Gameboy Advance SP - The Ultimate Game Boy : Review | Neander Meander

The Gameboy Advance SP marked one of the most important moments in Nintendo history. Kicking off a console design that would be followed up until present day. A review look at why it is so great.

[@davdgs]

Was just looking at reviews because why not? and found this gem of a video. It looks so good, I have no idea why it isn't getting the recognition it deserves! Keep up the good work man I love it!

[@NeanderMeander]

I'm glad you found it and liked it! Thank you for letting me know what you thought!

[@Frieowksf1293]

The GBA SP was the first system I had to call my own that wasn't a hand-me-down at Christmas of 2003. My first game was the port of Super Mario Bros. 3. We didn't have enough money to get one for each of us, I had to share it with my brothers since they wanted to play too. I distinctly remember us taking turns progressing on our save files and we loved this thing. Now as an adult with money of my own, I have been collecting games for my 101 model I bought online.

[@NeanderMeander]

Thanks for sharing this! I remember having to do this very thing with my brothers. It was fun to share our experience together. What games have you been picking up?

[@Frieowksf1293]

​@NeanderMeander by now, I got games like Drill Dozer, the Castlevania games, Klonoa 2, Zelda: The Minish Cap, and the Metroid games

[@NeanderMeander]

@@Frieowksf1293 Nice! Minish Cap is an amazing Zelda game. The Metroid games are also super good

[@torianmcneill3794]

I’m sure the janitor would be happy he invented the Game Boy 1989

[@nsgames24]

When it comes to the Game Boy line, this one is my personal favorite. The clamshell design, the feel of both the D-Pad and face buttons, an actual brightness button, an rechargeable battery, and the fact that you can play all original Game Boy and Game Boy Color was nice, as well. The only things that I hate about it, though was the fact that you HAD to buy a separate accessory, just to use headphones and when it comes to playing older games, the cartridges stick out way more than normal GBA cartridge games do.

[@NeanderMeander]

The SP is such an awesome Game Boy! But you're right, the lack of a headphone jack is dumb. Thank for watching this video.

[@Ricc___]

My mom just found my SP and I was so happy it still worked! Nice video, love the editing!

[@Pannington]

What a handheld! I still have my Graphite 101, the first console I ever owned although I've unfortunately lost most of my games. I remember playing hours of the first two Super Mario bros, Spyro, and others when I was little. Sometimes I still take it out to play some Pokemon Sapphire in bed. Fantastic video!

[@NeanderMeander]

Thank you so much for watching! The SP is one of my absolute favorites. I found my Graphite 101 used locally for $20 in 2016. I can't believe how much these little handhelds have gone up in price!

[@user-pb7it5iw4o]

i love gba sp it was my first ever console and till this day i love geting back and play games like minish cup and kirby the amazing mirror, your video was amazing and reminds me of my childhood thx. you got a sub

[@EveryDayRetroGaming]

I never knew there were two versions of the screen until last year.... been looking for one but they don't pop up often at my retro game store. I laughed when you said the screens are mostly scratch free as I was just thinking mine is in perfect shape at the same time. Love the vid keep em coming!

[@NeanderMeander]

Thanks for watching! Yeah, the screens are almost always in great shape! The folded design was inspired for the time! I also rarely see them anymore. I used to find them all the time!

[@Lucas.stalcup]

I can't believe your channel is it bigger than what it is you're still doing a really good job

[@NeanderMeander]

Thank you! It means a lot that you like the videos I make.

