Considering to buy a Gameboy Advance SP

[Herbarius]

I've been thinking about getting a Gameboy Advance SP and some games to have a nice system to play on the go. I looked at ebay a while back, I think it's about a year back, and the prices were pretty high, so I put the matter aside for a while. Now I looked again and it seems prices have gone down considerably.

 

So, do you think the timing is good for this kind of investment. I figure the "main lifespan" has expired, due to the Nintendo DS, and that's why the prices drop. Do you think it would be better to wait another few months to see if they get even cheaper, or is it possible that increased demands due to collectors might kick in and rise the prices soon?

 

 

Ok, but let's say, some day I will try getting a GBA SP. Are there any pitfalls I've to look out for? I know it has an internal battery that's recharged using a power adaptor, so I'll make sure that that cable isn't missing. But what about the battery itself, what's the propability it's very worn out and doesn't last very long without recharging anymore? So should I expect that I have to replace that battery, and if so, how hard will it be to get replacement?

Yes, I've considered the regular Gameboy Advance, because it uses standard batteries, however I have at some instances played both units and compared and I don't want to miss the internal lighting the SP has. So this is quite an important issue.

 

Are there other pitfalls I have to look out for, like damages that are commonplace and might not be visible on an auction image at ebay?

 

And, last but not least, are there games you would recommend? The thought of being able to play Super Mario World on the go is stunning in itself, but some variety is never bad. Not restricted to just GBA games, GB and GBC games are welcome, too! Are there GB/GBC games that are for some reason not compatible? If so, which games?

 

Also, do you know if there are any flash-carts?

Edited October 12, 2009 by Herbarius

[nathanallan]

There are a couple of accessories that you can't live without (really, really cool things for it) and for that all you need is this link.

 

As for games, mainly I play the classic compilations and most/all of the Zelda games from all the GB's. Sonic Advance was okay, Frogger is good, and Wolfenstein 3D was a good one.

 

Major damage-- broken hinge in rare cases. Those things really were built to last. The hinge thing is the worst I have seen, mostly it's scratches on the outside but nothing that really affects anything. On the charger, best to get two just in case one gets lost or becomes unusable.

 

Hope this helps!

[darthkur]

Make sure it's a model # AGS-101. Those are the later released versions that are truly back-lit. The early models are fron-lit which is vastly inferior. You eyes will thank you.

[MagitekAngel]

Yes get the backlit one; so much better. The later-issue backlit SP is the perfect handheld for nearly 15 years' worth of awesome games. Watch out, though, the trigger buttons can fail, and you'll need a tri-wing screwdriver to fix 'em. There are so many things I don't like about the Nintendo DS Lite's buttons that I never use it for GBA.

[Asaki]

You might want to consider a Micro. I ended up getting one for about $30, and I love it to pieces. It's much more comfortable to hold than the SP...not quite as comfortable as the original GBA, but the d-pad is a whole lot better (same as Wii and DS Lite). The screen is incredibly crisp and vivid, with very little ghosting, and obviously it's very small and lightweight (almost the same size as an NES controller). Gosh, I'm starting to sound like a TV commercial.

 

There's no native support for old GB/GBC games, but almost every one of those games (except for a few titles like the two Zelda Oracle games) is way too dark on an Advance, so I just stick with an original GBC or emus on my Micro for those. The only other real downfalls is that you have to special order a link cable for them (which I plan on doing soon and modding), and you can't turn the backlighting off to play it outside, instead you have to turn the brightness up higher.

 

And yes, there are plenty of flashcarts. Last time I checked, the EZ Flash IV went way down in price.

 

As for games, I'm not sure where to start...obviously there's Metroid and Castlevania, Mario, Mario Kart, Zelda, Sonic Advance (not Sonic Genesis, yuck), a whole lot of Final Fantasy games (if you're into that sort of thing). There's some really great Treasure games (Gunstar Superheroes, Advance Guardian Heroes, Astro Boy), Rebelstar, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Game and Watch 4, River City Ransom, Klonoa, Metal Slug (no violence, though), Ninja Five-O (or Ninja Cop), Gradius Generation, Iridion...

