ravan

Looking into getting a GBA for fun and when I travel..

What is the difference between the GBA and GBA SP?

I assume I want the SP or?

Also suggestions on a few good games are very welcome!

Tuan Jim

SP has a backlight and no headphone jack. normal has a jack but no light. I don't have either at the moment, but I'll probably pick one up eventually.

ravan

Is SP faster or something? headphone jack is pretty much a must for me (airplanes and such).

Are older GBA titles available cheap?

Galanthas

The SP is pure evil. Worst handheld ever... heh At least in my opinion. The SP is front lit not back lit, big big annoying difference. If your gonna get a Gameboy,get the regular Gameboy Advance buy some rechargable batteries and a light attachment.

I purchased an SP in May this year, first time I ever bought a handheld system and probably the last time as well(although I may pick up a used normal GBA for SMA4 E-reader support someday). I had to exchange the system 4 times at the store because of dust under the screen and then send it to Nintendo 2 twice because the store wouldn't let me exchange anymore. Last time I received it back from Nintendo it still had dust and the out sourced company that *fixed* the unit scratched up the case. The SP makes all games have a very very annoying blue tint and there are horizontal band lands when the unit is in certain positions. Sold my SP on Ebay and bought a gameboy player instead.

Now with that said, I'm a extremely picky person when it comes to any type of screen tv,computer etc. One little defect in it will drive me nuts, particularly when that screen is small.

And even with Sony's upcoming PSP handheld, I'm still not interested. Sony's handheld is a threat as to why I enjoy Gameboy games, 2D graphics instead of horrible horrible 3D graphics. Perfect example...

Nokia N-Gage Tomb Raider


Gameboy Advance Castlevania:Aria of Sorrow


I'd rather not go through another Playstation 1 3D generation. While there were some very good 3D games on the PS1, most was pure garbage graphically compared to 2D games. But I'm biased since I prefer 2D over 3D.

rfduncan

No - that IS the major difference. You can add a headphone jack to the SP but it is an extra purchase. Also the SP is rechargeable. I'd go to a store like BestBuy or Target and try them both out - usually both are on display in any electronics/video games department.

ravan

Whoa.. the SP is a lot more expensive on ebay.. thought it was a faster processor or something.

Being 100% GB newbie - what are the e-reader cards ya'll are talking about?

Galanthas

If you do decide on the SP you can order a jack for the headphones. I think it will hook into the same slot the charger hooks into meaning you can't have both hooked in at the same time. Unless you buy Third party devices which I would never recommend.

You can find quite a few quite cheap. Wal-Mart has quite a few good ones priced from 15 to 20. I think they still have bomberman tournament for 19.97 or so great game, er well the battle mode anyhoo, don't bother with the story mode. Konami's Collector Series:Arcade Advance should be 14.97 or so, great collection of older games.

Galanthas

http://www.nintendo-e-reader.com/


Should answer any questions you have, better than I could. Just check under the hardware tab.

They also have a normal GBA and E-Reader bundle for 69.99:
http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/categorie..._dept=Hardware

Save Ferris

I got the GBA for travel, I had to get a light for it because in most places the light isnt good enough. I got the best light for it -- the mini flourescent one and it added TWICE the weight to the thing. PLUS it looks dorky as hell with a silly light strapped on. The GBA was klunky and heavy and dosent pack away easy. Not real portable honestly--especially with the attachments and all the extra batteries (for the light and gba)

The GBA SP was what the GBA wants to be when it grows up. The built in light makes it BEAUTIFUL. So many attachment lights for the GBA put a huge GLARE SPOT on the screen. total pain. Plus the GBA SP has a built in rechargable NiMH battery!! EXTRA LONG LIFE so no extra batteries to roll around in my carryon bags or pockets. The SP is SO MUCH LIGHTER and its truly portable. You just slap it shut and stuff it in yer pocket. SOME people dont like the buttons/layout -- its too small for cro magnon hands but thats thier problem not mine. TO ME-- the GBA was a let down in portability and screen display -- making a light NECESSARY, the GBA SP was all the GBA should of been from the beginning.

Save Ferris

The headphones use a different slot than the charger, you can have it charging AND use your headphones.

Galanthas

I'm not sure what your smoking but:

http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/sys...jsp#headphones

Save Ferris

whoops thats right. i was thinking of link games!


