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In March, Nintendo in their ultimate wisdom, launched the Gameboy Advance Special Project (SP). With their existing Gameboy Color and Gameboy Advance products, Nintendo had achieved market domination in the field of handheld gaming, but as with any successful company, they needed to find ... Read review
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and is properly matching!Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery (originally packaged factory-new merchandise)This high capacity rechargeable battery definitely disposes of more power than the original rechargeable battery included in delivery of the unit. This rechargeable battery can be used instead of the original rechargeable battery without any problems and can be recharged with the available standard power supply. The rechargeable battery is protected and secured against overcharge and short-circuits.Features of this rechargeable battery:safety due to heat and overcharge protectionreal lithium-ion rechargeable battery, more power than the original rechargeable batteryno memory effect ? recharge your battery whenever you likeexcellent fitting accuracy, certified quality merchandise, not an original accessorythe standard battery charger can still be used
A review by averagepunter on Nintendo Gameboy Advance SP June 9th, 2003
Author's product rating:
Graphics capability
Sound capability
Range of Extra Features (I.e. email)
Value For Money
Advantages:
Compact size, Stylish, Battery Life
Disadvantages:
I used to read the occasional book
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Whenever I head off on my holidays, I pause momentarily in the Dixons Duty Free shop looking at the handheld game consoles that might help while away a few hours on the beach, or help that long flight pass a little more quickly. This has been going on for about six years and I have not been sufficiently inspired to part with my hard-earned.......Until Now. At this point I should warn you that this opinion comes from someone who is not a serious gamer, but enjoys the opportunity to enjoy a good game every now and again......that might change though.
In March, Nintendo in their ultimate wisdom, launched the Gameboy Advance Special Project (SP). With their existing Gameboy Color and Gameboy Advance products, Nintendo had achieved market domination in the field of handheld gaming, but as with any successful company, they needed to find a way of enlarging the potential market. With the SP, I believe they will succeed.
Obviously, there are those out there who simply must have the latest gadget out there. Most of these will already own the Gameboy advance, but many will upgrade to the SP simply because 1) it is new. 2) It uses the same game cartridges as the previous model so they won’t incur massive expense buying all new games. 3) It is more playable due to the integrated screen light. 4) It just looks a darn sight better.
Appearance Matters
It is the last point that really makes the difference though. Previously, Gameboys have always held the appearance of a kids toy, and not surprisingly, the main purchasers have been in the 10-16 age group (or their parents!!). The SP, however, has the appearance of an executive gadget – a deliberate ploy by Nintendo to extend the usage of these ‘toys’ into the 20 and 30 something age groups (Being part of the latter group, I can testify to their success). If you opt for the black or silver colour, this could easily be mistaken for an electronic organiser when folded. Personally, I opted for the very striking Blue metallic finish.
Portability
Although portability is the main attraction, the previous gameboy advance was not ‘conveniently portable’ in my book. Its size meant you needed something to carry it in and that was just added hassle I didn’t need or want. The SP however has true portability - when folded, it is roughly an 8cm by 8cm square with a depth of just over 2cm. This means you can easily slip this into a shirt or trouser pocket, so you can whip it out and enjoy your gaming anytime and anywhere.
Technology
As the SP uses the same 32-bit technology as its predecessor there is no significant advance in gameplay. However, a big step forward has been made with the inclusion of a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery. This offers up to 10 hours of gameplay from a 3 hour charge. If you switch the screen light off, the battery will see you good for up to 16 hours. (However, you will almost certainly find that you need the light on 95% of the time). The mains adapter for recharging is also included and you can continue to play games while recharging is taking place – although this will obviously increase the time needed to reach full charge.
Games
The SP uses the same cartridge format as existing Gameboy Advance games, plus the earlier Gameboy Color cartridges will also fit, so there is a wide range of games to choose from. Classics like Tetris, Frogger and Donkey Kong - adaptations of movie plots, and the all important (for me) driving, sports and role-playing games. Prices range from £5 in the bargain basement up to £35 for the latest and greatest. There is also a good second hand market for games, either on eBay or via some specialist games shops. There must surely be something for everyone.
