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What's the definitive/best system to play GBA games on?

Original GBA (not the SP) with the AGS-101 screen.
It takes a modification to the ribbon cable and some soldering (so the backlight can get power) but having the best form factor of the GBA with the best screen is worth it.
If you can find a dead 101 it's more than worth the investment.
 
Orayn said:
Whoa. This is an extremely cool find and could very well be the best, cheapest answer to the OP. Thanks for the link! Think I might preorder one at some point too.
Click to expand...
That is cool. I might get one as well. A bit worried about the quality of buttons though. But the fact that it has an RTC intrigues me... should work great with Pokemon. Looks like you can use the original data cables with it? I wonder if you can use it as a controller for GB player.... hmmm
 
Katori said:
No one's mentioned the K101 Revo? It has a linear scale (same aspect ratio, quadrupled/tripled resolution) so you're getting the same effective pixels, it can link to any GBA or other unit, and (I believe) it can even play other systems. It's compatible with every single GBA game, the hardware is functionally identical.

It also has a video-out port. I have one ordered.
Click to expand...

Wow look at the difference in resolution between the K101 and the original GBA.

Interesting to note that its not a perfect 1:1 ratio.

960x480 vs 240x160

SufRM.png
 
Definitely the GBA SP with a backlight, not the frontlight. The GBA Micro's a really close contender, but for some people it's just TOO small.

If you don't mind illegitimacy, go for a hacked PSP Go. It's lighter-weight than either system, better battery life, (I think) brighter screen, and a fairly comfortable form factor.
 
A dead AGS-101 plus an OG GBA should only run you a couple bucks.
If you know how to solder (or know someone that does) it's definitely the cheapest option
 
SP because it was the last non-gimped system. Can also play GB and GBC games. Other than that, my sweet sweet final fantasy iv micro.
 
jbueno said:
No better way than playing via GB player and a nice CRT. Only reason I kept my GCN plugged after getting a Wii, until it stopped working. Also it would be nice to play with one of those Hori Snes styled pads.

EDIT.

Pic of the Hori pad courtesy of NeoGAF user NZA36.

a7Oh0.jpg
Click to expand...
Can these still be found? I want one and I want one right fucking now.

Edit: Just saw Brawl doesn't support it, interest gone.
 
GBA SP with backlight is the way to go. Iwish I had one, but I only have the frontlight version, which is still good too, just not as bright and also very blue-ish tinted.

Still the screen is big and you can notice anything. If you want the biggest screen to play GBA games on, you better get a GBA SP.
 
My vote goes to the GBA SP+ (backlit) also. I own or have owned in the past all the systems that can play GBA games and the SP+ is the best without a doubt.
 
CO_Andy said:
Gamecube + Game Boy Player

or

Emulation
Click to expand...
The Game Boy Player really isn't a great solution.

The refresh rate of GBA games does not match that of a TV (it's slightly below 60 hz) so you wind up seeing a "stutter" every few seconds or so in order to make up for it.

In addition, the Gamecube does a less than optimal job with upscaling the image which ruins the pixel art quality you expect from GBA. It's not great.
 
dark10x said:
The Game Boy Player really isn't a great solution.

The refresh rate of GBA games does not match that of a TV (it's slightly below 60 hz) so you wind up seeing a "stutter" every few seconds or so in order to make up for it.

In addition, the Gamecube does a less than optimal job with upscaling the image which ruins the pixel art quality you expect from GBA. It's not great.
Click to expand...
I never noticed a stutter playing it. And while full screen looks blurry, the image quality is fine at the default size. Unless you have a small TV I'd say a Gameboy Player is actually a pretty good option. Overall though I'd recommend one of the later SP models with a brighter back light. The original GBA has a better shape, but the clam shell screen and pocket friendly shape more than make up for it imo. And to the person recommending a modded version of the original, I assure you the self installed back light looks like poop compared to one out of the factory.

Ranger X said:
DS Lite wins imo. Its a better made machine than the GBASP.
Click to expand...
Not really. The SP is one of the toughest handhelds out there. Much, much more likely to survive a fall on pavement imo. But more importantly, the DS Lite uses a terrible button configuration for GBA games, and there's no option to toggle them.
 
Grief.exe said:
Wow look at the difference in resolution between the K101 and the original GBA.

Interesting to note that its not a perfect 1:1 ratio.

960x480 vs 240x160

SufRM.png
Click to expand...

I think you're right about it not being the right aspect ratio, but the 960x480 figure is also wrong. Assuming square pixels, the screen's aspect ratio looks to be 4:3 rather than 3:2. Still looks like a really cool device as long as there are aspect ratio controls that let me run with perfect 3x nearest neighbor scaling, but it is bizarre for something that's supposed to be a hardware clone.
 
