So, currently I have been playing all of my gameboy games on a Super NT (with a new SNES controller that I bought sealed) and a Super Gameboy 2 adapter on my 4k monitor. Which is great, I mean fabulous, but it isn't portable and besides I wanted the nostagia of playing on a real gameboy.

So after months to looking into this, all angles and sideways I decided on a factory sealed Gameboy Advance Sp ags-001. There are many reasons I decided on this model, but let me just share the depth I went to figure this out and why I think the ags-001 is the best option out there.

First, the systems that I reviewed. An Original Gameboy, a Gameboy Pocket, a Gameboy Color, a Gameboy Advance, A Gameboy Advance Sp ags-101. I also looked at an Original Gameboy Bivert Mod, A Gameboy Color Freckle Shack, A Gameboy Color (Mcwill), Gameboy Color Midwest Embedded, Gameboy Advance (ags-101 screen mod), Gameboy Color Light (ags-101 screen mod).

I seemingly looked at every iteration known to man because I was torn between nostalgia and technologically advanced screen versions, vs non-oem mods which offer better playability. 

Each of these options have there strengths and weaknesses and nothing is perfect.

The Original Gameboy was high on my list for nostalgia purposes and for a while I thought this is the system I was going to get. There were a couple of problems with the OG. First (my stated goal was to get a factory sealed console) and the OG's price for those is about a grand. Second, the motion blur on fast games. Third, you really have to be in bright bright light to see the games on screen. Even still I bid $175 on a "never used" open box one of these and didn't win the bid and then I couldn't find another one that had a good combination and I really wanted a never touched by human hands version of the game.

I looked at the OG Bivert mod, but I realized that all of these would be used (refurbished games) plus, bivert would not look good outside, which is part of the reason I wanted one of these in the first place.

I breifly looked at a gameboy advance (in fact I have one of these that I bought from a pawn shop) and it was very dificcult to see many gameboy advance games. It also takes batteries, whereas the SP is rechargable.

The Gameboy Pocket. The thing I didn't like about this is that while you can find some affordable options online, the problem was that it didn't have any of the nostalgia of the gameboy and also if I just moved up a generation i could get the Gameboy Color which would allow me to play Color games on a superior screen than the pocket.

So for a long while I was looking at the gameboy color as THE choice. But lets get about to that later. Let me tell you why I didn't go for ags-101. First off, the ags-101 is difficult to find sealed and if you do find a sealed one you are spending 7 to 8 hundred for one. Not only that, but the 101 cannot be played outside. It also has motion blur and a shorter battery life than the 001. You can't really find a sealed one that isn't graded either, so while it does have the best indoor screen, there are a lot of trade-offs.

So let me come back to the gameboy color. The gameboy color is very interesting. Not only does it have a great iconic look (nostalgia), but it has some of the best mods available for any system. The bennvenn cable (with the new freckle shack), the Mcwill and the Midwest options.
The Mcwill and Midwest options are not good because of battery life, period. You get barely 2 hours with the Midwest and I'm sure that the Mcwill isn't any better. The new freckle shack is supposed to be very good with battery life, and in fact I was this close to buying one, the problem was that to get one I would have to buy either an overpriced option from one of the modding services since the freckle shack is sold out, also there have been some quality issues with freckle shack, I wouldn't not be getting an authetic gameboy color housing and although bennvenn claims it can be played outdoors, I am not sure that THAT is really correct.

However, when I looked at the ags-001. It seemingly solved all of my issues. It's an orginal nintendo hardware. It is completely backwards compatible to orginal gameboy games. It has a frontlight so you can see it indoors and a reflective screen so that it can be played outdoors. No motion blur (it's perfect with no lag). It has a rechargable battery, YES! Plus, i can buy a brand new sealed version for around $300 clams.

It took me months to come up with this and many nights thinking about it. So i wrote this to help someboy else decide what they want. I do like the gameboy color mods, but something tells me that they are going to have lag or some other issues, whether it be lag or screen quality or something.    

Right on man.

You think I made the right choice?
 

Always been my favourite pre-DS model, for the reasons you mentioned.

I know some people don't like it because of the button layout and getting cramped up playing it but I never had much of an issue.

Only other similar option is the Micro.
 

Neat write-up. I play my AGS-101 outdoors with no complaints, but the 001 probably does look slightly better in direct high-noon sunlight. And the $$ savings probably make it a better choice anyway if you insist on factory sealed.

I play on a 101 and this guy: https://i.imgur.com/xFSMR9Y.jpg...

I would actually say no, it's not the right choice. Buying a factory sealed GBA SP AGS-001 for the purpose of opening it and playing it is not a good idea at all. The main reason is the battery. Having been discharged for almost 1 1/2 decades there are several very real possibilities you might have to deal with:
- The battery is permanently dead and will not charge. You'll have to replace with a used battery with reduced life
- Even if it charges the battery life will probably be limited
- It might have corroded and damaged the motherboard

Another potential problem is that the screen gets "wrinkled" on some units with age. It's totally random and affects most Game Boy models right from the DMG to the 001. The 101 gets white corners instead of wrinkles.

At this point it's better to buy sealed consoles purely for collection and to keep them sealed.
 

