With the rising of so many retro handheld emulators, a Game Boy Advance is not practical anymore, but is just a desirable monument for an amazing memory of a golden era. My Game Boy Advance review is more for me than anyone else, because I use this review, together with the Nintendo DS review and Nintendo 3DS review to reason why I still use them instead of staying with a specific retro handheld emulator.
Do you love a clamshell handheld? Do you like playing Game Boy Advance games? If you love the system that has been sold for more than 80 millions unit, then why you don’t get a real Game Boy Advance, and mod it to be a superior, native GBA handheld device.
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The ultimate experience of playing GBA games
The Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP is the clamshell GBA device that I love the most. You can consider modding it with IPS screen and better battery, and it would be a lot more fun than just using a common retro handheld emulator.
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While the Game Boy Advance family isn’t the cheapest way to run GBA games on handheld mode, it is the truest way to enjoy them. I don’t really encourage you to get one if you never play a real Game Boy Advance in the past, however, I must say that playing with the native hardware is the best experience that you can’t emulate with any other system.
Game Boy Advance Review: Price
- MSRP: $99
- The same introductory price for every member
The Game Boy Advance is truly a legend, as you can see from its huge game library with more than 1800 titles. The device is completely destroy the competition from the WonderSwan, ensure a near-monopoly on the handheld console market for years, until the PlayStation Portable was released by Sony.
For your information, the introductory price of the Game Boy Advance was super accessible, and Nintendo didn’t change the price for any upgrades later. Also, the Game Boy Advance is compatible with all previous Game Boy and Game Boy Color paks, making the device a very strong handheld gaming console at that moment.
Getting a Game Boy Advance at the moment would cost you more than $99, so make sure you check your local marketplace before jumping to common e-commerce websites like Amazon or Ebay. For what’s worth, I only get a Game Boy Advance with IPS and battery modding at maximum $99.
If you want save states and load states for your Game Boy Advance, perhaps the only way is getting a system pak like the EZ-Flash Omega. There is a pak named Everdrive X5 but it doesn’t support save states if I recall correctly. As a result, you’re going to add more than $50 for convenient features, and I believe a Miyoo Mini Plus at $75 or Anbernic RG35XX at $65 can do a lot better and faster.
Even though my Game Boy Advance SP costs me more than 3 times the price of the Miyoo Mini Plus, and it can’t emulate as many systems as the later device, I still use it specifically for GBA games. For you, I advise to read more from my review.
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Game Boy Advance Review: Design and Build Quality
| Features | Game Boy Advance | Game Boy Advance SP (AGS-001) | Game Boy Advance SP (AGS-101) | Game Boy Micro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logo |  |  | |  |
| Console |  |  |  |  |
| Dimensions | 145 mm x 82 mm x 24 mm | 84 mm x 82 mm x 24.4 mm (closed) | 137 mm x 74.9 mm x 18.9 mm (closed) | 50 mm x 101 mm x 17.2 mm |
| Weight | 140 grams | 142 grams | 142 grams | 80 grams |
| Form | Horizontal | Vertical | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Screen | 2.9 inch TFT, 240 x 160, 99.5 PPI, 3:2 aspect ratio | 2.9 inch TFT, 240 x 160, 99.5 PPI, 3:2 aspect ratio | 2.9 inch TFT, 240 x 160, 99.5 PPI, 3:2 aspect ratio | 2 inch TFT, 240 x 160, 144.2 PPI, 3:2 aspect ratio |
| Colors | Indigo, Black, Orange, Translucent Pink, Translucent Blue and limited editions | Silver, Blue, Black and limited editions | Silver, Blue, Black, Pink and limited editions | Black, Blue, Purple, Silver and limited editions |
| Speaker placement | Front facing | Front facing, bottom | Front facing, bottom | Front facing |
| Storage | Cartridge save | Cartridge save | Cartridge save | Cartridge save |
| Audio output | 3.5mm headphone jack | Proprietary port | Proprietary port | 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Video output | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Charge port | ✗ | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary |
Game Boy Advance
So, this is the original Game Boy Advance, the start of every good thing, the beloved handheld device of so many people. A timeless device that can actually play the GBA paks that you bought for dumping. However, I must first remind you that the market is full of fake GBA paks so if you want to have a collection, you need to tell if GBA game is fake or real.
Back to a handheld device review, you can put the dimensions into comparesizes to check the dimensions. The Game Boy Advance is a bit smaller than the first Game Boy Pocket device, but it is a little bit bigger than the Game Boy Color. After all, it’s pocketable, making the Game Boy Advance a valuable handheld on-the-go.
Talking about the GBA paks, many people enjoy the pak location on the Game Boy Advance than the Game Boy Advance SP, because they feel the SP will stick the pak out towards the users.
