Topic: Pokemon Blue Compatibility Problem With GBA SP

When i try to play Pokemon Blue in a Gameboy Color, it works with no issues but, when i try to play it in a Gameboy advance sp, it plays the intro and then freezes with a white screen, any fix?

Have you had issues with any other GB/GBC games in the GBA SP? The fact that it works on other systems without a hitch may suggest a problem with the SP. It could be it doesn't read those particular carts correctly for some reason.

Just in case, make sure the contacts in the unit and the pins on the cart are clean.

@Tyranexx The GBA SP works with all other GB and GBC games but pokemon blue is the only one i'm having problems with. I have cleaned the pins with %70 isopropyl and some que tips.

Hmm...I'm not sure what else to suggest in this case. Normally when I have an issue like this, a simple cleaning helps. I'm now unsure if it's the system or something with the cartridge. I don't know enough about disassembling either though. 🤔

@Tyranexx yeah, the crazy thing is that it works perfectly fine in the GBC. i haven't got a clue about how to fix it.
EDIT: i just tried it again but still the same problem.

@EatMe Are you certain your copy is authentic? There was a decent number of bootleg Pokemon games floating around back in the day and if your copy was one of them then there might be compatibility issues with newer Nintendo hardware.

Is your cartridge physically the same as other gb cartridges?

If I remember correctly, the gba would detect the shape of the cartridge via a little switch inside the cartridge slot, to decide if a game was was meant to start in gb or gba mode.

Gb/c cartridges form a rectangle at the base so they press the switch when you put them in, while gba cartridges have two notches, which prevents them from pressing it.

If your cartridge is missing a chunk in the wrong corner, then the gba could be trying to load the wrong mode.

If that's the case, you could try fixing it with resin or something, or simply moving the game board to a different cartridge casing.

Curious if you ever solved this because I have the exact same issue with Pokemon Blue. It works inside a GameBoy Color but if I put it into a regular GameBoy or GameBoy Advance, it doesn't load up. All consoles work, I can pop a copy of Pokemon Red in and it boots just fine.