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Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP Console Videos >>
Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP Console
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Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP Console
15 reviews   4.8 of 5

Product Description

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$149.98
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Summary

I have played Video Games ever since the 80's. I was probably one of the first to get the orginal Classic Game Boy. You probably do not remember bet all the games were Black and White. But since then I had console and really didn't care about handheld. But I was watching G4TV and they were talking about Ledgend of Zelda a link to the Past and the Super Mario Advance series and how they are old NES or SNES revamped to be played on the GBA. So I thought WOW I can play these games that I grew up with on a handheld. So I went out and got the GBA sp Platinum and a couple of Games(Zelda, Super Mario Advance 1, and Castlevania). Now I am hooked!!! It is amazing that these games look the same or even better on a Handheld System. So great job Nintendo. I haven't bought or played a Nintendo Game for probably 10 years. I have been hookes on Playstation. But since they did this I am back palying the games I loved as a kid.
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Sound

Sound in my opinion has to be the weakest spot of SP. The mono really sounds like mono in games although you can buy an accessorie that is quite cheap, $10 around here(NJ), that allows you to enable stero. SP has a little volumn slide bar on the left side of it which is good and not so good. I feel if it was a rolling wheel type volumn control like Game Gear had if you remember that, it could have had louder sound, though with the bar's limited space of going up and down, they only let it go so high which is quite weak if you ask me though with another thing, headphone accessorie, you can get very nice loud sound with bass as close to your ears as possible.

I'd say buy it, it keeps me busy when I'm bored, out somewhere, or just feel like playing it over my PC games. I enjoy it.

Gameplay

I'm 17 years old now though decided to give this new Gameboy a try. I'm normally a hardcore PC gamer so I don't have the latest newest consoles out there or really want them. My main platform is PC. So I decided, why not have a small (REALLY small) handheld for on the go gaming?
First I should mention, my hands are your usual 17 year boy hands :) which means, I can fit the thing folded up in the palm of my hand perfectly without any of the edges over going my hand. That means, it is quite small so I was thinking, how will I be able to play on such a small thing? Well the Light, Select, Start, and A+B buttons are easy to use without any problems. The D-pad and L and R buttons have been giving me some trouble though I'm getting used to the amount of finger to have on the D-pad, especially for fighting games such as Street Fighter 3 Alpha which requires smooth rolling of the D-pad in various directions to pull off moves. That gets my thumb alittle numb though nothing so bad. The L and R are pretty close together considering how small it is so my index fingers have to really bend if I want to press them with the tip of my index fingers so usually I press them with the inside middle part of my index fingers since thats how long my index fingers are if I wrap them around the back of the GBA SP where the L and R buttons are.
Ok were you with me with all that? Now the good stuff. It's really small which means you can take it anywhere although I recommend buying a small shield type casing which comes made by many different companies so you can prevent dents/scratches on the outside and keep it clean. The screen shouldn't get messed up with many scratches or any since it stays protected as long as you fold it after each use. The backlight really is ingenious. They say you get 17 hours of power if you turn the light off and get 10 or 12 with it on, though seriously, after you play once with the light on and see how much better the games look, you won't play without it off no matter what light conditions your in. Speaking of hours and power, it comes built in with a rechargable battery pack which is really what sold it for me since I wouldn't need to constantly be buying batteries or a rechargable battery pack accessorie. The recharge time takes 3 hours though still lets you play even while it's charging although the longer you play with it charging, the longer it will take to fully charge. Colored LEDs let you know when it's fully charged and when it's about to die out.
Well, overall I'm very satisfied with Nintendo's latest handheld. My last one was Gameboy Pocket many years ago which I sold to a friend after getting tired of Pokemon :) This one looks very sharp and neat, I bought Platinum(silver) since it has a universal look to it. Wait alittle for Red and Black to come out.
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Summary

No question. Worth every penny. 100 smacks! Yeah, that's a lot, or is it? Think about it. How much do you spend on batteries for the Gameboy,lets say in a years time?? Probably a substantial amount if you always use batteries to play. Even if you only spend like $25 bucks a year, that certainly does add up over time.