[@tommymaxey2665]

I love the GBA SP. Me and my brother's had three growing up, and I loved them. We had 3 of them and 2 Colors, so I was a little familiar about how big of a deal it was even at a young age. I remeber I would make a pillow fort and I used the 3 GBA SP system as lights for it. They were pretty good. I remember I played pokemon Leaf Green so much. My mom took it away from me( I still haven't found it after like 14+ years). My oldest brother played a lot of the Sims on it. I also played a lot of Super Mario World, and for some reason, I'm terrible at playing it on the SNES and other virtual console, but on a GBA, I'm amazing at the game. More recently, I modded a GBA SP upgrading it to an IPS screen. I also gave it a new battery and shell. I did all that as a gift for my nephew. He tuned 5 a few months before I gave it to him. I got him Tetris, Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, Super Mario World, Metroid Fusion, Link to the Past, Namco Museum, Super Curcuit, Fire Red, Star Wars trilogy: Apprentice of the Force , and Resue Heroes: Billy Blazes. Those games I felt were a good starting point for him to understand the basic nintendo franchises and some of the games are easy. Zelda and Metroid he will definitely need to wait a couple years on. Also having a gameboy and color game teaches him and his parents that his gameboy advance can play any gameboy game so they won't have to worry about which game to buy. If it says gameboy on it, it works. I talked to his parents before I gave it to him and explain the facts of he's eventually going to want to play games (his dad has taken him to a few arcades before) and this is the best option for him. 1. It's small and very compact. 2. No internet required just plug in and play 3. The GBA has some of the best software ever created. Super Mario World, Link to the Past, and Fire Red are some of the best games ever made with puzzles and challenges in them. In my opinion it is better than giving him a tablet and having to worry about child lock and internet. At the moment he still struggles with platforming, more specifically moving whilst in the air. So for the most part he plays pokemon. He's made it pretty far in the game thanks to his other uncle(my oldest brother). It kinda weird for both of us cause we're going. "How the hell did we figure any of this out as kids?". I'm going to be excited to see him understand how to play the other games he has and be able to not be bored in the car so much.

[@susanfit47]

The GBA SP came out in the U.S. in March 23, 2003. The "SP" in the name stands for "Special". It is the penultimate console in the Game Boy Advance product line before the Game Boy Micro, which was released 2 years later, in September 2005. Also that same year, Nintendo released an improved version of the Game Boy Advance SP in North America, featuring a brighter backlit screen instead of the previous version's frontlit screen. This GBA SP was Nintendo's first internationally-released handheld system to feature an integrated backlight.It's compatible with all/most original Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. Game Boy games can be played using the same selectable color palettes as on the Game Boy Color. I don't have this yet, but I will get it, and add this to the "Game Boy" family & the "Game Boy Advance" family.

[@Hetkanookanders]

The best review about the gba sp. i love this console with a passion

[@NeanderMeander]

I love the GBA SP too! It's just so amazing

[@MrBLOODSPLAT]

I want hand held games to make a comeback. I’m not saying they have to be AAA but can’t they be enjoyable enough to exist on a device as such to enjoy whilst you wait in the waiting room, whilst you wait in line at the DMV, while you play through a vulnerable conversation with your ex? I. WANT. MORE!!!

[@NeanderMeander]

It's becoming a lost play style. Yeah, the Switch can play games in handheld mode. But Switch games are really developed for home console couch play. Not, quick on the go play sessions. Though, I love the Switch.

[@cress_albane]

Phone games kind of took over

[@nelsonr.9450]

​@@cress_albaneimo phone games are not that good, and the ads 😅 Altho, emulation in ur phone is a nice touch!

[@6WaysToSomeday]

the SP's design will be used in a highly anticipated emulation handheld, as Miyoo (of Miyoo Mini fame) is going with that design for their next 4:3, pocketable, emulation unit...I can't wait. & what a testament to this timeless console! great video production & coverage BTW!

[@NeanderMeander]

I really like the form factor of the GBA SP. It's one of my all time favorites!

[@lars-fenin]

an honest and well made review of one, if not the best handheld sytems..thanx! still grab mine from time to time and playin some classics..:) it s battery life is still amazing.

[@NeanderMeander]

The battery life on mine are still holding their charges incredibly well. I wonder why that is. You would think they would be horrible by now.

[@lars-fenin]

@@NeanderMeander yap .. same on mine. even when put aside for months, it holds the charge very well.

