It's a sad fact that gaming hardware, like any other piece of consumer tech, has a finite lifespan. Buttons break, internal parts fail and, eventually, consoles are going to cease working.
To prolong the lifespan of machines like the Game Boy and GBA, we've seen a host of community mods which not only extend the longevity of decades-old systems but offer tangible improvements, such as better screens or improved batteries.
One of the companies behind such mods – FunnyPlaying – has taken things to the next level by creating 'brand new' Game Boy hardware in the past, and it has repeated the same trick with the GBA.
As outlined in a new video by the always-excellent Macho Nacho Productions, FunnyPlaying has created a new GBA motherboard and – when combined with its other GBA-related mods and products – allows you to construct an entirely "new" console, with one notable caveat.
While the motherboard is new, you'll still need to physically transfer the CPU and RAM chip from an original GBA console.
Needless to say, that requires some complex work which will be well outside of most people's skill levels, but regardless of this, it's still amazing that we're now at the point where we can create an (almost) brand-new GBA system – and one which should be able to provide many years of enjoyment, even after all of the original GBA consoles have passed on to the great console heaven in the sky.
"This is a great product for not just enhancing the GBA console but also as a means of preservation for the console," says Macho Nacho Productions. "If your original GBA motherboard is damaged beyond repair (but the CPU and RAM are still good), you can prolong the life of the system by utilizing this motherboard."