 

And if you're into imports at all, there's the Stafy games, Goemon, Mother 3 (via translation patch), Guru Logic Champ...

 

Gameboy/Color, off the top of my head I'd say definitely the Zeldas, the Dragon Warrior remakes, and Picross if you can find it. Too many games there, I'd have to check through later.

[darthkur]

Watch out, though, the trigger buttons can fail, and you'll need a tri-wing screwdriver to fix 'em.

 

Yes, the left "should button" doesn't work. I don't the special tool either. I imagine it's just a matter of cleaning a dirty contact in there, right?

[Inky]

s for games...

 

 

Tron 2.0: Killer App is a must have. THe game itself is great, but it also includes the arcade Tron and Discs of Tron -- the only home versions of these classics (and they appear to be emulated as well!). Oh, and the arcade games are not "unlockables" -- you can play them from the second you power it up!

 

I also endorse

 

Super Mario World -- Has both Super Mario World AND the original arcade Mario Brothers.

 

Konami Arcade Classics -- try the classic "Konami Code" on all in this pack for surprising new extras. It contains Scramble, Rush N Attack, TIme Pilot, Frogger, Yia Ar Kung Fu and Gyruss.

 

Williams Arcade Classics -- Robotron, Joust, Sinistar, and one other I cant recall right now

 

Klax / Marble Madness -- Skip the Marble Madness on this one -- it has only 3 levels and is quite lame. Klax, however is a shining gem. Arcade perfect.

 

Lego Starwars

 

Golden Nugget Casino -- only because its the only casino game I can find for the GBA. It appears to me to play fast with the rules at times, but that may just be me.

 

 

Stay away from Rampart / Gauntlet. Gauntlet isn't bad.. but its repetitive, just like the arcade game. Rampart, on the other hand LOOKS like the arcade, but it breaks so many rules set forth by the arcade version that it doesn't play like the arcade version.

[Christopher T Leach]

s for games...

 

 

Tron 2.0: Killer App is a must have. THe game itself is great, but it also includes the arcade Tron and Discs of Tron -- the only home versions of these classics (and they appear to be emulated as well!). Oh, and the arcade games are not "unlockables" -- you can play them from the second you power it up!

 

I also endorse

 

Super Mario World -- Has both Super Mario World AND the original arcade Mario Brothers.

 

Konami Arcade Classics -- try the classic "Konami Code" on all in this pack for surprising new extras. It contains Scramble, Rush N Attack, TIme Pilot, Frogger, Yia Ar Kung Fu and Gyruss.

 

Williams Arcade Classics -- Robotron, Joust, Sinistar, and one other I cant recall right now

 

Klax / Marble Madness -- Skip the Marble Madness on this one -- it has only 3 levels and is quite lame. Klax, however is a shining gem. Arcade perfect.

 

Lego Starwars

 

Golden Nugget Casino -- only because its the only casino game I can find for the GBA. It appears to me to play fast with the rules at times, but that may just be me.

 

 

Stay away from Rampart / Gauntlet. Gauntlet isn't bad.. but its repetitive, just like the arcade game. Rampart, on the other hand LOOKS like the arcade, but it breaks so many rules set forth by the arcade version that it doesn't play like the arcade version.

 

 

I think the GBA SP was a great system for being a portable choice....now one question I dont think has been asked here..Do you want it for on the go or just for the selection of games....

If you are looking for an on the go My vote is in there for the SP with the brighter back lit screen,...you can tell it has a brighter back lit screen by the color of the caseing...There was a Onyx (I think) a pearl blue (I think) and a pink one...? SOmeone check on that...but if you want the gameboy for the games and you have a GAMECUBE...PICK up the gameboy player attatchment and play them on your bigger screen...I think the micro is too small, but on your own tv..you pick the size....

 

Good luck with your decisions and if you cant find a gameboy player with disc let me know and I can trade ya one...

