I just released a video on my channel, Macho Nacho Productions, showcasing the impact of Game Boy Advance consolizing kits on input lag.
This test was coordinated with Bob of RetroRGB who has far more experienced with input lag, and how to measure it, than I do. He lent me all the necessary equipment to accurately conduct these tests (thanks Bob!) and I have to say the results are pretty surprising.
This test was designed to take into account the entire button input process; from the precise moment one presses the button, to the when the associated action is rendered on screen.
As a control, we even measured the the input lag on a completely stock GBA using its original transflective display. Comparing the results of the consolizers to a unmodified console let’s us see how much more (or less) input latency is created by these kits.
To ensure that the test results are pure, we needed to control for potential external lag introduced into the AV chain. To keep this to a minimum, we used a CRT display as well as a HDMI to component adaptor to connect the consolizer to the television. Both these components are confirmed to add zero input latency.
Once the test bench we was setup, we used a high speed camera (HSC) that records 1000 frames per second to capture the precise moment I pressed the A button to then the timer on screen stops (timer application used is from the 240p Test Suite). The HSC allows us to significantly slow down the footage and see the exact moment the button is pressed (indicated by an LED on the controller that turns off) to when the timer on the CRT comes to a complete stop.
I ran the test 6 times on each consolizer to get a decent sample of results. Now I wont go over the results here in the article, you’ll need to watch the video for that, but I will say the results will definitely surprise you. I know they definitely surprised me!
