Comments on Profile Post by SoupRKnowva

A friend of mine who is basically obsessed with owning and modding game boys recommends the ags-101 backlit ones.

Depends on your use case. Are you more interested in emulated GBA? Playing actual carts? Accuracy? Visual fidelity? Feel in hand?

Not interested in emulation, and yeah I’d probably be playing actual carts. Do they defer in visual fidelity?

If your using actual carts, try and find an ags101 model SP, otherwise the Micro or the regular SP will do. The original is no good unless you mod it (no backlit screen). The only downside to the regular SP is the shitty backlighting, which is why the ags101 is sought after so much. The Micro has a similar backlight as the ags101.

Yeah I was thinking SP, clamshell is super convenient. I’ve never held a micro though

They sell ags101 modded versions of other form factors, but since you actually want an SP then you’re good to go.

If you buy a modded ags101, just make sure it's a good seller, check reviews, etc. Some are really poorly made while others feel like a legit Nintendo model.

Real carts? f**k the SP. WORST hand feel of the bunch. AGS101 modded original from a reputable source (most on ebay use shitty aftermarket housing that sucks). If you like small, my favorite is the micro. Such an amazing little thing.

The AGS101 modded original is more practical, especially since you don’t have to worry about aging batteries. I like the Revo K101+, but the slightly off aspect ratio can annoy some folks.

Loved the GBA. You gotta pickup Astro Boy: Omega Factor while you’re at it. It was a Treasure/Sega collaboration and one of their best. It has inventive bosses and an amazing feel to the attacks, like the visceral feedback from Diablo 2.

is there a better way to play portably if youre willing to emulate?

The Advance Wars series took up a lot of my time back in the day. I had an Advance and a SP. I’ll have to go did it out of the garage later, hahaaa

@zerodeefex What would you consider a reputable source for a modded original with ags101 screen?

@SoupRKnowva Well you could just get a cart for the GBA to load roms on, or there’re now things like the GPD XD. I think a jailbroken original PSP still gets recommended too.

I did a bunch more reading today, and it seems like the ags-101 has a lower refresh screen at 50hz and everyone complains about ghosting. and the Micro seems to be the best all around, but ive never held one and have huge hands

It's really tiny but is really portable and the screen is really sharp (since the pixels are so much smaller). I've never had a problem with ghosting. I'm sure there are some YouTube vids showing the difference. Worth it over the ags001 screen though imo.

What do you guys think is a good price for a used Micro? Theres one local on CL for 120, it looks to be in excellent condition and comes with one shitty game.

If it's in great shape, $120 is a good price. Of course it's CL so always make a counter offer. Excellent condition Micros usually go for more on eBay.

When will you use it? How portable does it need to be? How long of a battery life do you need?

I own a dozen devices that are used as dedicated GBA machines and can give you a more specific answer for you than what you’ll get from random forums.

I want it to be portable, Ill mostly be using it on the bus on the way to and from school in the morning and afternoon. battery life wouldnt need to be more than 2-3 hours, no problem with charging it every night. But i care alot more about things than when I was a kid, a 50hz screen on the 101 wouldnt work. I was thinking of maybe afterburner modding a regular GBA

So i went to a store and held a Micro, its just too small, no way I could get leverage in an action game on the buttons and the triggers at the same time. the screen size wasnt an issue though. I also tried the ags-101, the ghosting would definintely bother me. I wonder if that screen modded into a regular GBA would run at 60hz instead of 50, the OG GBA was definitely the best ergonomically

the AGS-101 deficiencies is most noticeable when you have it side by side with a micro. In a vacuum, I personally don't take issue. Additionally, the ghosting isn't a function of the refresh rate, it's the color pixel transition times.

Given the data points, though, I think you're best bet is one of the following (continued in following posts):

If you're really dead set on using native carts, the following options might work out for you (you've nuked my personal favorite, the micro but it isn't the right choice for you):

1. DS fat or DS lite macro mod - big as hell, the cart sticks out, and sort of absurd. This is still a great way to play GBA games if you can forgive the shortcomings. Both devices have pretty wide panel variance and I've owned or own variations of each that have had both good or bad displays with regard to ghosting and color accuracy.

2. Revo K101+ - See if you can get a used one to try out. I honestly think the screen ratio being different is surprisingly not annoying. Having a more modern screen with even backlighting and consistent color reproduction + a really common removable battery is awesome. The dpad is actually usable unlike other solutions I've tried.

If you're comfortable with emulation (to be fair, the revo is not a hardware perfect clone of the GBA), the following devices are fast enough and accurate for emulation (DO NOT GET A PSP/PSP go, there are noticeable issues even with the most optimized emulators and you'll be playing many games with frameskip enabled):

1. GPD XD - I find this device to be overrated but a lot of folks like it. The buttons and dpad are so-so but it runs Android and is pretty flexible. I don't like that the panel is a 4.8x vertical resolution ratio to the GBA. It bugs me for some reason.

2. iPhone SE + logitech powershell with dpad swap/mod (and possibly button mods): Don't laugh, this is f'ing awesome. When in landscape, the iPhone SE has a perfect 4x vertical resolution multiple for the GBA. Requires some xcode work to get everything on the device and working, but it's fast as hell for this use case and emulation is pretty perfect on the device.

avoid the GCW Zero. Between the poop screen and the shit buttons that are a pain in the ass to mod (very easy to eff up something since it requires full disassembly to get to the buttons), it has been the device I've been most disappointed with.

Similarly, avoid the GPD Win for being too complex + having a weird layout for actual game playing.

Yeah, I did more reading, i guess it isnt the 50hz thing many people claim. Im not dead set on hardware carts actually, i just didnt think there was any other device Id be happy with.

Emulation on iOS seems like it would be sweet, i didnt realize there was a way to get one without jailbraking.
The Revo is still interesting to me, i just dont think I want to drop 120 bucks on one...Is it highly accurate? I know its not software emulation, but its also not a real GBA

Do you use GBA4iOS or provenance or delta?