Gba Sp Vs Ds

[Apeiron]

I'm thinking of getting a DS in which case I'll be selling my Zelda Golden (painted) GBA SP.
I wouldn't be getting a DS game for about a month after that (better to sell now to make more cash). So I'm wondering, What are GBA games like on the DS? Better Quality, or worse? loss of functionality? 100% backward compatablity? Or am I just better off keeping my SP and the buying a DS after a big price crash?

 

[CABBAGES]

I think the only thing you lose is the ability to play link up games. I doubt theres goin to be a big price crash as they are already rather cheap.

 

[Blah]

Not 100% compatibility. Games are letterboxed and end up smaller than they are on a GBA SP.

 

[Apeiron]

Well that puts me off slightly, plus I've been thinking of my current finacial situation....I'll wait to get a job. then maybe start selling off my consoles and games.

 

[generalnmx]

Beyond what is mentioned above, the DS actually has extra hardware in it to make kinda like a mini-GBA circuit for GBA/GB/GBC only use.

 

[bast525]

as far as games, yes the DS is 100% backwards compatible with all GBA games. However, as mentioned above, you can no longer link up for multiplayer with them.

Though the DS screen is similiar sized to the GBA (the GBA is wider, the DS screen is taller), the difference in resolution means yes the GBA games have to be 'shrunk down' to fit on the DS screen. If you're like me (very picky) the size difference is noticeable... I have to hold the DS that much closer to my face to play the GBA games.

On the flipside of that though, the display quality of the DS is BOUNDS better than that of the SP. The DS is much brighter, better lit, with much more vivid colors. You also get louder speakers and in stereo, and for me the DS is more comfortable to hold as well. I held on to my SP any ways... just because to me that is still one of the coolest video game systems ever made. But I'd say, if multiplayer is not a concern and you don't mind holding the system a bit closer, you'd probably like playing gba games on the DS.

 

[mattmagoo]

what are you on, the DS screen is BIGGER than the GBA screen

the image isnt shrunk at all

 

[ratx]

Since the Game Boy Advance uses 240x160 resolution, and each Nintendo DS screen is 256x192, the image is slightly bordered- I thought this was common knowledge...

 

[Jarska333]

So it is larger in pixels, smaller in cm/inches?

 

[mattmagoo]

its larger in both

 

[CABBAGES]

the screens are biger but the gba games have a black border round it

 

[spray]

so are the actual images any smaller than the ones on the gbasp?

 

[boblibob]

no , you only get a border cus of larger screen

 

[Jarska333]

Then I don't see a problem? :huh:

 

[spray]

doesn't appear that there is one

 

[bast525]

look... I'm looking at them both right now, right 1 foot away from my face. The GBA SP screen is WIDER than the DS screens, and the DS screens are TALLER than the GBA SP screen. I think the DS also has the overall more square cm/inches, but I'm not positive as I've not measured one with a ruler.

And if you play a GBA game on the DS, the image IS shrunk, it isn't 'squished' the way NES games get squished when you play on Pocket NES on the GBA (compensating for a totally different resolution)... they retain the exact same resolution, but the DS pixels are smaller than the GBA pixels, therefore the picuture does come out smaller. There is a sizable black border on all sides of the screen when running a gba game.

I challenge anyone to put a DS and SP right next to each other running the same GBA game and tell me the picture is not shrunk on the DS and noticeably smaller than the SP's own display.

I'm being lazy right now but if you guys insist on arguing I'll bust out the camera and prove it.

 

[NssOne]

I've played my GBA games on my DS and have hardly noticed any difference in the screen while playing. It's just kind of akward playing the GBA games on it. Otherwise it looks fine and I'm happy to be playing GBA games on the DS.

P.S. I don't think the DS is backwards compatible all the way back to GB, only GBA.

 

[DaveC]

its larger in both

​

The DS screen is like 1 mm larger than the GBA screen, BFD it is almost unnoticeable. If you compare them side by side the screen size to me is identical. If you measure with a calipers you can just tell, so I say they are the same size. Don't listen to the fanbioz that say "it is larger" making you think it is like 1/2" bigger or something, because it isnt.

The pixels are smaller on the DS and the screen is about the same size so when you play GBA on it it is like 1/4 smaller than a GBA screen.

 

[bast525]

Okay... still too lazy to take pics and upload and all that crap, but I did take a moment to take the measurements for you guys and settle any debates (I hope).


GBA SP screen:

2 and 7/16" wide
1 and 10/16" high

DS screens:

2 and 6/16" wide
1 and 12/16" high

They are damn near the same size, the DS being 1/16" less wide, and 2/16" taller.

and for comparison, I measured the used area of the screen of the DS when running a GBA game:

2 and 3/16" wide
1 and 7/16" high

Or, 1/4" inch less wide, and 3/16" less high, when running a GBA game on the DS vs. running it on a SP... 1/4 of an inch!!! a pretty sizable difference if you ask me! By the way in case any of you over on the other side of the pond aren't too familiar with american measurements, 1/16" is like... roughly 1.5 or 1.3mm.

 

[Dead Ghost]

Heh, sorry for resurrecting such an old thread, but about the black borders on gba games running on DS: Is it any way to make gba games to upscale to full screen (stretch), when using a slot 2 flash cart?