Hardware New and improved GBA

[MarkDarkness]

I actually just ordered one, so when it gets here, I might as well post a review on it.

Go for it.

 

[granville]

I personally hated the SP for its feel. I detest clicky buttons and the sharp edges and how small it felt in my hands. I'll agree the backlight and rechargeable battery were wonderful improvements, but other than those, i preferred the original GBA in every way, and this fixes those issues.

Clicky buttons have an advantage.
On GBA and DS Lite, the buttons can loosen and you'll have to press hard on them to make them work (I have to do this with 3/4 of the buttons on my d-pad as well as the A button)
However, on GBASP and DS, you won't struggle trying to get the buttons to work.

I've had my GBASP for a longer time than my DS Lite, and the buttons work way better on the SP.

I tried the clicky buttons for myself and detested them. My fingers slip off them and the button ends up retracting. I don't like that feeling at all. And i've never had an issue with the more mashy buttons becoming hard to press. I like that feedback in those. I don't want my buttons to feel like a mouse button.

It may have to do with my large hands and fingers. Often, clicky buttons are set within a sort of depression, which means i end up having to press harder to get the buttons to press at all. At any rate, my finger always twitches and ends up coming off the button, making it unclick and i lose the press. I far prefer the mashy buttons. One reason i chose a DS Lite over a normal Ds.

 

[Jakob95]

I personally hated the SP for its feel. I detest clicky buttons and the sharp edges and how small it felt in my hands. I'll agree the backlight and rechargeable battery were wonderful improvements, but other than those, i preferred the original GBA in every way, and this fixes those issues.

Clicky buttons have an advantage.
On GBA and DS Lite, the buttons can loosen and you'll have to press hard on them to make them work (I have to do this with 3/4 of the buttons on my d-pad as well as the A button)
However, on GBASP and DS, you won't struggle trying to get the buttons to work.

I've had my GBASP for a longer time than my DS Lite, and the buttons work way better on the SP.

I tried the clicky buttons for myself and detested them. My fingers slip off them and the button ends up retracting. I don't like that feeling at all. And i've never had an issue with the more mashy buttons becoming hard to press. I like that feedback in those. I don't want my buttons to feel like a mouse button.

It may have to do with my large hands and fingers. Often, clicky buttons are set within a sort of depression, which means i end up having to press harder to get the buttons to press at all. At any rate, my finger always twitches and ends up coming off the button, making it unclick and i lose the press. I far prefer the mashy buttons. One reason i chose a DS Lite over a normal Ds.

Same here. I hate clicky buttons. That is the biggest thing I hate about my DSi. I hate the buttons, I love my DS lites buttons much better.

 

[cracker]

My 2 cents on this...
The SP cramps my hands after a while and I gotta stretch them whereas the original GBA let me play a while longer without cramping. But since it is cloned hardware and (from what the feedback has said) is prone to problems I wouldn't be inclined to buy it. A PSP is pretty similar to the original GBA layout afterall...

 

[Diosoth]

I guess these clones don't matter much to me. I play my GBA through the GB Player using an EZ-Flash IV and Goomba seems suitable for all the old GB games(until/if I can ever afford/locate one of those GB flash carts). And I have a DS Lite which is suitable for my handheld needs.

 

[trans am]

The GBPlayer is starting to look like the best way to play GBA games, I analyzed all the GBA models and they all lack something, I'm pondering selling the Micro and getting a GBPlayer, I modded my GC with the XenoGC so I think I could get one of those cheap GBPplayer units without the disk. Of course I lose the portability aspect but that doesn't matter to me, I just want to play Minish Cap and some other games comfortability and without washed out colors or poor controls.

 

[o0ICE0o]

I like the SP for the screen, and the original for it's shape.

This is good.

 

[stuffnflufff]

for the GBPlayer, does it work with wii?

 

[cracker]

No it doesn't. The Gameboy Player for GC is basically a GBA system without a screen that connects to the expansion slot on the bottom of the GC. For Wii there is a port of VBA -- which is usually close to 100% compatibility.

 

[wyndcrosser]

I was ALL about buying this even had it on order on DX, however I realized it works like crap.. most games you want to work DO NOT!!!! Granted there are a lot that do, but not the ones we wish to work.....

I reccommend putting the money towards a PSP and getting a GPSP Emulator, and rolling with that. It works perfect, you lose that GBA feel, but the color, (longer battery), multi-use, and light make up for it. Please RTS works better on the PSP..

Wynd

 

[codezer0]

I was ALL about buying this even had it on order on DX, however I realized it works like crap.. most games you want to work DO NOT!!!! Granted there are a lot that do, but not the ones we wish to work.....

I reccommend putting the money towards a PSP and getting a GPSP Emulator, and rolling with that. It works perfect, you lose that GBA feel, but the color, (longer battery), multi-use, and light make up for it. Please RTS works better on the PSP..

Wynd

You're kidding, right? PSP's are/were infamous for their horrific battery life. Even (while it was still in print) Official PlayStation Magazine admitted the thing barely had enough to watch a UMD movie all the way through, on just medium brightness and the like at launch. Sure, firmware updates addressing power efficiency issues could resolve some of it, but not all of it.

 

[Sterling]

You're kidding, right? PSP's are/were infamous for their horrific battery life. Even (while it was still in print) Official PlayStation Magazine admitted the thing barely had enough to watch a UMD movie all the way through, on just medium brightness and the like at launch. Sure, firmware updates addressing power efficiency issues could resolve some of it, but not all of it.

I own one, and you are absolutely right! Shitty battery life, and a few of the games I do want to play still don't work on the PSP's so called "near perfect" GPSP Kai. Though that VBA port to the Wii plays the ones that do not work on the PSP. :/ I want a portable golden sun! (I have a DSi, and that means no slot two solutions. :/ ) I still have some hope for this, and mine is just about to ship.

Quick edit: Should be any day now. :/
Quick edit No. 2: It's here! Review comes a runnin!

 

[epicCreations.or]

I want a portable golden sun! (I have a DSi, and that means no slot two solutions. :/ )
Does the iPlayer work with Golden Sun? If it does, that could be a good alternative.

QUOTE(Sterl500 @ Mar 3 2010, 06:42 PM) Quick edit No. 2: It's here! Review comes a runnin!

Can't wait to read (and/or see it)

 

[granville]

Does the iPlayer work with Golden Sun? If it does, that could be a good alternative.

Not very well sadly. Not much you can do with GS unless it's the original game played on DS/DS lite-



According to the maker of the GBA emulator for PSP, GS is a terribly unoptimized mess and hard to get working fast.

 

[Sterling]

Does the iPlayer work with Golden Sun? If it does, that could be a good alternative.

Not very well sadly. Not much you can do with GS unless it's the original game played on DS/DS lite-

*snip

According to the maker of the GBA emulator for PSP, GS is a terribly unoptimized mess and hard to get working fast.

Yea, that's the problem with GS. On the clone GBA, GS works notably better than the iPlayer, but on the world map you're still fucked.

Review is here if you are interested.

 

[linkinworm]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVEkTptCJ8s

 

[cracker]

Nice GBA. What did you do to the top screen that rendered it useless?

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

I have a broken DSL set up like that for GBA.

 

[linkinworm]

Nice GBA. What did you do to the top screen that rendered it useless?

was bought broken, im just waiting for a new case to come to hold a new replacement top screen there. broken hinge