The PSP.Originally Posted by Swamperon
The PSP.
Everything in the above post is opinion unless stated otherwise.
My GBA was the first Gameboy I ever owned. Before that I was a total GameGear fangirl. Although the Advance cartridges were really difficult for me to see without extra lighting, the system still got a ton of use because I was discovering all these great GBC games I'd never played before. I found GBC games were a lot easier to see. In 2002 you would rarely find me without a old GameBoy carrying case slung around my shoulder like a purse and a copy Tetris.
I didn't start really playing the system's own games until I modded my GBA for tv display, then I sold that unit for $75.00 when the GameBoy Player was announced. When I finally got an SP it was all over, I started buying up Advance cartridges like crazy.
It's even more comfortable in foam.The original GBA is also the most comfortable portable ever. GBA SP sucks, but the original is amazing(even if I did have to sit under a ridiculously bright light in order to play anything.)
Damn Nintendo for not making this amazing system(original version) backlit. Though there are ways of getting it done yourself.
I wonder if anyone has modded a GBA to have a back light.
You need an Afterburner kit. They've been around for years.
http://www.goldenshop.com.hk/AI-trad/gba/backlit.htm
Yeah, but can an afterburner kit still be found?
You don't really need a super bright light to see the original GBA screen. It's a reflective TFT LCD, so if you tilt the original GBA away from you slightly, the picture will get brighter.
I figured out this technique when playing my original GBA on the NYC subway.
I think it is easy to fault the GBA for its lack of X and Y buttons, and the unfortunate tendency for so many games to have washed-out overbright palettes to account for that old backlighting problem. And of course all the shovelware.
But on the whole I do sometimes think that there isn't much talk of the various quality games the system has available.
"There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge." --Bertrand Russel (attributed)
A good question, I haven't seen any kits for sale in a long time. Generally, an Afterburner installed system will pop up on ebay (should be one there right now for $23) but otherwise I do not know where else to find them. It may fall under the "missed the boat" category, especially so many years after popularity with the AGB-001 faded out.
InsaneDavid has a really nice black AGB-001 that I've wanted for a while, but I could never afford it. Perhaps one day I'll source an Afterburner system as like kupomogli, I find the original system to be really comfortable and is equiped with an excellent d-pad.
The GBA in general is a system I came to enjoy only after the system was usurped by the DS, I began collecting in 2008. It all started after finding a cheap copy of Mother 3 and then quickly finding Gunstar Super Heroes for $5 new at a local Electronics Boutique. This was before I even had a system, which came much later since I was able to borrow a friends AGB-001. I got a AGS-101 spring 2009 and since then have built up to 17 complete games, import and otherwise.
For me, the GBA represents the best of 16 bit on a handheld, much like the GBC/GB represented an alternative to the NES/8 bit era. It's big on 2D and has plenty of arcade and action based original IPs to satisfy along with the stronghold of Nintendo developed games. Titles like Orbital, Fire Emblem, Metroid Zero Mission, and Gradius Generation really show what the system can provide and shovelware aside there are many quality games to be had and generally for low prices.
Whaddya mean invalid parameters?!
9,000 gigs of ram and it still can't answer a simple question!
My friend has an afterburner kit at his store. I've been thinking of picking up an old scratched up GBA and installing it, but I have to wonder if it's any better than the front-lit SP I already have.
I still play the hell out of my GB micro and gameboy player, so another GBA is a bit of an indulgence.
...and thats why I wanted this thread! You can't fault the system for being cheap and marketable; thats why there is so much of the shovel ware. And I think the overbright palettes work in favor the system. Games on the GBA have a really unique look as opposed to the nearly homogenized home consoles.
Frankly, if prolific system can pull off upward of 50 titles that are worth owning and playing, then we're doing pretty good--regardless of shovel ware.
It would be worth it to play some games with motion control, with the SP the games are upside down and pretty much uncontrollable. Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble for the GBC comes to mind, though it's a GBC game I don't know of any backlighting available for the GBC system. There's a few motion control games for the GBA but I don't know if they can be set up for both the original and SP or just the original.
I have an original system and an SP, but I like playing games on the DS. The backlight is way better with the DS, though I haven't tried the brighter SP and I don't want to bother tracking one down.
Still have my arctic white GBA modded myself with the afterburner kit. Moderately difficult to perform as I recall....I also have the microchip that allowed you to adjust the brightness but I never installed it since I was reluctant to tempt fate by opening it up again. Still have all of it - GBA is mint complete in the box.The original GBA is also the most comfortable portable ever. GBA SP sucks, but the original is amazing(even if I did have to sit under a ridiculously bright light in order to play anything.)
Damn Nintendo for not making this amazing system(original version) backlit. Though there are ways of getting it done yourself.
Warioware Twisted plays just fine on all systems, if I'm not mistaken. The only other one I can think of is Yoshi Topsy Turvy, which by all accounts is something you really shouldn't play.
"There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge." --Bertrand Russel (attributed)
Check out the Kleppings!
Make Way For Madness!
"9 is a poor man's 11, and 11 is a Baker's Ten."
Infinite Lives
Looks more like pokemon mini.
I don't know how playable Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble would be on an Afterburner-modded GBA, considering how narrow the viewing angles are on those.
I modded quite a few of these back in the day but I still bought a GBA SP because the screen was cleaner - purple trapezoids were less apparent than on the Afterburner.
I've got an AGS-101 and a GBA Micro as well. The 101 has a very nice bright screen but the colours are overly saturated. The micro has a much better screen but it's way too small.
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