Playability
Well, I guess it depends on the games you buy – what I can comment on is that the small size of the unit did raise some concerns that my large hands would find it a bit awkward. However, with over 40 hours gameplay under my belt in the last two weeks, I can confidently say that this is a very comfortable unit to play. The addition of the lit screen means that you no longer have to seek out perfect light conditions in order to enjoy your gaming - in fact I have found the darker your environs, the better your gaming will be. That said, the small screen does lead to eye strain if you play for too long, particularly if the light conditions are creating distracting reflections – you would be well advised to follow the manufacturers advice and rest your eyes for at least 10 mins in each hour of gameplay.
Accessories
The one glaring omission from this product is a headphone socket. (I contemplated deducting a star for this, but the SP is so good that would have been harsh) You need to buy an headphone adapter for about £2.75 – useful if you don’t want to annoy everyone around you. There is the usual plethora of carrying cases available, but not really necessary as the screen is protected when the unit is closed. If you like gaming with friends, then there is a multi-link cable available as some games offer you the ability to play with other players. Other accessories include a comfort grip(love handles for the SP) and a screen magnifier.
Price
£85 seems to be about the cheapest at the moment. The SP is still quite new so discounts are not readily available. The best deals seem to be packaged with games – i.e. buy the unit and get up to £10 off games purchased at the same time. A two-year warranty is included as standard.
So, Nintendo have finally persuaded me to part with my cash. As someone who has never owned any form of games console before, I am very happy with my purchase – although my wife will undoubtedly attempt to impose some restrictions on my gameplay before too long – I’ve started to get those looks already!!!
Advantages: Small sleek and integral light. Disadvantages: Needs headphone adapter
...grey. In 1998 Nintendo decided to spruce up the Gameboy's image and to this end they not only shrunk it in size to 75mm x 27mm x 133mm, and a much lighter 138g, but they added an impressive upto 56 simultaneous on-screen colours. In 2001 the third incarnation arose, the Gameboy Advance. And this truly brought a new experience to handheld gaming, boasting a 32 bit CPU, and upto a massive 32,768 colours on-screen, we now had gameplay to rival the playstation, ... ...gripe, but still what were Nintendo thinking except more money.
What Games Are Available?
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There is a huge library of games available, consisting of hundreds if not thousands of titles. As you can play games originally released for the gameboy and gameboy colour, you can even play the original Tetris. A word of warning though, gameboy/colour games will stick out of the slot somewhat and make the overall look ...
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Advantages: Screen light, rechargable battery, compact design, backward compatibility Disadvantages: Battery life worn a bit by light
...to look like the original Nintendo Entertainment System controller from the 80s.
The graphics are the same as Gameboy advance graphics, only brighter with the use of the light.
As with all Nintendo consoles, there is a wide variety of games available. There are countless Super Mario games, such as Mario Kart and Mario Party which was the first game in the Mario Party series to be released for the Gameboy. Mario Kart is a racing game, which also ... ...Gamecube. Fans of the series will love Super Circuit, this version for the Gameboy advance and it's also great for first time gamers, as it isn't too difficult to start off with. You can also play games from the brilliant Legend of Zelda series, including Link's Awakening and the Oracle series. The Legend of Zelda series is often regarded as one of the best game series available, and there are plenty of them to choose from for this console. The SP ...
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Advantages: Small, battary lasts, some good games, light screen Disadvantages: Some games, old game compatibility, no headphone support
...with the first GBA that nintendo brought out for us. I wasn't too fussed for it, to be honest.
Once i did get it for £80 with a game included, i actually couldnt put the thing down for hours on end. So, thats how i got mine out the way, lets get down to the review.
Big? Small? - The gameboy advance SP is around the same size as the old gameboys in length, and square in width. There is 2 panals, one is with the buttons and the other is for the screen.
... ...a small box, with the Nintendo name and logo on the top, on the sides it includes the main on and off button and a volume slide. The speaker in the GBA SP is good, you CAN hear the sounds of games quite clearly and with help from ingame settings and the volume slide, you can find your prefered sound level.
Unfortunatly, its not all good in this small game processer, there is NO headphone socket, unlike the other versions of the gameboy, even the ...
