the Pocket, let alone the Brick, which is easily the best sounding Game Boy ever, similar to how the HDG Model 1 is the best sounding ever.

Weird, I never noticed that at all, at least through headhphones. I'll have to compare that at some point.
The pocket, color, and advance all had similar external speaker quality from what I've heard (comparing non-damaged units), though I can't use our GBC for that comparison anymore as the speaker is damaged.

Maybe it's just my Color systems, but I find the D-pad and buttons to not be as nice as the Pocket's are. On the latter, the buttons D-pad are both clicky and soft, kind of like a good mix of the DS Phat and Lite buttons.

The pocket's d-pad is slipperier for me (stiffer and less textured -not 100A% sure on the latter as it may be related to wear . . . except I know we used the color WAY more than the pocket). The size and shape of the d-pad in the GBP is actually nearly identical to the GBC/GBA (and GC), but it feels different. (maybe different texturing, but it's hard to see differences by looking)
The buttons definitely feel better IMO (GBA and GBC -not SP though), nice texture and nice action (sort of like mini N64 A/B buttons). The D-pad and buttons would be better than the original GB too if they weren't so much smaller. (more so for the d-pad, I think the buttons still might be better regardless)

Above all though, what I love about the Pocket is it's fantastic looking screen (the LCD itself has a light texture on it, separate from the drawn graphics) and it's really big. Much bigger than the Brick or Color screens. Really, I find that to be a huge letdown with the color. Could they have made that screen any smaller?

It's very slightly larger, 650 mm vs 600 mm, like comparing a 27" TV to a 25" one.

I realize a bigger screen would have been more costly, considering how advanced the LCD was compared to the Pocket, but since I don't mind how the Pocket's screen looks, I prefer it's bigger screen.

It may have been a power consumption bulk/size-saving decision too, among other things. I rather doubt the color screen itself was that expensive. (it was still a passive matrix LCD too iirc)

It's interesting to note that the color models have a visible pixel matrix on the screen vs the B/W models with the LCD matrix transparent over the reflective layer (when turned off or with contrast down). That probably relates to why the color screens appear darker.

There obviously must be a technical reason behind it, but I wonder why LCD screens couldn't use a reflective layer closer to a paper-white color (so white pixels would actually be close to white and brightness/saturation would be much closer to a screen using a white backlight). I've actually done that to a cheap-o calculator that had the reflective layer peel off . . . but I did it with actual plain printer paper. (and it worked surprisingly well . . . makes me wonder how well that would work with a white material that had the special diffuse reflective properties of reflective LCDs)

Oh an unrelated note, did you know there are Pocket systems that lack a power indicator light? I have a red one and from the looks of it, I've got another one in the mail without an LED too.

Yes, mine lacks one (or if it has one, it's covered by the boarder), it's a silver one with a mirror finish on the boarder.

On another note: is the GBP/GBC/GBA screen more scratch-resistant than the brick's? It seems like the brick got scratched up a lot more easily. (mine has quite a lot of fine scratches vs almost none on the GBC and GBA which my little brother abused -especially the latter, which has much of the paint waring off and the battery door broken)

Well, the only really good example I can think of off the top of my head, is Conker's Pocket Tales. The layout of the game is different depending on which Game Boy you play it on, be it a B&W version or the Color system. In fact, the game changes so much, you can't use a save file from one system on another. Thankfully, you can have more than one save file.

The thing I find strange with the GBA's screen is how un-reflective it is. Every previous GB system was pretty good about letting in sunlight, illuminating the screen. The GBA on the otherhand, is still hard to see, even in broad daylight. I should try making LED front/backlight mods for my GBA systems, like how people have done it on the Game Gear. Got lots of LEDs and GBAs.

I've seen a few topics on this, but it seemed like there weren't many successful backlight mods for the GBA (frontlighting being somewhat successful). The Game Gear and Nomad are far more straightforward as they were designed for backlighting already. (and lynx for that matter)

Actually, I wonder why Nintendo didn't at least offer basic diffuse frontlighting on the GBC (or at least on higher-end models), or for that matter on the older GBs. (with the B/W stuff, even cheap red LEDs would have been relatively effective -since it's monochrome anyway, which is very important since red LEDs were the only common/affordable ones in the early 90s -and even significant for the mid 90s -hence why the virtual boy was all red)

I don't mind the SP and DS Phat buttons and D-pads, they could be worse (like the DS Lite's). They may not be very good, but at least they act like microswitches, which I find better than the mushy Lite controls.

The 3DS and DSi are like the light too, right? (I haven't used a light, but I have used a 3DS . . . it's not that good, but it's the texture/shape more than the action -I rather like the mushier feel, though it goes too far . . . not like the old gameboys -wii and wii CC have similar problems with d-pad and buttons IMO)

That's what back/frontlight modding standard GB systems is for. Nonfinite Electronics has a very nice set of backlight kits available, they work with Brick and Pocket systems.

Yeah, but the brick has a worse screen and the pocket doesn't take AAs. (my point was the MUCH longer battery life of the Light over the GBP)