Originally Posted on Reddit.

Hey guys,

Recently got my hands on a couple of the new(ish) FunnyPlaying DMG shells, so I thought I’d do a quick review and comparison between two builds I did recently–the first with Retro Modding parts and the RIPS v3, the second with FunnyPlaying parts and the Retro Pixel IPS screen.

Retro Modding DMG Shell

Funnyplaying DMG Shell

Retro Modding build in ‘Pastel Pink,’ FunnyPlaying build in ‘Tiffany Blue’ (looks very minty or turquoise to me).

Shells, Buttons, Lenses#

First, let’s talk about the shells. Both are very high quality. They feel great in the hand, and unlike some GBA shells you still find, or some cheaper Game Boy shells in general, these are generally perfectly up to snuff compared to the original shells. I think the FP shell might feel slightly nicer, but it’s honestly a pissing contest. That said, there are some major differences.

The Retro Modding shell uses a mold very similar to the OEM shell. As such, it fits the OEM display, front board, and lens perfectly, but requires modification for any of the popular IPS mods. For the RIPS v3, it’s as simple as nipping two screw posts and cutting a tab in the cut out for the contrast wheel. You can do all of this with flush cutters, a craft knife, and (optionally) sand paper. For the FunnyPlaying kit and the RIPS v4 (or any ‘Q5’ size panel), however, the modifications will be more extensive, because you have to open up the actual display window to accommodate the larger viewing area, which can be trickier to get right. It’s certainly less clean. It also requires a special screen lens to accommodate the larger screen–all of the screen lenses provided by Retro Modding aren’t large enough, which can really put a damper on your color scheme if you’ve gotten specific parts to match.

The FunnyPlaying shell, on the other hand, requires no modification for the FunnyPlaying or RIPS v4 mod. It’s literally drop in with the FP bracket. You can definitely fit RIPS V3, but it’ll require the same modification as usual. OEM boards & displays should also work.

Some quirks for each mold: the FP shells have extremely tight battery covers. This can be a good thing, but I’ve found myself literally having to fetch a screwdriver just to pry it off–not great. It’s also easy for the screws for the front board to raise the plastic under the screen lens–which can make the screen lenses fit a little funny. On the other hand, I find other things (like the power switch) to be a bit loose. Go figure. The Retro Modding shells have their own quirks: battery cover is fine, but the power switch is absurdly tight. I often find myself only getting it halfway over in one go. I’ve also found that the screw posts are…finicky. If you overtighten, you risk stripping the threads. It’s very easy to do. Doesn’t seem to be an issue for the FP shell.

Some aesthetic nitpicks: the text font on (some of) the FP shells is…not white? In fact it’s rather noticeably off white, and doesn’t look quite as nice as the text on the retromodding shells (at least, those that also have white text). It’s certainly less crisp. Also, the Retro Modding shells are just available in way more colors than the FunnyPlaying shells–and personally, I find RM’s options a lot nicer. This is obviously rather subjective. Neither shell has Nintendo branding on it for obvious reasons, but the FP screen lenses do have “dot matrix with stereo sound” and battery text on them. Personally, I feel like that looks out of place with the Nintendo/Game Boy branding stripped off the shell itself, but there ya go.

One last thing on the shells: for whatever reason, the Retro Modding shells don’t include the metal shields you need for the cartridge slot, or the battery contacts…which just strikes me as a perplexing choice. You have to buy those separately if you don’t have ones in good conditions, and they’re currently not selling metal shields for the DMG. Go figure. The FunnyPlaying kit includes both–preinstalled!

As for the buttons, they’re both quite good. The D-pads are a little looser than stock but you won’t have any trouble with button presses (and it’s impossible to hit more than two directions on the d-pad at once, unlike some cheap Game Boy buttons). As for the feel, this may vary between the FunnyPlaying and RIPS v3 kits, but the FP buttons with FP IPS kit feel a lot more spongey to me, which isn’t my preference. There’s a lot more travel with Start/Select than there is on my Retro Modding build with RIPS v3.

