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[Polari]

Is it the original GBA, GBA SP, Gamecube with GB player or the DS? Or the Micro, for those who have had a hands-on with it?

I'm curious about image quality, controls and whether or not people find the second screen on DS distracting.

The first person to say PC gets a kick in the teeth.*

*I would say balls, but I don't want to discriminate against our female posters.

 

[demi]

DS for the clearest screen (on a portable)

GBA Player for the biggest screen, plus you can add filters like...smooth/sharp.

*I would say balls, but I don't want to discriminate against our female posters.

shhh you don't want them to hear you do you!?

 

[Lyte Edge]

DS definitely has the best screen for it, but I still prefer playing GBA games on a GBA (despite the lack of lighting it's still the most comfortable GB to hold) or SP.

Get a GB Player for now and wait and see how the Micro turns out. I was about to buy a SP back, but I'm waiting for the Micro now.

 

[Speevy]

What does the Gameboy Player do with games like Wario Ware Twisted?

 

[Zerodoppler]

I have not tried out the Micro so I say GBASP. The only thing the DS has going for it is the crisp screen, but that doesn't change the fact that the games are unplayable because of lousy controls.

 

[demi]

What does the Gameboy Player do with games like Wario Ware Twisted?

Makes you tilt your GCN.

 

[Speevy]

Makes you tilt your GCN.

Clever. I mean, is there an error message for incompatible games like that?

 

[Mejilan]

He's serious. It is theoretically possible to play WW Twisted on the GB Player by tilting the GCN. Beware of tendonitis, however.

Edit: Consequently, I vote DS. Much better screen (when using the top one for GBA playback.)

 

[drohne]

ds screen looks great, but the system is really uncomfortable to hold. i mainly stick with gb player + hori pad. there's that weird stutter in the refresh, but it isn't fatal.

 

[Wario64]

xbox

 

[Myoclonic Jerk]

DS >>>>> all even GBPlayer

-its soo bright and clear
-has almost the same battery life as SP if you play GBA games on it
-still portable
-its a DS

 

[Azure Dream]

The DS makes GBA titles look like SNES games. And I mean that in a good way. Rich, vibrant colors that even the SP didn't quite get to (but the SP is leaps and bounds better than the original).

I had some vague interest in the GB Player at some point, but the way they designed it didn't make sense for functionality IMHO, and I've heard that it even skips a frame now and then (like it runs slightly out of sync or something, I'm not too clear on it). Plus you lose all portability, and even if you mostly just play your GBA games at home, you can still lug the portable around the house with less issues.

Not played the Micro, the screen is supposedly higher-quality and has adjustable brightness, but is slightly smaller, so I don't know about that.

 

[isamu]

I have not tried out the Micro so I say GBASP. The only thing the DS has going for it is the crisp screen, but that doesn't change the fact that the games are unplayable because of lousy controls.

ds screen looks great, but the system is really uncomfortable to hold. i mainly stick with gb player + hori pad. there's that weird stutter in the refresh, but it isn't fatal.

I suggest both of you invest much more time into playing GBA games on your DS. I got one last November and haven't touched my GBASP since!

I've spent hours upon hours, upon HOURS playing them on my DS nonstop and have NEVER felt my hands become cramped or uncomfortable. Hell, I've even played hours of Streetfighter Alpha 3 and without a single problem.

Some of you must have really REALLY small hands.

 

[demi]

AND YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!

 

[AniHawk]

AND YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!

Small gloves.

 

[Rlan]

They also smell like Cabagge?

 

[DDayton]

It's worth noting that GBC games played on the Game Boy Player seem to have their true colors, instead of the overly dark palette they take on when played on the GBA.

 

[Cheerilee]

Makes you tilt your GCN.

I was actually just looking at WarioWare earlier today, and it specifically says on the back of the box that it's not compatible with the GameBoy Player.

Can you actually tilt the Cube to play it, or is the game locked out entirely? Because Nintendo can apparently do that. "GBA Video" titles supposedly won't play at all on the GameBoy Player (probably because of "home video" licencing issues).


IMO, the GameBoy Player is the best, if you have a Hori D-Pad (I want one), or a PS1/2-to-GCN controller adaptor that doesn't disagree with the GameBoy Player. The standard GameCube controller and it's tiny D-pad just doesn't work for me. You can also use a GBA/GCN Link Cable to use a GBA as your controller, but by that point I just give up and play the game on the GBA.

My second choice is playing on a GBA SP in good lighting conditions, with the front-light turned off. I've never understood how so many people have so much trouble finding good lighting conditions to play the GBA. But then again I don't play on-the-go.

