Nintendo Game Boy Advance Black Handheld

Hello fellow ebay buyer. You are reading this because you are thinking of getting a Nintendo Gameboy SP. Well done - this is a very wise choice...
why..?
Well, as you know, the electronics industry moves fast, and what is HOT this year is certainly NOT next year. This is extremely good news for us bargain hunters. Those giddy "Early Adopters" race off and pay top-dollar for products rushed onto the market, bugs and all, whilst us bargain hunters lag behind, apparently dawdling aimlessly and casually mopping up the best deals -like the tortoise and the hare.
If a product has a healthy "half-life" on ebay then chances are it is still worth serious consideration.
I am new to gameboys, but a quick bit of googling and you-tubing revealed the following:
1) there were 2 main models of gameboy advance SP (the flip-top models): 001 came first and has a front light to illuminate the screen, which people complained about, and so then module 101 was launched with a much better back-lit screen. Sadly for us Brits, the DS was launched before the 101 got to the UK, so we are very unlikely to get a 101 from ebay now without importing it - and paying a bit too much for it really.
2) the gameboy is backwards compatible - so you can buy lots and lots of games at really cheap prices
3) it runs on a rechargeable battery - always a bit of a worry when buying old kit - but you can replace the cell yourself if needs be. ( the early batteries were NVG, which is why the backlight technology was slow in coming.)

Truth be told, we faffed around for ages trying to get a 101 (we kept contacting the sellers to ask for the serial number on the back of the unit)- before deciding that it wasn't really worth it ( the 101 models are nearly as expensive as DS machines).

so we eventually went for a good ol' cheap n' cheerful 001 model
(as long as the screen is not scratched you are OK. Also, you can get the charger separately if needs be). Our 001 machine was less than a tenner.

...and the verdict....?
It turns out the screen is OK after all - welllll, - it is not as bright as the 101 , but it is not a deal breaker: it is watchable. Subsequently we have found a local games shop selling the old games for a fiver each - still lots of choice out there.

As luck would have it we also picked up all the accessories from Oxfam - the car charger, headphones and a fresnel lens clip on thingy to magnify the screen. Dear reader, my advice is to not waste your money with the magnifier lens as it only offers a marginally bigger image (unless I suppose you are very long sighted???) It is a clumsy great lump of ugly plastic - avoid.

So far, the system seems particularly well suited to scrolling level-hopping games. The action is smooth and satisfying, but the sound is a bit basic by modern standards - but hey, isn't the point of this exercise to get a bit of nostalgic arcade action? We love it!
So , to maximise your bangs-to-the-buck ratio, may I suggest you get a 001 - In all senses its the pocket-friendly arcade bargain of the year.

Many decried the original Game Boy Advance's reflective LCD screen and its reliance on external light sources. The Game Boy Advance SP's main feature--optional backlighting--fixes this complaint nicely, but it's the wealth of other features that makes this system so surprisingly good.

At first look, you might think the SP is a sleek travel alarm clock. When closed, it's just as tall and deep as the original GBA, but only half as wide. Due to its clamshell design, the screen is always protected from everyday scratches. A small button in the center of the console turns on the backlighting element for use in low-light situations, like in a moving car.

The SP comes with a well-designed power adapter that recharges a built-in battery; its prongs fold in for easier storage. Our informal tests found that it takes about four hours to fully charge (you can even play it while it's plugged in and charging), and the battery lasts about 11 hours with the backlighting constantly on--your results may vary. Using the backlighting less often will conserve battery power.


With separately sold cables, you can connect the Game Boy Advance SP to other GBAs for multiplayer gaming (above) or to the Nintendo GameCube (below) to access secret levels, exchange data, or use other special features that vary from game to game.

The quality of the backlighting is very good. It's bright and clear when looking directly at it, but degraded from other angles. This is only a problem for friends who are watching the screen from over your shoulder.

But size, power, and affordability do not come without trade offs. There's no headphone jack here, though Nintendo promises an adapter. The system isn't very loud at its highest volume, and the sound can be turned down to socially acceptable levels. The L and R shoulder buttons are a fraction of the size they were on the GBA, and thus are harder to hit. Also, the reduced size of the SP is slightly less comfortable for adult hands than the GBA, but perhaps more comfortable for smaller hands. The cartridge port placement on the lower part of the console is fine for GBA games, since they are flush with the console body, but older Game Boy Color carts will stick out in a way that takes some getting used to.

Open it up and the hinge will seek out a preferred, pre-set angle (about 150 degrees), though you can open it a bit wider or narrower for your own comfort. The hinge stands up well to lateral pressure, and over all, the SP seems just as rugged as its predecessor--which has proven to be very rugged, indeed. --Porter B. Hall

A nice hand held gaming system with flip top design, with a Sharp ARM7TDMI CPU, 256KB of onboard Ram and a 2.9" LCD screen with back light built into it, with good graphics and sound.

This system can play Gameboy, Gameboy Colour and Gameboy Advance games, also has a battery life of more then 6+ hours depending on what type of batteries are used in it.

10+++/10 Gaming System.

technically the best gameboy that plays the original games,but there are problems,

FIRST THE GOOD POINTS

,excellent illuminated colour screen,have been experimenting with illuminating the older game boys screen the sp does it much better with a really clear visible screen good for learning lsdj nanoloop ,

design that protects the screen when not in use it can sit on a desk like a tiny laptop(previous point requires reference to papers as using it) or open right out so its allmost flat,

fastest prosessor that plays the gen one carts,

and the speaker is not mounted under your hand like most gb's,

custom rechargable lion bat,

actually fits in a pocket just.

THE NOT SO GREAT POINTS

tiny case with diddy buttons the original dmg game boy was useable by many hands in relative comfort,the sp with its thin and narrow case requires you to scrunch your fingers up behind it after a couple of hours it becomes a bit painfull.

volume controll is a slider insted of a roller so adjustment for optimun is a bittricky,

connectivity the charging point is the headphone point to use headphones you need an adapter to charge and use headphones you need a different adapter.

the games fit in in a stupid place in order to save space even extra stupid if your using game boy camera,

then theres that lion battery again you neen a mains adapter to keep it going so it wont be going on holiday with you,the battery is replacable if you want to track down the correct type,as for the battery life mine doesnt last that long--original ,pocket,colour and advance gb lasts ages AAbatterys make so much more sense as are really cheap and avalable

modding-there is not much space inside the case for adding things so unless your really good i would keep the triwing driver away from it

sholder buttons a bit small allthough i dont play much that requires them

The Gameboy Advance SP is a good enough console, I was very happy to acquire the fairly rare now, Mario edition. I got it to play my old Pokemon games on again. So the backwards compatibility is great. It plays GB Colour games too! Each time I've traded in my DS for the next generation of tech it has lost more and more backwards compatibility and I had twinges of nostalgia, so thats my main reason for buying this.
Battery life is substantial even on a second hand console. The backlight isn't great, I nearly got a brighter screened Gameboy micro, until I realised it lacked backwards compatibility, and had a much smaller screen.
To be honest I wasn't expecting much from the games. Spongebob and Elf are as terrible as you can imagine. Monkey ball, Mario Advanced and Crash Nitro Kart are fun for what you get really.
The real gems on the Gameboy series are the various Pokemon games.