Game Boy Advance SP in 2021? – My New Favorite Handheld!
Taki Udon
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For this first video in a series on official gaming handhelds, I take a look at the AGS 101 Game Boy Advanced SP. I cover why I bought the GBA SP, some considerations for others looking to get one for themselves, and how it became one of my favorite handhelds that I own.
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13.08.2022
Still have mine
The heck are you talking about your childhood for?
I wish i didn't give away my GBA sp😭
I mean it has one of the best catalogs of any system ever.
Once gameboy advance games come to switch online, nobody will bother buying a gba sp.
I love the GBA, but I actually prefer the horizontal GBA.
reminds me of me playing thru fire red on an emu on a hacked iphone 3gs last year
does the gba sp 101 save brightness setting when turned off is it the best way to play gba/gbc/gb carts
can i get a link to the fourth handheld being showcased in the beginning of the video..
I have this But icant find the charger so can you pls tell me what kind Of charger do i need and the cost?
I loved to play Harvest moon on this console. But mine got old and broke and finally got thrown out during my childhood. Now I'm so craving for it. So I'm looking everywhere like crazy. I want it like new.
GBA has a killer library. There's a reason it's so popular to mod old units to upgrade the screens, batteries, etc. Still lots of fun to be had with these games even today
Best cuz it folds
Does anyone know where to get a good third party charger for the game boy advance SP I recently found mine after losing it for a couple years and the battery is completely dead but chargeable? Thanks
This thing so cute
Speaking from Brazil here. I had a ton of handhelds… And I actually end up thinking the same. Today I own a powkiddy q20 and only have one gba game to play on it. It's nice seeing someone from the other side of the planet thinking the same. Thanks for all your content. Huge fan here 🙂
i remember as a kid i always love inserting the cassets into one of those and playing tom and jerry in it
It's cool but are there modern gaming devices using the same or similar form factor?
this is the first time i've seen an iQue (Was Nintendo's name in China till the Switch) GBA SP. Pretty cool!
Yeah, I totally get your point 🙂
About a month ago I bought Anbernic 351p – yes, I love it, it's my first (ok, second ;p) retro handheld and i obviously fascinated with so many systems available, but the thing is – I'm still in the progress when it comes to … selecting / limiting amount of games.
Initial games lists is poorly selected, I hate that they put number in front of the games name. I also prefer a game screenshot (and video) as media. So I needed to fix it 😉
Then I needed to bring my childhood platforms to life such as Amiga and C64, which takes some time.
And every day, system by system, I watch you tube videos and select best 20-30 games. I mean, I love it ! 😀 , but still, the reality is that I almost don't play (yet!). I can imagine that if i had like one system (ie. GBA), with 50 games, I would already be just playing, rather than tweaking 😉
Yep, the power of choice is sometimes … overwhelming 😉 On the other hand – creating a library of best games, for each system, gives me the pleasure on it's own. I mean, im my country – microcomputers (ZX Spectrum, Atari 800XL, C64, Amiga) were much more popular than consoles such as SNES, NES, GBA. Thanks to such devices, I'm finally able to hmm appreciate the beauty of different systems, the beauty of classics such as Zelda etc. BUT yea, i still haven't play any of these classics ;DDD
Can anybody recommend a high quality replacement battery for the SP.
And a decent cartridge to load with ROMs.
I assume the console doesn’t require any other modification right?
I’m getting a funkey s and I am going to try this
The illusion of choice is alive and well with me. I have a switch with over 50 plus games. I’ve only finished probably like 10 of those games. It’s worse on my PS4. I have a shit ton of games, but virtually no time to invest into those games.
That’s why I’ve gone mostly handheld. I’m a father of a two year old so it’s even tougher for me to get in some time to game. At the end of a usual day, I only have at least 2 hours to myself and that’s IF I don’t doze off while sitting down. That’s why I’m mostly on my switch because I can take it with me. Especially when I’m putting my son down for a nap. I recently got into GBA modding and It’s like I’m a kid again. I was ecstatic when I found out that you can install a back lit screen on a GBA because I fucking LOVED my game boy growing up.
Im currently making my custom GBA and It’s given me such joy. Plus, playing these classic Pokémon games back when they were actually challenging is a breath of fresh air. I’m currently playing emerald because I never beat it when I was younger. Just Ruby. Im playing with no lit screen because I’m still waiting on my IPS V2 to come in the mail, but I’m having a blast.
I always wanted this as a kid..i live in china too.which site did you get it from?
Man I want to restore mine and buy some pokemon games
If anyone gets this; make it NOT the iQue version if this is an option for you!
He's in China I take it based on what he's said in this video, but if you can you should support the Japanese company that made these things; Nintendo, and not support the Chinese manufacturer that uses cheaper parts to emulate the SP.
Get the real deal folks; it'll last you WAY longer and supports the proper people.
GBA SP was my favorite aside from the fact that it didn't have a dedicated headphone jack. You needed the stupid adapter.
