Nintendo GameBoy Advance > Reviews (110)

I was 17 in March, and I'm indesicive to say the least, so I always get completely random birthday presents to save the hassle of actually asking me! From my parents I got lots of lovely clothes and jewelery, driving lessons, quality digital camera and money. Friends got me an assortment of smellies and other girly stuff. My brother got me a battery charger and lastly, my boyfriend got me trainers. And a Gameboy Advance SP.

A Gameboy might seem like a strange present to get a 17 year old female, but I'm hooked on champ manager and play gamecube almost obsessively, so it made sense in a way!

The SP is the newest addition to an already huge selection of portable game consoles, many of which come from the same Nintendo family. There's the original gameboy, gameboy colour and the gameboy advance. They all do the same thing some may say, but the SP has one huge advantage. It has a flip screen, so it looks like a cute little minature laptop, and saves the screen from getting scratched. The keys are on the opposite side the the screen and offer suprising comfort despite the square shape.

Another key advantage this has over the original gameboys is the light facility. As anyone who has played gameboys will probably know, the screen is very dark and often needs to be played under some kind of light or with the extra fittings. This has a tiny little key near the key pad which flicks on and off to brighten up the screen. It makes a huge difference when you consider the difference in picture quality.

The games are only about 3cm by 5cm and slip into a space beneath the console. They're visible whilst playing but quite a tight fit so there's no worry about children pulling them out. A two bar light on the right hand side indicates level of battery life and charging time left and a slider on the left side turns the volume up and down.

Nintendo have a history for making good quality consoles and at reasonable prices, take the Gamecube for example, which was much cheaper than competitors. Games come at reasonable prices if you're willing to buy second hand, I recently picked up Super Mario Advance for £7 and Rayman for £10. It's playable anywhere you go, from a short bus trip to a boring evening at work (well, that might just be a personal thing!!). Its appeal is long lasting and games can be swapped in and out as quick as a flash.

How good is it
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Despite the fact that it cost a small fortune for something so teeny (£89.99 from Game), I do believe that it's worth it. It takes games from its predecessors the GB colour and the GB advance, so if you have one of the earlier consoles, theres no need to replace games. I do enjoy playing and find that the screen is suprisingly easy to view, without getting eye strain! It also keeps people of all ages amused, my baby sister likes playing her Tweenies game, my mum will play Tetris, I play Rayman and my bf will play Zelda! So if you're looking for something to keep the family amused on long car journeys, this could be your answer, it's compact, reasonably priced and games can be bought second hand for as little as £7! It comes in two colours, platinum and cobalt, both just as cute as the other! I would reccomend this fully, I love mine and its all I can do to stop playing!

Specs
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Size (closed) - Approximately 3.3" height/3.23" width/0.96" depth

Weight - Approximately 5 ounces

Battery life -
*10 hours continuous play with light on
*18 hours with light off
*3 hours recharging

Power - Rechargeable lithium-ion battery

Resolution - 240 x 160 pixels