I never had a GBA SP+, but my DS Lite is ten times better than my GBA SP (front-lit).

Perhaps the backlit SP is better, but the DS Lite does the job beautifully.
 
The best console to play on is the DS lite or the gamecube (although the d-pad too small). Ideally, a pc emulator with a conroller that has a decent d-pad, hooked up to a tv screen.
 
I own a GB Player, Gameboy Advance, GBA SP, GBA SP+, Game Boy Micro and a DS Lite.
Of all of them, the AGS-101 GBA-SP (GBA SP+) is the best.

Also <3 GBA gaming :)
 
CO_Andy said:
Gamecube + Game Boy Player

or

Emulation
Click to expand...

Btw, speaking of the GC GBP. Does that work with the GBA as a controller with the GBA -> GC cable? I bought a GBP last year with the intention of getting more serious with collecting GBA games, but I think the D-pad on the GC is a bit too small for a lot of games. I don't have an actual GBA though. Would it be better to get some sort of 3rd party controller for the GC with better d-pads instead?

Edit: Just saw that Hori GC controller. Hnnggg!
 
plc268 said:
Lol... Afterburner. Good luck finding one of those.

Instead, get one of these

http://rosecoloredgaming.wordpress.com/
Click to expand...

That AGS-101 screen retrofit on the GBA looks awesome... They are (understandably) pricey, but I'm mighty tempted by one of those... and Christmas is coming... hmm...

Katori said:
No one's mentioned the K101 Revo? It has a linear scale (same aspect ratio, quadrupled/tripled resolution) so you're getting the same effective pixels, it can link to any GBA or other unit, and (I believe) it can even play other systems. It's compatible with every single GBA game, the hardware is functionally identical.

It also has a video-out port. I have one ordered.
Click to expand...

I'd be interested in hearing your hands-on impressions when you get it...
 
As someone who hates DSL buttons, that's always been a problem to me. For the longest time I hoped DSi would somehow be cracked into playing GBA games but it just never happened. Right now, when I want to play GBA games, I use my PSP, which is far from perfect.
(I have a GBplayer but GBA games on a 50" screen aren't exactly a pleasant experience)
 
jbueno said:
No better way than playing via GB player and a nice CRT. Only reason I kept my GCN plugged after getting a Wii, until it stopped working. Also it would be nice to play with one of those Hori Snes styled pads.

EDIT.

Pic of the Hori pad courtesy of NeoGAF user NZA36.

a7Oh0.jpg
Click to expand...

I'm sure that controller is nice and all, but it's pretty expensive on ebay, and not exactly common.

Instead, I propose an easier solution:
kR78P.jpg


It's an adapter to allow you to use the snes controller on the gc/wii. Doesn't have a z-button, so it uses the select button as the z (which is fine, since the gamecube controller doesn't have a select). Works great with the GB Player as well, and by default the select button on the gb side gets mapped to the y button.

So, even if you just want a better controller for 2d gamecube games, the snes controller is still a better bet than the hori pad. I'm not sure what the extra select button is for, but it is likely wasted on nearly every game.

You can get the adapter here:
http://www.retrousb.com/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=31

Should run about $20 shipped.

Blue Submarine No. 6 said:
That AGS-101 screen retrofit on the GBA looks awesome... They are (understandably) pricey, but I'm mighty tempted by one of those... and Christmas is coming... hmm...
Click to expand...

They are awesome. I've had one long before wiggy (the guy with the website) started selling them. But before, you had to buy the kit from guy in china, and it ran about $55-$60 usd. So the kit for $75 isn't bad at all.

It requires a minor amount of dremeling (or use an exacto knife), and soldering 1 point, but that's it. You can find the og gbas on ebay for $15 or less, and if the case is too beat up, you can get an aftermarket shell for about $10. So, if you're willing to do a little work and modding, you'll have a gba that 99% don't have for about $100. And to me, that's pretty cool.
 
Personally, I like the frontlit GBA SP more than the backlit one.

Backlit systems tend to be nearly impossible to look at when playing outdoors, whereas the frontlit SP is perfectly playable at the cost of slightly washed out colors (a fair trade-off, if you ask me).
 
Also, I want to stress, both the k1gba sp and the revo k101 have no compatibility with hardware gb/gbc games. They're emulatable, but won't work if you stick the cart in.
 
This thread tweaked my GB awareness at just the right time! I picked up an AGS-101, a minty GB Color in trans purple and a Game Gear last night in a package deal with Zelda Minish Cap, Four Swords, Oracle of Ages & Seasons, Fire Emblem, Pokemon Crystal, Shining Force (GG), Sonic Chaos (GG) and a bunch of more common GBA and GG games for only $80! Made out like a bandit... thanks Kijiji! :)
 
plc268 said:
I'm sure that controller is nice and all, but it's pretty expensive on ebay, and not exactly common.

