I want to buy a GBA handheld

[eriol33]

hey guys, I'm considering to buy a gba handheld since I never had one (too poor to buy gba back then), so I'm wondering, is there any device to play rom in GBA? and which gba version is the best? the original one? the sp one? or the micro? is there any way I can cheat as well?

 

[yusuo]

I would advise buying a PSP, it handles GBA emulation perfectly, its cheap and it does a lot more emulation then just GBA. Such as snes, mega drive, master system, game boy, psx, n64 and well pretty much every console prior to the Dreamcast. I picked mine up a few weeks ago for £25 off eBay and bought a 32gb micro sd card with adapter it cost about £30 in total and its my portable emulation device and a really cheap price

 

[Satangel]

I would advise buying a PSP, it handles GBA emulation perfectly, its cheap and it does a lot more emulation then just GBA. Such as snes, mega drive, master system, game boy, psx, n64 and well pretty much every console prior to the Dreamcast. I picked mine up a few weeks ago for £25 off eBay and bought a 32gb micro sd card with adapter it cost about £30 in total and its my portable emulation device and a really cheap price

Yup, this pretty much. PSP does everything your GBA will do + WAY more.
You can really find it quite cheap second hand, it's incredibly easy to hack and a decent memorycard isn't too pricey either. Go for the PSP!

 

[naved.islam14]

I third the PSP!

 

[Harsky]

As someone who LOVES the GBA, I can say the following. NEVER buy the original GBA. I don't know how I managed but the lack of backscreen lighting ruins a lot of the experience which sucks. The GBA SP improves this but the only thing that sucks is the fact that they dropped the headphone port. As for the GB Micro, it was a great idea in theory but when I tried it, the screen was a little too small for me and it wasn't too comfortable to play with it.

They can all play GBA roms using the EZ Flash IV which looks like this. It plays a LOT of roms I threw at it but the downside is that you have to be patient as it takes a while for it to load each rom when you start to play it.

I personally think the best combination is DS Lite/R4i Gold/EZ Flash 3 in 1 but a PSP with the GBA emulator is also a great alternative.

 

[Veho]

The GBA SP improves this but the only thing that sucks is the fact that they dropped the headphone port.

That was silly of them.
The headphone adapter solves half the problem. The other half being the fact you can't use headphones while the console is charging.


I second Harsky's recommendation, DS (Lite) + GBA flashcard is the best combo for GBA games.
PSP is a close second for GBA games, and it can also emulate a ton of other consoles.
If you already have a DSi or 3DS you can run GBA a emulator on the Supercard DS TWO.

 

[zeello]

Spoiler

GBA = uber dim screen. You will be sitting with your neck craned back or sideways toward a window or lamp. (oddly enough I actually want a GBA. I will probably regret my decision when I get it. I happened to get one at launch and still remember how hard to see the screen was) Also, it is the only model on this list that does not have a charger. The system uses 2 AA batteries.

GBA SP = Clamshell revision of the GBA. Front-lit screen, but screen has sort of a yellow tint as a result. The most popular GBA model. One of the most compact gaming handhelds of all time.

GBA SP2 = backlit version of the SP released in limited quantities. Be prepared to pay more to get one.

GBA Micro = Good for one reason only: Backlit screen. But the screen is smaller than the GBA/SP which makes it rather pathetic. It is even more compact than SP/SP2 but the screen is exposed and, I must say, easily scratched.

DS = plays all GBA games. Backlit screen.

DS Lite = plays all GBA games with the best screen.

^Correct me where I've went wrong.

 

[soulrazor]

Spoiler

GBA = uber dim screen. You will be sitting with your neck craned back or sideways toward a window or lamp. (oddly enough I actually want a GBA. I will probably regret my decision when I get it. I happened to get one at launch and still remember how hard to see the screen was) Also, it is the only model on this list that does not have a charger. The system uses 2 AA batteries.

GBA SP = Clamshell revision of the GBA. Front-lit screen, but screen has sort of a yellow tint as a result. The most popular GBA model. One of the most compact gaming handhelds of all time.

GBA SP2 = backlit version of the SP released in limited quantities. Be prepared to pay more to get one.

GBA Micro = Good for one reason only: Backlit screen. But the screen is smaller than the GBA/SP which makes it rather pathetic. It is even more compact than SP/SP2 but the screen is exposed and, I must say, easily scratched.

DS = plays all GBA games. Backlit screen.

DS Lite = plays all GBA games with the best screen.

^Correct me where I've went wrong.

that is all correct but for more detailed information you should also mention:
GBA/GBA SP front-lit/GBA SP back-lit suport gbc games

gba micro only gba games

DS/DS lite gba games without link function

 

[RodrigoDavy]

I would say get a DS phat or DS lite + ez5 slot-2 expation + slot-1 flashcart. That way you got near perfect gba compatibility and it's just easier to play roms since you don't need to do rom patching. You can't player multiplayer this way though and the button position is a little unconfortable imo.

The GBA + ez4 is also of an option if you want multiplayer and a more authentic gba feeling. Keep in mind that it's hard to find ez4 and other gba flashcarts nowadays and you'll have to resort rom patching which is a bit tricky.

 

[slingblade1170]

Technically you just posted from something that can emulate GBA perfectly but if it has to be a handheld then I would say go with a DS/Lite with Slot-1 & 2 carts but it may be difficult to find. If not that then go with a PSP.

