Poll of the Day > do you think GBA SP and DS Lite are safe to use after years of being stored in

(+) Yeah! (+)

the closet? turned them on the other day, DS was surprisingly at full charge. GBA SP was on red charge, i don't see any buldge on the back panel's. looks very flat, i have seen pictures of a GBA SP with a bloated battery inside and the back panel looked broke.

i'm worried about if i plug them in if they would explode or something, i have had a psp with a bloated battery before.

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Yes

Check the battery's, if look normal then use away. All my SP and DS lites battery's are still good.

I've only had issues with psp battery's so far.

I've always thought of this issue when people collect new/sealed handheld systems.. over the years I'm sure something will happen to them..

Older battery units are usually safer than modern ones because they pack less power into a given volume. The more chemical energy you stuff into a battery the greater the risk of catastrophic failure.

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@xjayguyx
how would i go about checking the batteries and how would i tell if something was wrong with them? i only knew with the psp because the battery panel broke off.

also, i have been using my 3DS for about a month and a half after owning it since 2012, and haven't used it a ton until now. recently the touch screen on the left side was making a popping/clicking type of sound, most people said its nothing to worry about, but one person said it could be the battery. if i have been using it all that time without issue of explosions and stuff do you think that's ok? i put a bit of forceful pressure on the left side of the touch screen and it seemed to resolve that sound it was making. when i pressed lighter it was a temporary fix, but pressing harder seemed to solve it for now. have screen protectors for it arriving by mail, will put them on, and hoping that will fix that.

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I just turned on my GBASP last night when I noticed it, guess I'd forgotten about where I put it. Hadn't been used in a few years, was playing like a champ.

Typically if the battery goes bad, it'll just stop holding a charge. It's pretty rare that they would bulge/explode. Nintendo may make some questionable choices when it comes to hardware, but batteries aren't one of them.

Red_Frog posted...

I just turned on my GBASP last night when I noticed it, guess I'd forgotten about where I put it. Hadn't been used in a few years, was playing like a champ.

Typically if the battery goes bad, it'll just stop holding a charge. It's pretty rare that they would bulge/explode. Nintendo may make some questionable choices when it comes to hardware, but batteries aren't one of them.

Yup I've never had any issues with nintendo batteries yet, I have seen pictures of a bulging wii U pad battery though. Probably was stored in a hot or damp place however...

my GBA SP charged without issue, have the DS plugged in now. although the DS said it had a full charge to begin with lol.

was trying to open up the GBA battery area to give it a look. not even sure if there are any screw drivers we have that would open it. even if i did get it open i probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a healthy and swollen battery tbh. i mean i could tell if it looked abnormal like the PSP ones, but say they have a slight amount i probably wouldn't know if it was the normal look or not.

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i would keep using the systems until the battery couldn't hold a decent charge anymore, then i would replace.

also, you can order DS batteries right from nintendo's store.

https://store.nintendo.com/classic-products/nintendo-ds.html

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yea, still play my gba from 2002

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I dug my old DS out of storage and my Pokemon Pearl file from 2009 was still good.

Yes.org.

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The GBA SP (limited edition Zelda one) still had a green light on when I turned it on many many years after putting it away

Sold it for more than I purchased it for.

Still amazing how Nintendo went from a black and white handheld that needed 4 batteries and gradually got to something that had longer life, more colors and fewer batteries (evetually no batteries)

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Red_Frog posted...

Nintendo may make some questionable choices when it comes to hardware, but batteries aren't one of them.

"Questionable choices"? Like what?

Nintendo's stuff is well known for being tough as a brick shithouse. Their hardware is almost impossible to destroy.

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Nintedno is shady as s***

dodgey hardware and sfotware

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darkknight109 posted...

"Questionable choices"? Like what?

N64 controller, GameCube controller, Wiimote, Virtual Boy, Wii U gamepad, Switch, original unlit GBA.

Red_Frog posted...

N64 controller

Was built like a fucking tank, except for the control stick. Seriously, a magazine torture-tested all first- and third-party controllers of the fifth generation, including pouring pop on them, slap-shotting them with a hockey stick, and swinging them around by their cords and the N64 fared the best out of all of them, functioning perfectly afterwards except for a busted stick. I don't think the PS1 or Saturn controllers even worked afterwards, if memory serves.

Red_Frog posted...

GameCube controller

What was wrong with this one? These had no systemic issues that I'm aware of.

Red_Frog posted...

Wiimote

The only thing that the Wiimotes initially suffered from was weak wrist-straps that had a tendency to snap if people put enough force into them, which Nintendo quickly corrected.

