DS or Advance SP?

[fastbilly1]

This wouldn't be a issue if ROB was a succes.

Quick, I need one more ROB and I can do this. Maybe just an Omnibot.

[bacardipr05]

As was said before, an original GBA modded with the 101 screen is my personal best choice, I did this mod a while back and still love it! the form factor of the original GBA cant be beat. I have also been making a couple of the "Game Boy Macro" units mentioned, and while they are plenty comfortable to hold, the original DS screens leave a bit to be desired in terms of brightness and quality compared to the 101.

I would say the cheapest/best option would be the DSL, easy to find, comfortable, and nice screen, as long as you dont care about link cable action.

Jay I agree with you...I always loved the form factor of the original Advance. However cost is a issue since i havent worked in a while...

[Ivo]

I would go DSLite, super versatile. The DS games are worth it and you can play the GBA games on the top OR on the bottom screen (ok that part was a bit of a joke).

How cheap are unscratched, good condition (no hinge problem) Cobalt Blue DS Lites going for nowadays? Between 40 and 70 bucks? I've been pondering getting 1 to replace my Crimson Red.
Wasn't a new DS Lite costing around 130 bucks at some stage?

[Fragems]

If your looking for cheap entertainment on the go then get the DS. As long as you don't mind loose carts most game stops have a pretty decent library of stuff you can pick up for under $10. Only down side is you will miss out on GB/GBC games but the DS library more then makes up for that.

I really need to check out the DS system market around here all I currently have is my original DS which I got quite a few years ago for $15 .

[bacardipr05]

If your looking for cheap entertainment on the go then get the DS. As long as you don't mind loose carts most game stops have a pretty decent library of stuff you can pick up for under $10. Only down side is you will miss out on GB/GBC games but the DS library more then makes up for that.

I really need to check out the DS system market around here all I currently have is my original DS which I got quite a few years ago for $15 .

I want to thank everyone for their opinions. I thought the Ds(lite) would be more $$ so i didnt even consider it. Then i noticed they where going for $30-$40 versus the SP AGS 101 going for $50+. I honestly probably wont play it much so thats another reason why i didnt want to spend much. That and im broke... Im leaning towards the DsLite though right now and i just sold some stuff on Fleabay that should about cover the purchase of one..

[MyNameIsVince]

Get a Cobalt & Black DS Lite and be happy forever. Best DS Lite screens, awesome contrast, plenty bright, nice color saturation, little to no movement blur. And besides being able to play the GBA Pokemon games, it can also play the myriad DS ones.

Wait, not all DS Lites have the same screen quality?

[bacardipr05]

Get a Cobalt & Black DS Lite and be happy forever. Best DS Lite screens, awesome contrast, plenty bright, nice color saturation, little to no movement blur. And besides being able to play the GBA Pokemon games, it can also play the myriad DS ones.

Wait, not all DS Lites have the same screen quality?

Another person mentioned the Cobalt Blue one I did wonder that as well

[Exhuminator]

Wait, not all DS Lites have the same screen quality?

No, they absolutely do not. I've compared multiple units simultaneously and proved this to myself after reading about it. At one point I had all of the following models of DS Lites turned on and laid out on a table next to each other, running the same software demos and menus and such, compared screens for about an hour. Yes I am a DS Lite nut and I owned way too many of these things at one time:

Original Polar White
Two original Onyx Blacks
Silver model
Two Crimson & Blacks
Two Cobalt & Blacks

The original Polar & Onyx models had very rich colors, but their backlights were not as bright as later models. These original models had a LOT of motion blur though, especially in dark areas of games. The motion blur sucks with fast action games. And the original models are prone to hinge cracking too.

The Silver model didn't have as much motion blur, but its colors were a bit more muted, and it had a slightly yellow tint to the bottom screen. It seemed to be the halfway point between the originals and the Crimson.

The Crimson & Blacks were the WORST by far. They had muted colors, washed out contrast, slightly yellow tint to the top screen, and VERY yellow tint to the bottom screen. However they were pretty good about not having motion blur. Also the Crimsons had issues with the d-pad getting stuck, and the volume slider coming loose. Both models had these issues.

The Cobalt & Blacks are GORGEOUS. Strong colors, BRIGHT backlight, great contrast, hardly any motion blur even on dark games, the graphics just pop on both those Cobalts. The hinges are still uncracked to this day.

I did a bunch of research after that and found out that DS Lites' screens were not all manufactured by the same company. (Not all DS Lites were assembled from the same OEM components for that matter.) Rather various companies produced the screens/components and various models got those screens/components. Nintendo knew full well that the Crimson & Black DS Lites were subpar and they did the best they could to liquidate them quickly. That's why the Crimson & Black DS Lite had not one, but two different bundles available (Brain Age 2 / New Super Mario Bros.) to help move it off shelves.

This is all anecdotal and I'm too tired to pull sources. But take it from a guy who's owned a shit load of DS Lites... you want a Cobalt & Black.

[bacardipr05]

I pulled the trigger on a Cobalt DSlite this morning. Coincidentally it was been sold for the same exact amount i had left in my PayPal acct.

[Kkasino]

Exhuminator:
Can you compare Cobalt & Blacks DSL with DSi ? In terms of screen quality.