There is no hinge in the first Game Boy Advance, so you shouldn’t worry about broken hinges which are infamous for Nintendo devices. However, if you keep your handhelds like a treasure and don’t abuse them, I believe the clamshell handheld device is much more portable and still durable.
My subjective preference is clicky buttons, which are only available from the Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP. The first model of Game Boy Advance shares the same mushy buttons with the Nintendo DS Lite and Nintendo 2DS. As a regular 2DS user, I believe the preference doesn’t really affect your gaming sessions much, again, you should enjoy the game you played.
However, the START and SELECT buttons are on the left side of the screen, which is not familiar to my habits. I gathered opinions from all of my childhood friends who used the Game Boy Advance, and they all feel START and SELECT buttons should be on the right side.
Trigger buttons of the original Game Boy Advance is bigger than the Game Boy Advance SP, so if you want your trigger buttons to be big, get the first Game Boy Advance. They are the same mushy buttons, unlike trigger buttons of the 2DS, which are also not into my liking.
The magic is I don’t feel hand fatigue while playing on the Game Boy Advance. The D-Pad is also super accurate to use in Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure, while the same thing can’t be said for either the Miyoo Mini Plus or Anbernic RG35XX. Honestly, it is the device for GBA games, so no emulator can beat its experience.
Build quality is exceptional. You are using a device made from 2004 without failure, right? Do you believe that any Chinese handheld emulators could last that long?
- Build quality, no hinge
- Great design for playing GBA
- Pocketable
- Reverse START and SELECT buttons position
- Mushy buttons
Game Boy Advance SP
There are two models of the Game Boy Advance SP, but except the difference of light source, they all share the same dimensions and build quality. It is still the lightweight Game Boy Advance unit that we love, but this is the most pocketable handheld in the whole gaming industry.
Do you love clamshell design? If your answer is yes, then look no further than the Game Boy Advance SP. It is super pocketable, while retaining the same build quality as the previous Game Boy Advance. The Game Boy Advance SP is also very light, so if you try it for first time, you won’t be able to come back to the current retro handheld emulator for GBA gaming.
I love clicky buttons and the Game Boy Advance SP meets my demand. I also get used to the little trigger buttons from the Nintendo 3DS, so one more point for my preference. You can think of the hinge as a disadvantage for the Game Boy Advance SP, but I believe it will last for a lifetime if you don’t abuse it.
Still, there is a flaw in the Game Boy Advance SP’s design: you don’t have a normal headphone jack. It is pretty easy to get a third party working adapter at cheap price, but it is still a trouble that many people aren’t willing to pay. Moreover, you can’t both charge and use headphones with the Game Boy Advance SP at the same time.
What is the difference between two models of the GBA SP? The first model, named AGS-001 has a frontlight integrated screen, while the second model, named AGS-101 has a backlight integrated screen. The frontlight can only be turned on or off, while the backlight can be adjusted for 4 levels. Both of these models are way better than the original Game Boy Advance that can’t be played in darkness.
Without modding, the Game Boy Advance SP with a rechargeable battery isn’t necessarily an advantage over the original Game Boy Advance, because you can easily buy rechargeable AAs for the normal GBA, and replace them when you feel its capacity is substandard.
- Super pocketable, great build quality
- Clicky buttons
- Great design for playing GBA
- Light source if unmodded
- No standard 3.5mm headphone jack
Game Boy Micro
The Game Boy Micro is the super compact and pocketable Game Boy Advance device that was released later in the system’s life. Think of its customers, I believe it should be only for people who love mini design, like the Miyoo Mini or Anbernic RG-Nano. It is great to be a decor in my bookshelf, but if I want a hardware that plays GB, GBC and GBA, the Game Boy Advance SP is much more suitable.
My experience with the Game Boy Micro is limited because I don’t own one. But from my few minutes experience, the Game Boy Micro is very uncomfortable when I tried action games like Metroid Fusion, so if you want to buy one, you really should try beforehand.
For me, the Game Boy Micro isn’t for my liking. It is too small to hold, it doesn’t compatible with previous Game Boy and Game Boy Color paks, it has mushy buttons and I don’t really enjoy the speaker of the Game Boy Micro. Moreover, I feel the START and SELECT buttons are difficult to reach. My initial impression was so bad that I didn’t find myself get one Game Boy Micro.
However, if I recall correctly, the Game Boy Micro has a metal housing which can replace the faceplate for new ones. The device is mainly for a purpose to show how Nintendo can shrink their devices, and they were successful with the Game Boy Micro. The device is considered as one of the worst-selling handhelds of all time, but hey, if you like its form and size, it’s worth collecting.