You are referring to sealed vs not sealed, and he and I are referring to which option among the consoles is the best overall for playing games. I will have to hope that I don't run into any issues that you spoke about.

The SP has a lithium ion battery. No corrosion
 

That is a relief!!!!!!!!!! I just dropped $320 on a sealed box. So I can't wait to get this is my hands!!!

You spent months figuring out what Game Boy to buy?

God help you if you ever are in the market to buy a house.  Er, assuming you haven't already.  Who am I to say.

hahaha good work. i opted for my perfect gameboy for the regular gameboy advance (not the clam shell) the screen sucks but i had it modded with an ags 101 screen. the sp is just a little too compact for me, fingers cramped up....age lol

Have you got any genuine reason? This article is reference to your solution check this.

I looked at this a while back and decided the gameboy macro (Nintendo ds lite mod which removes second screen) is the best option.

Can only take gba carts, but for everything else you can play roms on an SD card.

Mod isn't easy but some people sell it ready made on ebay.

I actually DID look at that mod as well. It's called the NEON ADVANCE. It's a good option for advanced games only. It also is terrible in direct sunlight. I do think it is probably a more comfortable system to play if that is your goal. I am actually not a fan of the landscape options that much. I don't think that the gameboy advance is THAT comfortable. But I did check out this option. And while it is still nintendo original hardware, it is also modded as well, so there were a number of reasons that I did not go with that.
Also, I don't play roms, and half the fun of collecting is to buy the games themselves and I prefer original hardware.

So for me, the ags-001 is still the best.

 

My favourite Game Boy, both for nostalgia reasons and comfort playing is the GBC. By far the nicest feeling in the hand for me, personally. However, in terms of convenience and compatibility I also primarily use my AGS 001.

Now, I would certainly like to upgrade to the 101, but it's not necessary really. However, I could probably do with a headphone adaptor, come to think of it, probably the biggest downside to the system overall.

For you, I would recommend the freckle shack mod over a ags-101. It is supposed to be an upgraded screen (it has the form factor that you like) and it's not going to cost you a grand or even 2 grand to get a nice copy of one. If you don't mind a beat up ags-101, then that would be the cheaper option though.
However, like I said, the motion blur is an issue, also the ags-101 screen brightening some people feel is very weary on the eyes and is not an improvement, but actually makes gameplay more difficult. I am glad that I didn't listen to all of the fanboys when I made my purchase. If you notice, any time people do comparison videos, the first and indeed only thing they compare is the screen brightness IN A HOUSE. They don't show the two outside, they don't show fast gameplay, battery life: nothing. In short they don't mention any of the ags-101 faults. 

However, that gameboy freckle shack mod seems pretty legit. You can also get the gameboy color modded with an ags-101 by a guy named jelly belly customs for around $265 dollars. And it is NICE as hell. 

 

I've had the same issue with the SP, even when I was a teenager. I much prefer the design of the GBC and original GBA. However, without modding, the GBA SP is probably the best way to go for the screen, game compatability and back/front light.

 

I owned multiple versions of all the GB/GBC/GBA models over the years, and you made a great choice. I was never into modding hardware personally. So for stock GBA, you can't go wrong. Great screen, rechargeable battery, and clamshell that fits pretty nicely in a pocket. Enjoy!

My dad ended up with such bad "Nintendo Thumb" from the SP that he actually had to have surgery on the sleeve around the tendons on BOTH thumbs.

They are definitely not ergonomic for large hands.

 

Strangely, I always used to get worse hand cramp from the original version of the GBA, rather than the SP. Have no idea why, but maybe because it's heavier? Weird.

To me the definitive handheld would've been an original GBA with backlighting. Like others are pointing out the SP design is too cramped to play for long. Plus there's no headphone jack which might not matter to some, but the speaker kind of sucks and at least having a headphone jack gives you the option to use it. It sucks using AA batteries though, unless you get some sort of rechargeable pack.But the design of the regular GBA is the best retro handheld as far as I;m concerned.

yeah. My opinion is totally based on stock/non-modded systems. But I agree, if there were a backlight original GBA, I'd go with that for form factor. The two AA batteries last a while, so that's not a huge thing. But in the end, I prefer the screen on the SP, and having it clamshell makes it pretty portable. I never use headphones, so eh. I can see pros and cons to each. The original model made for a great GBPlayer controller on Gamecube for instance. But yeah, just going by off-the-shelf models, I'd give the edge to SP myself.

 

Wow OP that's some deep analysis and monetary commitment to get a brand new SP 001. I always loved loved loved the NES version of it.

Curious why you didn't go used with a new battery though...but to each their own. I find mine a bit uncomfortable but a great system nonetheless.

Seems like overkill considering basically anyone would tell you to go with that system lol. The primary downside to it is the form factor if you have big hands. My hands aren't huge but I still find it pretty uncomfortable overall. Hopefully you did a hands on with the console before running out and buying a sealed one to open up (which in itself seems to be, again, overkill).

My main thing is that I wanted a fresh clicky d-pad and buttons (and shoulder buttons), and too, I just wanted a fresh clean system brand new, since i really take care of my stuff. There is nothing like brand new.