GBA vs GBA-SP

Repli

My friend got a Gba sp on friday and I have to say.. apart from the light it's not much of an improvement.. the thing is too small and the L and R buttons are in a kinda awkward place.. and no headphone jack either.. that really sucks

I was thinkin about gettin an SP but after seeing pics of an original GBA with afterburner installed:
http://www.xyramax.co.uk/catalog/images/gba_consoles/ab_screenshot2_large.jpg
^^
That looks much better than the SP imo..
Anyway I was wondering does anyone have a backlit gba and what's the light like compared to the SP.. (which still has some glare in places)

theciscokid

sp all the way

Zukustious

I hate the Sp. It sucks. The shoulder buttons are way too small. It doesn't look to comfortable to hold either. I'b probably get a backlit GBA if it was a local service or something. The original GBA looks so much better, and more comfortable to hold.

TinCool

Having both a GBA and GBA SP, I have to say GBA SP all the way. It oozes coolness. Fair enough it doesn't have a headphone jack but doesn't bother me as I never use headphones with my GBA anyways.

Sloth

Zukustious it sounds as though you haven't even held the thing so you can't really pass judgement on it. From the information I've read about it on ign.com and it sounds great and for most people the shoulder buttons are far easier to use than the old ones. I'm planning on getting one tomorrow along with metroid fusion and the gamecube link up cable. That link up ability is such a huuuuge incentive to get one don't you think? (hey I know you could link up the old gba but now you get to look ten times cooler doing it) I don't see why people are bitching so much about the headphones thingy, all you need to get is a tiny little adaptor and if that little omission reduced the size of the sp then I'm all for it. Does anyone know if you can get one in black easily?

Repli

I should have called this GBA with afterburner vs GBA SP
Sloth have you seen a gba with afterburner..? From the pics I've seen it looks wayyyy better than the SP

Jim

i nearly bought one the other day.

ive never held it, and usually hate these type of ****ing things that companys release for no reason other than to get us to waste our money, but im very attracted to it. probably for the style aspect, it looks prettty slick, i can jusst imagine strutin round town wit it in my pocket, whippin it out every now and again to have a quick blast at metroid. oh yeah

zAbbo

I`d have to get my hands on a GBA Sp to tell you how it compares to a GBA Afterburner MOD, I`ve used a GBA with the AB mod and it is preety sweet, at the time i used it, GBA`s were full price and the mod wud set me back another 60-70 euro, so i was uninterested but now with the price drop of the original, i can see myself opting for this.

http://www.consoleplus.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=&products_id=128

and

http://www.consoleplus.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=&products_id=228

and the original GBA

Shinji

Love the SP to bits - it's a massive improvement over the original GBA. It's a better size for fitting in your pocket, it's lighter, it's actually perfectly comfortable to hold (most people who whinge about the size haven't actually ever used one) and the new D-Pad is the best one I've ever used.

And that's before you consider the rechargeable battery and the fantastic screen, and the fact that it simply LOOKS cooler.

Improvement in almost every way on the original GBA. Headphone socket thing is a bit annoying, but the adapter doesn't exactly break the bank.

Retr0gamer

Don't judge it if you haven't used it. Yes, I'm talking to you Praetorian. I find the SP far better than the old GBA apart from the headphones problem.

Sloth

FFS would people stop bitching about that damn headphone adaptor already? I doubt most people would have even noticed until it was mentioned and now it seems to be dragged up everywhere. I mean from the upgrade of the gb color to the gba you didn't hear people bitching about the fact that they got rid of the infra red connection thus meaning you had to buy another wire to play two player. Just go out and buy the cheapo little yoke and stop complaining and anyways I'm sure some third party company will release headphones that will have the adaptor bit built into them so you don't even need to buy headphones + an adaptor.

Asuka

Originally posted by Sloth
FFS would people stop bitching about that damn headphone adaptor already? I doubt most people would have even noticed until it was mentioned and now it seems to be dragged up everywhere.

Well it IS in fact the biggest issue with the GBA SP. Saying people wouldnt notice is ridiculous, unless youre one of those annoying cunts who plays their GBA at full volume on public transport. Having actually played the SP now I have to say that it is a lot more comfortable than I thought (though still not as ergonomic as the GBA) - originally that was my biggest worry about it. The shoulder buttons are a bit flimsy, but theyre perfectly usable.