Advance SP pays for itself by having the "recharger" always at hand and you never have to change a battery. (Well, at least not for about 500 charges.) That gives you several years of playing time and even if you ever do have to change the battery, that's only 15 bucks. I can handle 500 charge ups with 15 dollars to spend in about 6 years. This alone is good enough reason to buy if you love portable games.

But the biggest improvment of them all is the "lighting" mechanism already built in the screen! You can finally play your Gameboy in the dark! Take a break from work, go into the bathroom and dim the lights, just keep the sound down so your co-workers don't hear you or get some headphones. Got some time in study hall? No problem, you won't have trouble seeing this baby anywhere in any lighting condition. Got a long trip ahead of you in the car in the heart of the night? No problem, whip out your Gameboy AdvanceSP, you'll see the game until the sun comes out. The difference the light makes for all the Advance games is a sight to behold. I can't remember enough the problems I had playing Circle of the Moon squinting to see all the action. No more. SP takes care of that and makes it look like a whole new game. It looks so good on all the games I had to play the ones I already beat, it's really that good!

Sound

Most Gameboy Advance games sound like crap no matter what you're playing, but there are exceptions. In my opinion, Nintendo and Konami's titles like Mario, Wario, and the Castlevania series has the best sound compared to other Gameboy titles. The speaker on AdvanceSP seems to sound a little better than the original Gameboy Advance. But as with that one, to get the most out of it, get headphones for stereo sound.

**Final Call** This system is selling like crazy and for good reason. No batteries to change, awesome screen that you can play anywhere, work, school(between classes of course), dark basements, dimly lit churches, and in the car in the middle of the day! (just make sure you're not driving) Seriously, What's not to like about Nintendo's new baby?? This is real keeper! Nintendo has my nod! Too bad the Cube can't get this kind of response!

Gameplay

The control doesn't feel quite as good as the regular GameBoy Advance, the "L and R" buttons seem to be a little out of reach and for youngsters with short fingers, they may have the most trouble with it.
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Summary

As mentioned below, the light is the main reason to own this. Even though I'm mad at myself for having shelled out money for *two* GBAs with identical specs, it was worth it. I barely played my old GBA at all because the screen was so murky, it just wasn't fun trying to reorient it all the time for good lighting. Now I carry the GBA SP with me all the time and always have something to do with those odd minutes. The form-factor is also an upgrade IMO. Be aware that while this will, unlike the original, fit into most pockets, it's still rather bulky for a pant poket, being not particularly thin and fairly angular. It would not be comfortable in regular denim jeans, for example. Still, it's far more portable than the old GBA and the screen is now protected when closed. Well done.

Battery life seems very good. I can play for days on a single charge, with the light always on. The AC adaptor is fairly small, though it's still non-standard and yet another piece of wire I have to haul around with me on the road (it's not bad at all, but all my portable devices have one and they are starting to add up to a lot).

Cosmetically, the unit looks great in the platinum finish, more like a grown-up device :) Despite its flaws, this is easily the best portable gaming machine the world has ever seen, and well worth the hundred bucks they ask for it IMO. I'm starting to save now for the GBA 3D!
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Summary

Since its release I’ve been thinking of getting portable game machine and recent event in my last holiday getaway enforced this and the coincidence of Pokemon Limited Edition release in Japan nail the decision. As a limited edition it wasn’t easy to get ¡V it’s not like I can pop in the Pokemon Center to buy it given ten hours of flight from Sydney. Luckily I was able to get my hand on thanks to a mate of mine who’s living in Japan. Since he was buying it it’s matter of buying another one and send it to my way. The cost I quoted included the shipping charges by the way.

The only portable game machine was Lynx years ago and I gave it away which I regret it now. ƒ¼ In fact I regret giving away all my old 8bit computers as they are now well worth to keep given recent rise of retro boom ¡V PC-8801mkII, FM-77, X68000, Saturn-J, Apple IIc to name a few.

I was stranded in an island in my last trip and during my five day stay I had nothing to do due to bad weather. The staff there tried their best to entertain the guest but seeing old same show day in and day out quickly got me bored to death. I really wish I had a gaming machine to kill the time. More over seeing some of guests were playing GBA SP I was kind of jealous of them.

As I never used GBA I wasn’t aware of its poor screen performance problem but seeing how bright SP’s screen is I kind of guess what the users of GBA felt/annoyed/frustrated.