Red_Frog posted...

Virtual Boy

Pretty much the only part of your post I agree with, given the soldering in them was shit and had a tendency to give way and screw up one or both screens.

Red_Frog posted...

Wii U gamepad, Switch

What's wrong with either of these? Again, no systemic issues that I'm aware of.

Red_Frog posted...

original unlit GBA

The only crap part about the original GBA was the lack of a backlight, which was a design flaw, not a durability issue. I have two of these, one of which I acquired used, and they both still work fine to this day.

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if only there were an easier way to play gba.

oh vell.
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Was built like a fucking tank, except for the control stick. Seriously, a magazine torture-tested all first- and third-party controllers of the fifth generation, including pouring pop on them, slap-shotting them with a hockey stick, and swinging them around by their cords and the N64 fared the best out of all of them, functioning perfectly afterwards except for a busted stick. I don't think the PS1 or Saturn controllers even worked afterwards, if memory serves.
It was an oddly designed and uncomfortable piece of shit.

What was wrong with this one? These had no systemic issues that I'm aware of.
"

The only thing that the Wiimotes initially suffered from was weak wrist-straps that had a tendency to snap if people put enough force into them, which Nintendo quickly corrected.
Waggly piece of shit.

Pretty much the only part of your post I agree with, given the soldering in them was shit and had a tendency to give way and screw up one or both screens.
I didn't say it was built poorly, I said they made some questionable choices. You seem fantastically buttmad about it for some reason.

What's wrong with either of these? Again, no systemic issues that I'm aware of.
I hate touch screens, which makes them pieces of shit. They were also oddly designed and uncomfortable.

The only crap part about the original GBA was the lack of a backlight, which was a design flaw, not a durability issue. I have two of these, one of which I acquired used, and they both still work fine to this day.
So, you agree. Questionable.

Red_Frog posted...

You seem fantastically buttmad about it for some reason.

You say this, but pretty much the only thing you've been able to sum up in response is, "I don't like it, so therefore it must be awful."

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darkknight109 posted...

You say this, but pretty much the only thing you've been able to sum up in response is, "I don't like it, so therefore it must be awful."

This conversation isn't even going to exist in a month. Why would I put effort into it when you didn't grasp what was said in the first place?

Red_Frog posted...

N64 controller, GameCube controller, Wiimote, Virtual Boy, Wii U gamepad, Switch, original unlit GBA.

I only agree with the Virtual Boy so some degree.

the GBA SP unit arv had wouldnt work cause the battery was dead arv had to buy a new battery then it worked

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Red_Frog posted...

This conversation isn't even going to exist in a month. Why would I put effort into it when you didn't grasp what was said in the first place?

There's not much to grasp. You're equivocating "I don't like this" with "this is a questionable hardware decision," which suggests that you feel like your opinion has far more objective merit than it does. It was just a silly statement all around.

What really baffles me is singling out the unlit GBA. No other portable game system on the market at the time had a backlight, why would the GBA? Yes, a light would have been nice, but there was no precedent that should have made you expect one.

RJP_X posted...

the closet? turned them on the other day, DS was surprisingly at full charge. GBA SP was on red charge, i don't see any buldge on the back panel's. looks very flat, i have seen pictures of a GBA SP with a bloated battery inside and the back panel looked broke.

i'm worried about if i plug them in if they would explode or something, i have had a psp with a bloated battery before.

I have an older GBA SP-101 stored in a drawer and as of about a month ago it still worked just fine. They built them to last!

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Black_Crusher posted...

They built them to last!

Rather the performance is low enough to not make any demands of the battery.
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Kyuubi4269 posted...

Rather the performance is low enough to not make any demands of the battery.

True. This is also why my copy of NES Legend of Zelda still saves after like 30 years.

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_AdjI_ posted...

There's not much to grasp. You're equivocating "I don't like this"
...
Yes, a light would have been nice, but there was no precedent that should have made you expect one.

I see you didn't, either. I said "questionable" and dk decided that was worth getting ruffled over. I humored him with a list, he then dug deep into his nether regions for solder.

Also, Game Gear, Nomad and the Game Boy Light all say hi.

Red_Frog posted...

I said "questionable" and dk decided that was worth getting ruffled over.

Most people understand that "questionable" is not the same thing as "I don't like it".

And for all your blather about how mad I must be about this, you're the only one who's been tossing insults around like I fucked your sister, all because you're getting hot and bothered about someone's opinion of video game peripherals.

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