Launching all the way back in 2001, the Game Boy Advance was the first radical redesign in the Game Boy line of systems with its move to a horizontal layout. Throughout its nearly 10 year lifespan we also saw multiple redesigns and revisions of the hardware.

It infamously launched with a non-backlit screen meaning it was notorious for being difficult to play in low light situations. This was remedied by third party add-ons, most famously the Afterburner and was later addressed by Nintendo with the launch of the Game Boy Advance SP which featured a front-lit display.

It was also of course the system that made GBAtemp possible and the reason we're here today thanks to a boom in piracy when an abundance of affordable and easy-to-use flash carts flooded the markets.

The GBA saw three major hardware revisions with the original, the SP and the Micro.

The Original Game Boy Advance

The original GBA launched on March 21 2001 in Japan and has sold over 81 million units to date. It's radical redesign in form factor sported a horizontal layout, shoulder buttons and 240×160px TFT LCD.

Games shipped on game paks that were roughly half the height of the original Game Boy cartridges and could hold up to 32MB of data (with Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories shipping on this size cartridge).

Game Boy Advance SP

The Game Boy Advance launched in 2003 and saw yet another change to the form factor of the handheld. It featured a clam shell design which enabled the screen to be protected when not in use, more importantly, the display featured a front-lit panel which enabled play in any lighting condition.

In terms of specs the system stayed the same but Nintendo added a rechargeable lithium ion battery and opted to remove the headphone jack (showing courage 13 years before Apple). They sold a separate adaptor for 3.5mm headphones that plugged into the multipurpose charging port. This also meant you couldn't charge the system and use headphones at the same time.

In late 2005 Nintendo released a revised version of the GBA SP (AGS-101) of which the major difference was the addition of a proper backlit and much brighter screen.

Game Boy Advance Micro

In 2005 Nintendo released the final GBA redesign in the form of the Game Boy Advance Micro. A miniature version of the system barely any bigger than the game paks themselves. Weighing in at just 80g the system sported a rechargeable battery and backlit display.

The screen was of course much smaller though it retained pixel resolution meaning games didn't look squashed or distorted. Interestingly enough for the size it also saw the return of the headphone jack and also featured removable, customisable face plates. Though it did lose backwards compatibility with legacy Game Boy cartridges.

What was your preferred model of the Game Boy Advance?​

 

[Soulsilve2010]

The Original Game Boy Advance!Micro a close second just because it's cute.

 

[VinsCool]

SP wins with the backlit screen.

BUT having modded original GBA with a AGS-101 screen into it, it turns into the ultimate GBA model!

 

[rvtr]

I only use the SP 'cause of the backlit screen. And because I don't have an original GBA.

 

[Deleted User]

In terms of specs the system stayed the same but Nintendo added a rechargeable lithium ion battery and opted to remove the headphone jack (showing courage 13 years before Apple). They sold a separate adaptor for 3.5mm headphones that plugged into the multipurpose charging port. This also meant you couldn't charge the system and use headphones at the same time.

Maybe I got one that was third-party, but I never had this issue. The adapter I had plugged into the charging port but had a headphone jack and a charging port.

 

[MetoMeto]

ds lite

The DS...Technically better (minus smaller screen area for GBA games) ,
but the GBA is in the heart!
So sorry!

 

[guisadop]

Form-factor wise: the original
Screen-wise: the micro
Convenience-wise: the GBA SP

 

[64bitmodels]

This is my original GBA I bought back in 2001. It's one of the few consoles I owned that I didn't sell (which I do regret but needed the cash at the time)

View attachment 212705

It's fitted with an Afterburner and a brightness dial (on the bottom near the crack). It still works fine though the battery cover is broken.

Who knows, perhaps GBAtemp may not be the place it is today if I hadn't bought this thing all the way back then?

yea, it wouldnt have had the name it had lmao.
also, as a guy who has never seen a GBA in real life, like ever, how big is an original model GBA?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

DS Phat didn't have the cartridges stick out hideously and didn't feel like a Dollar Store toy. DS Phat wins.