This Pokemon Limited Edition is in Orange metallic colour with faint Pokemon outline on the back of screen portion. Otherwise this is plain vanilla GBA SP. Contrast to my belief Nintendo didn’t even include their new Pokemon titles with this Limited Edition¡K Greedy bunch¡K
Still seeing how rare this LE will be in coming month I’ve got to be happy¡K.
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Summary

I am a die hard videogame fan and have been looking into systems for a long time.I am going to give you my opinion and I hope this helps you make your decision to purchase the GBA SP system.

Nintendo have ruled the handheld market for many many years. Since the original Game Boy was released way back in medieval times,that giant system(larger than the largest PDA)has had a firm grip on all things portable. The latest addition to this empire is the superb GameBoy SP.It takes handheld systems to the next level without compromising speed or memory capacity.The radical new design puts together a stylish flip-screen that folds the handheld in half making is not much bigger than your average cell phone. This sytem is just 82mm (w) x 84.6 (h) x 24.3mm (d) and weighs only 143 grammes. It has come out in three modern colors; silver, blue and black.I bought the silver and am very happy with it. It also features a fantastic and well-needed backlight screen meaning that you needn't get hooked up to a light/magnifier.Think of the money you will save LOL.
The Game Boy SP uses a 32-bit CPU with embedded memory wich puts out 32,000 colorss. Than your games will look just as good. Another exciting feture is this wonderful system plays all of your old games from the entire line of gameboy handheld games.A great accessory is the you can recharge the baterys instead of buying new ones.This is due to the SPs revolutionary Lithium-Ion battery that offers an astounding 10 hours of gameplay with the light on and 18 hours with the light off while taking little over 3 hours to recharge! A impressive stat and useful for those long journeys! That is one of the best batteries in cell phones as well if you know much about them.
It's worth buying just for it's intensley cool style.It is a great value in my mind.It already is the hotest handheld on the market selling out every where.So,get yours as fast as you can.

Sound

The sound is just the regular gameboy sonds like on the other systems.It is nothing great and not much of an improvement from the advance.Its is great if you like those kinds of sounds.To the left of the GBA's controls can be found the volume control. Unlike the familiar dial volume control of the GBA, this time a sliding-type control is used. I don't really prefer this, since you can't get the kind of precise control you have with a dial; there's a tendency for you to unwittingly turn the slider to the max setting, which can result in a sudden ear-splitting surprise. The GBA SP's speaker is mono as usual, but you can enjoy full stereo sound when using headphones.The only other thing is,there is no head phone jack so you have to buy that accessery if you want to use the head phones,but who cares if you bother everyone on the aurplane with you gba sp sound.Thats ther problem.(Advive,if you are very small or weak,keep your sound low for your own safety.)

Gameplay

What can I say the game play is just OUT OF THIS WORLD.The games look teriffic with the built in light.The light switch is conveniently located above the directional cross-pad and the A+B buttons; it's a good thing that a separate light switch was provided, unlike the old Game Boy Light models that had the light switch integrated with the power switch. However, the light also turns on when you turn on the system, which can drain the battery fast - the battery can last a good 18 hours on a full charge if the light isn't used.Than the button layout is just perfect wich make game play more comfortable.Looking at the compact SP you might think that it will be difficult to handle the unit when playing but it is not at all.Because the SP folds in half, the buttons are all recessed to prevent damage to the screen. Consequently, the buttons are now much more shallow. Looking at the picture, you can see the marked difference in protuberance between the GBA cross-pad and the SP cross-pad. As such, this might make fast moving games a little more difficult to control. Games that require multiple button presses or accurate diagonal movements like in fighting games might also be a problem.

Another thing to note is that the 'Start' and 'Select' buttons is placed further from the cross-pad. You need to extend your thumb all the way down to hit these buttons. In most RPG games, these buttons are often used to access menus, and with the SP layout, it makes things a little more harder. But I think that this is something that one can get used to over time.But,if you are a serios gamer,you can take the time to get used to it.It seems that the battery lasts FOREVER.It actualy lasts for many hours so you don't have to bring more batters on new trips like on the old advance.The charger charges very quickly.So overall the game play is teriffic.


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Sound

Here is my BIG problem... NO HEADPHONE JACK.