[Herbarius]

Thanks a lot for all your responses!

 

 

Yes, Christopher T Leach, I want it to play on the go, not (or rarely) at home. Also I don't have a Gamecube

 

Asaki, you said most GB/GBC games are "too dark" on the Advance. What do you mean by that ? It's hard to imagine that even on the back-lit Advance SP those games could somehow be "too dark"...

[vdub_bobby]

Thanks a lot for all your responses!

 

 

Yes, Christopher T Leach, I want it to play on the go, not (or rarely) at home. Also I don't have a Gamecube

 

Asaki, you said most GB/GBC games are "too dark" on the Advance. What do you mean by that ? It's hard to imagine that even on the back-lit Advance SP those games could somehow be "too dark"...

Yeah, I don't get that either - I play all kinds of GB/GBC games on my GBA SP and they look fine.

 

And I'll recommend Advance Wars. Great game. On the other hand, I didn't think either Sonic Advance or Gunstar Superheroes were that great.

[Asaki]

Asaki, you said most GB/GBC games are "too dark" on the Advance. What do you mean by that ? It's hard to imagine that even on the back-lit Advance SP those games could somehow be "too dark"...

 

The original GBC had a very washed out look that showed up well under even the dimmest lighting conditions...the GBA, not so much. On a backlit SP, Micro, or Player, it would look okay, it would just look like how they look on an emulator. Try playing Dragon Warrior III on an original GBA, or a front-lit SP...ouch.

 

Though if you never had a GBC, I guess it wouldn't really bother you as much.

 

For a small example, here's how Oracle of Ages looks in an emulator on the left, and on the right is in GBA mode, which automatically brightens it to look better on the darker screen:

 

[Warriorisabouttodie]

I recommend (like everyone else) you go for the back lit models (Onyx, Pearl blue or Pearl pink) obviously you want the Onyx if you can find one cheap. If you want a collectable (not scratched) model, then try eBay and expect to pay for it. If you don't care so much then try Gamestop and you can find the backlit models for the same price as the regular Gameboy SPs.

 

 

This might be controversial, but whole heartily recommend you get yourself a couple flash cards. With a flash card you can carry all the games you want whereveer you go, view multimedia (music/movies), play emulators (NES and regular Gameboy games play at 100% speed) and not to mention the various homebrews and foreign games. Plus many games are near impossible to find these days, so unless you are willing to pay crazy money the only way you will play them is with a flash card. This is all assuming you aren't going to use it for just straight up pirating.

 

Anyway here is a pic of two cards that take care of all my GBA needs, the Super Card SD and the EFA Linker. I also have a collection of carts too btw. Try DealExtreme.com for what you need.

Edited October 12, 2009 by Warriorisabouttodie

[Jess Ragan]

Dude, they're cheap. What's there to debate? You could get a GameBoy Advance SP for $35 over at GameStop, and it's more than worth it. Even better, get a GameBoy Micro for about $30. You'll lose compatibility with the ancient GameBoy and GameBoy Color libraries, but you could get it back with a flash cartridge and some emulators. Plus it's incredibly tiny and convenient, guaranteed to fit into nearly any pocket and even a few body cavities.

 

If you opt for a GameBoy Advance SP, make sure you get one of the later models with the brighter screen. Early models of the system had washed out displays that look pretty awful next to the screens in the GameBoy Micro and Nintendo DS Lite.

 

EDIT: Whoa, whoa, who recommended Williams Arcade Classics? That collection was MISERABLE on the GameBoy Advance! For that matter, so were a lot of other Midway titles. However, I will second the recommendation of Konami Arcade Classics, and throw in a few more for good measure...

 

STREET FIGHTER ALPHA 3: The best handheld fighting game you can buy, if you don't own a Neo-Geo Pocket. This is an extremely ambitious conversion held back only by the system's limited sound processor and its developers being forced to squeeze it into a 16MB cartridge.

