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[TheFuzz]

After playing Metroid: Zero Mission and Minish Cap lately, I've been really wanting a Gameboy Advance, preferably an SP AGS-101 model.

Well, after waiting, a local seller is selling an original in excellent condition. I've got him down to $60, and I don't see how a better deal will come along.

He has sent videos of it working, the backlight functionality, everything... all looks perfect. Anything I should look for, or any reason NOT to grab the best handheld of all-time?

Edit: Got it! See post #51 for details.

 

[Deleted member 126221]

Yes.

 

[notaskwid]

I thought you were talking about a gameboy advance?

 

[drangleic tourism]

It's my favourite GBA revision. If I didn't already own two I'd probably pay 60 for one in really nice condition. An AGS 101 is pretty much a must have if you like handheld gaming.

 

[Valero]

I bought one for $70 a while back. The Backlight is so amazing.

 

[Gaardus]

Do it!

 

[Stopdoor]

I've bought SPs through local deals before, maybe be ready to buy a new battery, also a headphone adaptor.

Make sure it's an official AGS-101 colour like grey w/ black buttons or metallic blue/pink so you know it's not a dubious mod?

I also bought a SP once from a local store, and it had power light problems - the battery ran decent, but the light would constantly flicker red and make you paranoid. Local deals mean you're kind of stick with that.

Also pro-tip, you have to actually press the backlight button for maximum brightness everytime you use it. Surprised me for awhile when I first used one, would forget.

 

[TheFuzz]

I've bought SPs through local deals before, maybe be ready to buy a new battery, also a headphone adaptor.

Make sure it's an official AGS-101 colour like grey w/ black buttons or metallic blue/pink so you know it's not a dubious mod?

I also bought a SP once from a local store, and it had power light problems - the battery ran decent, but the light would constantly flicker red and make you paranoid. Local deals mean you're kind of stick with that.

Also pro-tip, you have to actually press the backlight button for maximum brightness everytime you use it. Surprised me for awhile when I first used one, would forget.

This one is a black model... wasn't there an onyx color 101 with dark grey buttons?

 

[Hydrus]

Heck yes! I've been trying to buy one for a few months, and its been hard to find a good condition one for a decent price. Everything I see is around $100. Even the front lit models are pricey. $60 is a good deal. Do it!

 

[CrashPrime]

I prefer modding a 2ds as the ultimate gba. More game support (DS, 3DS) and native gba with injection for $80 new and memory card support out of the box.

 

[Riesenfass]

Love my 101, go for it.

The only downside is the lack of headphone jack, otherwise it's a fantastic handheld.

 

[RedSwirl]

Is $16 too much for a replacement battery? I end up asking in every thread about the GBA SP but I probably should just pull the trigger already.

 

[Brakke]

Best way to play GBA games hands down, and GBA is an excellent catalog. Worth it, imo.

 

[Social]

I got one in my collection too, they are great. Price is good, get it.

 

[TheFuzz]

Based on the color (black) and dark gray buttons, I assume it's a modded console since the 101 wasn't available in that color. Looks and plays great. Still worth $60 if it's not an original? Need help, Portable GAF.

 

[UpUpDownDown]

Thats a good price. Got one about 2 month ago with scratches for 80CAD.

Then re-shelled it for 13.

 

[mrk8885]

The upgrade from the front lit 001 to the backlit 101 is astounding. Do it for sure.

GBA is such a wonderful system

 

[dcx4610]

The 101 is night and day from the original. It's hard to find one in good condition these days though. I would look on eBay for one of the reshelled ones. They feel like brand new units and the casing is 99% like an original but with more color options.

 

[Aeana]

I got an original GBA modded with the 101 screen and love it.

 

[womp]

I prefer modding a 2ds as the ultimate gba. More game support (DS, 3DS) and native gba with injection for $80 new and memory card support out of the box.

Even though I have 3 SP's and plenty of Game Boy hardware options (Including a modded backlit OG GBA), this is my way to go these days. I need those save states for the GB games and as you said you get support for GBA and GB injections etc. The form factor only helps the matter too.

It's wonderful and best of all no blurring.

