Thicc Game Boy Advance SP Is More Powerful Than The Switch
While it looks like we've waved goodbye to our hopes of getting a Nintendo Switch Pro, the House that Mario built is doing its best to show it can still rub shoulders with Microsoft and Sony with the Nintendo Switch OLED. Even though we're in a new generation of Nintendo consoles, it's important to remember the classics.
These days, the hybrid technology of the Switch means we get the best of both worlds in terms of handheld and home gaming. Taking your Switch on holiday, on the morning commute, or even to the gym, it means there's no need for those lofty days of the Game Boy. Still, one crafty player has built a Thicc Game Boy Advance SP that gives the Switch a run for its specs.
What is the Thicc Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP?
The brainchild of YouTuber, Macho Nacho Productions, the Thicc Game Boy Advance SP is the classic handheld...but not as you know it. Although the Game Boy Advance SP was a powerhouse of its time, it's more than a little dated. Still, we'd never have thought it would get a spec boost to rival the Switch.
Firstly, the disappointing battery life of the Game Boy Advance needed to be tackled - which is where the thicc part of the story comes in. The lacklustre 600 mAh battery of the SP won't cut it, which led to Macho Nacho installing a beefier 1,600 mAh pack. It'll give you a few more hours to tour the Hoenn region in Pokemon Emerald.
The bigger battery pack means they had to 3D print a new shell for the Game Boy Advance SP and add another 10mm to the finished product. Even if it takes away some of the handheld's portability, it's worth the compromise. The extra room left plenty of space for extra ports - meaning the Thicc Game Boy Advance SP can use your Switch charger via a USB-C port. Better yet, there's even a Qi-compatible coil to make the most of super-fast wireless charging.
Where the Thicc Game Boy Advance SP really come into its own is the fact there's a 3.5mm headphone jack and Bluetooth connectivity. Yep, Bluetooth means this pint-sized hero is now more advanced than the Switch.
Can you buy the Thicc Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP?
First released in 2003, this boxy little bruiser came toward the end of the Game Boy Advance line and helped open the doors for what would come next with the Nintendo DS. We enjoyed legacy titles like The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, Metroid Fusion, and Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow. If you'd like to know what all of these would be like with a modern twist, wonder no more thanks to Macho Nacho.
The video is particularly detailed and runs through all the parts you'd need to make your own Thicc Game Boy Advance SP. Sadly, the walkthrough is missing the details on how to print your own custom shell, as well as how to install the headphone jack. Still, it looks like it should be relatively easy to replicate - if you have those sorts of skills.
Macho Nacho's other builds include taking the Advance SP and remodelling it to remove the hinge and turn it into a classic Game Boy. Even though the Thicc Game Boy Advance SP isn't for sale, expect to see plenty of these flying around now we've seen the potential of the often-forget piece of gaming history. It's enough to make you want to rummage out an old copy of Fire Emblem.