KING OF FIGHTERS EX 2: The second best handheld fighting game not on the Neo-Geo Pocket. It actually has some advantages over SFA3, like exclusive characters and a button layout that makes more sense on the GameBoy Advance hardware. If you liked King of Fighters 2000 on the Neo-Geo, you owe it to yourself to buy this.

ACTIVISION ANTHOLOGY: The games are actually kind of slow next to their Atari 2600 counterparts, but some of them are still pretty fun despite the speed difference, and there are a lot of sweet bonuses included on the cartridge. Yes, you even get a few homebrews, which was a pretty ballsy move by Activision before Bobby Kotick taught the company to act like a total dick.

ATARI ANNIVERSARY: A bazillion times better than the collection Atari later released for the Nintendo DS. Sure, it's missing the trendy graffiti, but if you like great retro gaming more than posters of Andre the Giant, you won't miss the spraypainted scribbles all that much. Asteroids and Tempest are especially well ported thanks to the magic of "meta-emulation!"

NINJA FIVE-0: Great fun for anyone who grew up in the Sega Genesis era. This game feels like it would be right at home on the system, borrowing heavily from its launch title Revenge of Shinobi with a touch of Bionic Commando added to the mix to give it its own distinct feel. Incredibly intense, especially in the hard and time trial modes.

DOUBLE DRAGON ADVANCE: Unlike Final Fight One, this is more than a mindless, repetitive beat 'em up. There are tons of moves at your disposal, each with a different purpose, giving Double Dragon a strategic edge lacking from most games in this genre. You'll actually feel like a black belt when you intercept enemy attacks, unleash devastating whirling kicks, and wield ancient weapons as if they were an extension of your hands.

CASTLEVANIA DOUBLE PACK: Two great Castlevania games! One great low price! If you were already going to buy Aria of Sorrow, why not pick this up instead and get Harmony of Dissonance as a freebie?

FIRE PRO WRESTLING: A slower and more technical wrestling game than most, but also deeper and more realistic. The character creation mode is vast in scope and you'll never run out of things to do in a match. Drag your opponent across the ring, launch yourself from the turnbuckle, throw your rival out of the ring and toss him into a metal gate... the choice is yours!

CAR BATTLER JOE: The sequel to an extremely obscure car combat game on the Sega Saturn, Vatlva, with a stronger emphasis on exploration and item collecting. You could burn through hours just delivering items to war-torn towns and customizing your ride.

PAC-MAN COLLECTION/NAMCO MUSEUM: Pac-Man Collection is the better game, with a sterling conversion of the little-seen Pac-Man Arrangement, but Namco Museum offers the most variety, with translations of five Namco favorites including Ms. Pac-Man (oddly missing from Pac-Man Collection). Avoid the 50th Anniversary Edition of Namco Museum, created by an entirely different team and with some aggravating quirks.

FINAL FANTASY TACTICS ADVANCE: Got a few hours? Final Fantasy Tactics Advance will swallow them whole and demand more. It's not as deep as the PSOne/PSP games and the judge system is aggravating and unfair, but that won't stop you from having seconds. And thirds. And fourths...

Edited October 13, 2009 by Jess Ragan

[Asaki]

I recommend (like everyone else) you go for the back lit models (Onyx, Pearl blue or Pearl pink)...

 

I would just like to point out that the frontlit SP model was also offered in these colors, so getting that color does not guarantee it'll be a backlit model.

 

The only way to tell is the read the model number on the bottom, or if it's in the original box, which will say "New! Brighter screen!" on it, or whatever it says.

 

Or to just turn one on.

[Herbarius]

Emulate NES games?

Activision Anthology? :)

 

If there has been any doubt left, if I should get it, it's now gone. Next month I'll pay GameStop a visit and see what they have. Also I'll order some Flash Carts and - unfortunately - a headphone adapter (they did that just for money, didn't they?)

 

maybe I'll get the Micro, if it's available and I feel like it, especially if the only alternative is a front-lit GBA SP. If I get a Micro, I'll still be able to play GB/GBC games as ROMs via Emulator.

