Afterburner (modification kit)
Encyclopedia
The Afterburner lighting kit by Triton Labs is an aftermarket modification to the Game Boy Advance
in which a frontlight
is installed into the unit.
Upon the release of the Game Boy Advance in June 2001, a vast number of users of the Game Boy Advance complained about the screen's poor visibility; with no internal backlight
or frontlight the LCD was only visible in direct light, too much of which would cause glare. Adam Curtis, creator of Triton Labs, put forth the solution in the form of a frontlight kit that allowed the screen to be seen in any environment, even in total darkness.
The Afterburner greatly improves screen visibility at the cost of 25% to 30% battery life reduction, though this can be remedied with the use of a brightness control and extra capacity batteries. Due to the construction of the Game Boy Advance case, the Afterburner light is slightly too narrow to illuminate the screen evenly. This creates what is called the "trapezoid effect": a trapezoid-shaped pattern of light across the screen. The Game Boy Advance SP
does not suffer from the "trapezoid effect", though its integrated battery makes the power drain more significant.
The following comment from Game Boy Advance SP creator Kenichi Sugino
is taken from an interview with GamePro
magazine:
"In a way, though, it also reminded us of exactly how many users really wanted to see some kind of light in their Game Boy Advances. It was an impetus for us to devote the time to figuring out how to finally just do it. So, in that aspect, it helped us during SP development as well."
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
in which a frontlight
Frontlight
A frontlight is a means of illuminating a display device, usually a liquid crystal display , which would otherwise be viewed in ambient light. This improves its performance in poor lighting conditions. Frontlights are inferior to backlights and are usually found as an auxiliary feature.An LCD...
is installed into the unit.
Upon the release of the Game Boy Advance in June 2001, a vast number of users of the Game Boy Advance complained about the screen's poor visibility; with no internal backlight
Backlight
A backlight is a form of illumination used in liquid crystal displays . As LCDs do not produce light themselves , they need illumination to produce a visible image...
or frontlight the LCD was only visible in direct light, too much of which would cause glare. Adam Curtis, creator of Triton Labs, put forth the solution in the form of a frontlight kit that allowed the screen to be seen in any environment, even in total darkness.
The Afterburner greatly improves screen visibility at the cost of 25% to 30% battery life reduction, though this can be remedied with the use of a brightness control and extra capacity batteries. Due to the construction of the Game Boy Advance case, the Afterburner light is slightly too narrow to illuminate the screen evenly. This creates what is called the "trapezoid effect": a trapezoid-shaped pattern of light across the screen. The Game Boy Advance SP
Game Boy Advance SP
The , released in February 2003, is an upgraded version of Nintendo's Game Boy Advance. The "SP" in Game Boy Advance SP stands for Special. The SP was marketed at US$99.99 at launch. In September 2004, Nintendo lowered the price to US$79.99...
does not suffer from the "trapezoid effect", though its integrated battery makes the power drain more significant.
The following comment from Game Boy Advance SP creator Kenichi Sugino
Kenichi Sugino
is the creator of the Game Boy Advance SP handheld consoles from Nintendo.- References :...
is taken from an interview with GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
magazine:
"In a way, though, it also reminded us of exactly how many users really wanted to see some kind of light in their Game Boy Advances. It was an impetus for us to devote the time to figuring out how to finally just do it. So, in that aspect, it helped us during SP development as well."