 

[Apenheul]

I just couldn't play Zelda the Minish Cap on my GBA, I HAD to play this one on my tv so I got myself a GB Player. On the other hand I think Wario Ware titles play better on GBA SP.

 

[The Faceless Master]

I was actually just looking at WarioWare earlier today, and it specifically says on the back of the box that it's not compatible with the GameBoy Player.

Can you actually tilt the Cube to play it, or is the game locked out entirely?

it works! i just tried it!

though, turning the cube isn't very fun, it's too heavy... i guess it could make the game a great workout routine!

http://s41.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1KF7RLTHF7RKF32T0UFBDWB4Q3

 

[callous]

The DS screen is amazing for GBA games, but my vote goes to the SP. I can play GBA games for 10 minutes on the DS before my right hand is a bundle of hurt. Thumb in particular. I have large hands, but have never had any problems with a controller before. Only the DS. It's an ergonomical disaster. Being able to use the X and Y buttons instead would have fixed some of it.

 

[drohne]

actually i have repulsively large hands. i'm just under six feet, but i can palm a basketball pretty securely. not that i think the ds's profound ergonomic failings have anything to do with my hands -- its stupid pointy corners poke into your palms. contrast this to the rounded-off corners on the psp. and it has a ridge around the grip which exists only to cause discomfort. worst industrial design ever? yes.

 

[jarrod]

SP > DS > Player

 

[mosaic]

I play upwards of 50 GBA games a year, popping them into a GBA SP, DS, and GB Player depending on the situation (couch vs bed vs chair vs do I need screens or videos?)....

For me, the DS is probably the best overall... the image looks sharper, the battery life for GBA games is excellent, and the L/R buttons are spaced wide enough apart so I can press them frequently in comfort. In fact, I use my DS as a GBA so much that it'll still be used primarily for that purpose even when Advance Wars DS and Animal Crossing DS consume me. Course, the DS is kinda bulky....

The GB Player does let you play games on a large TV though, and it's also the means I use to grab captures. Screen quality varies... a little blurry, sometimes get weird interlacing effects.... it indeed does drop frames... and depending on the game it can become quite painful on the eyes.

Lastly, I gotta say, even though I think the DS is the best means to play GBA games, I love love love the SP... the screen may look a little washed out compared to the DS and the L/R buttons are a bit cramped, but good lord is it ever small (and those nitpicks are ever so minor anyway). I stuck a Pelican 3X battery onto my black SP, and while it did add a couple mm of size to the bottom, it's given me damn near 25 hours of play time per fill up. Combine that with the "shove it in my pocket" size and I gotta show the love. I often carry the SP in my jacket pocket with a few carts just in case (Advance Wars 2, WarioWare, and Astro Boy right now). Oh, and, the SP is relatively affordable these days. I can totally justify telling someone to get a GBA SP and 3-4 games for the same cost as a DS.

(I'm just not into the whole GBA Micro idea... on the one hand, it's the most portable and has the sharpest screen... on the other, the screen is a good 20% smaller than a regular GBA and the size makes the system a real PAIN IN THE ASS to play. Nintendo was showing the thing off with Pokemon at E3, and boy was that a mistake... not only did I get a hand cramp, but the text was illegible.)

 

[Bebpo]

GBA SP by far.

The GBA player on the GC just has a weird framerate issues, it's playable but something always feels off. It's like the game is running slower than it should be.

PC Emu is pretty good for some games too (assuming you own the cart and aren't pirating). For example FFTA where you can speed up the game by 200%

DS has the nicest screen by far, but the DS controls aren't as good (mainly because of the d-pad and L/R buttons), and it might not bother some people but I find it distracting to play a system with 2 screens when only one of them is on; I keep glancing out the other screen and it's just distracting. I really wish DS was one screen and everything else about it was the exact same...would've made the ultimate 2d portable :\

 

[Musashi Wins!]

I play a lot of GBA games lately....and actually I vote for the GBAsp. It's the most comfortable and the best unit to carry around. The DS looks better but has inferior comfort and buttons (outside of the L/R). The GameBoy player I love, but the games look not so good on it.

You really can't go wrong playing the games on any of them, but the good DS games aren't quite here yet and the GBAsp is the best value for my needs.

 

[rawk]

Although the DS image quality is noticably better, I almost always lay on the SP anyway, just because I find it more comfortable and slightly more portable.

 

[Aruarian Reflection]

No way in hell the Micro, unless you plan on going blind. It's backlit, but the screen's just too tiny.

I stick to the SP. Most comfortable.