What I can’t understand, however, is the color options on the FunnyPlaying side. Retro Modding makes buttons and screen lenses available in most of the colors they offer shells in–which means it’s easy to match, if that’s your thing. Pastel Pink is Pastel Pink is Pastel Pink. FunnyPlaying simply doesn’t do this. Macaron Pink Shells are NOT the same as their Hot Pink buttons, and their pink screen lenses are a different color altogether. Light Green and Tiffany Blue likewise are similar colors but not the same. It’s rather perplexing, and I personally feels like it looks a bit…worse, though I realize this is subjective. I guess I like the monochrome look on my Retro Modding build a bit more. :)

RIPS v3 vs. FunnyPlaying Retro Pixel#

Without a doubt, the FunnyPlaying IPS kit is a bit nicer. That’s not to say better! It’s still very subjective. Both screens are crisp and bright and a treat to use if you’ve ever had to use the stock Game Boy screens. The extra size on the FunnyPlaying kit is very welcome (the RIPS v3 has some rather large black borders around the screen), but I find that there are way too many color options, many of which are absurdly similar (do we really need like 8 different variants on pea green/yellow?). I sometimes end up losing the color setting I was using before, unsure of which is which.

That said, the Retro Pixel effect–which is optional–creates an amazingly nostalgic (or retrofuristic) experience playing games. It’s not just adding a pixel grid, it lifts decreases the contrast a bit to really encapsulate the original feel of the DMG screen. In my opinion, this looks really good on some games but not as great on others (it makes Donkey Kong Land almost as difficult to play as the OEM screen). It’s up to you, but it’s a nice option to at least have available, which you don’t on the RIPS v3.

As far as the user interface, I find the RIPS v3 a bit better. The FunnyPlaying kit doesn’t actually use a wheel, so in place of the old contrast shell you have a strange kind of lever that you can use to change brightness and color palettes. Holding it in for a few seconds enables the pixel grid. The RIPS v3 is, in this respect, more true to the original. It’s a simple scroll wheel that adjusts brightness, pushing it in changes the color palette. There are fewer color palettes on the RIPS kit, but I find them (mostly) more pleasing and more meaningfully set apart. It feels like the RIPS v3 has slightly lower contrast than the FP kit with the pixel grid off.

I know prior RIPS kits had issues with the buttons, and I know some people have reported these issues with the v3, but they were nowhere to be found for me. I actually find the button responsiveness on the RIPS v3 kit to be a bit better/easier than the FP kit. Go figure.

One last oddity: the LED diffuser on the RIPS v3 kit is like, painfully ineffective. It’s a bit distracting. You get used to it, but there’s no denying it’s a lot worse (that is, brighter) than the more muted LED on the FunnyPlaying kit. I’m wondering how easy these are to replace on these aftermarket boards.

Retro Modding Speaker vs. FunnyPlaying Clear Speaker#

Just wanted to throw this in here as well since I happened to grab both for two separate projects: they’re both good. I think the FunnyPlaying speaker is slightly better sounding (and maybe louder?), plus it comes with wires pre-soldered, which is a big time saver. It also comes with the tab that makes it fit perfectly in the shell–the Retro Modding speaker seems more likely to move around a bit, it’s less snug. That said, the speaker I got from Retro Modding is pretty great nonetheless. No real complaints.

Verdict#

The FunnyPlaying shells & buttons are great if you’re looking to save some money, modifying a lot of consoles at once with the FP IPS kit, or don’t care about appearances so much. They’re cheaper (especially if bought from Ali Express) and you can find them bundled with the screen kits as well.

The Retro Modding shells & buttons are just as good in terms of quality but a hell of a lot better in terms of aesthetics. That’s not just subjective, IMO, they simply have more color options available across all their products. They are more expensive (considering the parts they don’t come with), so it really depends on what you’re going for. Art piece? Retro Modding. Selling modded DMGs on eBay? Might make more sense to go with FP.

I’d like to check out the RetroSix DMG shells next, though I’ve not had great experiences with their ‘Pearl’ GBA shells, and RetroSix isn’t the best company (to say the least). Still, that seems like one of the cheaper options for high(er) quality branded DMG shells right now, so it might be worth a shot. IIRC, it’s the only shell that can use the RIPS v3 kit without modification + the only one you can get with pre-drilled holes for USB-C charging mods.

Hope this helps someone!