I use my GBA most on busses and trains, and have no desire to annoy everyone around me with the cheesy music you get in most GBA games. But now in orger to do so, I have to spend more money on an as-yet-unreleased adaptor... Grrr... a step backwards here Nintendo...

Otherwise, again, no real improvement, but not a step backwards either.

Gameplay

Dont really know if this is a relevant field, but hey...

Button dynamics are a little changed from the standard GBA. I had got quite used to a big old thing with my hands a good few inches apart. Given the smaller package, there is some re-training needed to get used to having your hands closer together. Also, and I don't know if its just me, but the buttons feel different: theres a bit more resistance. Not a problem, but again, still takes a bit of getting used to.
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Summary

I've been waiting for a portable system of this nature since I first grabbed hold of a Gameboy (the big ol' one!) years ago. I new when I first played the GB that it was the future. Console gaming power that barely fits in your COAT pocket, forget the pants, not happening. Today though! The GBA SP is here, and what a marvel modern technology it is. The fact that it is backlite would be enough you'd think, right? Well, it is, but there is so much more to it. I can now play it on the metro rail and not have to hold it 3 inches from my face like some dork that by all rights should have a shirt pocket full of pens and what not. I can also play in the ill lit bathroom (full description not available for discussion at this time). Then, you can go outside and play your GBA SP whilest pushing the lawn mower and turn off the backlighting and thus save battery life, Nintendo you geniuses.

The screen has been said to be washed out in terms of color and contrast.....to those who say this I'd just like to say thank you for making the biggest chumps outa yourselves with this ridiculous statement. Look at what you had with GBA,and look at what you have with the SP and just shut your mouths. The screen is beauty in every way I can possibly describe (insert tear here). Ok, end Hallmark moment. The screen looks and plays at virtually any reasonable angle. The critics also say the screen has only one locking position....wrong again fools. standing up I lay it out flat like a PDA, sitting I can play it in standard position (angled very laptopish, heh, cute little dickens as my sweety called it sitting that way), then you can set the monitor angled at a sweet L angle or slightly more closed for that in the bed on the chest play. I have totally been engrossed in Advanced Wars since I got the SP and have literally put about 100 hours in on the thing in the last week and the machine never overheats even at stretchs of 18 straight hours at a time, tough!

The other features I mentioned earlier need addressing as they are very good in their own right. First, the general shape lends itself to less monitor shake from button pushing, which is a big downside until now for portables for me. And, it really will fit in your pocket, any pocket (Tiny). The next plus is huge, it is the first portable that truly feels like a cellphone....meaning, it has a Lith rechargeable battery in it and a charger comes as well. The thing charges in about 12 or so hours and will play for about 6 or so hours on battery power. I played it all day once to test that theory and never ran out yet after 5 hours 30 minutes. The Lith battery was a good move on the part of the Big N, rechargeable batteries usually have a higher amperage and are often better suited to strong battery draws in certain equipment like digital cameras and cell phones that require such bats. The screen also stays cleaner because of the design nature. Now when I play I feel like I truly have a miniature laptop in my hands, very nice indeed! Heh, when I bought thing the guys behind the counter were congratulating me like I just had a baby, LOL. (I was almost expecting one of them to hand me a cigar!)...

You can not possibly be disappointed with this machine, it has no flaws that I can see, unless you consider not having a headphone jack a big sin or something. And there is a converter for that anyway thru the ext. jack on the back. The battery can also be removed and replaced, although the batteries are not for sale just yet. And when you get home plug it in and play on wall power. It makes all your GBA titles take on a new life and has reasserted move trust in Nintendo engineering and design abilities.
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Summary

Finally, the little guy is available in stores. Much has been written about this newest incarnation of the Nintendo handheld powerhouse, and I'm not going to rehash things with this review. I am, however, going to try to cover the most important points for the hardcore handheld-console gamer, since that description fits me. I will try to cover those things that may, assuming you already have a regular Game Boy Advance, give you some insight into a buy/no-buy decision on this device.

Firstly, ergonomically, the GBA-SP is small. It does indeed fit into a standard t-shirt pocket when it's folded up. And, because of it's design, there's no real need for any kind of external case, since when it's folded the screen is protected. In fact, it leaves enough room in your pocket for several of those plastic game cart holders with carts inserted, so if you're into gaming on the go, and only switch between three or four games max, then there's room for both the console and your games in your shirt pocket.