 

 

Thanks again for all your responses.

Edited October 13, 2009 by Herbarius

[monzamess]

Couple of thoughts..

 

The GBA Micro screen is just too small for me. Trying to play it is simply a reminder that I am aging. I don't need that.

 

I bought the first GBA way back when, and immediately thought the screen was horrible. Then I got a frontlit SP and it was a million times better. Then I got a "taste" of the backlit screen, and it's like a million more times better than the frontlit SP, on par with the DS Lite. Definitely make the effort to get a backlit one.

 

Flash carts--I settled on the EZ Flash IV from Dealextreme. It takes mini SD cards (or micro SD in an adapter) up to 2GB. Works in all GBAs and has good compatibility (although you have to patch the files with their buggy PC software).

 

I recommend (like everyone else) you go for the back lit models (Onyx, Pearl blue or Pearl pink)...

 

I would just like to point out that the frontlit SP model was also offered in these colors, so getting that color does not guarantee it'll be a backlit model.

 

The only way to tell is the read the model number on the bottom, or if it's in the original box, which will say "New! Brighter screen!" on it, or whatever it says.

 

Or to just turn one on.

 

There's a list online, but from memory, there is very little (if any proven) overlap between the colors and the lighting method.

 

Frontlit: Platinum, red, cobalt (darker) blue, onyx (black w/light gray buttons), platinum/black special edition, NES special edition

Backlit: Pearl (light) blue, pearl pink, graphite (dark gray w/darker gray buttons), Spongebob special edition

 

I left out a couple of special editions, can't keep track of them all. It's easy to mix up the onyx and graphite models, but look at the buttons--if the buttons are darker than the case, it's the graphite model.

 

The graphite one is the only decent-looking backlit model IMHO and is pretty hard to find for a good price. I think it was the last non-special-edition SP to be released.

Edited October 13, 2009 by monzamess

[vdub_bobby]

The original GBC had a very washed out look that showed up well under even the dimmest lighting conditions...the GBA, not so much. On a backlit SP, Micro, or Player, it would look okay, it would just look like how they look on an emulator. Try playing Dragon Warrior III on an original GBA, or a front-lit SP...ouch.

 

Though if you never had a GBC, I guess it wouldn't really bother you as much.

I have a GBC and maybe it's just old and worn out, but when I play GBC games on it I can hardly tell that they're in color except under absolutely perfect lighting conditions. The screen is much sharper than the GB's, but the colors are so washed out that it's ridiculous. I much prefer playing GBC games on my GBA SP.

 

Avoid the 50th Anniversary Edition of Namco Museum, created by an entirely different team and with some aggravating quirks.

Yes. I have the 50th Anniversary edition and it is annoying in so many ways - the UI controls vary from game to game and the graphics are awful - to fit them on the small screen they just scaled them down without any adjustment whatsoever - so the text is unreadable and everything else looks terrible. It doesn't save high scores. Etc.

[jeremysart]

You got a lot of good responses.

 

I highly recommend the Onyx, as it is back lit, and scratches from age show up less.

 

I always have thought the SP was one of the greatest hand helds of all time. Its graphics dont hold up today, but its design is simply kick. It fits great in the pocket, its super comfy to hold imo, and its GREAT for old school gamers, having a lot of classic remakes come out for it, as well as a good majority of the best SNES titles.

 

Dont forget the only port over of Doom II in history! (The PSX version does not count, as it was heavily modified and the ending was removed)

 

I do highly recommend the following games:

 

F-Zero: Maximum Velocity

Doom II

Super Mario Advance Series (SMW, SMB3 & Yoshis's Island)

Donkey Kong Country

Iridion II

Duke Nukem Advance

[monzamess]

I highly recommend the Onyx, as it is back lit, and scratches from age show up less.

 

Here's the problem. There is a black SP (Onyx, frontlit) and a dark gray SP (Graphite, backlit). They almost look the same, and if you're shopping on ebay, they are practically identical in people's pictures, and often sellers will mis-identify them. The easiest way to tell them apart is that the Onyx (frontlit) has gray buttons lighter than the case, and the Graphite (backlit) has black buttons darker than the case.