Damn I had a black one and I'd still use it but it's nowhere to be found, I just could get a hold on the charger. By the way how is that cartridge called at 5:38? And yes I agree with everything… I couldn't get myself to buy a modern retro emulation handheld because it would end up in a drawer as another user commented below but this is different, there'sna big nostalgia factor built in and it's so freaking cute and squared.
Bruce Lee was such a beautiful game on this one!
Totally agree that the hunt is as fun as the end result. Especially when it's for 16 year old me.
Oooof, a 101-version goes for +300 dollars where i'm from
I have recently came to the same conclusion; with regards to the illusion of choice as well and got a moded GBA SP with a IPS screen. I am waiting to get a good flash cart as well and was looking for more videos on the GBA SP in general; when I came across this video. Before making this decision; I was thinking of either a Rg 280V, a Retriod Pocket 2 plus or a Retropi 4 in a DMG case. I already have a Switch, a 3DS, a GPD XD and a phone (with the two last options being able to play the same games as well or better; than the new devices I was contemplating on getting. Even with a good telescopic controller; in the end I chose the GBA SP, because of the form factor and the IPS screen mod; so that it could be at least on par with a decent screen of todays standards (it looks really amazing with the mod). I only want about 20 games on the GBA and about 10 gameboy games for it. Even if Nintendo ever decides to sell these games on the Switch; having them in this form factor (and good quality controller with a now excellent screen mod) cannot be replicated. I love the simlicty of picking up a device and knowing what I am going to play; instead of trying to figure it out from a huge list that I will never really finish.
My childhood memories I miss 2003 😔🥲🥺
For the exact same reason that makes modern gaming systems and services feel so bloated yet empty for me, the illusion of choice, this is why my SNES Classic Mini is currently the most satisfying console I own right now, by far. It's just so simple and pure and a joy to play on. I have actually hacked it to include more games, but every single one on there was properly curated so I only have the games I really want (around 40 SNES games, 40 Genesis games, 40 NES games, 40 for the GB/GBA/GBC combined, 20 arcade games, and maybe 10-20 for systems like the Master System and PC Engine, and that's it). Along with an Oculus quest 2 and my PC (which I almost never use for gaming anyway, other than PC VR games), that's all I have to play all my games on. It's just so satisfying to be able to turn on the console, quickly select a game from a simple and lovely menu (with no fluff or "social" crap or accounts or glorified ads or whatever other soulless bloatware), pick up the great SNES controller (that's the perfect sweet spot of having enough inputs to do lots of things but not so many as to just feel convoluted), and be playing in a few seconds. It reminds me why playing games on these simpler dedicated consoles was genuinely so much more satisfying back in the day. And I feel exactly the same about the SP. In fact, the reason I even saw this video was because I was thinking about buying one again and decided to check out YouTube to see some videos on it.
I had two GBA SPs, one in Platinum Silver and the other in Onyx. Bought two so I could use the link cable by myself to trade Pokemon. Also had a purple OG Advance that I bought later, just because. Didn't use it much but it did feel a tiny bit better to hold than the SP. But man, I had such a great time with GBA games. The nostalgia is almost too much to handle.
I still have mine, next to the PSP this was my favorite handheld!
Yes for collectors its worth it it for collectors
Hey i do to use a gba emulator in a android but someday i will get collecters item aka the game boy but some time when you want it after many months days you seem to be board of it so carefull about choices
Subscribed for more philosophy lessons lol
I got one of these things a cople of years ago for $10 at a garage sale and i got pac man with a grip like thing and i lost it for like 2 years and when i found it again the little shit was still kicking without even charging FOR 2 OR SO YEARS
for me the sp is the best handheld ever made..
will probably mod mine with an ips screen.
I found 3 of these on the street with a gamecube and a ps2
Just a fun tidbit: The "illusion of choice" described in this video is actually an observed phenomena called "Analysis Paralysis" or "Choice Paralysis" that occurs when there are too many options in a given scenario to choose from. Everyone suffers from this phenomena every now and then, but I feel like as a gamer it happens so much more.
I played my gba sp yesterday for the first time in probably 10 years… for over 10 hours. 😅
The illusion of choice has plagued me since 2012. Starting with PC/Steam and creeping it’s way into my collection. For me it’s really just a matter of self control, I can’t help but buy games at a good price because “maybe some day I’ll want to play it”. I miss the days when I would get a game for my birthday and play it until my next birthday; while also trade borrowing games from friends and siblings. If you have limited options at high cost, you’ll enjoy what you have more that if you have unlimited options at low cost.
You make an interesting point for sure because I end up bouncing around from game to game never completing or enjoying one for what it is.
Man this brings back so many memories. How do I make a flash cart? I would love to have super Mario world, Pokémon games, and some other games on there
SP was peak Nintendo, idc what people say… The switch is good but too bulky and isn't anywhere as portable as the SP, also the games on the switch seem alot less in and out too, which can be overwhelming when you only wanna play for 20 mins at lunch
what flash cart is that?
I always felt that Nintendo lost the plot with the SP, It didn't feel sturdy and high quality like its predecessors. instead it felt cheap and flimsy, kind of like something you would get out of a McDonalds happy meal.