- Good build quality, with metal housing
- Customized faceplate
- Too small to hold
- Not compatible with previous GB and GBC paks
- START and SELECT buttons are difficult to reach
- Mushy buttons
- Speaker isn’t good
Game Boy Advance Review: Gaming Experience
| Features | Game Boy Advance | Game Boy Advance SP (AGS-001) | Game Boy Advance SP (AGS-101) | Game Boy Micro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logo | | | | |
| Console | | | | |
| CPU | 32-bit ARM7TDMI, single-core @ 16.8 MHz and Sharp LR35902 (Z80 & 8080-derived), single core @ 8.388 and 4.194 MHz respectively | 32-bit ARM7TDMI, single-core @ 16.8 MHz and Sharp LR35902 (8080-derived), single core @ 4.194 MHz | 32-bit ARM7TDMI, single-core @ 16.8 MHz and Sharp LR35902 (8080-derived), single core @ 4.194 MHz | 32-bit ARM7TDMI, single-core @ 16.8 MHz and Sharp LR35902 (8080-derived), single core @ 4.194 MHz |
| GPU | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Memory | 32 KB + 96 KB VRAM (internal CPU) and 256 KB DRAM | 32 KB + 96 KB VRAM (internal CPU) and 256 KB DRAM | 32 KB + 96 KB VRAM (internal CPU) and 256 KB DRAM | 32 KB + 96 KB VRAM (internal CPU) and 256 KB DRAM |
| Screen | 2.9 inch TFT, 240 x 160, 99.5 PPI, 3:2 aspect ratio | 2.9 inch TFT, 240 x 160, 99.5 PPI, 3:2 aspect ratio | 2.9 inch TFT, 240 x 160, 99.5 PPI, 3:2 aspect ratio | 2 inch TFT, 240 x 160, 144.2 PPI, 3:2 aspect ratio |
| Battery | 2 External AAs | 900 mAh | 900 mAh | 460 mAh |
| Connectivity | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Cooling system | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
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Performance
- Metroid Fusion
- Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure
- Naruto: Ninja Council
- Teen Titans
Playing all GB, GBC and GBA is a breeze with the Game Boy Advance, which is expectable for the native system. If you use flashcarts, you can even play NES and Game Gear systems on the Game Boy Advance.
However, you can get a very cheap PowKiddy V90 to emulate GBA games at the moment, so spending that much to buy a Game Boy Advance isn’t worth value for money.
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Gaming session
Like I said earlier, if you’re comfortable using save states, load states and fast forward features, you will find it so difficult to enjoy the original Game Boy Advance. A Miyoo Mini Plus or Anbernic RG35XX will be a better option for QoL features.
To get at least save states that’re working, you need to buy an extra EZ Flash Omega. It can also store GBA games in one pak, as well as quick load your previous game, so I would say you must buy one to enjoy playing on your Game Boy Advance. The EZ Flash Omega flashcart can also support backward compatibility for the Game Boy Micro, as well as enable playing NES system. It works for Nintendo DS Fat and Nintendo DS Lite, too.
However, I must tell you the truth that even with an expensive flashcart like the EZ Flash Omega, the Game Boy Advance doesn’t have a smooth save state experience as current retro handheld emulators. If you have a huge GBA games library and you play them often, perhaps you will have trouble in playing them on the original GBA hardware (but I don’t have trouble, for your information).
And even if you’re going to mod an IPS screen for your Game Boy Advance, it isn’t as good as the Miyoo Mini Plus. You can see the comparison picture below to have a guess. Remember that the Miyoo Mini Plus has a better resolution than the original Game Boy Advance, so it can scale the graphics to be bigger and brighter.
Battery life
Battery life is so wonderful on the Game Boy Advance, as the original Game Boy Advance can last for up to 15 hours before it needs recharging. The Game Boy Advance SP can last for 10 hours, which is so incredible even in modern days. If you turn off the light to match the Game Boy Advance, it could last for up to 18 hours.
Sadly, the Game Boy Micro is the worst one, as it has smaller battery capacity. It would last for 5 hours at its maximum brightness, and 8 hours on default settings. Even the worst one can last for so long that modern handheld devices should be ashamed.
However, if you mod IPS screen for your Game Boy Advance, the battery life will be only 2-4 hours depending on the brightness. It is a lot less than the default battery life from the device, so you should think about trading off.
My verdict
I know that the Game Boy Advance isn’t the most optimal way to enjoy GBA games at the moment, even when I feel the actual gaming experience is a lot better with native design. It would cost you so much more for less features and lower graphics. So unless you really love the system (I really love the system), and want a pocketable handheld device that never give you hand fatigue, the Game Boy Advance is for you.
