I remember when I was a kid being so stoked about the gameboy advance but I never thought I'd get it because my mum didn't make a whole bunch of money back then. Then one day, out of the blue, my mum asked me what colour I preferred out of blue or white and I said "white probably" and my mum just like said "surprise!" and handed me it. She'd heard me and my brother talking about it and saved up for ages to get it for us - so aye, she's a great lady. I'm just sort of remember that every time I come across it again.
As a kid I once had to choose between an SP or an eReader. After much reflection I decided on the eReader, as I already had a GBA. While the SP simply had a backlit screen, the eReader offered an entirely new world of games. And thus began my long history of calculated yet ultimately wrong decisions.
I'm so sorry. Hopefully it was the 100 you passed on, which honestly wouldn't have been a huge loss as it's front-lit. If it was the 101, yeah, you dun goofed.
Yo BoyBHD Does anyone even know what the flying shit what the definition of fanboy is anymore? Giving an opinion of a shit function is not being a "fanboy" If I say "ERMAHGERD, ANDROID IS GOD, IPHONE IS SHIT" that is fanboy Bullshit, the guy gave his opinion of a shit function, that's it The same goes for if I said "no microSD card slot, that's such a stupid thought, I wonder who will do that? Ohh wait..." That's not being a iphone fanboy Holy shit
fartsnstuf holy bloody shit, that's abit too much don't you think? It's true though isn't it? Removing the bloody headphone jack, what were they thinking Asking someone else to kill themselves over this small joke comment is too extreme of a threat Wtf is wrong with this generation
It is bizarre with all the popularity of older games, Nintendo hasn't capitalized on re-making old hardware with better resolutions or adaptors to play on modern hardware. But I guess it cuts into their profits on the virtual console. Maybe?
+Larry Bundy Jr The large majority of games on most nintendo systems barring the Wii and 3DS work more or less flawlessly on widely available emulators. Yes, nintendo doesn't benefit from that much, but they'd need a rather large amount of sales of that to make it worth it. People tend to dislike paying for things they can pick up for free, and many roms from older consoles can be found all over the net and aren't on torrenting sites unlike other games.
I remember when I got a Gameboy SP for christmas when I was a kid. I had been playing the Gameboy Advance for a while at that point and was tired of having to find a good light source in order to play it. I was so happy when I got the SP since I could actually play my Gameboy games in the dark. I couldn't wait for the sun to go down. When it finally did, I ran to my room, turned off the light, and sat on my bed for hours playing on my SP in the dark. Life was good back then, until the day our bathroom fan caught fire due to a short circuit and burned the bathroom down, that is. I had to stay at my aunts house for a while so they could fix the damage to the bathroom. But at least I had my SP.
+Steve H The DS Lite will play GBA games but not GB and GBC games. If you wanna be 100% covered, an SP (AGB-101 preferable) and a New 3DS will cover the entire Nintendo handheld library.
I have an "old" 3DS for 3DS and DS games, a GBA SP AGS-101 (in the UK!) for GBA, "only for" GBC and dual-mode games in GBC mode, and a Game Boy Light for original Game Boy games and dual-mode games in legacy mode ;-)
fartsnstuf again with the hard hitting insults. Honestly I dunno how to even counteract this onsault of unsolicited cyberbullying. Time to hit 'em with the old staple! Your mom.
Apple claims they are leading the way to wireless future. Well, what about us that want an analog signal so that the sound quality isn't ass? Or those of us with an aux port in our cars so we can listen to music and ashens videos? Fuck you apple, you didn't even make your phone thinner than a 3.5mm port which is the only way to justify it, fuck YOU fuck you fuck YOU.
fartsnstuf K dawg I was joking before but wtf are these insults? I could of came with better ones when I was four. Oh and lemme guess the comeback to THIS comment: "Oh so you could have came up with a comeback to me last year? huehuehuehuehuehue" Seriously dude these comebacks are soooo easy.
Yeah, however the only game I wanted from GB Colour was Super Mario Bros and it was pretty much the only reason why I wanted GBC in the first place, I purchased it but after getting GBA games but I barely touched it, because I was stoked with the GBA games (Yoshi's Island, THPS 2, Spider-Man, Pokemon Pinball Ruby Sapphire, Mario Tennis Power Tour etc.) Now that I think about it I should've never gotten rid of my gba, I sold it because some friend really wanted it and kept asking me to sell it to him, and eventually I did.
what ashens doesn't seem to understand is that the brighter the ambient light the harder it is to see the screen. play in the dark and you can see it fine. just like a smartphone, harder to see in direct sunlight
Pot N' Pan Half of me wants to believe that you knew I was joking and were attempting to make a counter-joke. The other half knows that you were being serious and didn't even realise I was joking in the first place.