[@mojmov6128]

I never had a chance to play any of these older consoles. The first console I've ever had was the Wii. After that I had the xbox 360, then the xbox 1, and both of those broke. Now I'm just waiting till i save up for a switch lite. But I'll be just as excited to play all of the free classic games that come with the nintendo online service. But I do feel a bit of the magic is lost if your not playing it on the original console. Even so, I've never played the old metroid games, zelda games or even the mario games but I will be very happy to have them to play at a moments notice. Thanks for all these videos. I love every one of them. It's so great how you make talking about games and consoles so interesting. Edit: also just noticed that your getting very close to 100 subs!!!!

[@NeanderMeander]

Thank you for always watching them! It makes creating them so much easier knowing there are people who like them! It really doesn’t matter how you play these games, just as long as you can play them. I love these retro games! There are many I still need to play! Playing them on the console they were designed for does make sense, but it’s not necessary. As long as you get to play them, that’s all that matters!

[@mojmov6128]

@@NeanderMeander one game I'm really excited to play is Donkey Kong Country. I never played it as a kid but I did play Donkey Kong Country returns which I loved.

[@NeanderMeander]

I absolutely love the original Donkey Kong Country! DKC Returns is also very good! I hope you get a chance to play it soon!

[@Techyfixit278]

im gonna get my hands on one of these next paycheck i miss these so much

[@NeanderMeander]

They are so awesome! I've been doing some cleaning and found a few I forgot I had. They just nice little console.

[@SkakinBaconMedia]

I've got 2 SPs myself, plus my Glacier Blue I pre-ordered for the 2001 launch! I do want to get a Backlit GBA someday! Although the Analogue Pocket though....As always take care, happy gaming! 🎮😊Marcus

[@NeanderMeander]

I want the Analogue Pocket so bad! I missed the pre-orders. I'm hoping Analogue releases another wave.

[@dddtrump]

So much nostalgia looking at the SP . Dang ... I wanna go back to that time again.

[@NeanderMeander]

I want to go back to that time too! It was so awesome

[@Santi-pp7zs]

I recently bought a pearl blue one and i just now realized how much i missed this console

[@NeanderMeander]

I miss it too! It’s good to see Nintendo is adding GBA games to the Switch’s Online Service. At least we know they haven’t forgotten about the system and it’s games.

[@Santi-pp7zs]

@@NeanderMeander id use the online gba service only if i can’t find a good price on a used cartridge

[@fredrick8691]

Great vid! The GBA was legendary. I love mine so and still use them.

[@NeanderMeander]

Thank you! I still play my GBA’s too! It’s definitely legendary!

[@fredrick8691]

@@NeanderMeander so very welcome.

[@zacharygordon2983]

Nice video. My first Game Boy was a Color. Own every one since, even the Micro. I remember first seeing the DS in a gaming magazine with the chat feature and being stunned. Fun Fact: SP stands for Small Pocket.

[@NeanderMeander]

Thank you! Game Boy consoles are fun to collect! I also got a micro. It’s crazy how small it is. That’s interesting about the meaning for SP. Thanks for sharing

[@chimuoma390]

@@NeanderMeander I Love My GameSharkSP Cheat Device!I HACK GAMES!NO SWITCH FOR ME!

[@stevenisfatmf]

Very underrated channel

[@NeanderMeander]

Thanks for watching!

[@DrsJacksonn]

Devices that stand the test of time are the ones that try to be really good at what they do before anything else. And that's what the GBA SP did. I bought one recently and it's just such a beauty.

[@NeanderMeander]

You're right about the systems that focus on being good at what they were designed to do and about the GBA being a beauty. One of the best for sure!

[@seethransom]

I am very fond of the Gameboy, in all its forms. The backwards compatibility created a bloodline. No need to buy anything else over again. I was also fond of the PSP, and the Vita. But they didn't get nearly enough love, or consumer friendliness. I don't think people took to it the same way they took to the game boy. And I think that's why Sony was so quick to abandon the Vita. You can play generations of Nintendo's portable games using only three consoles. I dusted off my GBA, and charged it yesterday. I think I'm going to throw it in my backpack for those few minutes of downtime during my day. Great video!