 

[tedtropy]

I would be really excited about the GBA Micro if Nintendo hadn't shrunk the damn LCD down. It should've remained the same size. It still could've been small, would've had the superior back-lighting option instead of the SP's side-lighting, and would be relatively comfortable to hold. As is, I'd say the SP is the best option. Yeah, the games look better on the DS, but the system's size is overkill for playing GBA games, in addition to the other reasons I hate the design and controls of that system. The SP is a wonderful device, it just needs backlighting. Go on Nintendo, release the SP 2.0. You know you want to, and you know I'd buy it.

 

[Jive Turkey]

it works! i just tried it!

though, turning the cube isn't very fun, it's too heavy... i guess it could make the game a great workout routine!

http://s41.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1KF7RLTHF7RKF32T0UFBDWB4Q3

:lol Now that was funny. Too bad there isn't any footage of the Cube being tilted.

 

[akascream]

I second DS and the GBPlayer.

The DS is nice cause you can watch TV while you play and the player is nice cause of the big screen. Though sometimes the player can be a bad thing, as sprites tend to look oversized (they are created for a handheld screen), colors and contrast can be just a tad off, sound issues are more noticable through a good sound system and the background scrolling in many gba games isn't very smooth and this is more obvious on a big screen. Basically it's just easier to see flaws.

Some games look fantastic on the player though.

 

[Kon Tiki]

Wario is correct again.

 

[thundersabre]

SNES

 

[olimario]

I think the DS is more comfortable to hold than the SP.
It's like having a normal controller in your hands.

 

[Ristamar]

After spending 12+ hours on airplanes in the last week, I have a new found appreciation for my SP.

 

[captmcblack]

After playing GBA games on the DS, I can't even stand to look at the GBA SP screen.

DS > *.

 

[Gattsu25]

Clever. I mean, is there an error message for incompatible games like that?

Common Sense? :"b


I vastly prefer the DS' image quality to the GBA-SP's...though I still use the SP more because it's really freakin portable and still playable

 

[tedtropy]

I think the DS is more comfortable to hold than the SP.
It's like having a normal controller in your hands.

A large uncomfortable rectangle is like a normal controller? Do you still play your NES alot?

I always liked how the old "Fatboy" Gameboy gripped, and the SP is pretty similar to that when open.

 

[Mihail]

Makes you tilt your GCN.

That will get you no where. You gotta twist, TWIST!

 

[Dilbert]

I have always found the DS to be incredibly uncomfortable to hold. So, my vote would be for the GBA SP.

I haven't held a GB Micro yet, but from photos, it seems WAY too small to be comfortable (ergonomics or eyestrain).

 

[akascream]

After playing GBA games on the DS, I can't even stand to look at the GBA SP screen.

DS > *.

Yeah, the SP screen is so washed out in comparison.

 

[Ryck]

there's that weird stutter in the refresh, but it isn't fatal.

In some cases however it causes motion sickness........ie me (certain games don't like Mzm but thats the exception not the rule)

 

[isamu]

I think the DS is more comfortable to hold than the SP.
It's like having a normal controller in your hands.

Quoted for TRUTH

Finally someone sees the light.


That being said, VisualBoy Advance with the LQx2 filter>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>ALL!

 

[VALIS]

Hell. Looks like I'm gonna be the only one who votes for GB Player. Easily, too. I find the DS screen too small for anything but simple/static games like Wario Ware. As far as the frame rate issues, I've never noticed them.

 

[Mejilan]

GB Player looks like shit to me, and I've tried it on 2 TVs. The low rez really pops out on the TV. The framerate thing is also needless and irksome. I've tried all of the filters, and they don't seem to really affect things much, on my TV at least. I only play GBA games using the GB Player when I have a terrible headache.

 

[Timo]

the gba player is kinda almost useless to me. i as well can tell no difference between sharp and whatever the hell, and the pixels are too blurred. i wish they were crisp as hell. meaty.


that and it makes my gamecube too tall.


gba sp for me till micro or something comes along.

 

[radios shipping overview]

GB Player via RGB connection with a Hori pad. The controller is comfortable and the screen is large, vibrant, and crisp. The RGB connection gets rid of all of the blur present when viewing the GBP through S-video. Of course, VGA would be better and would get rid of that damned interlacing, but I don't have a monitor to spare. Super Game Boy is preferable for oldschool GB and SGB games, of course.

The SP gave me chronic hand cramps (something the PSP only did initially) and I have no desire to purchase a DS at the moment.

 

[cvxfreak]

I myself prefer the SP. Just more comfortable with an adequate screen.

 

[anotheriori]

psp.

oh it will.

 

[Tain]

Xbox, easily.

The first person to say PC gets a kick in the teeth.*

*I would say balls, but I don't want to discriminate against our female posters.

Why? Seriously. Online play, more filtering options than the Gamecube player, saved states, and replays. It only makes sense.