Gaming Should I get a GBA SP AGS 101 or a GBA Micro?

[sp957]

I've been playing the AGS 001 since I can remember. I sort of like the light on it. It's very dim and kind of gives it a retro scanline look. I think it's really good for dark rooms, which is where I usually play in.

But I am finally intrigued by the brighter AGS 101 backlit screens like the SP AGS 101 and Micro.

I already have a AGS 001 SP, and it feels a little more cramped. Whereas the Micro may be small, but I feel it might have more of a controller feel.

Some questions?:
1) Are the backlights on these two the same? I thought I heard that the SP AGS 101 is actually better than the Micro because it has more vibrant colors, but can't find a source.

2) This is specific to the Micro. Obviously it has a smaller screen.
- Is the screen truly sharper compared to the SP? Maybe because it just takes the native resolution output of the GBA and puts it to an exact fit on a small screen?
-Or is the picture basically scaled down and makes the picture look somewhat jagged? You know what I am trying to say.... like when you get a really big picture in Windows Paint and shrink it down a bunch, it doesn't look sharp, it looks all cramped and jagged.

3) Should I consider a DS Lite? You can find these cheap in used condition.

 

[tbb043]

If you plan to play original GB or GBC games, out of these only the SP will do that. If not, then it's really all just personal preference.

SP101, Micro, DSlite, I haven't spent a lot of time with, just store displays when they were new, but they all looked good to me. Personally I use a regular SP for GB/C games and an original DS for GBA, but I do sometimes wish I had the SP101.

 

[Harsky]

I actually own both a Micro and GBA SP 101. Here is a picture of both of them with their brightness setting on high. Yeah, the 101 pretty much beats the Micro in terms of screen brightness. I actually use both of them on an almost regular basis. The GBA SP 101 is great for playing Gameboy and Gameboy Color games at their brightest which the Micro, combined with an EZF4, is the perfect size to put in my pocket when I'm out and about.

A DS Lite is also an excellent alternative but if you have plans on playing the old GB/GBC games in the future then the 101 is ideal. At times, my hands do get a little cramped with the Micro and the small portability is the only thing going for it. If you find a cheap one, go for it.

 

[sp957]

Nice pic, Harsky! This helped a lot. I see there is a noticeable difference between the AGS 101 and Micro.

I almost never play regular GB/GBC games anymore. And if I do, I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to emulate on an EZ Flash IV. So there's that.

Finding a cheap Micro on the webz isn't going to happen. But I'd definitely get one if one shows up at a thrift store or something. It seems like a really cool handheld to have because it's so tiny.

What about the picture clarity of a micro? Is it actually sharper or maybe even lower quality picture because it's scaled down? From your picture, they look almost the same even though the Micro's screen is almost twice as small.

 

[Harsky]

Micro's screen is okay. Nothing really jumps out at me to say it's better than the 101. I actually prefer the 101 because it actually has the bigger screen. I actually tried a gameboy emulator on the ez4 and it's very hit and miss. Zelda DX worked well while pokemon puzzle challenge had graphic glitches.

 

[TecXero]

The more recent update to Goomba Color can help with that backwards compatibility concern. I use a micro myself. The screen color and quality is similar to the DS Lite or later SPs. The screen resolution is the same as the other GBAs, so you don't have to worry about a crappy scaled down image. With an EZ4, it's great. It's a small handheld I can keep in my shirt pocket and I can play anywhere on a whim. I'd recommend checking out GBATA for a sleep patches, if you plan to actually use it out in the world.

 

[nccom]

Micro is horrible imo, way too small. Its really hard to read text on such screen.
DS Lite is a good choice too, screen quality should be the same as AGS101.

 

[sp957]

I decided to go with a DS Lite. I'm just going to be shopping around for one, but I know my local game stores has them for really cheap. Plus, I have an EZ Flash IV and a R4i, so I think it's a good idea to get a handheld that can play both instead of carrying 2 handhelds when I travel.

Does the DS Lite do any sort of scaling when playing GBA games? I know the 3DS does with DS games and you have to press certain buttons make the screen regular.

 

[migles]

I decided to go with a DS Lite. I'm just going to be shopping around for one, but I know my local game stores has them for really cheap. Plus, I have an EZ Flash IV and a R4i, so I think it's a good idea to get a handheld that can play both instead of carrying 2 handhelds when I travel.