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Advantages: Sleak design | Compact | See the screen Disadvantages: No headphone output
...design, which is obviously what Nintendo had in mind to appeal to the more mature person as well as the younger kids who want to play the games. It has a nice finish of either platinum (silver), black or blue and it will seem most people will opt for the ever sexy silver, which is what I plumped for, but seeing the other colours up close too all of them retain a stylish look about them. Its dimensions are also worthy of note. Measuring at just 3.33’’ ... ...Playing time is generous. Nintendo have had a reason to shy away from including a light on a portable system because they can eat batteries but technology has come along. The built in battery can now last about 10 hours playtime with the light on and 18 hours with no light. Incidentally a new rechargeable battery has been released in Japan boasting a 16-hour playing time with the light on. Ten hours is still a very good time to play on but it can ...
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Advantages: Pocket-sized, quality gaming Disadvantages: More than pocket-sized price
...Kong, Tetris and all?
Nintendo say that the GBA is compatible with 'almost all' older games. Advance games cartridges are the same width and thickness as the old kind but half the length, about 6 by 3 centimetres, so if you put an old Game Pak in the front-loading slot of the SP it protrudes cheekily for an inch or so. Not enough to get in the way of your flying fingers, though. I've yet to find a game that doesn't work in the SP; I tried it on ... ...monochrome machine (cracking good game, incidentally) with no problems at all. Game Boy titles don't use all the six-by-four centimetre screen due to the difference in aspect ratio between the old squareish screen and the Advanced rectangular one, so the effect is of watching a pan-and-scan film on a widescreen TV. (08/05/03: I've discovered that if you press the L button while playing an old Game Boy game, the picture stretches to fill the whole ...
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Advantages: Totally interactive gaming.. Disadvantages: Only four players at a time..
...of space needed to hold all those games..! Of all of them I have 5..! Contributing slightly there..!
A bit of Nintendo history..
There are a lot of consoles that Nintendo have made over the years.. Some of them I would imagine have been in most peoples houses at one point..
The company had the 'Colour TV game' system.. With a few different games, during the 70's and 80's.. Including Donkey Kong that I think everyone has heard of..!
There is obviously the hand held of Nintendo's consoles.. The Gameboy, the game boy, colour, advance and AdvanceSP.. The one with the flip screen.. Now we have the direct follow on with the DS and DS Lite.. Which are also very entertaining..!
The newest Nintendo consoles we have probably had our paws on have been..
The Nintendo 64.. Which enabled us to play four player instead of just two...
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Advantages: Great games, Appeals to everyone, Pocket sized, Great Design Disadvantages: 3D Capabilities not a powerful as PSP, No UK Web Browser (Yet)
...The re-designed DS is a thing of beauty. Now it can compete with the PSP on looks and the games are so much better.
The DS certainly confirmed to me the future of video games is handheld.
My Son (Five) and I have had two happy years with our two Gameboy AdvanceSP's, but Nintendo's new DS Lite made me rush out and purchase two to replace the aging SP's.
I bought both the black version and the white Version to easy distinguish between my sons and mine.
If you are to buy just one go for the white one. The black unit shows up finger prints, grease and marks very easily, whereas the white just looks great all the time.
The original DS didn't attract my attention, The PSP looked far better but since the launch the software on offer for the DS has improved and now has a fine catalogue of games for young and old, casual...
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Advantages: Nintendo exclusive content, touch screen (dual screens), innovative software, superb sound, great graphics Disadvantages: size (could have been smaller).
...Recently I decided to finally delve into the portable gaming market. I could choose between the Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) and the Nintendo DS (NDS).
Lets just say there’s a lot of touching going on...
--- Enter the Nintendo DS ---
NDS stands for Nintendo Dual Screen (apparently also standing for Developer's System - due to the relative ease of developing software for it).
The Nintendo DS is Nintendo's next generation portable gaming system which is their third tier console. This means that Nintendo now produces the Gamecube, the GameboyAdvance/SP and the NDS. Ignorance runs rampant in today's media and the majority have slated the DS as the successor of the Gameboy AdvanceSP despite the fact that Nintendo has repeatedly said that this is not the case. Gameboy "Evolution" will be the successor to the GBA SP, released...
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05.09.2008
07.03.2005
