Game Boy Advance Made-to-Order Ultimate Console - Solid Black Out

Before starting a review, I always find it helpful to share just a bit about myself, to give the reader some idea why my opinion on this product is worth anything. I’m a 36-year-old computer scientist who has been in the industry for over 20 years, and has been an avid gamer even longer than that. Growing up, I was fascinated by the amazing worlds games could transport me to. While I loved my home consoles, I was always particularly enamored with handhelds - and the GameBoy Advance holds my favorite game library of perhaps any console throughout history.

In recent years, I’ve made a hobby of collecting hardware I can use to play “retro” games - any device I can use to let me enjoy the classic games I loved during my childhood is a winner with me, and since the GBA was such a beloved system in my life, of course I have several devices to play GBA games on (most notably, the Ayaneo Pocket Micro, which does a perfect 4x integer scale of GBA games). However, when I stumbled on a YouTube video reviewing one of HandHeld Legend’s “Ultimate” GBAs, I was immediately hooked: here was a way to get that nostalgic original form factor I spent so many hours with in my childhood, but with the modern features I’d expect from today’s devices. I selected the “black out” Ultimate GBA and eagerly waited for my package to arrive.

When I received my shipment (about 2.5 weeks later), I was overjoyed at what I’d received. The body of the GBA itself has a truly lovely matte texture which gives the system a significant amount more grip than it would have otherwise, while the face buttons and D-Pad feel precisely how I remember them. Likewise, the start and select buttons feel just like I recall: tiny, awkward, somewhat impractical, rubber nubs. The L/R triggers, likewise, feel very similar to how I remember them.

When I inserted a cartridge and flipped the power switch on (while charging the GBA via USB C, one of my favorite upgrades to the Ultimate units), I was stunned. The screen is bright, colors are saturated and seem to “pop” like never before, and even the audio is significantly enhanced. To my shock, despite the GBA’s notoriously awful audio, this particular GBA’s speaker can legitimately fill a room with sound!

The ability to adjust the system’s backlight (via a convenient shortcut - simply hold select and press L or R to turn it up or down, respectively) is a wonderful modern convenience. Likewise, the USB C rechargeable battery has a small secondary indicator light under the battery cover (which is easily visible when turning the system upside down), which operates separately from the GBA’s dedicated power light. This, too, is a lovely little modern convenience.

In short, the Ultimate GBA from HandHeld Legend truly was precisely what I was looking for: a classic Nintendo console, but upgraded with all the modern bells and whistles a user in 2025 would demand of their shiny new handheld gaming system. If you, like me, are looking for the ideal way to enjoy the wealth of fantastic games for the GBA, look no further - this is it.

One final thing I feel is worth mentioning: the only thing I needed to purchase other than the Ultimate GBA was a flash cartridge to load it up with games! As expected, the flash cartridge (I picked an EverDrive GBA Mini, to go with my GB X7) works perfectly with the GBA. Now, I can simply leave the flash cart in the system, and I’ve got the *truly* ultimate GameBoy, loaded with every single game for the platform - plus hundreds more NES and Game Gear games!

Was very happy with my item but the actual screen pops up on the left side not sure why I didn't bother reaching out to them because for the price I payed it really should be flawless and I really don't want to have to go through the hassle of sending it back besides that defect iam happy with it

I ordered two of these custom GBA ultimate for me and my son and they are really good in terms of quality. Screen colors are very crisp and bright.

This thing is awesome, I was amazed how my old games looked and sounded and the battery lasts a LONG time.