Bah . No reason to ignore me,it's just another opinion from the opposite side of the SP fence . I do like the design of the GBA SP, I just happen to hate the actual screen and the blue tinting front light. If it would have been back lit instead I wouldn't have had a problem. Like I said, I'm very very picky about screens, one little imprefection particularly in little screens drives me nuts.

Also I was slightly wrong in an earlier post. I said the SP was the first handheld I ever purchased which is true, but I did get a Sega Game Gear for a Christmas gift a long long time ago. That happened to have a back lit screen way back then... of course it sucked batteries dry really quickly though.

Just the whole CSR service with the SP's was very poor as well. After sending it in for the exact same problem twice since they didn't fix it, the CSR said I wouldn't be able to send it in anymore. That is total BS, they have a 12 month warranty and they should honor it by fixing acknowledged defects in the manufacturing process.

*rant off

I read it. I just kind of disregarded it because you said "Unless you buy Third party devices which I would never recommend.", because you said that right after a post where you recommended 3rd party light attachments for the regular GBA.*


*: If Nintendo makes a first-party light attachment, then I'm unaware of it.

I meant unlicensed Third party devices that could possibly affect system performance. Example being shoddily designed adapter for GBA SP to hook up the charger and headphones together and getting horrible sound instead of clean sound. Or for example the link cable from third parties not fitting right on the SP. If it's licensed Third party I don't have a problem with it. I own a Licensed memory card for the PS2.

I'm not sure if any light attachment for the GBA is licensed by Nintendo but I figured at least one would be, could be wrong though.


Yep, licensed light,magnifying light attachment.
http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/product/235185.asp

Regarding the headphone jack issue, for as long as I've played portable games, I rarely if ever actually listen to the sounds. I usually keep the volum all the way down.

I think the size and funcionality of the SP outweighs any other drawbacks it may have.

You know:
1) That's a pretty big backpedal from all third-party products are shoddy to "just unlicensed ones are shoddy".
2) I've got that headphone adapter I mentioned, and it doesn't affect the sound one bit, so long as you use a decent set of headphones with it.

It's not a back pedal at all. I should have said unlicensed third party in the original post but I thought that was understood by everyone when I posted it, apparently not. Will be more careful in typing out exactly what I mean in the future so it is not a guessing game.

When people bitch about third party memory cards for example, screwing up, they are speaking of unlicensed products. When the product is licensed the original company usually lets the third party see all the info they normally wouldn't see so they can build the product to the exact specifications by the manufacturer.

I purchased unlicensed memory cards and a Gameshark for the PS1 last generation. All of the memory cards corrupted and the gameshark made my PS1 screwy. If they were licensed they would be held to a certain standard by Sony before going to market.

A headphone adapter is nothing like a memory card in terms of risk or affecting the system. It's simply a pass-through for a few passive connectors.

As for the SP, Beckysboy has it right and Galanthas is way off-base IMO. And I've been playing games and handhelds for a long time, incl. the GB Pocket and GB color, Lynx, and TurboExpress. I also used to do game reviews for the Washington Post fwiw. I have a regular GBA and it was gathering dust in the closet despite my owning several games I liked. Went through many lights, also had the mini fluorescent light which was nice, but still had some glare and is nowhere near as uniform or handy as the SP light. The only way to see a GBA screen decently without a bulky light attachment is to be in direct sunlight or right under a lightbulb.

The SP rocks because it simply folds in half and is ready to slip in a pocket and go with you. The GBA is too bulky, and any light system makes it that much more kludgy. Batteries are a breeze--10+ hrs with the Li rechargeable, and excellent shelf life. *Much* better than using regular rechargeables (which are non-LI) for the GBA.

As for the headphone, I never use one. But you can get SP headphones for around $5-6, no hassle at all...

The whole point of prortable gaming is to have a system that is compact so you will actually take it with you, has a good display in any light conditions, and won't crap out. The SP has it all over the GBA in each of these aspects. Period.

I am going to get one of these sometime in the next few weeks, and I have a question about the SP and regular GBA. Can the SP use the e-reader, or just the GBA? That is basically the biggest concern I have in making my choice. Also, who has better games or are the games the same? I am a total GB n00b, so bear with me

Oh, also which one hooks up to the Gamecube? The GBA, the SP, or both?

Both work with both.

The E-reader looks funny in the SP because of the system link passthrough that the SP doesn't need, but it works fine.

Both GBAs will connect to the gamecube provided you have the GBA to gamecube connect cable.

GBA and GBA SP games are identical. The E-reader does work w/ the SP. They both hook up to the GC.

How much is the connect cable? Also, what is the best deal? I saw a bundle at Costco for $129 that had DK Country in it. Not sure if that was a good deal or not.