 

[Cloggerdude]

Based on the color (black) and dark gray buttons, I assume it's a modded console since the 101 wasn't available in that color. Looks and plays great. Still worth $60 if it's not an original? Need help, Portable GAF.

Yeah, the Onyx version is more of a grey color.

The screen is still probably a legit 101 screen, so that's kind of a wash. The only thing I would be concerned with would be the replacement buttons and casing. Some of them are not so great, especially when compared to the originals. If it doesn't bother you though, then I wouldn't worry about it.

Looks like they go from anywhere around $45 - $80 on eBay. The light blue ones usually go cheaper than the Onyx version, but it's obviously kind of hard to tell the condition on some of these.

 

[Goofy]

This post is really making me think about how amazing a new handheld, in an SP case with a larger, super bright edge to edge OLED display and new internals would be.

 

[TheFuzz]

So it looks like I'm thinking it's an ags101 with a new casing. Should I still go for it?

This color is black with dark gray buttons, I don't see they ever made this model with a 101 screen.

 

[sixteen-bit]

sure, why not?

 

[momshotdad]

It's pretty great, but that's the highest they sell for. You could check garage sales and flea markets to get a better deal. I got one with games for $20.

 

[Finale Fireworker]

I prefer modding a 2ds as the ultimate gba. More game support (DS, 3DS) and native gba with injection for $80 new and memory card support out of the box.

Question about these: don't they not have speakers?

Edit: totally thinking of the wrong thing. Nevermind!

 

[Mergesort]

Why not get a NDS with backward compatibility?

 

[Joey Ravn]

Question about these: don't they not have speakers?

Edit: totally thinking of the wrong thing. Nevermind!

They have just one, so it's mono, IIRC. A 2DS is a great alternative for GBA, though.

 

[Finale Fireworker]

They have just one, so it's mono, IIRC. A 2DS is a great alternative for GBA, though.

Yeah, I was actually thinking of those DS Lites that are broken in half and recased as just the bottom screen. I like those a lot, but the only sound comes from the headphone jack, so they're not perfect.

 

[fernoca]

I prefer modding a 2ds as the ultimate gba. More game support (DS, 3DS) and native gba with injection for $80 new and memory card support out of the box.

Any info/tutorials?

 

[Maneauleau]

Hell yes! I paid much more for mine and it's totally worth it! Bite before you regret. These things will only go more and more expensive. Do it!

Edit: sorry didn't see it's a mod. Not sure about the value then.

 

[Jazzem]

Holy hell that's lucky OP, I desperately want one! Alas prices seem to be rising on them online, came across one at a convention for circa £80 with dodgy replacement buttons :/

 

[neoemonk]

I have the original SP (no backlight, forget the model number) and a Micro and I would snatch that up I think. The Micro is a little too small and I can't see the other screen without being in sunlight basically, and even then it doesn't look that great.

 

[Ceadeus]

Yes , or a micro for more but also worth it

 

[Azure Phoenix]

Having recently modified an original GBA with a 101 screen, yes you should absolutely jump on that. The screen quality is on par with playing GBA games on a DS Lite with the added advantage of being able to play original GB/GBC games too.

Edit: Just saw the mention about it potentially not being original. I would not worry about that, the 101 replacement screens you can buy brand new online are of questionable origin however as long as they are installed and adjusted correctly they appear to be identical to official 101 units. The only thing you'd need to keep an eye out for is the replacement case as they're slightly shittier quality, a bit creaky and the buttons feel a little off - if it feels ok to you that's fine, otherwise you could just replace it with an official case from a regular 001 model.

 

[Stopdoor]

So it looks like I'm thinking it's an ags101 with a new casing. Should I still go for it?

This color is black with dark gray buttons, I don't see they ever made this model with a 101 screen.

Here's a good comparison pic.

Even if it's a new shell, $60 is a good price and if you have any problems with it that are subtle like the buttons feel weird, you could probably sell it back to a local retro gaming store for near profit.

 

[Aonuma]

Be careful at that price. A lot of them these days are rebuilt from spare aftermarket parts and are not original Nintendo products. They work moderately well but accessories like the headphone jack adapter may not fit them properly and they definitely feel cheaper in your hands.