I have a particular interest in this thread, as Im currently considering getting either a GBA + Afterburner or a GBA SP. It would defnitely be the SP on merit alone, but price considerations have made me consider the slight disadvantages of the SP altogether.

A

Repli

So far it looks like this

GBA w/ afterburner
advantages: Headphone socket, backlit (as opposed to frontlit on the SP)
disadvantages: bigger than the SP


GBA SP
advantages: Smaller, more comfortable (apparently)
disadvantages: costs more, the light isn't as good as a GBA w/ afterburner (from the pics i've seen)

Anyone anything to add to this?

Shinji

The afterburner is a frontlight, just like the light in the SP. However in most cases, since it's hand-installed, it won't provide lighting as consistent as the light in the SP, and it makes colours look more washed-out than the SP light.

It also sucks batteries. GBA SP runs about 11 hours on a single charge with the light on.

Sloth

Can you use the sp with it just connected up to the mains via the charger so when your playing in the house or anything you won't have to worry about the charge running out?

Shinji

Yes, you can.

Scruff

just got an sp last night, well happy with it. just love the fact that it fits neetly in my pocket.:D

have noticed alot of glare off the screen when playing in in really bright sunshine like there is today but how often will it be splitting the rocks??

long_b

Another pro for the SP (sort of) ... no more AA batteries to buy !

Only thing is you could be left stuck if you want to play somewhere and the charge goes on your machine.

Any photos of the afterburned GBA I've seen have a "trapezoid" effect at the sides ....

Krusty_Clown

On a somewhat related subject (but with a dotted line to the emulator board), have you seen or heard of the Gameboy Advance clone called the GP32?

SlashDot reports that it is a handheld (simillar size to the GBA) which emulates popular consoles, such as GBA, SNES, C64 etc..

Looks pretty sweet..

Q_Ball

We have a dummy copy of the GBA SP in work and maybe I just have big hands but I found it really awkward to hold. The L and R buttons were too small and my fingers kept slipping off the top of the unit. It just feels a bit flimsy to me tbh.

On the other hand it was great to go around work and drop it in front of someone. Some of the looks i got from kids were priceless

Shinji

Krusty, the GP32 is a cute piece of kit but it can't emulate the GBA in real-time. You're lucky to get four or five FPS out of it when emulating a GBA.

It's an enthusiasts toy only, not a serious games console.

Sloth

Well basically atm my choices have come down to a GBA SP or a broadband connection due to a rather low amount of cash. Strangely enough I've chosen to wait the week until the broadband connection becomes available in my area rather than buying yet another gameboy.
Imagine my joy then when my sister comes home with one and since she only tends to buy these things without actually using them I now have free reign on the gba sp . Anyways early impressions are that its smaller than I thought it would be. It feels good to hold although the start and select buttons are a bit out of the way and when I have my fingers resting on the L and R buttons the tips kinda have to sit in the two access ports which makes me worry what will happen when I actually have to use them. Overall though it's a great little machine and the only realy bugbare is that it's not actually mine.

Mr E

Looks like Game have dropped the SP's price to €139. They had it at €150 to capitalise on that "first week" buzz, and now its down at the RRP. I'm saying nothing...... :rolleyes:

- Dave.

long_b

Before it was released they said the RRP would be 150 - when it was released it was only 140.

Reckon GAME would be discounting this early ?

Absolam

Got mine in Game on Henry St day of release; €139, with Zelda for €35, and MoH for €35 as well

Amnesiac_ie

Are there any retailers in Ireland that will sell an Afterburner for the GBA or will I have to order online? How difficult is it to install? I'm swinging towards the SP... how much IS that infamous headphone socket adaptor???

Originally posted by Shinji
it makes colours look more washed-out than the SP light.

Got any side-by-side screenies to show how washed-out the colours are?

Hobbes

Originally posted by long_b
Another pro for the SP (sort of) ... no more AA batteries to buy !

Only thing is you could be left stuck if you want to play somewhere and the charge goes on your machine.

Any photos of the afterburned GBA I've seen have a "trapezoid" effect at the sides ....

I bought rechargable battery packs with docking stations and I have never had to buy AA batteries ever. The docking stations are great as you just put it down there when finished and don't have to mess with plugging wires in.

I have one GBA set up with Afterburner and one without. Afterburner makes a huge difference but should be put in by an expert.

As for SP, it's nice but not worth buying if you have a GBA.