Does the DS Lite do any sort of scaling when playing GBA games? I know the 3DS does with DS games and you have to press certain buttons make the screen regular.

the ds lite shows a small black border when using gba games\cart
the ds lite got the habiliy of changing light strengh i think you made a good choice i have one myself

i googled a picture of the borders. they are not noticeable, in the first picture they look bigger because the console is black
and you can choose to use top or botom screen to play gba games.

Spoiler

heres a somewhat popular modification to the ds lite that is get rid of the top screen to make it slimmer and more portable

Spoiler

 

[sp957]

I saw this mod which looks pretty new:

http://technabob.com/blog/2015/05/13/nintendo-ds-lite-to-game-boy-advance-mod/

But I plan on keeping the top screen. I'm going on a long summer vaction, and I don't want to bring a DSi for DS games and a GBA/Modded Lite for GBA games.

Only thing that bothers me is the cartridge sticking out a little.

 

[SSG Vegeta]

If I were you I would look for a fat GBA original with backlight mod

 

[sp957]

Yea, I saw those. Those look cool. And the button layout looks the best. But it looks more expensive. I can get a DS Lite used for around 30 bucks.

 

[SSG Vegeta]

Yea, I saw those. Those look cool. And the button layout looks the best. But it looks more expensive. I can get a DS Lite used for around 30 bucks.

Its worth it I think you'll agree that the GBA micro has a terrible form factor especially since you have a DSi/light the micro is cramped

 

[Nusdogg]

Or just build your own GBA with the back lit mod. There's some on Ebay for around 120.00 or so which ain't too bad. I just finished my second one. Screen was sourced from an AGS101 SP:

 

[sp957]

That is a beauty, Nusdogg.

 

[Catastrophic]

101 is probably my favorite handheld. Micro is great in terms of portability but isn't the most comfortable on your eyes. I've also tried a backlit modded original GBA and although it looks cool I personally don't like the feel of the buttons.

I've noticed a lot of fake SPs on places like Ebay with second hand parts. Make sure you're not buying trash. One with a new shell but original internals should be fine, though.

 

[sp957]

101 is probably my favorite handheld. Micro is great in terms of portability but isn't the most comfortable on your eyes. I've also tried a backlit modded original GBA and although it looks cool I personally don't like the feel of the buttons.

I've noticed a lot of fake SPs on places like Ebay with second hand parts. Make sure you're not buying trash. One with a new shell but original internals should be fine, though.

Yea. I made that mistake with my SP. I replaced the housing entirely along with the buttons with a housing set I bought from eBay.

The shell is fine, but I sure do wish I kept my old buttons.

 

[endoverend]

I'd love to buy a Micro, or even a backlit OG GBA (since I own several 101's), but it seems smart devices can emulate GBA near perfectly and have backlights superior to all these. Not to diss original hardware, but I guess it just seems silly for me to buy anything like that.

 

[VmprHntrD]

Or just build your own GBA with the back lit mod. There's some on Ebay for around 120.00 or so which ain't too bad. I just finished my second one. Screen was sourced from an AGS101 SP:

I want to do this as I got an immaculate original white one over the weekend at a garage sale. It's the only really comfortable GBA, and since it uses real batteries you're not a slave to after market or used OEM batteries. What parts did you use and where did you get them from? I can't seem to find a straight answer anywhere on how to do this effectively.

To answer the question - STOCK, I'd go with the SP 101 that's brighter like was borrowed for the image above. If you want to chop shop something up like I do, get the original for the reasons I said and throw a 101 screen in it. There's NO advantage other than the tiny size to the micro and it will hurt the hands unless you have baby hands on games using a lot of L and R button action. The SPs can hurt too since they're small and boxy, but not as bad and at least they close over the screen. The micro is exposed and replacement screen cover prices suck.

 

[Nusdogg]

I want to do this as I got an immaculate original white one over the weekend at a garage sale. It's the only really comfortable GBA, and since it uses real batteries you're not a slave to after market or used OEM batteries. What parts did you use and where did you get them from? I can't seem to find a straight answer anywhere on how to do this effectively.

The screen you can get from broken AGS101 SP off eBay. You will need a backlit screen adapter depending on your GBA whether it's a 32 or 40 pin motherboard. YouTube it for a How-To as there's a bunch of them now a days. Good luck.