GBA Cart Battery and Bootleg Carts

[ProfessorK]

Look above the gold contact fingers of the cart. Do you see the white letters that say Nintendo above it? If you don't, then it's definitely a bootleg cart.

Hm. It does say it. However, I typed the number that is printed next to "Nintendo" into google and nothing Castlevania related is coming up.

[gtmtnbiker]

Can you post a clear picture of the cart? It would be interesting to see what it looks like.

[ProfessorK]

Can you post a clear picture of the cart? It would be interesting to see what it looks like.

I can't right now. My only camera went with my last cell phone. Well, unless you want me to take one with the Game Boy camera, print the sticker and then scan it into my PC

Anyway, I can assure you it looks exactly as its supposed to. Plain black background, gold "Castlevania" logo with "Circle of the Moon" in red underneath it. Then your usual Nintendo seal, rating, Konami logo etc. I'm starting to wonder if maybe it was damaged by the last owner somehow...

[Hobie-wan]

CV CotM plus 3 semi random.

[ProfessorK]

CV CotM plus 3 semi random.

Those certainly look like batteries... Those ARE legit carts, right?

[Hobie-wan]

CV CotM plus 3 semi random.

Those certainly look like batteries... Those ARE legit carts, right?

The picture pretty much speaks for itself. The only clarification I can make is that Gradius uses an EEprom and the other 3 use SRam as marked right on the boards.

[Anapan]

Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald have a realtime clock that's affected when the battery runs out - day/night specific events don't work anymore.

[casterofdreams]

Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald have a realtime clock that's affected when the battery runs out - day/night specific events don't work anymore.

Ahh thank you that the clarification I was looking for.

[CRTGAMER]

BOOTLEG CART BATTERY

First another look at a few of Hobie's GBA carts:

CV CotM plus 3 semi random.

Proving that some GBA carts do have batteries.

This was posted on Video Game Finds. I thought more appropriate to do a followup on this thread.

*pile of pretty good stuff with a few boots*

That orange PotD is a bootleg. The logo aspect ratio is all wrong for it to just be an import that made its way here. That Castlevania double pack is too and a real one doesn't use a battery, but flash ram. The 98 in 1 is of course a bootlegs as well. I'm sure if you look up the codes on the PoTD and CV they're completely wrong.

The purple label version is legitimate and the Orange labeled one is a fake.

Look at the GBA logo on the cart and compare the feel of the plastic. also the cart should be labeled NINTENDO (in the logotype) on the inside visible from the connectors on the bottom. The cartridge part code is also printed on the back of the case itself as Model No. AGB-002 on official cartridges. Anything else (except for on carts with solar sensors, motion and rumble feedback) is a fake.

I've developed a keen eye for it over time after working at GameStop for so long.

So now I am in a dilemma. Orange Pinball of the Dead and the 98 in 1 are absolutely bootlegs due to the font above the label, the words are all the same size font. On authentic GBA carts, the word "GAMEBOY" is slightly larger then the word "ADVANCE". This is confusing, based on the font size, Castlevania does look legit.

GBA Bootleg Cart 01.jpg (230.8 KiB) Viewed 6436 times

Okay the back of the carts. Only the bootleg orange PotD has only two lines of text. Both purple PotD and Castlevania have the correct three lines of text, again a close match. All do state AGB 002 and have a tri-screw holding the cart together.

GBA Bootleg cart 02.jpg (210.82 KiB) Viewed 6436 times

Busting the carts open do show yellow ringed batteries on the fakes. The authentic PotD has Flash memory and the official white text on the PCB. Castlevania has a sticker stuck on the chip in Chinese?

GBA Bootleg cart 03.jpg (244.14 KiB) Viewed 6438 times

I agree with Hobie and Modman that orange label Pinball and Castlevania are fake. The internal batteries with yellow instead of orange insulation rings. However looking at the font both front and back, it does look authentic. The sure identification is that white logo on the PCB itself. It is not on the fake PotD or Castlevania. But this is hard to spot above the connectors with the covers on.

I may either drive VERY far and get a authentic cart or just do the battery change out. I'm not worried if the cart is a bootleg as long as the game saves work and hold data for a LONG time.

How do I spot a real GBA Castlevania Double Pack?
The white font on the PCB is hidden under the cover.
Is there a different label sticker?

Will the battery change last say ten years from now or will it give out in a year?

Anyone have the official GBA Castlevania Double Pack, a pic please?

[Hobie-wan]

The boot was trying to emulate the cheesiness of the box. But a real one wouldn't squeeze those tiny tiny logos on there, nor would they use a sloppy bottom half of a face that just cuts off either.


Not that the legit box and cart are works of art either, but at least they're just shitty design, not random unreadable logos and cut off artwork.

Also notice that the cart code is completely wrong. If the memory chip in the boot works properly, then a new battery would probably make it save fine. Even looking at your pictures, you can tell that the GB text on the shell is low quality and sticks up too much. See also the racing stripes on the back of the shell. They're shallow on the real POTD and rather deep on the boots.