The GBA-SP is also lightweight. I have a Sony MD recorder/player that is similar in size, and if you've seen or own one of those, the GBA-SP is very similar heft-wise as well, and in fact may be even lighter. Most importantly, it's lightweight enough so that it does not make your pocket sag while you're carrying it. Being small is meaningless if a device is so heavy that it causes your pocket to droop uncomfortably, and the GBA-SP does not do that.

The GBA-SP has not one but two expansion ports, each with a unique plug configuration. One does double duty for the recharging plug and for the headphone adapter, which is not yet available as of this writing. This means that, at least with the current configuration or until a third party headphone aqdapter is available, you cannot use headphones while using the recharger/AC adapter. The other is compatible with all existing GBA peripherals.

But these minor annoyances aside, the GBA-SP finally allows total freedom for those of us who like to play videogames almost anywhere and anytime. Although Gameboys for years have been referred to as pocket gaming consoles, the truth is that you needed some damned big pockets. And if you had a protective cover for your machine and supplemental lighting of any kind, then you need a carrying case that would, at best, fit in your backpack or a very thick briefcase.

No more. Now, the Gameboy is truly a pocket gaming console, and though it may take a bit of mental re-adjustment, I can easily imagine millions of gamers taking their hobby out and about more often and to more places than ever before.

Sound

In the many reviews I've read about the GBA-SP, all have mentioned the need for an adapter in order to use headphones. They are not yet available, but the picture in the docs shows a small two or three inch cord with a GBA plug at one end and a standard female mini-plug jack at the other. So, it will not add much in the way of bulk if you like to game with headphones.

But one thing I've not seen mentioned is the fact that the GBA-SP's internal monaural speaker sounds significantly better that the one on a standard GBA. Obviously, most of the sound output is dependent on the game itself. But, it you are playing a game where the developer has really put some emphasis on the audio, you can definately hear the difference. I have tried both the original GBA and the new GBA-SP side by side with Hardcore Pinball and the new Rayman 3 and the difference is very evident.

Granted, the new GBA-SP's speaker is no Bose Wavemaster, but it is a nice improvement nonetheless.

And it has me wondering if, when the headphone adaptor does arrive, if headphone users will notice an improvement as well.

Gameplay

The shoulder buttons are much smaller than before, and I find myself using the second bone of my index finger to press them. This does not seem to be a problem, and in fact it feels just as natural as using the standard GBA buttons. All the other controls are easy to get used to as well. There is an extra button on the face, to toggle the internal light on and off. You do have to manually shut off the GBA-SP every time you're done playing. Simply closing it up does not do it, although that seems counter intuitive.

The internal light is on by default every time you power up.

GBA game carts, once inserted, are even with the bottom of the machine. But older 8-bit Gameboy carts do stick out from the bottom by an inch or more, and extreme care has to be taken that undue pressure is not placed on those carts which would definately damage the GBA-SP. With the original GBA, those carts protruded from the top of the machine and it was not too much of a problem. But with the older carts coming out of the bottom, it is very easy to bang them against a table top, your belt buckle, etc. causing catastrophic damage to your machine.

I am not going to miss changing batteries. The included recharger/transformer is compact due to the fact that the wall plug rotates into the transformer, a very nice design touch. The connecting cord is nice and long allowing for total freedom of movement when playing with A/C power. The batteries do recharge while you're playing with the A/C adapter plugged in, but more slowly.
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Sound

The sound is excellent. The speaker seems better than the one on the original GBA.
There is only one problem: no headphone jack. There is supposed to be a headphone
adapter that connects into the same jack as the a/c adapter, although I did not see one at
the store, and I've heard that it is not out in Japan either. Once the headphone adapter
does come out, this system will be perfect.

Overall, I would give this product a 4.8/5, and once the headphone adapter comes out, I
would give it a 5/5. I would suggest this product to anyone. It is, by far, the best Game
Boy ever.

Gameplay

One of the biggest concerns has been about the shoulder buttons. I tried playing F-Zero,and I had no problems with the shoulder buttons at all.Also, the GameShark will work with it, although you do have to shove it in there because
it won't go in easily, but remember, it wasn't designed to use a GameShark.
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