Slashdot Mirror
New Gameboy Announced
Xenex writes "From Planet GameCube: Nintendo today announced a US March 23rd release date for their Game Boy Advanced SP system. The GBA SP features a clamshell design that when folded is 3-inch square and an inch thick. The unit will also be also front lit, and totally backwards compatible with all previous Game Boy software." As any GBA owner can tell you, the screen in earlier models sucked pretty terrible. I'm looking forward to trying this one out.
Now all someone needs to do is port Linux to it, and it'll make a nice little PDA.
Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
I wonder how long till the GameBoy XP comes out?
It will run old games in GameBoy9x mode.
Seriously, have they not learned from M$ that staying compatible with older stuff limits you?
if (!sig) { printf("Signature Unavailable\n"); }
FRONT LIT?!?!
Words fail me. I hope it works better than I think it might. It's ugly, probably going to cramp my hands up worst than the GBA does, and the fucking thing isn't even backlit?
From a business standpoint it makes no sense either. Cell phones are big in Japan. Why not make a combo cell-phone/gba (and make it backlit of course).
ARGH!!!! WHAT ARE THEY THINKING? IT'S UGLY!!!
No, wait, must recover... remember, Nintendo good, do no wrong....
*Remembers virtua-boy*
*explodes*
Robots are everywhere, and they eat old people's medicine for fuel.
Mirosoft announces its foray into the portables with the new X-boy gaming system, allowing users to have all the portability of playing such fast-paced and unconfusing Microsoft favorites like Age of Empires and Flight Simulator with all of the kiddies in the neighborhood.*
*Included in the system is its own rechargeable power supply, backlit screen, co-op cable, and pull cart.
I want to play text adventures on that thing!
/usr/games/fortune > ~/.signature
I agree with you on the bad form factor.
;)
The regular GBA isn't really that hard to tote around, the thing slips into my coat pocket, my pants pocket, the pockets in my car door, its slim factor is a lot easier to tote around I think than a cube would be. Try fitting a 3" cube in your pocket. "Is that a SP in your pocket or are you just a pervert?" hehe.
There are however a couple reasons people will want these.
1: The oh cool! factor. This will work for a while until they become more popular.
2: Lighting. One of my biggest complaints on the GBA was the fact that it was incredibly difficult to see the screen very well. Of course, now there's hacks all over to fix this, but most people don't want to mess with aftermarket hacks.
As for me, I'm a pretty big guy. My hands are about 4 sizes too big for a regular GBA as it is. If I got one of these little cubes I'd look like a giant trying to crush a pea.
and it gave her the edge in school as NOBODY else has a backlit GBA.
I'm sure she'll take solace in that "edge" when she fails algebra because you were too busy modding her GBA to help her with her homework.
Japanese citizen: What creature has destroyed our server?
Japanese citizen 2: Look, it's Godzilla!
Japanese citizen: No, it's... it's.... slash-dot
[/dubbing]
A big green and white web page crashes through downtown Tokyo, laying waste to all servers in it's path...
psxndc
The emacs religion: to be saved, control excess.
Or as Bush would say "go after this marketer more directer"
"Otherwise, for $90 ($100 after taxes, etc), it looks like a nice evolution for the GBA..."
NO! You are 100% completely wrong!! Stop spreading FUD!!! I live in Oregon, we have no sales tax, so it'll be $90! GEEZ!
There, I proved somebody wrong, mod me up.
(Disclaimer: The previous was my impression of a good deal of responses I see on Slashdot. It's meant as a joke, laugh.)