Nintendo never got it right >_< All I wanted was a freaking proper update to the gba line. Yeah we got the SP(two one my dad played at times and my blue one both of which are disassembled for parts now), but I always wanted a proper OGBA(I'd of been ok if it was just frontlit even). Was that too much to ask Nintendo?
Joshua Miller the portable console market is wide open for the taking right now. I just want someone to make a simple, effective handheld with third party support
The GBA was actually more powerful than the SNES. It was a 32 bit system. Its pretty amazing considering that the SNES had only been discontinued in Japan a few years before the GBA's release
+David Maglioli Yep, and one of the first portable handheld game systems to me powerful than all the compute power combined that NASA had, that sent the Apollo Missions to the moon.
It claimed to be 32 bit, but ran most games in 16 bit. If you want to how a real 32 bit console plays, take a look at some game play videos of the Sega Saturn or the Playstation 1.
+Flad Mast actually no when you combine all the raw compute power they actually used because some of the computers NASA used back during those days where not even as powerful as a calculator that's sold now days for $1, but IBM, and NASA having designed the compute modules for such specific task is what made it possible.
its a gimmicky piece of shit with a terrible fucking library of games. A handful of good titles doesnt make it a good system and while I'll admit to owning a 3DS XL, I would choose the Gameboy franchise over the DS franchise any day of the week. Better Systems, Better Games
I actually took the backlit screen out of an SP, popped it into my original Advance (soldering on a cable from a screen adapter to the motherboard), and that sucker worked like a charm. Now I can play on my Advance without the hand cramps!
I remember spending a summer's vacation in Thailand many years ago, when the GBA and the Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald games were thriving. In Bangkok, and many other cities in the third world, streetside markets exist where the local people sell all sorts of various commodities, about 80 to 90 percent of which are counterfeit or knockoff versions of more authentic products. At one of these vendors I bought what appeared to be a game cartridge containing several Pokemon games in one actually turned out to be a sidescroller very much like the one shown at the 13 minute mark. Seeing you play that game reminded me of the disappointment I felt playing my newly purchased game in my hotel room several hours later. I went back the next day to tell the vendor that he had sold me something that clearly was not real Pokemon, because I hadn't yet realized in my youthful ignorance that he clearly already knew that. Luckily, I was able to convince him to trade that game in for a counterfeit Pokemon Emerald version that I made sure to test in front of him, and that I still have to this day. As Patrick Stump would say, thanks for the memories, Ashen.
+Abbey McNeill Probably one of the shitty Chinese R/S/E/FR/LG counterfeits that you find on eBay for $12. Those have flaky saves because they use volatile RAM powered by a battery. Not good.
ever play boktai? A weird isometric game with a solar sensor that wants you to play it in direct fuckin' sunlight? Y'know who made that insane decision?.... Fuckin' Hideo Kojima.
Phones now come with features only certain people would want, like up to four read cameras and two front ones, seemingly just to push the price up past 1000 of whatever your preferred currency is.
true story. Child me sold my game boy micro because I didn't want it anymore so what else would 6 year old me do. I sold it for 7 dollars. Fuck my life
Tech review done right... even with ancient shit like this that everyone already knows like the backs of their hands. I really want to destroy most tech review channels on this site. They're either sellouts or they just plain don't tell prospective buyers what they need to know... How do you manage to be this casual and still present information better than big-budget folks like Austin Evans? P.S. I have one of those MadCatz cases you show off at about 4:05 - but alas the lock is broken, which I believe was a common problem with them. It just kind of flaps open.
Advance Wars was really nice. I uses to play it with a friend in high school between recess and boring classes. Taking turns playing and Taking notes, those were fun times.
well, there was a 10 min recess between classes :D I guess its weird calling it recess (it wasnt middle school anymore) its just that some classes were 2hrs long so it was more like 20min to change classroom or eat something
I think the saddest thing about the whole GBA line was the fact that they had good things that they removed or screwed up. GBA had a great form factor: comfortable to hold. SP (101, especially) had a better screen but the design was not ergonomic and the LR buttons sucked. The Micro had better LR buttons, but didn't have backwards compatibility or a decent screen size. The fact that a 3rd party piece of hardware is better than what is, in my opinion, the best handheld (software-wise) ever made is depressing, but I've come to expect that from Nintendo: lots of ideas, shit execution, and milking their customers for every cent.
