Photo: Evan-Amos · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP
Nintendo · Released Feb 2003 · GBA SP (AGS-001/101)
The clamshell GBA revision that fixed the original's biggest flaws — a lit screen and a rechargeable battery in a pocketable folding shell.
Pros
- +Folding clamshell protects the screen
- +Built-in rechargeable battery
- +Lit screen (especially the backlit AGS-101)
- +Fully backward compatible
Cons
- −No standard headphone jack
- −Small buttons for larger hands
- −Original AGS-001 is only frontlit
What can it play?
Emulation performance by platform, based on real-world testing.
Full specifications
Hardware
- Chipset (SoC)
- Nintendo AGB (ARM7TDMI)
- CPU
- 32-bit ARM7TDMI @ 16.78 MHz (+ Z80 for GB)
- GPU
- Integrated 2D engine
- RAM
- 32 KB internal + 256 KB external
- Storage
- Cartridge Game Pak ROM
- Weight
- 142 g
- Dimensions
- 82 x 84 x 25 mm (closed)
- Cooling
- Passive
Display
- Size
- 2.9″
- Resolution
- 240x160
- Panel
- Frontlit / Backlit TFT (AGS-101)
- Refresh rate
- 60 Hz
- Touchscreen
- No
Battery & Connectivity
- Battery
- 600 mAh
- Real-world life
- ~10 hours
- Wi-Fi
- None
- Bluetooth
- None
- Ports
- Link Cable, 3.5mm headphone (adapter)
- Expandable storage
- No
Controls
- Analog sticks
- 0
- D-pad
- Yes
- Face buttons
- Yes
- Analog triggers
- No
- Gyroscope
- No
- Hall effect sticks
- No
Software & custom firmware
Ships with: None (cartridge-booted)
Also plays natively: Game Boy Advance cartridges, Game Boy / Color cartridges
No third-party custom firmware tracked for this device.
Our verdict
The GBA SP answered every complaint about the original: a folding clamshell that protects the screen, an internal rechargeable battery, and — crucially — a lit display, with the later AGS-101 model offering a genuinely bright backlight. The loss of a standard headphone jack annoyed some, but the SP is widely considered the definitive way to play the Game Boy Advance library.