Pelican GBA TV Tuner

Pelican's GBA TV Tuner

Have you ever been laying awake at two in the morning and had this thought scream into your head, "If I can play video games on a TV, why can't I watch TV on my gaming console?" Us neither, but we know someone who has, or at least where he works. Pelican Accessories has finally crossed the TV to console barrier with their TV Tuner for the GameBoy Advance. The GBA TV Tuner is a handy little gadget that converts your GBA into a portable color TV.

Feature wise, the TV Tuner isn't lacking. It sports one touch self seek tuning and memory for up to 99 channels, a telescopic antenna with external aerial jack, and a built in speaker with earphone jack and volume control. It also has AV in and out for connecting to other consoles, a dvd player, cable, satellite, or whatever else you might want to see.

But is it all worth it? So far it is. Reception isn't a problem; all the available channels in our area (both UHF and VHF) came in clear. The GBA screen is also capable of a surprising degree of picture clarity, though not backlit. The versatility of the tuner, however, is what's really impressive. If you find the GBA screen a little restrictive, the AV out option lets you watch TV on a computer monitor or any of the various third party portable monitors for the various gaming consoles. Use your imagination.

Set up is pretty easy too. Simply snap it on the back of your GBA, pop a game in the tuner's port and you're ready to channel surf. Just let the two on-screen menus be your guide.

The only drawback should come as no surprise: power consumption. The TV Tuner runs on an independent power source from the GBA, be it the AC adapter (included), the car adapter (sold separately) or four AA batteries. As you can guess, a portable color TV tends to eat up the juice; four new AA batteries last about an hour and a half.

Overall, this is an excellent accessory for the GBA. Ideal for the car or work, (if you can get away with it) you can get one for about eighty dollars at your local gaming store or online at one of the dealers listed at www.PelicanPerformance.com.