Nintendo DS sees new life as the ‘Neon Advance’

What happens when a Nintendo DS comes apart in two pieces? For modder Joe Bleeps, the answer is the “Neon Advance.”

Even if two halves of the clamshell are separated — which on the older version of Nintendo’s handheld, kinda happened a lot — the lower portion of an old Nintendo DS can still play Game Boy Advance Games. So Joe Bleeps prettied up one with a light-bar mod and made sure it could support classic titles playable on one of the Nintendo DS’ old screens.

What about the other half of the DS? There were speakers on it, so Joe Bleeps compensated by putting a mono speaker into the stylus housing on the back.

This mod is not applicable to the Nintendo DSi or later, which does not have the Game Boy Advance slot compatible for that device’s cartridges. And Joe Bleeps says he cannot mod enough to keep up with some kind of regular order schedule, so his showpiece is mainly for art — as seen by the design flourish of running a light bar through the old hinge to give it a new look.

The unit still runs the standard Nintendo DS firmware to boot up Game Boy Advance games. Not that he or anyone else should be worried about breaking the warranty at this point.

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