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Game Boy Advance SP Sells 1.1 Million in U.S.

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the cowboyneal's-pokémon-addiction dept.

clu76 writes "An article at Business Wire indicates that Nintendo has sold 1.1 million Game Boy Advance SPs since hitting the shelves less than 10 weeks ago. The article goes on to say, 'The new model has sold at a rate of more than 10 per minute, non-stop, since launch.' Two new colors of the popular handheld have also been announced: Flame (red) and Onyx (black)." I'd attribute this to the SP being the first Game Boy to have a screen that's viewable in total darkness, as well as not requiring batteries. Anyone got ideas for what to do with an old GBA?

40 of 339 comments (clear)

  1. Sure... by ScriptGuru · · Score: 5, Funny

    Anyone got ideas for what to do with an old GBA?
    I'll take it.

    --
    Yet another signature that refers to itself. The irony and humor is dead.
  2. Great Machine, but... by Rosyna · · Score: 5, Interesting

    When the Backlight is on the screen gets all hazy from too much reflection and glare from it's own internal light. Also, let's not forget you have to pay extra to get a headphone jack. That extra accessory makes the GBASP a little less portable than the previous incarnation.

    1. Re:Great Machine, but... by ubikkibu · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Agree about the $9.95 headphone jack--it should have been included, and is a bit awkward when plugged in.

      Disagree about the backlit screen. I play inside, outside, everywhere, and the SP screen with backlight on or off is even clearer than the standard GBA screen. If it's really hazy for you, perhaps your unit has a problem? I have a silver and a gold SP and they are both crystal clear.

      Also got a Japanese GameBoy Player for my GameCube. Sa-weet! I love playing Golden Sun: The Lost Age on my 40" Sony.

    2. Re:Great Machine, but... by Abcd1234 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Please, note, this is NOT a backlight! I repeat, NOT a backlight! The GBA SP has a FRONT light, just like the Afterburner.

    3. Re:Great Machine, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Backlights are placed behind the screens whereas frontlights are placed in front of the screen. The GameBoy Advance SP uses a frontlight. It's a common mistake.

      For some reason, people also seem to think that all backlit screens get washed out when viewed under front lighting. That is also wrong. Transflective LCD technology has been around for over a decade. My Newton uses a transflective LCD (a rather nice one, I might add) and it was discontinued over five years ago!

  3. old GBA? by SHEENmaster · · Score: 5, Funny

    Send it to me! The NetBSD port is only a few days away. I could patch in a keyboard and a numeric coprocessor and a hard disk and wifi/wired ethernet...

    --
    You can't judge a book by the way it wears its hair.
  4. Slashdot editors... by SlashChick · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Anyone got ideas for what to do with an old GBA?"

    Boy, one would think the Slashdot editors had never heard of eBay. :P

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    Simpli - Your source for San Jose dedicated servers and colocation!
  5. Too damn small! by Chris_Jefferson · · Score: 5, Insightful

    While I do like the GBA SP, and it's screen, I'm sticking with my GBA and AfterBurner ( http://www.tritonlabs.com/ ) internal light (which is in my opinion as good as the GBA SP light), just because I can't use the GBA SP without getting cramp.. I'd live nintendo to release a new GBA SP about 50% bigger, then those of us with larger hands (or it seems normal man-sized hands) can hold it without cramp!

    --
    Combination - fun iPhone puzzling
    1. Re:Too damn small! by PainKilleR-CE · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I bought a pair of hand-grips that mount to the thing and make it roughly the same width as a PSX controller. It seems to help out quite a bit, at least for me (and I bought the old larger XBox controller because the S controller that came with my XBox just isn't comfortable to me).

      --
      -PainKilleR-[CE]
    2. Re:Too damn small! by Phexro · · Score: 5, Funny

      "Plus I like how the old GBA takes AA batteries. Much easier upkeep compared to prying the thing open and replacing the internal."

      Or you could recharge the SP's battery when it drains.

