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?​

 

[KingVamp]

GBA. Tho I might be bias since I played with all 3, but only own a GBA. DS, if I can cheat.

 

[nero99]

My favorite was my old micro that was stolen years ago. Do you know how easy it was to get away with playing it in school without getting caught? Man I miss that little thing

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Is mine real ? I cant find this color online

Yup. That’s just the basic silver model that you can find on ebay

 

[Skelletonike]

Back in the day, I loved the SP due to having backlight.

Nowadays though, I choose the original one. After being upgraded with an IPS screen and a rechargeable battery, there's no beating the original form factor of the GBA.

 

[slaphappygamer]

Back then, I owned the og gba, it was great and big, but hard to see (except with the wormlight and it’s glare). Then, I got the sp (non brighter version) was a great replacement and I used that mostly and sold my og gba. I loved that I could play some games with one hand (thank you final fantasy for being there when I needed you). The sp, then, was the best.


Now that I’m older and can afford nice things, I bought a gba micro. Fuck that thing! It’s so small, I can’t see it or hold it comfortably enough to enjoy it. The best thing it has going for it is the screen and the headphone jack being back. Of course the screen looks great, when ever you take a big thing, then shrink it, it looks better. The sp hurts too, but not as bad.

My 22 year old self would choose the sp.
My current self chooses the og gba with an ags 101 screen.

 

[MohammedQ8]

My favorite was my old micro that was stolen years ago. Do you know how easy it was to get away with playing it in school without getting caught? Man I miss that little thing

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Yup. That’s just the basic silver model that you can find on ebay

https://consolevariations.com/variation/console/game-boy-advance-sp-gold

this one but it is not gold

 

[porkiewpyne]

yeah I think it depends on what you want it for and probably hand size might ruin it if you have fairly large hands, if you want to play gba games specifically probably a back lit modded AGS-001 has the best form factor, but for a little device you can stick in the glove box or bottom of a bag the micro is barely noticable so it doesn't get in the way, and for me that's pretty nifty for times your left sitting in a carpark waiting for someone to come out or something

How are the buttons for the micro? Are they more like the original or the SP or something different altogether?

small enough to stick in a pocket without getting funny looks from women as you walk down the street

Exactly what I was going for though

 

[raxadian]

retro tastic. Had an unmodded agb001 back in the day but never dove too deep in GBA library I think because of lack of backlight

I have a strong desklight but yeah it was annoying.

The GBA had a lot of awesome games some that I still play today.

Do we have a list of best GBA games in this forum?

 

[The Catboy]

Controversial opinion, but I love my Micro. The screen is small but super crisp and bright plus it fits nicely in my hands and literally anything I am carrying it. It’s something I used to carry (and sometimes do carry with me,) before I had any decent handheld emulators.

 

[Alexander1970]

For me and my Eyes - GameBoy Advance SP.

 

[Goku1992A]

Retro GBA was the best I had the SP it was nice because you didn't need batteries anymore but the Retro GBA had a better design vs the SP

 

[leon315]

I have an Advance SP blu. which I really disliked it because of rechargeable battery. It runs out of energy after long time without using it and when u turned it on, u found that all saves are gone forever.
It would never happen if it uses AA rechargeable one.

 

[tech3475]

Depends:
GBA only- DS
Otherwise
At home- GBA w/ backlight
Outside- SP (although the lack of a headphone port is annoying).

 

[DinohScene]

Original Advance is much more comfy to hold.
Screen wise, AGS 101.

I like the portability of the SP but can't play on it for extended periods of time anymore :c

 

[SnakeOil992]

SP fanboy reporting in. However, the lack of love for the Micro is regrettable. What a beautiful little piece of machinery.

 

[playstays_shun]

Which is your guys’ favorite SP AGS101 stock color?

—

would it be worth getting an AGB001 or AGS001 unmodded for better outdoor play?

I play indoors almost if not all the time so backlight is for me but

 

[altorn]

I loved my black phat gba. it got oily with fingerprints and shit on the back because i would eat my lunch/dinner then immediately go play pokemon silver or goldensun for hours with my friends. what a great childhood.

i tried my friend's gba sp and it just wasn't as comfortable, even if there's a backlight feature and rechargeable battery.

 

[raxadian]

Controversial opinion, but I love my Micro. The screen is small but super crisp and bright plus it fits nicely in my hands and literally anything I am carrying it. It’s something I used to carry (and sometimes do carry with me,) before I had any decent handheld emulators.

Many many games don't work well on it. Forget any game that needs attention to detail or reading text.

Even something as simple as Wario Ware becomes harder due to the smaller screen.

Which is your guys’ favorite SP AGS101 stock color?

Black.

 

[ThatGamingAirman]

I had both an og advance and an sp loved them both but loved the sp for its form factor but eventually when I got a ds lite I stuck with that.

 

[Kraken_X]

The original GBA was the best by far. Headphone jack, infinite battery life (given enough AA batteries), comfortable horizontal form factor, and less expensive. The only downside was the glare from the worm light when playing in the dark.

I did not own a GBA SP because the flaws were too many. No headphone jack alone was a deal killer, but the lack of AA battery support would have prevented a purchase from me as well. With the original GBA, 8 rechargable AAs could easily last a long road 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, and you are stuck a few feet from the wall since this was an era before power bricks. It's expensive too since you need to buy the system, car charger, and headphone adapter(s). Better to just buy another 5-10 games to play on the superior model I already had.

I had no interest in the Micro, because by then the DS had already launched and I would rather save my money for a system that played the newer games in addition to GBA while having a more comfortable form factor and larger screen.

 

[ken28]

Design wise the first one for sure. But gameplay wise the sp.