DS phat had a crappy screen and looked like your dad's PDA. It also had worse start and select placement and worse stylus placement, and it looked like your dad's PDA. Also, the DS lite actually sold, probably because it didnt look like your dad's PDA.
Seriously though, the original DS's design i will never get over, it looks like a PDA. was nintendo smoking something when they came up with the design? they hated it too since it never came back after the DS lite launched. lmao

 

[MetoMeto]

GBA SP of course, easy choice, no second doubts.
Would be nice if any onf them had stereo sound so you don't need headphones.

Removed headphone jack, using dongle....Apple before Apple.

Anyway, stereo would be cool on SP, but as i noticed while playing it these past few days, the sound is just great! I guess because the way that GBA sound works one speaker is just enough. I get it that Stereo is better but GBA just doesn't have that many sounds that can make it more realistic than it already is.

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yea, it wouldnt have had the name it had lmao.
also, as a guy who has never seen a GBA in real life, like ever, how big is an original model GBA?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------


DS phat had a crappy screen and looked like your dad's PDA. It also had worse start and select placement and worse stylus placement, and it looked like your dad's PDA. Also, the DS lite actually sold, probably because it didnt look like your dad's PDA.
Seriously though, the original DS's design i will never get over, it looks like a PDA. was nintendo smoking something when they came up with the design? they hated it too since it never came back after the DS lite launched. lmao

I actually like it, it has a form unlike the Lite...lite is just....plain brick.
I love Lite, but Phat is not that ugly imo.

 

[64bitmodels]

Removed headphone jack, using dongle....Apple before Apple.

Anyway, stereo would be cool on SP, but as i noticed while playing it these past few days, the sound is just great! I guess because the way that GBA sound works one speaker is just enough. I get it that Stereo is better but GBA just doesn't have that many sounds that can make it more realistic than it already is.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------


I actually like it, it has a form unlike the Lite...lite is just....plain brick.
I love Lite, but Phat is not that ugly imo.

I like plain brick
Seriously though, DS lite is pretty slim. DS phat is probably the only DS console ive seen that doesnt look good when closed
I like the DS lite looking like that, a boring rectangle when its closed, a cool innovative portable video game console when opened.
its just right for me

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

Anyway, stereo would be cool on SP, but as i noticed while playing it these past few days, the sound is just great! I guess because the way that GBA sound works one speaker is just enough. I get it that Stereo is better but GBA just doesn't have that many sounds that can make it more realistic than it already is.

I never actually had use stereo sound due to owning a GBA SP. I only hear it when I used emulators. Is weird to me that systems do have stereo output but only if you use headphones like the Megadrive. Why not just have two speakers in the GBA?

If i understand correctly, the sound is produced by the main CPU chip of the system. It doesn't have a dedicated sound chip like the Snes SPC 700, or would probably be even better if it had a co-processing chip like the Megadrive with the YM2612, TI SN76489, tied to the Zilog Z80 Chip.

Because of this, some devs complained about having to balance the music with the rest of the game.

Games are often criticized for music, especially the "port" of popular games from snes to the system. rom patches exist to "fix" those ports.

 

[ghjfdtg]

Where is the option for 3DS?

 

[64bitmodels]

I never actually had use stereo sound due to owning a GBA SP. I only hear it when I used emulators. Is weird to me that systems do have stereo output but only if you use headphones like the Megadrive. Why not just have two speakers in the GBA?

If i understand correctly, the sound is produced by the main CPU chip of the system. It doesn't have a dedicated sound chip like the Snes SPC 700, or would probably be even better if it had a co-processing chip like the Megadrive with the YM2612, TI SN76489, tied to the Zilog Z80 Chip.

Because of this, some devs complained about having to balance the music with the rest of the game.

View attachment 212746

Games are often criticized for music, especially the "port" of popular games from snes to the system. rom patches exist to "fix" those ports.

People often criticize the GBA for having crunchy samples and that always makes me wonder- if that's the case, why don't GBA emulators have a sound filter like a gaussian filter to clean up the crunchiness of the samples? Same thing for Sega Genesis and MAME, if people hate the samples so much, just filter them!

