u/8bitarmor

A few days ago, my cousin Mike and I (Jon) posted our 3D-printed GBA cartridge case here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/gba/comments/1vnmm93/made_a_custom_gba_cart_case_feedback_welcome/

The response was much better than we expected. We got a lot of helpful feedback and are now preparing for our first production run.

The product

The photos in both posts feature the prototype resin print. The production version will be injection-molded coated polycarbonate, with a precision fit for GBA cartridges, a clear display finish, and a design that lets the cases stack and stand on their own.

Here's a video to show the case in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_la39usAkFE

The goal is to make something that feels like a proper collector’s product. We know there are cheaper plastic and more expensive acrylic alternatives. This is a premium product, but our cases are still cheaper than most acrylic ones. We chose the materials and construction we’d actually want for our own collections instead of making the cheapest case possible.

Pricing

The campaign pricing is currently 10% off:

• 5-pack: $22.46 vs $24.95
• 10-pack: $44.91 vs $49.90

That works out to roughly $4.49 per case on sale vs $4.99 normally. We’re open to feedback on whether this pricing seems fair. We may be able to bring prices down over time as we build the business and can order in larger volume.

Why 3,350 cases?

Our campaign goal is 3,350 cases. Selling through the full goal is roughly $15,046 in gross sales. That’s before payment processing, shipping, taxes, refunds, replacements, and other costs.

Our supplier charges a one-time injection-mold fee of roughly $7,000 to create the custom tooling for this case. That’s a significant upfront cost for a small business, so we set an ambitious goal that covers the tooling while also giving us enough units for our online store and local retro game shops. We know it’s a big number, but smaller production runs make the per-case cost much higher and wouldn’t give this project a true chance.

Where the money goes

If we reach the goal, anything left after production and fulfillment will go back into the business. We will also buy our own 3D printer so we can test prototypes in-house instead of borrowing equipment or paying other people to print every iteration.

So far, we’ve put some of our own money into the LLC, website/Shopify, prototypes, and other setup costs. We’re way too early to be paying ourselves anything. The long-term goal is for Mike and me to eventually work on this full-time, but right now the priority is making good products and building the business properly.

Who we are

We’re a family-run LLC based in New Jersey. Mike and I are first cousins, equal partners, and lifelong friends. We’ve been playing games our entire lives, and we’re trying to build something we’d actually be proud to use ourselves.

We don’t have outside investors or employees. It’s just us and the companies helping us manufacture the products. We’re intentionally keeping the business independent so we can stay focused on making products people actually want.

Timeline and refunds

The campaign ends Friday September 18 at 8:00 PM ET. After that, we’ll place the production order if we reach the goal amount. If we do not reach the goal amount, we will fully refund every preorder. The current estimate is about 30 days for manufacturing, followed by roughly five days to inspect, pack, and ship the orders. We’re currently targeting shipment in mid-to-late October, but we’ll post updates if anything changes.

Campaign and rewards

We’re also offering a few campaign rewards. Rewards are cumulative:

• 10+ cases: Free shipping and your chosen name or username added permanently to our online Wall of Fame.

• 50+ cases: Everything above, plus a limited-edition 8-Bit Armor T-shirt that will only be produced for this campaign.

• 100+ cases: Everything above, plus future prototypes for feedback as they become available, including potential GBA V2, Game Boy, and SNES cases. You’ll also receive lifetime 10% off all future 8-Bit Armor products after this campaign ends.

Campaign page:

https://8bitarmor.com/products/8-bit-armor-gba-case

Feedback welcome

We’re looking for honest feedback before we place the production order. What do you think of the price? Are there any concerns about the fit, closure, finish, stacking, or durability? Where should we post to get the word out? We're doing a final pass on getting the internal cartridge fit perfect before we go to production as well.

We’re mostly Reddit lurkers and are still learning the proper etiquette here, so if there’s a better place to share this or a better way to approach the community, please let us know!

My cousin Mike and I (Jon) hate the cheap plastic GBA cases that we find in retro game stores. We made better ones. They stack and stand up on their own so you can display them on a shelf.

These are 3D printed so think of them as prototypes. We did the CAD design ourselves. The cases have some specks and aren't perfectly shaped, but that would be fixed if we decided to sell them and put them into production.

I'd love feedback on these so we can improve them. Would you use these? What do you think a good price is? Thanks!