Why alkaline batteries ONLY for Game Boy Advanced? (1 Viewer)

[Dominic Scolaro]

May be a stupid question but I don't do the game thing so I have no idea...

I'm getting tired of buying batteries for my daughters Game Boys and was gonna get some NiMH batteries and a charger. I look at the manual and it say to use alkaline ONLY for Game Boy Advanced, and NOT to use NiMH, or NiCad etc...!

Is this true or do they just have a pact with the battery companies in order to keep selling batteries?

Do the rechargable batteries run hotter or something?

 

[Andy_S]

I'm not exactly sure why, but I do know that the NiMH batteries are 1.2 Volts and regular alkalines are 1.5 Volts. That may be the reason.

 

[Dominic Scolaro]

Hmm, I didn't notice that...

I just checked the obvious, the Nintendo site, and this is what it said:

Nintendo recommends against using most types of rechargeable batteries, as it's difficult to determine whether the batteries being used are all equally charged.

I'd be curious to know if others are using rechargables with no ill effects.

 

[Dave F]

I always use NiMH batteries, and have had no problems.

-Dave

 

[Morgan Jolley]

There are some specially designed rechargeable batteries for the GBA. I have one, and it has a special battery compartment cover that allows it to be recharged while still in the GBA.

 

[Lee L]

My wife has a GBA with a similar battery that gan be rechaged in the GBA. No problems with it working and we get a decent life out of it too. Based on the price, it couldn't be anything too esoteric, probably a NiCd. I'll try to check later.

 

[GlenHaag]

I've been using Rayovac Rechargeables in mine since day one and haven't had a single issue.

Glen

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Alkalines drop to about 1.2 volts late in their lives. I'd say NiMH batteries will work fine, despite what Nintendo says. NiMH are strong enough to power digital cameras with zoom and flash, which are SERIOUS loads on batteries. Hell, good NiMH (1600mah on up) last longer than any alkaline in a digital camera.

 

[Jonathan Dagmar]

I think the reason is that Rechargables batteries die suddenly, whereas Alaklines die gradually. Therefore with rechargables you wont get much of a warning that your batteries are low, and there is an increased chance of saving just as they die, thereby corrupting your save file and losing your game.

I dont see any reason why rechargables would damage the system in any way.

 

[Dominic Scolaro]

OK... I just bought an Energizer 1 hour charger and batteries for my digital camera. The batteries are rated at 1850 mAh which is the highest I've seen. I bought some extra betteries for my daughters game boy and I'll give them a try.

The camera manual also warns to make sure they are all equally charged just like the Nintendo site, but it says they are OK to use. Nintendo lawyers are probably just being overly cautious...

 

[Rodrick]

All my systems Gameboy, Lynx, Express, Nomad, Microvision, all ate up batteries, also didn't work with rechargables but my enemies so called Sega Gamegear, which he boasted was the only backlit system with batteries.

Bowl crap it was either the tomytronic system or the Nomad or Turboexpress.