 

[Arm73]

I've owned every GBA model at some point, and the one I prefer is definitely the SP AGS 101, however my favorite one doesn't exist, other than a prototype maybe. I'm not young anymore and I don't enjoy playing on tiny screens, and back then my favorite DS was the DSiXL obviously. My only regret: It didn't have the GBA slot. I'm sure GBA games would have benefited tremendously by having a larger screen ( albeit with small borders on the DSiXL, but still quite larger ) and with the improved, lag free XL screen.Now I remember there were some pictures out there of a DS lite XL, but sadly it was never released as the DSi was a thing already at the time and they decided to go with the DSiXL instead. What a shame ! That would have been my favorite GBA

 

[64bitmodels]

I've owned every GBA model at some point, and the one I prefer is definitely the SP AGS 101, however my favorite one doesn't exist, other than a prototype maybe. I'm not young anymore and I don't enjoy playing on tiny screens, and back then my favorite DS was the DSiXL obviously. My only regret: It didn't have the GBA slot. I'm sure GBA games would have benefited tremendously by having a larger screen ( albeit with small borders on the DSiXL, but still quite larger ) and with the improved, lag free XL screen.Now I remember there were some pictures out there of a DS lite XL, but sadly it was never released as the DSi was a thing already at the time and they decided to go with the DSiXL instead. What a shame ! That would have been my favorite GBA

hey, the 3ds XL models exist now, so you can live out your childhood dream of playing these on a bigger screen!

 

[KingVamp]

So funny to see people talk about the headphone jack, while phones are trying to get rid of them.

Micro a close second just because it's cute.

 

[CMDreamer]

For it's form-factor: Original GBA (still have mine)
For it's portability: SP variant (don't -yet- have one)
For it's big games catalogue: NDS Lite (also don't -still- have one)

I'm not interested on those so-called "special versions" as I can make one myself.

 

[Arm73]

hey, the 3ds XL models exist now, so you can live out your childhood dream of playing these on a bigger screen!

Hey, never thought about that, good point. Problem is I wasn't a child then and I'm even older now and I ditched portables altogether, even the switch is too small for me ! But I still play all my favorite games via emulation nowadays on my 32" curved PC monitor. As I get older, bigger becomes better

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

People often criticize the GBA for having crunchy samples and that always makes me wonder- if that's the case, why don't GBA emulators have a sound filter like a gaussian filter to clean up the crunchiness of the samples? Same thing for Sega Genesis and MAME, if people hate the samples so much, just filter them!

Not sure honestly. The GBA can play Streamed audio which if you use a filter on them, may be bad idea. Should probably be part of the game's sound driver to just do better. Still, I tried using different filter options in snes or megadrive emulators. It doesn't seem to much for the music, only for sound effects. Most of the music isn't changed that I noticed. Those system used sound effects by one channel in the chips that produce the sound.

 

[raxadian]

d trip or camping trip. With the SP, you would need a car charger, wall charger, access to power, etc. Then you get no sound the whole time it's charging

What are you talking about Willis?

This is my original GBA I bought back in 2001. It's one of the few consoles I owned that I didn't sell (which I do regret but needed the cash at the time)

View attachment 212705

It's fitted with an Afterburner and a brightness dial (on the bottom near the crack). It still works fine though the battery cover is broken.

Who knows, perhaps GBAtemp may not be the place it is today if I hadn't bought this thing all the way back then?

I still have my first Gameboy, the 1989 model with Tetris. Heck I still have my Gameboy Color, my GBA and my Gameboy SP.

The Gameboy Color is the Pikachu edition with Pokemon Yellow. I can't remember what my first GBA game was, I think it was Golden Sun?

Not sure honestly. The GBA can play Streamed audio which if you use a filter on them, may be bad idea. Should probably be part of the game's sound driver to just do better. Still, I tried using different filter options in snes or megadrive emulators. It doesn't seem to much for the music, only for sound effects. Most of the music isn't changed that I noticed. Those system used sound effects by one channel in the chips that produce the sound.

The GBA has great music, most of the crappy music comes from ports that didn't use the GBA music chip well.

E-Reader (GBA) - Title Main Music

 

[CeeDee]

DS phat had a crappy screen and looked like your dad's PDA. It also had worse start and select placement and worse stylus placement, and it looked like your dad's PDA. Also, the DS lite actually sold, probably because it didnt look like your dad's PDA.
Seriously though, the original DS's design i will never get over, it looks like a PDA. was nintendo smoking something when they came up with the design? they hated it too since it never came back after the DS lite launched. lmao

PDA wannabe > Apple product wannabe.