Instead, I propose an easier solution:
kR78P.jpg


It's an adapter to allow you to use the snes controller on the gc/wii. Doesn't have a z-button, so it uses the select button as the z (which is fine, since the gamecube controller doesn't have a select). Works great with the GB Player as well, and by default the select button on the gb side gets mapped to the y button.

So, even if you just want a better controller for 2d gamecube games, the snes controller is still a better bet than the hori pad. I'm not sure what the extra select button is for, but it is likely wasted on nearly every game.

You can get the adapter here:
http://www.retrousb.com/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=31

Should run about $20.
Click to expand...

That looks great, I wonder if it adds any input lag though. Nice price too.
 
jbueno said:
That looks great, I wonder if it adds any input lag though. Nice price too.
Click to expand...

Nah, no noticeable input lag compared to a regular wired gamecube controller.

Although, there's people that swear that the gbplayer adds lag to the game, but it's more likely that it's their display causing the lag.
 
I wish I was skilled enough to do that backlit mod on my classic GBA... I also wish I could find a SP+ that doesn't look like it was used as a baseball ball. Or at the very least I wish Micro would play GB games :(

I also wish Ninja Five-O wouldn't be so stupidly expensive and difficult to find. Man, I wish a lot of GBA-related things.
 
plc268 said:
So, even if you just want a better controller for 2d gamecube games, the snes controller is still a better bet than the hori pad. I'm not sure what the extra select button is for, but it is likely wasted on nearly every game.
Click to expand...

That's a great tip. I have a couple of the Hori controllers and they are sweet. I think I paid around $40 each several years ago.

SNES controllers are usually dirt-cheap so you could have Hori like functionality for around $25-$30.
 
the SP of course. Handcrafted by Moses, assembled by Buddha, tested by Jesus, packaged by Mohammad, with an instruction booklet written by Confucius

why is this even a question
 
_dementia said:
Game Boy Advance (original landscape model) with SP+ backlight mod.
.
Click to expand...

See and those look outstanding and I would love to have one... but every time I see something like this at the cost offered it just makes more sense to buy a DS :(

I really lucked into an AGS-101 locally on Kijiji. You see a lot of people selling "old gameboys" on there and the majority of them have no idea there is even a different model. I just kept asking everyone selling them if if they could tell me the model # on the back. Ended up with a mint pearl edition one for $25. Thats the best advice I can give, if you buy an AGS-101 deliberatly off of Ebay you will pay a lot more for it (almost as much as a DS-Lite in some cases).

Otherwise, just buy the DS-Lite, IIRC the screen between DS-Lite and AGS-101 is identical (my AGS-101 looks much better than my original DS fatty for example).
 
_dementia said:
Game Boy Advance (original landscape model) with SP+ backlight mod.



Ergonomically, the best GBA experience.
Click to expand...

Now this is awesome. original GBA is the best and with backlight mod it's the only way to go really.

Micro and SP are hand-cramping machines.
 
I saw a Micro once, and while it looked awesome, I love my Pearl Blue AGS-101. I was lucky enough to pick it up at a local game store during the summer for $35. It's in great condition too.
 
Katori said:
No one's mentioned the K101 Revo? It has a linear scale (same aspect ratio, quadrupled/tripled resolution) so you're getting the same effective pixels, it can link to any GBA or other unit, and (I believe) it can even play other systems. It's compatible with every single GBA game, the hardware is functionally identical.

It also has a video-out port. I have one ordered.
Click to expand...


holy moly. Is there any downsides to this? I am really close to ordering one but is there any problems/incompatibility that might pop up later? is it backlit and everything?
 
SP is too small, seems like it would just cause hand cramps. And why is the start button so tiny?

The best would be the original GBA, and even better if you could get a backlit screen, but that probably isn't entirely easy. Still, aside from the dark screen, the GBA had long battery life, incredibly comfortable, and built like a brick without weighing as much as one.
 
Babalu. said:
holy moly. Is there any downsides to this? I am really close to ordering one but is there any problems/incompatibility that might pop up later? is it backlit and everything?
Click to expand...

It's actually not the same aspect ratio. So, there will be a slight distortion. Whether you'll notice it or not is another story.

I've heard of a few incompatibilities with the previous model, the k1 gba (which was a clone of the gba sp). While compatibility is pretty darn good for a clone, it's not 100% (perhaps 99%). Oh, and no gbc compatibility without emulation.

DidntKnowJack said:
Can't believe it's been almost 2 and a half years since I had a similar problem. But long story short, I found a backlit SP for about 40 dollars locally. Totally got lucky. Though someday I would like to get a regular DS lite again.
Click to expand...

I bought a "dead" ags-101 on ebay for 15 bucks. Turns out, it just need a new battery.
 
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