Game Boy Color Compatibility: GBA SP Yes, Nintendo DS No

Game Boy Color games work on the Game Boy Advance SP because it has hardware backward compatibility for Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges.

They do not work on the Nintendo DS because:

• The DS uses a different cartridge slot (Slot 1 for DS cards, Slot 2 for GBA—but GBC carts don't fit Slot 2 electrically).
• The DS CPU architecture is different and cannot run Game Boy Color software.

Summary

• GBA SP: Backward compatible with Game Boy & Game Boy Color.
• Nintendo DS: Not backward compatible with Game Boy or Game Boy Color.