The Game Boy Advance SP design is perfect, not just because it's very portable, but because its flip phone style means that if you're not doing well at Pokémon Fire Red or whatever, you can just angrily hang up on it.
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Nintendonium. The mythical element they make their machines out of. Like I know I will have to replace that battery, but I’ve gone through four psp batteries in less time…
This is my most popular Bsky post, all because I tapped into the unlimited potential of enjoying what a Nintendo clamshell device from 2003 sounds like when it shuts
Loved my SP when I had the thing. Gave me many pleasant nights playing my RPGs while laying in bed or hanging out on the couch downstairs at my home. Those were the days.
I used to have one. First got it when I was 6 years old. My first games were a Disney Princess game, a Dora game and the Super Mario Advance 4 Super Mario Bros 3 game. It introduced me to the Mario franchise and was also the first Mario game I ever played & have since played other related games. :)
It’s funny how they also have a Front Light version of the SP. Basically remove the need for the plugin light, but still miles behind the backlight version for sure
Unless you were in Japan when it came out, the front light version was all you would have known. AGS-001 was the version released outside of Japan, with a bluish front light, AGS-101 had a backlit screen.
Very very good handheld. Stock os is good out of the box (minus game rooms menu. Dont touch that. Its bad.) And the bezels and autoassigned hotkeys are just. Mwah. Perfect lil clamshell.
I feel like I’ve been chasing the high of sneaking Minish Cap on my gameboy advance SP under the covers as a kid for like, the last 20 years. Absolutely perfect console
I miss going to the laundrette and playing my SP while waiting for my laundry to dry. I'm still halfway through a Golden Sun save that hasn't progressed in nearly 10 years
Accidentally left it in the car....in Oklahoma sun. L button basically never worked again. Either that or dropping it a billion times.....despite that, I played that thing into the ground until I got a DSi
its one thing I hate about the switch, is that you can so easily carry around the SP without worrying about scratching up the screen, so much lighter and portable, no need for a carry case. i really want Nintendo to make a more portable handheld again
The Gameboy Advance SP was my introducción to videogames and I've never left ever since. I find it funny that the first game I ever played was Ice Age 2: The Meltdown: The game. I kinda wanna get one and play it again now. 😂
I had a black one and decorated it with Cars stickers. 🤣
Same reason the DS and 3DS' design are so great too. The clamshell shape is awesome.
I didn't have any need for a GBA since I already had a DS, but I still often used my Mom and Aunt's GBA SP to play the few GBA games they still had, namely Mario Pinball Land and Super Mario Advance 2.
My favorite gaming system of all time is the GBA. Then this just went and upped it to another level with the backlit screen. It was so nice being able to play at night without needing one of those attached lights or trying to play a bit every time we passed a streetlight on family roadtrips.
I’ll have to show you mine. I owned one previously that I parted with all my brilliant games. Now I have two (pink and tribal). Also, I have the original advance in purple and a now rusty gameboy colour in yellow. I ha de a camera for it too!
I got a Galaxy Z Flip 5 last year, and it's been such a throwback to having that sort of device in my pocket again. I even got a GBA emulator with a custom skin!
My problem with the SP is that my hands... my hands are to big for the tiny system now. Didn't used to be when I was younger but these days I can't hardly grab it. ;-;
The number of times I did that while playing Legacy of Goku 2 during that part with the f***ing eggs. Anyone remember that? Show of hands, who knows that pain?
Now that you mentioned it, that is one thing I wish modern phones had, a more kinetic and decisive way to hang up when youre upset. Because it seems people throw thier phones instead because theres no lid to slam.
agreed! also they're extremely easy to reshell and personalize. i reshelled my pink one i got as a kid into a gengar themed one; still have my OG copy of Fire Red as well!
Whenever my brother would beat me in a Pokémon battle, he'd turn his GBA SP towards me, say "This battle is over" and punctuate the "over" by closing the lid.
So obviously I had to do the same when I finally beat him.
The battery was ridiculous. I bought one when I was at uni to scratch my gaming itch and I barely ever needed to charge it. So good! It's now a toss up between that and my modded GBA as to what I play.
When the SP released I distinctly remember thinking it was the best designed gaming console I'd ever used. The only flaw was it lacked a headphone jack.
replaying metroid fusion and zero mission on this thing during the pandemic was a real "oh this was the greatest thing ever invented" moment for me but also my hands are SO BIG NOW
I believe the DS is the superior GBA. It has a lit screen, a clamshell design, AND the buttons aren't crammed together at the bottom! Or do you emulate GBA games on your phone vertically?
I bought one a couple months back and genuinely couldn't believe how small the screen was! Childhood memories really do make you forget the little details😄
My kid dug mine out to play Minish Cap on (the switch version just doesn’t look as nice) and I forgot how nice it was to use. Easy to hide in your pocket and sneak out during long night shifts at work.
I have all the Pokemon games and for every generation 1 or multiple handhelds that i can use for the games. Game Boy Advance SP is one of my favorites by far
Gave up owning a horse in exchange for replacing my GB Advance SP w/ the one I still own. My Gran saved a fortune & I’m still happy w/ the trade almost a decade later.
This advance SP is my all time favorite handheld next to 2DS XL. Playing Castlevania games on there was a treat back in my late teens, after just joining the Navy.
Genuinely the thing I miss most about those designs. A rage quit doesn’t feel the same if you just press power and the console slowly turns off. The instant action of a flip screen is just perfect for it
Me neither, though I still kick myself for not getting the Famicom variation when they were cheap and available, just for the collection aspect. But I do remember fiddling with it and being amazed at how small it was overall. But it's TOO small.
The great thing about that gaming console is that although it looks like a phone, its main function is to play video games. It is used the way it was meant to be used
I'm not the biggest fan of the buttons. I prefer squishier ones. That's why I play GBA games on my DS lite more often than my GBA SP now (ignoring that my SP is broken and I haven't come around to fixing it yet)
Don't get me wrong, I love my Switch and Steam Deck, but I miss the handhelds that could easily fit in a pocket and didn't need a travel case/some sort of bag to realistically carry along
Might I recommend the Anbernic SP device? Emulate All those great games up to about the PlayStation 1 era and be able to angrily hang up on all of them.
Agreed. The simplicity and effectiveness of the design were flawless at the time. Obviously the inclusion of the rechargeable battery was a game changer too over the original Advance. So many hours of Advance Wars and Golden Sun.
One of the main reasons I bought an Anbernic RG35XX SP is because it has the design of my ol GBA SP (that I lost in a move). Goes to sleep when you snap it shut too.
I did that many times with Sonic Advance 2 before I finally learned how to use the trick system. By the time you get to Sky Canyon, that shit is mandatory.
Have you checked out the Anbernic RG 35XXSP Flip? If you haven't, you can find it on the Aliexpress website & you can get it with 11,000 pre-loaded games, not all of them playable & there are multiples, but there is still a very large selection. I love that it emulates the Advance SP well.
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A truly magic machine.
Because I was a gremlin I had chewed out all the rubber parts on the corners, hah.
you had to be there (angrily slamming it shut)
I had a black one and decorated it with Cars stickers. 🤣
I didn't have any need for a GBA since I already had a DS, but I still often used my Mom and Aunt's GBA SP to play the few GBA games they still had, namely Mario Pinball Land and Super Mario Advance 2.
1. Angry phone hang up
2. Secretly missing my SP
So obviously I had to do the same when I finally beat him.
No headphone jack 😭
And the especially aggressive slamming shut of the screen.
And that thing was durable too.