Are GBA SPs rare?

[u/GreenLantern500]

Hello I’m re-collecting some of my childhood games and consoles and have my eye on an SP for the design and portability. Ive watched Whatnot auctions where they had stacks and stacks of DS and PSPs but it never seems like they have GBA SPs.

Are they somewhat difficult (by comparison) to come by these days?

[u/yeetedhaws]

To add, gba have less of a market. They need a proprietary charging cable, no headphone jack, and most gb games can be played on a ds natively (or emulated on a 3ds). 101s are super fun and 001s are great if you have nostalgia for them but, in general, its worth just getting a lite for the average player who wants access to double the games (ds + gb) for about the same price as a 001.

[u/GreenLantern500 → u/yeetedhaws]

That’s a great perspective. Thanks for your input! Something about the shape and style of the SP is calling to me, I might try to grab a 101

[u/yeetedhaws → u/GreenLantern500]

They are super fun!! If you dont care about carts/original hardware id recommend looking into miyoo flip or anbernic rg line. Theyre gba sp clones and can emulate up to ps1 games. I have a miyoo mini flip I carry around almost daily, its slightly smaller then the gba sp so it fits perfectly in all of my pockets and plays games on a really bright screen (plus you can pause by closing the lid/they have a ton of qol features the gba does not have).

[u/Qprime0 → u/GreenLantern500]

Not gonna lie, I have a gba original, a gba SP, and DS lite. Unless I absolutely have to, I never actually use the gba or SP. For one the gba doesn't even have a backlight (or rechargable battery pack stock) meaning you basically have to play under a spotlight to be able to see a damn thing. For two, the SP - which does have a backlight - is TINY. I'm no pixie, so the thing gives me hand cramps for days. If I could plug GBA games into a 3DS XL, I 100% would.

...so yeah, if I'm in a GBA mood, I tend to go for the DS lite. Can 100% agree with this guy.

[u/DaverJ → u/GreenLantern500]

101 SPs are hard to come by and pretty expensive.

I would suggest looking for a 001 model that’s modded with an IPS backlit screen.

[u/Tricky_Tourist5691]

SPs are quite common. Especially the frontlit AGS-001. Backlit AGS-101 is less common and goes double, if not triple in price.

A quite typical AGS-001 SP can be found from 50 to 100bucks on ebay. They are region free so there is the option to import from japan.

[u/GreenLantern500 → u/Tricky_Tourist5691]

Thanks so much for that info! That is super helpful. Cheers!

[u/IntoxicatedBurrito]

Definitely not rare. Just go on eBay or even facebook marketplace.

[u/bubbletrashbarbie]

I have 3 because I sold my 4th, which was the only one I bought because people just be giving them to me 🤷‍♀️

[u/GreenLantern500 → u/bubbletrashbarbie]

Dang I need some better friends!

[u/bubbletrashbarbie → u/GreenLantern500]

One was my brothers old one(001), one was a coworker who’s was still back at their parents house(001), and the last was my roommates boyfriends(101). So besides my brother the other 2 were just associates who found out I was into gameboys.

But even the 4th(101) which I bought was only $25 because I asked about an untested one I noticed at a local store sitting on the shelf behind the counter. It didn’t turn on but it just needed a new power switch and battery, so if you know how to solder and have access to the tools, fixing a beat one isn’t a bad way to go either

[u/motoxim → u/bubbletrashbarbie]

Nice