(not smoking anything but im drinking wood varnish WOOoo TGIF!!)

CaptainMarvel

You're right, but the headphone adapter I bought plugs into the charging input, and it lets you use headphones AND charge at the same time.

Save Ferris

Sweet... what kind?

sjividen

As somebody that just purchased a GBA SP (never owned the regular GBA), let me say that I love it. The backlight and rechargeable batteries are essential and work great, IMO. I also had the dust-under-the-screen problem, but just took it back to the store and they exchanged it without a hassle. My brother later picked it up, played SMB2 for 5 minutes, and ended up buying one a few days after.

I got the headphone adapter (with a cheap set of earbuds) for $6 at Circuit City, so that's really not an issue. Seriously, it's the best purchase I've made in a while and it's approximately the same size as my wallet.

ravan

The non SP looks cooler in my non-educated opinion. But big points on the light thing.. The SP looks a lot bigger - is that the case?

CaptainMarvel

Mine came as part of a Mad Katz kit: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....oryId=cat08216

It cost $14.99, but I bought it mainly for the car charger.

Edit: I guess I should add that I originally had a regular GBA, and I hated it, mainly because of the lighting problem. I found add-on lights to be completely inadequate. The GBA SP, on the other hand, I completely love. It's by far my most used electronic device other than TV/TiVo.

Save Ferris

The SP is a little thicker but MUCH smaller width-wise. Like a wallet with some money in it

Joshic

I thought the GBA SP had a Lithium Ion battery?

ravan

Another of my, i'm sure, FAQ's :

Are there region coding on GBA games or can you import/play japanese games if you like?

PixyJunket

No region coding.. I bought my GBA to play an import as a matter of fact.

Galanthas

Should have read my other post post .

xlpanda

hi raven,

i recently bought a SP for the same reasons you have. i was going to be travelling a bit this holdiday season and wanted something fun to do on those long flights and wait times at the airports.

the SP is really compact once you fold shut. I can put in my front shirt pocket or pants pockets. The fact that it has some kind of built in light is great because you dont need any add on device to see. If you are travelling, just imagine how much time you save by just whipping out the SP and playing regardless of if it's dark or not? Having a rechargable battery is great. I dont know how much you're suppose to be able to play on a fully charged battery, but I have put in a couple of hours straight with no problems.

The normal GBA is a lot cheaper vs the SP because the SP basically just came out and lists for 99.99. As for the headphones, you can also buy an adapter that plugs into the ac port which then allows you plug in any earphones you have or you can buy a nintendo SP earphones which plugs directly into the ac port.

as already mentioned, there is no region coding on the games or you should be able to play US games on a GBA you purchased in japan for instance or play import games from japan on your US purchased GBA.

some ppl mention the SP is a bit small for their hands because the normal GBA is much wider and fits bigger hands better. best thing to do there is you try it out a bit...going into best buy or circuit city will allow you see how well the SP suits you.

hope you enjoy whatever version of the GBA you get.

Outlaw

I have an SP and it is much cooler than the normal GBA . It costs more because it has a built in light and smaller compact form factor, and is newer. Its well worth the extra money just for the smaller size IMO. And I also have that headphone adapter that lets you charge at the same time, works great.

For games, get yourself Advance Wars 2 or Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, both are strategy games and will last you a long time. For old-new school, Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario 3. And you must get Wario Wario too.

BeckysBoy

Ignore Galanthas. He clearly has some issues. I've owned every Game Boy unit to come down the line (including the GB Light, which was only released in Japan) and the SP is the best of them all. I also own an GBA, but I really only have it for sentimental reasons (my brother won it when we were at E3 before they were released and gave it to me). I bought my SP the day it came out and have had no problems with dust or faulty pixels.

The fact is you have to have a good, even light source to see the screen and you get that built in with the GBA SP. You also get a rechargeable battery that will save you hundreds on batteries (it only takes 2-3 hours to charge and then runs 12 hours before needing another, longer without the light turned on). It's more compact, the screen is protected when not in use, and it just looks a million times cooler than the regular GBA.

Headphones should not be an issue, as you can easily obtain Nintendo's headphone adapter for $5-$10. Nintendo also makes a set of headphones with the proper jack built right in. You can also go with a third party adapter which will allow you to charge while using them, but in my experience I've never needed headphones while charging. Usually when you're charging you're at home anyway.