 

[Parasite X]

Does anyone know where to buy an original GBA clone not the SP the SP is stupid & its cramped

 

[Sakitoshi]

I must say that if you really want to get the real GBA experience, stay away from PSP or DSTwo and even DS/Lite and go straight for a GBA SP(either frontlit or backlit, is up to you if you want or not be able to play under the sun or not).
emulators like the one on the PSP and DSTwo always have flaws and you'll have frame skips causing choppy framerate(Mario Kart Super Circuit and F-Zero), horrible speed(like with Golden Sun, but AFAIK that's fixed now) or even wont be able to play certain games at all.
for the DS I have to say that while isn't an emulator and plays 99% of the games just fine(certain functions like the link cable aren't available) and silk smooth. the screen is to colorful for the range of colors GBA games are meant for(specially the DS Lite). if you choose DS then don't go blaming me for your eyes bleeding for the oversaturation of colors(good luck playing WarioWare Inc. without that happening). other things that are minor are the fact that L and R buttons of the DS Lite are more fragile and tend to get stuck if you don't take care of them.
if you get a GBA SP you'll be able to play every GBA game with all his functions(including link cable and GBA to GC cable) and also 99% of the GB/GBC games(I also like the clicky nature of the buttons, feels more responsive). if you want the convenience of having a single cart for everything the EZ-Flash IV is one of the best choices, the Supercard SD/MiniSD is good too but has problems with slowdowns due to a hardware flaw.
the only downside is that GBA flashcards are hard to get nowdays and the missing audio jack, but that can be fixed buying the adapter or making a little modification to your handheld.
I modded mine and now I have a separate audio port.

Spoiler: click for large image

 

[Foxi4]

As much as I enjoy the original form factor of the GBA far more than that of the GBA SP's, the backlit screen of the AGS-101 takes the cake, and the frontlit of the AGS-001 is acceptable too, although far less desirable. That being said, I still think that perhaps getting a DS Lite would be a more comfortable option - I personally find the SP to be a bit too small and square for my liking,I prefer a wider form factor.

If playing original cartridges isn't a pressing matter and you're only going to use ROM's, a PSP is also a great option. On top of the GBA, it's also capable of emulating a large number of other systems. That and all the PSP games out there make it an optimal choice for gaming on the go on the cheap.

 

[Harsky]

I must say that if you really want to get the real GBA experience, stay away from PSP or DSTwo and even DS/Lite and go straight for a GBA SP(either frontlit or backlit, is up to you if you want or not be able to play under the sun or not).
emulators like the one on the PSP and DSTwo always have flaws and you'll have frame skips causing choppy framerate(Mario Kart Super Circuit and F-Zero), horrible speed(like with Golden Sun, but AFAIK that's fixed now) or even wont be able to play certain games at all.
for the DS I have to say that while isn't an emulator and plays 99% of the games just fine(certain functions like the link cable aren't available) and silk smooth. the screen is to colorful for the range of colors GBA games are meant for(specially the DS Lite). if you choose DS then don't go blaming me for your eyes bleeding for the oversaturation of colors(good luck playing WarioWare Inc. without that happening). other things that are minor are the fact that L and R buttons of the DS Lite are more fragile and tend to get stuck if you don't take care of them.
if you get a GBA SP you'll be able to play every GBA game with all his functions(including link cable and GBA to GC cable) and also 99% of the GB/GBC games(I also like the clicky nature of the buttons, feels more responsive). if you want the convenience of having a single cart for everything the EZ-Flash IV is one of the best choices, the Supercard SD/MiniSD is good too but has problems with slowdowns due to a hardware flaw.
the only downside is that GBA flashcards are hard to get nowdays and the missing audio jack, but that can be fixed buying the adapter or making a little modification to your handheld.
I modded mine and now I have a separate audio port.

Spoiler: click for large image

Do you have a guide for adding the headphone port? This is something I would like to give a go during my next weekend off.

 

[Foxi4]

Do you have a guide for adding the headphone port? This is something I would like to give a go during my next weekend off.

I think you know what to do with this.

 

[Harsky]

I think you know what to do with this.

I kid I kid. <_< >_>

 

[GameWinner]

Thanks to the OP I found my GBA that I had locked away somewhere.
Holy crap! The screen is so small, the system is too small, and that dim screen...!

 

[Foxi4]

*Yeah...*

Essentially you need to bridge pins 1 and 6 to detect the headphones, pin 2 is the left headphone channel, pin 4 is the right headphone channel and pin 5 is the headphone ground which goes to both headphones.

If you want to connect this to a standard mini jack port, just solder these to the right positions. On a typical stereo mini jack, the sleeve is microphone (not present here), the first ring is ground, the second is right audio channel and finally the tip () is left audio channel.

 

[Harsky]

Essentially you need to bridge pins 1 and 6 to detect the headphones, pin 2 is the left headphone channel, pin 4 is the right headphone channel and pin 5 is the headphone ground which goes to both headphones.

If you want to connect this to a standard mini jack port, just solder these to the right positions. On a typical stereo mini jack, the sleeve is microphone (not present here), the first ring is ground, the second is right audio channel and finally the tip () is left audio channel.

Does this mean it's a permanent mod that disables the speaker?

 

[Foxi4]

Does this mean it's a permanent mod that disables the speaker?

Well yes - if you bridge them permanently, the speakers will be disabled. I figured you'd use a GBA SP connector for this sort of thing, but if you want it permanently in the system, you could connect the two pins with a switch or something.

That being said, GBA SP headphone adapters are readily available, so you don't have to fiddle with it yourself - they're super-cheap on EBay.