4:20 Ah yes, Hamtaro Rainbow Rescue, a really good and really cute game that's among the few to have been released in Japan and Europe but not the USA.
I've always wanted a copy of it but then I'd have to buy a PAL GBA and then it just gets too expensive. Sigh. I loved Ham Ham Heartbreak for the GBA though. So good!
So basically there is no "Perfect" GBA, as all of the models have their flaws GBA - Very comfortable form factor, excellent battery life, replaceable batteries so you don't have to be tethered to a plug socket, and can plug headphones in straight away But the screen is horrible and you need light to see it. GBA SP - Rechargeable battery, frontlit/backlit screen. Horrible form factor, frontlit version makes the screen look washed out, rechargeable battery, and you need an adapter to plug headphones in. GBA Micro - Comfortable, headphones, and an amazing Backlit screen. Can't play GB/GBC games anymore, and screen is too small. So the only "Perfect GBA" would be the original one but with a backlit screen instead.
The DS is probably the best way to play gba games its comfortable the screen it good size and it has headphones only problem is that you can’t replace the batteries. But most cars nowadays have normal outlets so yeah.
Such fond memories of playing Sonic Advance directly under a desk lamp. I can still smell the dust burning on the lightbulb that was inches from my face lol
+caimin15221522 Yeah, I figured. Would've been weird if they came out over here but not in the UK. Though it is somewhat understandable that he didn't know because they're somewhat hard to spot. You actually have to look at the model no. I believe. I think the backlit ones had a '101' in it, if I recall.
+Pandsu Yo I'm from the UK and I remember having one. Strange thing is, I remember it being the Silver model, which apparently was never a thing. I definitely recall there being multiple brightness settings on it as well.
+caimin15221522 It made hunting one down on eBay a right pain in the ass because most sellers didn't know about it, either. So I had to ask them all about the model number or to tell me what the brightness button did when you press it (because the backlit ones don't actually turn off but toggle through brightness levels) and a lot of them took their sweet time to reply or, for whatever weird reason, seemed sorta suspicious of me asking about that.
+Efreeti Yeah! It's funny, I really do not like the original Double Dragon games (Although I like DD 2 on nes), and all that the GBA game does is just improve the graphics and add in some extra bits while still having, what I'd consider to be design flaws. For instance, while there are nice new moves, still no way to dodge attacks even though it feels as if it should have been in there. Double Dragon Neon on the other hand has very few problems with it. Not a huge fan of the 3d models, but the soundtrack (oh god the soundtrack) and the backgrounds are freaking awesome. Gameplay is way more fair and satisfying. Fun moves and, of course, dodging that isn't too easy to pull off, thankfully. It's a great love letter to old school brawlers and a great parody too. ... Also, River City Ransom on GBA is a way better brawler on GBA anyways.
Salient Simon I agree wholeheartedly, especially on the soundtrack. Everything virt touches turns to gold. If you haven't heard the Shovel Knight soundtrack, DO IT! (my favourite track is A Cool Reception)
+Efreeti I'm going to assume he meant Double Dragon II: Wander of the Dragons, which was a XBLA exclusive and bloody horrendous. If not, this marks one of the few times I'll have to shake my head disapprovingly at Ashens.
Extra tips for Game Boy Advances: * On the GBA Micro, holding down the "L" shoulder button while pressing the volume control adjusts the brightness on the screen. * If you use original gray GB games on either a Game Boy Color, Advance, or the GBA SP, you can start up with a different color palette before you start the game. (My favorite is > + B which puts the game in negative/inverted color). This only works on gray carts (besides Pokemon Red and Blue), and not the clear ones (since they're already GBC games in color), Advance carts (obviously) or the black carts which are original GB and GBC hybrid carts. * The model of the GBA SP with the better brighter screen is the AGS 101. Ones that don't have the better light are AGS 001.
BouncekDeLemos Also according to Ex Nintendo emplyees there was also the SP AGT with a different screen that wasn't as good in sunlight, but it still says AGS on the bottom of the box. Sorta like the New 3DS
I never was interested in consoles or handhelds until I read a review of Advance Wars. I could not talk myself into buying a gameboy advance even then because I felt they were too expensive and knew about the screen issue as my nephew owned one. I changed my mind when the SP came out, sadly I never found the original Advanced Wars in stores here so I began with Advanced Wars 2. Not long after that I got a Gamecube with the gameboy adapter so I could play Advance Wars 2 on my TV. I loved my GBA SP and Advanced Wars 2. I have since played the original on an emulator.
