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Gameboy Advance SP Released Today in North America
Txiasaeia writes "The latest version of Nintendo's venerable Gameboy has been released today in North America. The Gameboy Advance SP builds upon its predecessor by adding a front lit display, and a foldable design in order to protect the screen. Also, instead of using AA batteries to power the device, it uses a
Lithium-Ion battery. Other than that, the basic architecture of the system remains the same as the original Gameboy Advance. Most online retailers' first shipment has been sold out, but my local Walmart had plenty of copies.
Check out this Gamespy review." I snagged one at lunch today. The screen is vastly improved from the original GBA. Now the only question is how many Pokemon I can collect ;) (And yes Hemos, we got you one too ;)
It seems as though Nintendo is slowly coming out of it's slumber. They are beginning to realize what their fans have been clamoring for, and are trying to give the fans what they want. The original GBA comes out and no one can see anything without a spot light on the screen, so they release a new GBA with a lit screen and rechargeable batteries. The GameCube isn't marketed well, so they offer free games with every purchase. Original NES fans want their favorite series revamped, so they get Metroid Prime, and other oldies to be shown at E3 (perhaps Earthbound). Nintendo perhaps finally realizes the threat that Microsoft can pose and that soley by marketing out the ying-yang, they have taken a sizeable portion of the pie. Maybe the GBA SP is but another small step towards the agressive Nintendo we grew up with in the 80's.
"Chances of RHIC-induced Armageddon are exceedingly rare, but... you never know." - MIT Physicist Bob Jaffe
Interestingly I was wandering through BestBuy two days ago and there, on the shelf, not drawing any attention to itself (heck, it was almost hidden) was several GBA SPs. I had to blink twice, cuz I knew they were not supposed to be out yet.
:)
I guess some stock-dude just put them out there not knowing to hold off until today. No one was grabbing them, but I did.
-- David
David Whatley
I agree with you, but all hope is not lost.
:)
First of all, build yourself a MAME cab, you wont regret it.
Second, Sammy is making great new 2d fighters (Guilty Gear X2). They also have new arcade hardware out ("Atomiswave") that is based on Sega's NAOMI hardware. Expect them (and, by rumour, maybe SNK/Playmore) to make all kinds of nice 2d games for this system and port it to your favorite next gen console.
Keep your chin up, soldier!
-Mani
btw, don't go starting on emulators, i've been there and am not wasting my time on those again!
one thing i have noticed, macs seem to have far superior, reliable games like these up for download than windows.
This post was brought to you by the number 584811 and the characters / and .
Sony was successful in pulling the console market out from under nintendo; why have they basically left nintendo free to dominate the hand-held market? One would have to imagine sony could put out a rad product, perhaps using memory stick for game dl'ing instead of proprietary cartridges.
If I could make this sig kill you, I would.
True. I bought a GBA not all that long time ago, spesificly to play Pokemon on (yeah, I know). I could have gotten an ordinary CB Color, and cheaper too, but the GBA simply have better ergonimics.
Totoaly on a sidenote; I recently bought a copy of Doom for my GBA which seems to be a near perfect copy of the original Doom for the PC; anyone knows how to enter the cheatcodes *smiles* ?
Everything in the world is controlled by a small, evil group to which, unfortunately, no one you know belongs.
The real gem-feature of the GBA SP is the screen, which is perfect for watching television or DVD's (with the tv tuner). I hardly even play games on it. It's become my little entertainment center, and I can take it to school or work.
IT HAS NINJA CONCEALING CAPABILITIES!!
I plug my portable DVD/SVD player into the TV tuner and watch movies ALL the time. The backlit/flipout screen improves this by 100 fold because it's just like having a small television screen. Sharp picture, too. Very nice.
My only grip is the lack of stereo sound. But it's really okay! Doesn't affect the sound quality too much. GG NINTENDO.
I picked mine up yesterday. I havn't bought a GB since the original back when I was 13. Screen: Looks good. Nice colors, no streaking when scrolling, with the backlight on it looks good in any light. With the light off, you need some direct light to see it really, sunlight or a bright room. Battery: I charged it up yesterday and like they advertise, I got about 10 hours of play with the backlight on! Comfort: It fits nicely in my pocket when folded up and is comfortable in the hands when playing. I particularily like the flat buttons. I remember the directional pad became uncomfortable on the thumb after extended play. Not this one. I played Phantasy Star for 4 hours straight and no gamer's thub :)
Drawbacks: It's a bit dissapointing that you need to buy an adapter to plugin headphones. I also appear to be missing a cable to play with my friends. I've been out of the GB world for a while, however, my original did ship with the cable to play head to head games.
Overall: I can't put it down. I especially love the compact size.
Hmm.. looks like it's all charged up again. Back to Phantasy Star (yes, you can use it while it is plugged in, but I was hungry too)