Product Description

Muscular 32-bit processor. Big screen. Great multiplayer features. Nintendo GameCube connectivity. And it slips easily into you hip pocket. The Game Boy Advance SP with the revolutionary Front Light Screen. Get your game on, even in the dark. Brilliant.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2791 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Nintendo
• Platform: Game Boy Advance
• Number of items: 1

Features

• CPU: 32-bit RISC-CPU with embedded memory.
• Screen: 2.9" Reflective TFT Color LCD
• Display Size: 1.61" x 2.41"
• Resolution: 240 x 160 pixels
• Color: Simultaneously display more than 32,000 colors.

Amazon.com Review
Early Adopters Pick: March 2003. As the world's smallest video-game platform, the Game Boy Advance SP is also the first to use a built-in rechargeable battery.

Many decried the original Game Boy Advance's reflective LCD screen and its reliance on external light sources. The Game Boy Advance SP's main feature--optional backlighting--fixes this complaint nicely, but it's the wealth of other features that makes this system so surprisingly good.

At first look, you might think the SP is a sleek travel alarm clock. When closed, it's just as tall and deep as the original GBA, but only half as wide. Due to its clamshell design, the screen is always protected from everyday scratches. A small button in the center of the console turns on the backlighting element for use in low-light situations, like in a moving car.

The SP comes with a well-designed power adapter that recharges a built-in battery; its prongs fold in for easier storage. Our informal tests found that it takes about four hours to fully charge (you can even play it while it's plugged in and charging), and the battery lasts about 11 hours with the backlighting constantly on--your results may vary. Using the backlighting less often will conserve battery power.

With separately sold cables, you can connect the Game Boy Advance SP to other GBAs for multiplayer gaming (above) or to the Nintendo GameCube (below) to access secret levels, exchange data, or use other special features that vary from game to game.

The quality of the backlighting is very good. It's bright and clear when looking directly at it, but degraded from other angles. This is only a problem for friends who are watching the screen from over your shoulder.

But size, power, and affordability do not come without trade offs. There's no headphone jack here, though Nintendo promises an adapter. The system isn't very loud at its highest volume, and the sound can be turned down to socially acceptable levels. The L and R shoulder buttons are a fraction of the size they were on the GBA, and thus are harder to hit. Also, the reduced size of the SP is slightly less comfortable for adult hands than the GBA, but perhaps more comfortable for smaller hands. The cartridge port placement on the lower part of the console is fine for GBA games, since they are flush with the console body, but older Game Boy Color carts will stick out in a way that takes some getting used to.

Open it up and the hinge will seek out a preferred, pre-set angle (about 150 degrees), though you can open it a bit wider or narrower for your own comfort. The hinge stands up well to lateral pressure, and over all, the SP seems just as rugged as its predecessor--which has proven to be very rugged, indeed. --Porter B. Hall

Unit Specifications

• CPU: 32-Bit ARM with embedded memory
• Memory: 32 KB with 96 KB VRAM (in CPU), 256 KB WRAM (external of CPU)
• Screen: 2.9-inch reflective TFT color LCD
• Display Size: 1.6 by 2.4 inches (40.8 by 61.2 mm)
• Resolution: 240 x 160 pixels in a wide-screen aspect ratio
• Colors: 511 simultaneous colors from a palette of 32,768
• Software: Fully compatible with Game Boy and Game Boy Color game paks
• Light Source: Front light integrated with LCD
• Size (closed): 3.3 by 3.23 by .96 inch
• Weight: Approximately 5 ounces
• Power Supply: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
• Battery Life: 10 hours continuous play with light on; 18 hours with light off; 3 hours recharging

Amazon.com Preview
The new Game Boy Advance SP works essentially the same way previous Game Boy Advance models have--and plays the same selection of games--but adds a number of thoughtful features to the design. The most obvious difference you'll see is the lighting feature built into the screen, so you can play in low-light situations without bulky external game lights that too often leave a hot spot on the screen or fail to reach the corners. You can shut off this internal light to squeeze a little more playing time out of the power source if you're in a situation with enough light to see the SP's reflective screen.

Speaking of power sources, the SP comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that provides between 10 and 18 hours of gameplay from a three-hour charge. Also, the new clamshell design will offer protection for the screen from scratches when it's all closed up. --Porter B. Hall

Customer Reviews

R.I.P.
I wrote that for anyone who is reading this, this is a dead handheld. As in years ago the Nintendo DS spawned off. And if you want to buy this, don't. I'm writing about what it was, not what it is, and it was a gaming marvel that continues to influence. For the many who owned one, we love it.

best handheld, period.
the gameboy advance is my favorite gaming device. it singlehandedly got me into handheld gaming (never owned a gameboy before), and to this day, 90% of my game time is handheld. the original came out, i bought a glacier, and played the hell out of it for two years (even installed my own Afterburner backlight. now that was a chore). it was worth every penny.

the games themselves.....so many to choose from. all the mario advance games, the castlevania series, tactics ogre, final fantasy titles, puzzle games, baseball advance, the tony hawk series (which was incredible), racing games, the list is almost endless.

when nintendo announced the SP at E3 several years ago....it was love at first sight. it brought new life back to all my games, and even today, although i have a DS Lite as well as a gameboy player for my gamecube, i still break out my SP for short bouts of on the go gaming. it fits perfectly in my pocket, has a fantastic batter life, and an incredible gaming library. ten years from now, i still wouldnt be surprised if people still play on this thing.

pros:
small
inexpensive
backlit
cute as all get out
huge library of games
backwards compatible with GB and GBC games
attaches to the gamecube

cons:
hmmm. expensive for people with no jobs?

so, if you want to get as much bang for your buck on a handheld gaming device....pick this puppy up. no disappointments whatsoever on my end.

Enjoyable
I bought this for my husband a couple years ago and I ended up buying a different color for myself soon afterward. It holds a charge for a long time, it still in great shape and it's small, so it's easy to take with you on trips. Highly recommend.