Retro Gaming Australia

Want to play your Game Boy Advance games on your Super Nintendo? If the answer is yes, then the GBA to SNES Cartridge Adapter has got you covered.

Available from Tototek for US $29.99, the adapter enables you to play most GBA games on your PAL or NTSC SNES (or Super Famicom), affording you the opportunity to use your oh so comfy SNES controller while not having to worry about optimal lighting if you’re not fortunate enough to own the brighter backlit model GBA SP. The adapter even has a link port.

We haven’t had a play around with the GBA to SNES Cartridge Adapter, so we can’t vouch for its quality and library compatibility, but it seems like a neat little device that might be worth looking into if the idea of playing GBA games on a SNES tickles your fancy. Though, you might prefer to wait for Retro-Bit’s, albeit pricier, Super Retro Adapter – which looks pretty slick.

Thanks to Retro Collect for the heads up.

Last week, Nintendo announced that they would be providing 3DS earler adopters with 10 free GBA games as part of the 3DS Ambassador Program. Five of those games were revealed in that press release – Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Metroid Fusion, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames, and Mario vs. Donkey Kong.

It appears as though Nintendo of America’s customer service has inadvertedly revealed two more of the 10 GBA games planned for the program. Nintendo World Report contacted the company to confirm reports that Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 and Kirby and the Amazing Mirror will be made available to 3DS Ambassadors.

Given that Kirby and the Amazing Mirror seems to cost an arm and a leg on eBay, this is good news. Three more games are due to hit the service – any guesses on what they will be?

It seems that there are a few caveats to go with the recently announced NES and GBA Virtual Console news.

Nintendo Australia has announced that the 3DS system will drop from $AU349 to $AU249 on August 12, with similar price drops occuring across the world. As a bonus for early adopters (anybody who buys a 3DS before September 1), Nintendo will be giving you 10 free NES and 10 free GBA games, some of which we elaborated on in our earlier story.

It’s not as cut and dry as these games simply appearing on the Virtual Console store and you downloading them. On September 1, Nintendo will be pushing out “early bird” versions of the 10 NES games. They won’t have any of the usual VC trimmings, and it is understood that the NES emulation is at a beta stage. These titles will be added to the Virtual Console store at a later date, and joined by other classic NES games.

It gets weirder with the GBA situation though. No date has been announced for when these will be available to download, and it is understood that Nintendo is not planning on adding the GBA to the Virtual Console – instead, these 10 GBA games will remain exclusive to the 3DS early adopters and will not be for sale later down the track.

Nintendo held a press conference today to announce their Q1 FY2012 results, and took the opportunity to address the lagging sales of its new 3DS handheld. The price of the Nintendo 3DS is being slashed by 40% from 25,000 yen ($AU291) to 15,000 yen ($AU174) effective August 11, 2011. Similar price drops will occur across the rest of the world.

The news that’s of more importance to retro gaming fans, however is that the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy Advance will be joining the 3DS Virtual Console line up. As a consolation to people who bought the 3DS at its full price, Nintendo will be giving out a whole horde of free Virtual Console games.

Free games on the NES include Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Jr., Balloon Fight, Ice Climber and The Legend of Zelda, while the free game line up from the GBA consists of Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi’s Island, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Metroid Fusion, WarioWare: Mega Microgame$ and Mario vs Donkey Kong. This line up only applies to Japan for the moment, so we’ll have to wait and see what Nintendo has in store for us.