Gameboy Advance
 

I was at Target this morning picking up some dvd's and picked one of these up for the heck of it. It was $68 for the unit and super mario. Is this worth keeping? It seems like a good price, but are they still making games for it? Or should I return it and get a nintendo ds?

I assume it's one of the SPs with the new backlit screen? The price is great for the gameboy+mario (which one? they're all good). There are a ton of gameboy advance games I love, including the metroids, castlevanias, astro boy, mario golf, and many more. I recently purchased a DS and like that a lot too. I guess it depends if you're interested in the DS games or not. If not, the SP is a better system for playing the old games. Even though the DS plays GBA games, I find it distracting since the screen has a black border around it. Plus, it feels weird to play a game with just one of the screens.

The SP has a great library and there are quite a few good RPGs on the way for it next year. Its worth $70 with a Mario game.

I'm in the same boat as the op, only should I return it and save for a psp? I mean I know their are good games for it, but I just don't know if Ill play it as much as I would play a psp.

It's all about the games you want to play, and only you can make that call. The PSP is certainly much cooler than the GBA, but there aren't any games I am dying to play. Some of the sports titles look okay, but there is nothing on PSP that makes me interested in one. There are tons of GBA games I love. If you like the PSP games, go for the PSP.

they have a price misprint in the current target ad for a Nintendo DS for 99. i might return the new gba i got for it... not sure what to do

Misprint? I don't think so. It's in their catalog.

Forget about the GBA. The only thing it has over the DS is playing GBC and GB games. I owned the GBA for years and never played games on those systems once. They are for hardcore gamers really.;

Get the DS. Right now for the money the DS craps all over the PSP. It has better titles out and if you want movie capability, you can import the Play Yan.

So all the gameboy advance games can be played on the ds?

yep! I find it a bit distracting, since the DS puts a thin black border around the screen. But, if I didn't already have an SP, I am sure it wouldn't bother me. The DS is indeed an awesome system. For me, Castlevania alone made it worth the purchase. Throw in the fact that it plays all of the GBA games, and it's hard to beat the DS.

Yeah the DS is pretty nice. Take the Target catalog in and get one for $99.99. Its well worth it.

I forgot about the Target ad - for this price, the DS is a steal. Great system!

anyone know if a DS update will be coming out? a SP basically? i figure it will, thats why i might just stick with the new GBA ... hmm

How could they improve it that radically?

im sure they could put in that new screen that the new sp and micro are using and streamline the DS so its not so big and clunky....?

You think it's big and clunky?

Where does one get one of these Target catalogs that have the $99 DS? I assume they aren't in stores. Were they mailed out?

I got mine in the mail.

i mean its big and clunky compared to the sp, obviously having 2 screens hurts but look at the improvement from gba to sp...

The GBA was a horribly flawed design that should never have been released. The DS is a great start from the beginning.

How do the GBA SP and Micro compare? I know the Micro is smaller and its screen has better screen clarity. But it can only play GBA games, right? And it seems to me that the hinged SP may protect the screen better than the open-faced Micro. Still, I am considering getting one or the other and didn't know if there was a consensus out there. (The DS may be an option for me after I do a little more homework).

SP is cheaper by $10, has a bigger screen and is now brighter though still not quite as bright as the micro with 2 brightness settings and plays GB and GBC games. It needs an adaptor to use headphones and though its clamshell its also plastic so it can get scratched up. If you scratch the screen while its open there are no easy ways to fix it.

Micro is $10 more expensive ($89.99 at many stores now), has a smaller screen with the same resolution and is brighter than even the new SP and has 5 brightness settings. It has a built in headphone jack but needs an adaptor to connect to the GBA or GCN cables. It is made of metal and is very durable and has faceplates you can switch out. Faceplates can be scratched but usually do not if you keep them in the pouch in your pocket and the real screen is fully protected and should never get scratched. Plays GBA games only. Obviously its much smaller and easier to carry everywhere and its a pretty slick looking handheld for what that matters.

Either one is a good choice, but I think the micro is more comfortable to use with its buttons further apart and raised up more. I would try them both out first if possible. However, I would take the DS at $99.99 or $129.99 over either of them if you were only going to have one handheld.

Thanks for the great info, darkside! Now, it is time for me to weigh the options ...

actually i believe the micro and the NEW SP have the exact same screen.. not 100% on that tho

I own both and they are not 100% identical. The SP screen is slightly dimmer (this really only makes a difference outside) and only has two brightness settings were the micro screen has five. Also the refresh rate issues which are just slightly noticable on some games with the SP don't seem to me to be there at all on the micro, but this is also a very minor issue. Also some feel the colors are more true on the micro screen and this one might be true but again this is a very slight difference most will not notice.

So both screens are excellent, but not 100% identical.