GBA Fan Makes Incredible Discovery in Storage

One Nintendo gamer comes across a neat piece of Game Boy Advance-related hardware from their childhood while going through storage.

One Nintendo gamer had an unexpected surprise while going through their storage, discovering a Game Boy Advance from their childhood. While finding a seemingly forgotten piece of gaming hardware from the past is exciting enough, the gamer’s Game Boy Advance was the AGS-101 model of the SP version of the handheld.

The Game Boy Advance was released in 2001 and was intended to build on the success of the previous Game Boy line of handhelds. While it failed to surpass the popularity of its predecessor, GBA systems still sold well for Nintendo. Following the launch of the original GBA handheld, an SP (Special) version was made available in 2003. As the name suggests, this version of the handheld featured upgrades compared to the original system, including a foldable shell and a lit screen. In addition, another model of the SP design was launched a couple of years later, along with the Game Boy Micro. Recently, one fan showed off their SP version of the classic console.

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In a post on Reddit, a user known as Alternative_Survey96 shared a picture of their childhood Game Boy Advance SP. According to the Reddit user, they had discovered the handheld while going through storage. The Nintendo fan even had the box and several documents related to the system. Despite the blurry image, Alternative_Survey96 revealed that the handheld still worked, as they appeared to be playing a version of Donkey Kong. When posting to Reddit, the player thanked their parents for never throwing away the packaging for the handheld.

This nostalgic discovery has struck a chord with a number of gamers on the Gameboy subreddit. In the comments section, some pointed out that this model is an AGS-101, making it potentially more valuable. While the initial SP version of the handheld was released a couple of years after the original GBA, the AGS-101 model was launched in 2005 and had the distinction of being the second iteration of the SP design. In fact, it launched the year the Nintendo DS, part of the seventh generation of consoles, became available to consumers.

This discovery by Alternative_Survey96 shows how some gamers continue to dig up memories from their past. Besides this Game Boy Advance SP, other Nintendo fans have found classic games and systems from their childhoods. For instance, another gamer recently found their Nintendo DS after losing it 16 years prior.

While it might be hard to find AGS-101 models of the Game Boy Advance SP these days, fans still can play some of the games developed for the GBA line of systems on the Switch. The Nintendo Switch Online service includes a library of classic games from the GBA era, including Mario Kart: Super Circuit and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, just to name a few. With more nostalgic titles on the way, some of the games that made the sixth generation of Nintendo handhelds memorable will continue to live on thanks to the Switch.

MORE: The 10 Rarest GBA Games (& How Much They're Worth)

I like a variety of games, but I really enjoy platformers. I’m also a big fan of Halo and Apex Legends. When I’m not playing my favorite games, I’m often listening to their soundtracks. I have a degree in English from the University of Toledo.