Nintendo Gameboy Micro > Reviews (1)

Though I was aware of the Gameboy Micro's release in 2005, it seems like myself, no one really took any notice at all when it launched, obscured by the release of 2004's original Nintendo DS and Sony PSP. The GBMicro really didn't offer anything new to the handheld gaming market at all, though there are a few factors which does help level the field of the major handhelds.

Upon release, a brand new Gameboy Micro retailed for around £60-80, which for a seemingly out-of-date console was extortionate. Fortunately the price has come down a great deal in the last 2 years or so, seemingly over-stocking the Pink version as it is the cheapest available to which I purchase for a mere £13 as new from eBay.

The box itself for the Micro is quite small and stylish. Inside are the usual refinements:
- A4 'poster' advertising the Micro and GBA games
- Health and Safety Booklet
- Instruction Booklet
- Gameboy Micro Console
- Pouch
- Power Adapter

The Gameboy Micro Console is very elegant. The screen is a mere 2" though I haven't played a game which is difficult to use, and text is vibrantly clear. There are 5 different levels of brightness selected by holding 'L' and 'Up' or 'Down' volume keys. In comparison to the GBA SP the clarity is immaculate, incomparable to the original GBA. The entire device measures 10x5x1.5cm and surprisingly sits comfortable in my hands. All but the consoles' face has a metallic and bright texture, and feels very durable.The inter-changeable faceplate is a glossy-plastic, which also serves as a screen protector on top of the case.

The console is definitely eye-catching in the bright pink version I have and warrants quite a few comments of interest.

The main reason I purchased this console, other than the ridiculously low price, is that it seems to be the only truly 'pocket-portable' handheld console on the market, other than a mobile phone. The Nintendo DSi, and Sony's PSP are far too large to fit in normal-sized pockets. I usually leave the Micro in my jacket pocket for whenever I might be waiting around longer than a few minutes.

The buttons are easily pressed and not particularly fiddly. My own criticism is the shoulder buttons which have to be pressed toward the inner part of the device. A nice touch are the Blue and Red LED's behind the 'Start' and 'Select' keys, flashing blue when the device is turned on, or red (and remain red) when the battery reaches around 20%. Whereas other Gameboy devices are known to have a slider volume adjustment, the Micro has an 'Up' and 'Down' button to the right of the device. The on/off switch is located on the underside of the device to the left, and impossible to accidentally switch whilst gaming (which the original DS suffered from, for some).

The speaker is not fantastic. It never sounds tinny, but this is only because it isn't capable of being loud enough to sound tinny. This is fine for private gaming, though in any sort of a noisy location sound is barely audible, but this may just be a courtesy for those around rather than belting out extra-loud Pokémon battle tunes.

Each press of the volume key an audible 'beep' is heard from the speaker, with a 'triple beep' indicating maximum loudness. However I am pleased to say that with a headphone jack the audio is definitely loud and clear enough.

The battery life is fairly impressive. On the lowest brightness setting without sound I can get around 8 or 9 hours of continuous gameplay, 5 hours with highest brightness and volume. I find this more than enough time for gaming.

The console supports only GBA games, however there is a fantastically large library of existing GBA games - Golden Sun, Pokémon Fire Red, Super Mario World to name a few. As I was looking for a console to play a vast collection of games I also purchased a GBA Flash cartridge to hold all previously purchased, backed-up games on a single GBA cart.

Compared to the PSP and DS there is no internet connectivity or extra features, though you can link up to other Micro's with the appropriate link cable, which definitely does bring new life to the console.

Though the console is very dated, and out of manufacture, for anyone looking to play some classic games on a truly portable console I would choose this over any other handheld any day.