[@carlosalvarado7856]

This was a really good video also made me buy a game boy Ngl it was the best idea ever I bring it every where I go and it was over 100 dollars for me it was 200 dollars but it was worth it

[@NeanderMeander]

Awesome! What's your favorite Game Boy game?

[@selinaogorman8380]

The game boy advance really is the best portable gaming console I ever owned because I grew up playing nes and snes abs now games that came out on the game boy advance was a masterpiece to me I still have my game boy advance sp for many years now still hands down best portable love the backlight screen the clamshell is so good and the controls so smooth!

[@NeanderMeander]

The Game Boy Advance is great! I also love it! It's good to find people who do too. What's your favorite Game Boy Advance game?

[@Injectorman]

9:29 oh hey look that GBA SP game i got for Christmas (Namco Museum top left)

[@NeanderMeander]

Nice!

[@SkakinBaconMedia]

Also, for the Game Boy Player, I use the Game Boy Interface for a crisper picture! Good stuff!

[@NeanderMeander]

I've started looking into the GB Interface. It makes the games look so good!

[@SkakinBaconMedia]

@@NeanderMeander I actually have used it, as I have a Xenochip GameCube with Swiss. Looks great!

[@NeanderMeander]

@@SkakinBaconMedia Whoa! Awesome!

[@JRH-1007]

They were making GBA consoles as recently as 2010? I would’ve thought they went out of production around 2007-2008.

[@EricasTouch]

I unfortunately don’t have my AGS-101 anymore. I would shop on Amazon for one and get the games I want for it.

[@NeanderMeander]

It’s a good one. Are you going to go find one?

[@breakerheart7403]

so good

[@NeanderMeander]

The SP is so good!

[@johnv7735]

This video is so fucking good

[@NeanderMeander]

Thanks for watching! I’m glad you liked it.

[@Injectorman]

0:59 (wait thats a backlit screen....)

[@adrian_veidt]

The Og form factor is superior for me. I just really wished nintendo re released it with the SP's screen

[@NeanderMeander]

I prefer it to the SP as well. I ended up modding one with an SP screen from an SP I found in really bad shape. It's an excellent Game Boy Advance

[@theycallmejpj]

If you specifically want a backlit screen get a DS or DS lite - they’re dirt cheap

[@NeanderMeander]

And they look pretty much the same. The only downside to the DS Lite is that it doesn’t play Game Boy or Game Boy Color games.

[@resolvanlemmy]

I thought it was nice that the GBA SP and original DS look like siblings.

[@NeanderMeander]

Yeah, I like that too!

[@resolvanlemmy]

@@NeanderMeander I mean they use the same charger, both can play GBA games, they came in the same color options, and both got updated later on with better lit screens. Yet one of them is super appreciated as the ultimate Game Boy, and the other is seen as the worst variation of the DS simply because of how it looked.

[@eeveeblazelol]

i saw the profile picture and for a minute thought night mind made a video on gameboys

[@NeanderMeander]

Nope, it's just me

[@emiliomartinezbarranco5536]

I just realised my gba sp is the one with the good screen lol, I thought all of them were the same 😮

[@NeanderMeander]

That's awesome! You have a really good one

[@minignoux4566]

it's just missing a headphone jack otherwise, it's a perfect machine i have a frontlit model but the screen reflects the sun so good that you can turn it off and it would make no difference, great to play on the dark tho

[@NeanderMeander]

I love it too! It's a no nonsense gaming machine that plays games really well.

[@minignoux4566]

@@NeanderMeander it's really nice just putting the cartridge in, turning the console on and just playing, no menu that takes a while to go trough

[@Miiifywayyy]

ags-001 > ags-101 anyday

[@NeanderMeander]

Awesome! I'm glad you like that version of the Game Boy.

