GBA Question??? Please Help [Archive] - Retrogaming Roundtable

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aaron_157

11-13-2003, 12:32 AM

Hi all,
I am having some trouble with deciding what to do with my GBA situation. I am currently looking to buy a new gba I had one at launch but traded it for a gba player.
The problem is that I cant decide to drop $70 on an SP at a Sam Goody going out of buisness, or Buy a regular GBA for like $50 and then getting a halo light attachemnt or afterburner kit?

Any help on the matter would be great!

esquire

11-13-2003, 12:37 AM

Go with the SP. It is much better with the built in back lighting, especially if you can get one for $70.

zektor

11-13-2003, 12:42 AM

Yes, definitely sport the extra $20 for the SP. Even a halo light on the original doesn't do as good a job as true backlighting does. The afterburner kit is nice, but you have to be so very careful installing it. One speck of dust and you'll be seeing it in the screen for good.

Drexel923

11-13-2003, 01:02 AM

Get the SP definitely. In addition to the reasons listed already, you'll never have to buy batteries which will save you even more money.

zektor

11-13-2003, 01:07 AM

Get the SP definitely. In addition to the reasons listed already, you'll never have to buy batteries which will save you even more money.

This is another great feature that I forgot to add. I only wish they supported both the charger AND batteries out of the box. When we had that big backout and I had nothing to do I grabbed the good ol GBA SP. Guess what? The battery was drained and there was no way to charge it! I had tons of batteries, but they were useless in this situation. At least I still had cold beer!

Epicenter

11-13-2003, 01:39 AM

I still like my GBA more .. it's an imported Japanese model, with black housing and white buttons, very nice. I love this thing. ;) As for lighting, I am pretty happy to just use an external light. As for keeping the screen scratch free, I have a nice, compact little case for it. I prefer being able to use batteries AND rechargable batteries, so I like this more. I'd hate to have to go buy a NEW cell when the built-in one can no longer hold a charge, also .. I'd have to order one from hong kong or something instead of just picking up some new NiMH's from Radio Shack for a fraction of the price. Also, the grip on the SP is completely uncomfortable to me and the buttons push too 'crisply' .. they don't gently push in on a rubber membrane like the ones in the GBA do. I cannot stand that kind of tactile response, it just doesn't match what I am used to from my old GB/GBP/GBC and console controllers. It sounds dumb but I can't tolerate it. Also, I've found the blacklight gives games a 'washed-out' look .. I can certainly live without playing my GBA in the dark, too. After all, I have a laptop, and in low-light situations I generally just resort to a sketchbook instead. ;) Also .. the GBA had a headphone jack. The GBA-SP requires some retarded adapter for it. Nintendo just swapped one product issue for another in its design. I mean, what, the, fuck.

But in the end it's totally up to you, this is just my take on it. :)

aaron_157

11-13-2003, 01:46 AM

See thats just it, I hate the grip of the sp, also the finish on it looks like it will rub off over time because it is paint. Also you cant always have access to a power outlet, batteries are nice when you cant charge up.
OOh i forgot, I think that the hinge on the SP is a little riskey to???

nesuser2

11-13-2003, 04:02 AM

good points, but the washed out look only comes with the afterburner kit. i never see any washing out on the sp. and if you keep the sp in a case, i'm sure you won't have any problems with the paint.....i'm not even sure that's what it is. and the comment on the batteries, well when it dies.....you can simply order any of these third party batteries i see everywhere for $8 or you could probably order some Nintendo first party packs for a little more. maybe order them before it goes out and swap them when you need to? and your point on the buttons pushing like tact switches is a very good point. although......i've never thought about it, it is very clear now that you pointed it out. but i can't survive without backlight, i had the original GBA for a while and couldn't stand it. I don't know of any night situations where i wanted to play it but even when it's light out.....you still have to hold it just right or you get half of a shi**y picture. one last thing, the headphone adapter. i'm pretty sure if nintendo didn't do this, they would have been forced to make the SP slightly larger, by creating an adapter....they use one port to serve 2 purposes, thus taking up less space inside the device. and i think the SP is a very sturdy unit, but i treat my stuff good and i'm the only user.....so.....my 2 cents....

zektor

11-13-2003, 04:23 AM

I told my girlfriend to "rub" my SP for a few weeks. I'll let you all know if it's color tints. I also told her to play with the hinge franticly! LOL

With all of this rubbing and hinging I am surprised she stays with me. This one's a keeper!

Darth Sensei

11-13-2003, 08:14 AM