 

I know it seems like a stupid point to belabor but I guess I have nothing better to do. BTDT and just want to save people the trouble.

[monzamess]

Since I'm stuck on this I'll retract my earlier assertion, sort of. It only applies to US releases. If you count other releases outside the US, then yes there are frontlit pearl blue, pink, etc models floating around.

 

Here is a nice list, though somewhat incomplete on the AGS-101:

http://maru-chang.com/hard/agb/english.htm

 

(yes, I really do have nothing better to do)

[Herbarius]

Is it true I can't use Gameboy or Gameboy Color ROMs from flashcarts without an additional piece of equipment ("bridge")?

 

I read that on the web, but I wonder if it may be outdated information or only applying to some flash carts.

[monzamess]

Is it true I can't use Gameboy or Gameboy Color ROMs from flashcarts without an additional piece of equipment ("bridge")?

 

I read that on the web, but I wonder if it may be outdated information or only applying to some flash carts.

 

If you want to run GB/GBC games from a flash cart on the native hardware (not emulated), you'll need a bridge. One site explains that the GB/GBC and GBA carts are at different voltages, so the bridge tricks the unit into thinking a GB/GBC cart is inserted.

 

I get the feeling that these bridges (if you can find them) are specific to each model of flash cart, because the flash cart would have to "know" how to boot up in GB/GBC mode. I don't think the EZ Flash IV I mentioned supports this feature at all.

 

However, with any flash cart, you can run a GB/GBC emulator (Goomba) and play games that way, but emulated and not on the native hardware. Of course if you want to go this way, you can then play GB/GBC games on the Micro and the DS for that matter. Bonus is, you get Super Gameboy support this way.

 

I'm not sure I told you anything new, but I still don't have a life so there you go.

[Herbarius]

Yes I'm surfing and trying to find info about flash carts and what you can do with them...

 

What I found said: (Super) Gameboy emulation is possible, although not many ROMs are compatible, Gameboy Color can't be emulated to date.

 

That's sad, but thinking about it, it's not really that bad. I primarily want to have the Flash Cart to emulate NES games, playing GBA homebrews etc. and common GB/GBC seem to go for very cheap, so I'll propably stick to original carts for those instead of breaking my neck trying to emulate them or getting that bridge adapter.

 

 

Also there seem to be lots of different models of flash carts, and not all of them are easy to get, especially without PayPal. Also some seem to be particularly cheap in price, others particularly expensive for reasons I can only guess. I've read about compatibility issues and so on, but to be honest all that information kinda confuses me more than it helps.

 

 

So, I'll try to ask some questions concerning that "Super Card SD" or the "Super Card Mini SD" which seems to be the same but for Mini SD cards, because at first glance this looks like the easiest to use and also I'd only have to buy it once and could use multiple SD cards if needed:

 

If I get that "Super Card (Mini) SD", and I already have a (Mini) SD card and a card reader for my PC, will I need any additional hardware to put games on there?

 

What about the software, there seem to be different softwares for this task, so I guess just dragging them onto the card via Windows won't work? I guess what you need the special software for is to handle multiple games on one flashcart, like creating a menu to select a game at the GBA bootup?

 

Once I have got it on there, do I have to expect lots of compatibility problems or will most GBA games work?

And especially: Will PocketNES work with it?

Edited October 14, 2009 by Herbarius

[Herbarius]

I think I finally found all to answer my above questions:

 

SuperCard MiniSD Review

GBA compatibility issues

 

unfortunately all links to explicit compatibility lists appear to be down, so I would be glad if someone could provide one.

[monzamess]

There is a fork of Goomba called Goomba Color that does GBC games: http://www.dwedit.org/gba/goombacolor.php

 

I can't say much about the Supercard. If you google "supercard vs ez flash iv" you can find a lot of information about the SuperCard even if you don't care about the EZ Flash.