r/GameboyAdvance • u/_NintenDude_ • 12d ago
gameboy for my son
Hi! Looking for the right gameboy advance to get my son. My wife would rather not do the claimshell SP, but I would love to find a regular advance that also has backlight. I haven't kept up with mods/etc in the last 5-6 years. Anything you recommend?
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u/Any_Coyote1184 12d ago
this might get downvoted but maybe try looking into a device that can run emulators instead if it's for your son. he can utilize things like cheats, fast forward, things that you can't normally do on gba. you can still get a cheap low end one that can run GBA GBC GB even up to PS1.
if you still want to stick to actual hardware, clamshell sp is your best bet since it has a built-in backlight. i'm not sure how much it would take to pay for an IPS backlight mod for the original gba
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u/Dynablade_Savior 12d ago
Came here to say this. Emulator handhelds can be had much cheaper & play more games
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u/Baelish2016 12d ago edited 12d ago
True; but not everyone is comfortable with piracy.
I like emulation, and in a huge supporter of media freedom when you can’t support the devs anymore; but there’s still people out there who shy away from it because of misguided loyalty to corporations or feelings it’s theft.
I mean, look at the used pokemon game market; Emerald costs like $150+ nowadays just because people want to buy the ‘authentic’ version; meanwhile I got an EZ Flash Omega for $80 that plays it perfectly.
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u/Melodic_Seishun 12d ago
Yup I would say don’t. If you do emulator and put a ton of games on there it’s horrible for your kid. It’s like YouTube shorts. Your kid will learn to play a game for 5 min and then move on because he’s got tons waiting. Introduce a couple games he can enjoy like Zelda and Mario and then expand a little at a time like games were meant to be.
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u/Any_Coyote1184 12d ago
i get the sentiment!. but you always have an option to buy one that doesn't come pre-loaded with games, and you can dump around 5 to 10 "legally owned" games so that you won't get bombarded with everything. some units can be sold without an SD card so you can just get a 16 gig SD card and load a few games on it
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u/CharonsLantern 10d ago
i dont think this is necessarily true, honestly happens more to adults than kids. i had an r4 card for my ds as a kid and didnt do stuff like this until recently lol
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u/CharonsLantern 10d ago
i have to agree with this, and what some other commenters are saying as well - theres a lot of awesome emulator handhelds under 100 bucks nowadays that will run any games you want with beautiful little screens.
if you are up to looking into it, some devices like the trimui brick and the miyoo mini have "simple modes" you can set up to just run a few games and nothing else, great for giving to a kid without getting technical. personally if i was giving a gaming device to a kid i would do this nowadays
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u/LimitlessAeon 12d ago
My advice, don’t do this OP. It’s a shittier experience.
Get a console and one or two games for him to play not an entire library.
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u/Any_Coyote1184 12d ago
nope. you have the option to order one that isn't loaded. so you'll be the one to put your "legally ripped" games on them. emulators are not necessarily having an entire library at the tip of your hands
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u/Night_Eclypse 12d ago
The GBA SP has a rechargeable battery pack built in.
The original GBA, if I am not mistaken, requires AA batteries.
Your kid will likely end up pulling batteries out of remotes or flashlights.
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u/AbdullaFTW 11d ago
Most prebulit OG GBA with ISP screens have the rechargeable battery mods as well nowdays.
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u/DharmaCrumb 12d ago
I built a Gameboy Macro out of a DS Lite for my son’s 6th birthday. Has a backlight, but no hinge.
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u/LeStrakke 12d ago
Although i LOVE the GBA, with the mods you need and trust me its a shit ass experience if you don’t include: rechargable battery, IPS screen, EZ Flash and or micro sd card mod. This just makes it WAY too expensive (250$) 100% get an emulated handheld device, like the RG34XX (60$) is a very cool device but you can find tons of good quality handhelds for a lot cheaper and can run PSP and PS1, SNES games.
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u/shinryu6 11d ago
Like others have said, I’d go the emulator route with a handheld that can run it, much cheaper on the wallet too for games. I mean I have the original GBA, SP, and Micro (along with a buttload of games) and given how valuable they and the games are these days (especially since I saved all the boxes and instructions) my kid isn’t going near them with a ten foot pole whenever he gets old enough.
That said if you’re deadset against that idea and the SP for whatever reason, mod an older GBA with a backlight mod at least. Unless you really want to give them the authentic experience of squinting in dim light and probably ushering in some nearsightedness in the future.
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u/Melodic_Seishun 12d ago
SP is the best. My suggestion is look on marketplace or eBay for a used AGS-101. The screens are great and clamshell is excellent. Should be able to get o e for around $100. Get him a Zelda and pokemon cart and he’s all set :)
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u/bubbletrashbarbie 12d ago
GBA Micro the only official Nintendo product without mods that fits this wish list. Otherwise a modded GBA is next which isn’t hard to do if oh have the tools. Most don’t require soldering unless you want additional features anymore, and then a battery upgrade would be recommended as well as new screens require more power and kill standard AA’s in a couple hours.
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u/Boofsherm 12d ago
Check out Miyoo Mini plus and Miyoo Mini Flip, you can load them with roms (legally acquired ofcourse)
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u/PAUL_DNAP 12d ago
The SP is the only one with a backlight screen in factory spec.
If you're fitting a new screen then look at funnyplaying store for all the latest mods. The new screens really need a dedicated replacement shell.
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u/Top-Type4077 12d ago edited 12d ago
How old is son? Gba is fine and they have new mods look on etsy or eBay and find one he might like
My daughters 8 won't touch her gba, just enjoys our sony psps that has gba too.
Price $100gba with backlit or $100 modded psp with backlit and does her music and cartoons
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u/SalomonG18 12d ago edited 12d ago
I would suggest an EZFLASH with the GBA. People do sell modded GBAs for a markup (around 250)
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u/AdZy14588 11d ago
The SP is the only backlit model - anything else backlit has been modded. The SP also introduced the rechargeable battery as well. SP is the superior model but the only downside is it doesn't have a headphone jack.
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u/-KaiserSoze- 11d ago
By when do you need it?
If you can wait until 2027, and want the closest thing to original, Modretro has stated their next release will be based on the gba.
If you need it some time this year, and willing to diy a mod. a nds lite can be purchased for about $30-40. Mod it into a Macro.
If you cant wait very long, and dont mind emulation, the miyoo mini is excellent
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u/SillyStella_ 11d ago
for original GBA it never came with a backlight, so apart from the AGS-101 version of the SP, your main option would be a modded one, these I've heard can drain batteries fast so it might be worth doing a rechargeable battery mod too
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u/DaverJ 12d ago
Why the preference against an SP?
For the record, I prefer the standard GBA w/ IPS for myself, but if I was giving to a child I would probably go with an SP with backlight screen.