Ah the GBA, awesome, but the screen brightness was crap, I wish it had a brightness setting. The GBA SP did solve the problem but it made holding the SQUAREd console a pain in the ass. I forgot they didn't have an earphone jack...probably blocked it out of my mind.
Ender Wiggins You won't see your face, you'll literally just see blackness with any light in the area magnified and thrown back into your eyes. The GBA screen is HIDEOUS.
+WhiteN0iz The reason the GBA Micro is not well known is that it was overshadowed by the original Nintendo DS. Granted, that system could play GBA games too, but you missed out on the link cable multi-player many of those GBA games had.
I remember having to go to several different stores early in the morning trying to find a GBA when it first came out. Such a great little handheld console. Lots of great games and tons more terrible games made for it. I used my worm light from my GBC to light up the screen. It worked ok thought the GBA screen was wider than the GBC so the light didn't reach the edges of the screen.
I absolutely bloody loved the design of the original gba. Looked and felt amazing. Sadly I traded mine in when I got my sp. I still have my sp, and micro, and all my games. If they were to release an updated version of the original, with built In rechargeable battery and proper backlight, I would be waiting in line to get it on day one. Then I would play Metroid Fusion forever until I die. Or until I decide to play some Golden Sun for a bit.
superchief86 You can buy them modded online with really decent lighting mods, and plop in some Energizer rechargables or something and get a really good experience :D
If you've never tried the japanese version of 3, you HAVE to. Rockman EXE 3 and Rockman EXE 3 Black are two of the most beautiful things I've ever seen on a GBA screen.
***** for me it was my DS ( the bulky one ) that broke with the top screen . since the top screen was already broken and snapped off , i tossed it against 2 walls . that was fun :)
God I remember the only time I had to play games was at night and all I had was a lamp. Trying to angle this thing near the lamp got so frustrating that I just made everything as dark as possible so I could see only the screen and that's how I beat team rocket
Double Dragon Neon one of the best game in series, unlike other pieces of crap (like X360 game) or unsuccessful Super Nintendo version and pretty shity cartoon fighting.. or even Double Dragon III.. GBA game is really awesome, but Neon was awesome too!
When my brother and I got two GBA's for our birthdays when we were young, we got Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising, Rescue Heroes: Billy Blazes, Tetris Worlds and Donkey Kong Country. We got Spider-man at a later time, and then we got Mario Kart Super Circuit later than that. We lost Advance wars though. Shame. I'd have been way better at it now than back then.
Man... this was my childhood. I remember playing Castlevania: Circle Of The Moon (I think that's the name?) and Golden Sun for HOURS. Golden Sun is one of the best RPGs of all time. Love this video!
find it really funny that just about exactly a year after this video came out, the iphone 7 came out with all the problems the gba sp has in regards to headphones
Even Tweeterman287 in the States has a Game Boy Light but only an AGS-001 GBA SP. In fact, he even thought the AGS-101 still had the front-lit screen but just had different brightness settings!
Kyzous I've got an AGS-101 SP, Game Boy micro, Game Boy Light, Original DMG-01 Game Boy, Kongfeng GB Boy Colour, badly front light modded Game Boy Color (lol), original DS "Phat", DSi and New 3DS ;-) And Nintendo console wise an NES, SNES, N64, GameCube, Wii and Wii U :-P
why are people so destructive? i keep finding comments like "i broke my SP" or "i lost the disk to my gameboy player for ma gamecube" i have both the gameboy player disk and the SP still working like new AND i got them when they were first released...
My GBA SP was my first gaming platform, and it's still going strong. I bloody love the thing, battery lasts more than a day, and it hasn't got the slightest problem, even if some of the cartridges i have have died.
I had a knockoff GBA, and it didn't have street fighter alpha. I had to settle for "Street Fidgeter Alpha". You walked around wearing only a raincoat with holes cut in the pockets and fidgeted with yourself. It was sort of a stealth game, because you had to see how close you could get to people before a (!) appeared over their heads.
God, the memories I've had with my old GBA SP. Got it for Christmas when I was 4 during foster care years, kept me happy all these years. Played so many games on it, ranging from good ones like Pokemon Sapphire and Megaman Zero to utter crap like Shrek Smash n' Crash racing and some Bionicle game I can't remember the name of. Might be a bit small for my hands these days, but it's got one of the best-feeling D-Pads, at least in my opinion. I still have my, but it unfortunately doesn't work so great anymore cause I stupidly dropped it in a creek about 10 years ago. It still works amazingly, but the frontlight crapped out because of that. Should probably buy a new one if I get the chance, but I can never get rid of my old one, even if I can't see the friggin screen anymore.