 

[CrashPrime]

Any info/tutorials?

All you need for getting setup:

https://3ds.guide/get-started-(old-3ds)

Injection is covered here:

https://gbatemp.net/threads/release-ultimate-gba-vc-injector-for-3ds.438057/

As long as you are getting 11.3 or lower firmware (ie: anything new) you are ready to go.

 

[wondermega]

I got an original GBA modded with the 101 screen and love it.

Aww man I super want one of those..

 

[Finale Fireworker]

Aww man I super want one of those..

They're about $100 on eBay and a lot of sellers will make them on request. They're worth event cent.

 

[dark10x]

Here's a good comparison pic.

Even if it's a new shell, $60 is a good price and if you have any problems with it that are subtle like the buttons feel weird, you could probably sell it back to a local retro gaming store for near profit.

What you CAN'T see in that picture is the motion quality.

The side lit original screens retain clarity in motion in a way that might surprise you. There is virtually no visible blur while scrolling. So while it's rather dim, the games look great in motion.

The 101 screen, however, is much brighter but it's also an older backlit LCD so the ghosting is pretty severe. Lots of detail lost in motion.

Aww man I super want one of those..

Ah yeah, I made one of those (well, I bought all the parts and did the assembly/soldering). It's very nice to use, though the screen has the same flaws as noted above since it's a 101 screen.

 

[Triforce141]

You can never go wrong with an AGS-101 screen.

I prefer modding a 2ds as the ultimate gba. More game support (DS, 3DS) and native gba with injection for $80 new and memory card support out of the box.

Same here, only with a N3DS XL, 1:1 pixel mode is almost the exact same size of an original GBA, with much better brightness and picture quality (moreso if it's an IPS screen... mine isn't)

I'm surprised Nintendo never put GBA games up for sale on the 3DS eShop, it's native backwards compatibility without the need for emulation, much like DSiWare and Wii games.

 

[CrashPrime]

You can never go wrong with an AGS-101 screen.



Same here, only with a N3DS XL, 1:1 pixel mode is almost the exact same size of an original GBA, with much better brightness and picture quality (moreso if it's an IPS screen... mine isn't)

$200 vs $80 but you are damn right. The N3DSXL is a fine gaming machine if you're looking for GBA, not to mention the SNES virtual console being fantastic as well.

The 3D function on GB and GBC is super charming as well. Subtle screen recess just like the original systems.

My understanding on the GBA VC issue was that it isn't exactly supported in the way other VC titles are, it needs to sort of boot into a different state and Nintendo wasn't happy with that.

 

[Vibed]

So so do it. I got one from a local game store for $35, only had a few scratches on top. Works perfectly. Worth every penny.

 

[Neptonic]

Pull the trigger on that OP
Love my 101

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

Get it while you can. prices on the 101 model have been steadily increasing over the past few years, partly due to the fact so many of them have been cannibalized for their screens.

 

[Beer Monkey]

I agree that the N3DSXL is the god of GBA, along with Game Boy Interface on a CRT.

Still, nice price on the 101.

 

[Conezays]

This thread forced my hand in grabbing a a pink AGS 101 off Ebay for $70 CDN Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[Stopdoor]

What you CAN'T see in that picture is the motion quality.

The side lit original screens retain clarity in motion in a way that might surprise you. There is virtually no visible blur while scrolling. So while it's rather dim, the games look great in motion.

The 101 screen, however, is much brighter but it's also an older backlit LCD so the ghosting is pretty severe. Lots of detail lost in motion.

I dunno if severe would be the word I'd use, it's one of those things that I can only see the difference if I were looking at them side by side, whereas the brighter screen is immediately and always appreciated.

 

[TheFuzz]

Well I'm glad I did it. Picked up this bad boy for $60. Case and screen are in way better shape than I expected. It looks to be an original 001 with a screen swap. Pic looks like screen isn't uniform in brightness but it's just the lighting in the room.

You guys weren't kidding about the backlight... the screen looks so nice. I never had the AGS-101, so this is quite impressive to me. Now to start building a collection for this.