[@AdventureArtist1]

The gameboy advance sp ags 101 can Please verify this: 1. play the original gameboy to gameboy color to advance to advance sp games. 2. Screen is lit better 3. Cannot be played with headphones unless has a special adapter Thanks.

[@NeanderMeander]

Here are my responses to each question: 1. Yes. The Game Boy Advance SP can play every Game Boy game from the original Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and the other Game Boy Advance Systems. 2. There are two different screen types in the Game Boy Advance SP. One with a front lit screen (AGS- 001) and one with a better looking back lit screen (AGS- 101). 3. You are correct. You cannot use headphone with the GBA SP without an adapter. Let me know if you have any other questions

[@DiscError]

Editing software??

[@NeanderMeander]

I use Adobe Premiere Pro. It's quite versatile and not too hard to learn.

[@tvirus9369]

Why didn't you talk about the gameboy micro

[@NeanderMeander]

I'm planning on making a video dedicated to the Micro. It's on my list of video to make

[@michaelmay9728]

Just put a IPs screen in my old 001

[@NeanderMeander]

Yes!

[@dahni6609]

I don’t know why you didn’t mention this, but the Game Boy advance SP received yet another revision called the SP light in which the screen was lit by default and pushing the light button made it more brighter. I owned two of those myself.

[@NeanderMeander]

I believe I did. It's starts at 7:16. The SP's in the thumbnail are those versions. The model number is AGS 101.

[@krystalannawilliams2653]

Gameboy advance 🅰 close

[@Hightower2804TP]

When you consider adding a backlit mod, the original GBA is far superior. It's not designed for baby hands that make any grown man's hands cramp within minutes, has a good ol' headphone jack instead of this proprietary bs, makes use of normal AA and rechargeable batteries instead of going for cheap aftermarket battery that the SP uses and it also isn't a complete nightmare to mod because of the stupid hinges.

[@NeanderMeander]

I like both versions of the GBA SP, but I will agree that the original GBA is way more comfortable to play. That's why I modded one with a backlit screen.

[@Hightower2804TP]

​@@NeanderMeander I can definetly say that the SP is way more popular it isn't even funny. As a modder, it is quite frustrating that the SP gets all the mods when I enjoy the original so much more. Well what can you do. Both are great handhelds and the games are whats important.

[@DiscError]

And what camera

[@NeanderMeander]

I use a few cameras. For this video I used a Canon 80D and a Sony a5100.

[@nickster9137]

Anyone know which game is being played at 2:04 ?

[@NeanderMeander]

Yeah, I know. It's the Legend of Zelda - The Minish Cap.

[@nickster9137]

@@NeanderMeander Thanks!Need to load it up

[@wrdtobro.]

This is an amazing hand-held console, it gives me nostalgia when seeing people play super mario bros 1, 2, and 3. I've wanted to get one of these for Christmas but i only got money whihc im grateful for getting money and i wasted 34 dollars so i have 115 bit my dad gave me 5 dollars and know i have 120, and im looking to ask, where did u get the GameBoy Advance SP in a trusted store on google?

[@NeanderMeander]

I haven’t purchased a GBA SP in a while. I usually find them locally on local classifieds. I like to see them before I buy them. Though, I’m sure there are plenty of reputable online retailers that sell them.

[@wrdtobro.]

@@NeanderMeander ok thanks for the info👍

[@wrdtobro.]

@@NeanderMeander is amazon a trusted website to buy the Gameboy advance sp?

[@NeanderMeander]

@@wrdtobro. I'm not sure. I've never purchased one from there before.

[@torianmcneill3794]

@@NeanderMeanderI never had one but I did have the original DS now I have a Switch Lite in my 2nd favorite color blue the janitor made this possible without him handheld video games wouldn’t exist

[@Memorial_Memory]

The sp is life other then the 2ds xl babyyyyyyy

[@NeanderMeander]

Both are great!