    3. Re:Too damn small! by Coke+in+a+Can · · Score: 3, Funny

      "Now we retreat back into our safe, dark caves (or apartments, as applicable)"

      You forgot our parents' basements.

    4. Re:Too damn small! by crazyprogrammer · · Score: 3, Informative

      IIRC, the instruction booklet says after 500 recharges, the battery will be 70% effective. So after just 200 the battery should still work like new.

      --
      "the fax machine is nothing but a waffle iron with a phone attached to it." - Grandpa Simpson
  6. More on colors by generic-man · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here's a high-resolution picture of the two new colors. Unfortunately, you won't be able to buy one until September.

    --
    For more information, click here.
  7. Use it? by sporty · · Score: 4, Informative
    Anyone got ideas for what to do with an old GBA?


    Get some rechargable batteries and a lamp. Use it. You'll live.

    Or use your m4d h4XX0r1ng skilz and get an afterburner lighting kit for it.

    --

    -
    ping -f 255.255.255.255 # if only

  8. Doesn't require batteries? by irving47 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Very nice. So I guess it runs off the pure power of geek? Or have they nailed that whole zero point energy conundrum?

    --
    I had a sucky sig.
    1. Re:Doesn't require batteries? by calethix · · Score: 4, Funny

      "Maybe it's like the forever flashlite over at Think Geek and all you need to do is shake it for 10-15 seconds then play for up to 5 minutes =]"

      I thought it was common knowledge that shaking a controller in the direction you want to go can make you jump higher and turn corners sharper and even run just a little bit faster so you don't get smooshed. ;)
      It makes sense to make use of that wasted energy.

  9. New users or upgraded users by Almost_anonymous_cow · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I think it would be intresting to see how many of those purchases where new or old gameboy users simply upgrading.

  10. No batteries? by evilviper · · Score: 4, Funny
    I'd attribute this to the SP being the first Game Boy to have a screen that's viewable in total darkness, as well as not requiring batteries.

    No batteries, eh? So they finally accepted my idea for the nuclear reactor power pack...
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    Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
  11. I love my GBA SP by SweetAndSourJesus · · Score: 3, Interesting

    My only real problem with it is that the hinge doesn't act as a switch. That seemed like a no-brainer to me. Close the GBA, it turns off. Instead we get a goofy little switch on the side.

    Oh, and the headphone adapter. What the hell is up with that?

    --

    --
    the strongest word is still the word "free"
    1. Re:I love my GBA SP by FroBugg · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Well, sometimes I like to be able to close it while my game is paused, so I can drop it in my pocket for a minute or two to do something without having to worry about saving games or anything like that.

      It would be nice, though, if the just the screen turned off when it closed to save a bit of power.

    2. Re:I love my GBA SP by Rosyna · · Score: 3, Funny

      Not really. I was in the middle of a game of MegaMan and Bass but I had to take a shower and didn't want to play the GBASP in the shower nor did I want to start all over from the beginning of King's tower. So I just plugged 'er in and closed the lid while I took a shower. Although I do wish it fell asleep when the lid was closed like the PowerBooks/iBooks.

    3. Re:I love my GBA SP by robbway · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Here are some other reasons:

      -sleep mode which is a low-power consumption mode available in some games
      -game link, where the gameboy is mostly inactive, like on Legend of Zelda
      -mp3 player attachment

      But like FroBugg said, the screen's light should go off automatically, though you can turn it off yourself.

    4. Re:I love my GBA SP by alphaseven · · Score: 4, Informative
      Oh, and the headphone adapter. What the hell is up with that?

      From an interview with Kenichi Sugino, the guy behind the design of the GBA SP:

      Q: One of the main complaints people have about the SP is its lack of built-in headphone jack. What was the reason behind removing it?
      KS: Well, you can use headphones with the SP if you plug in an adapter, of course. In the beginning we planned to include the jack, but from a purely physical standpoint, we just couldn't get it in. (laughs) If we put the port in, then that's that much cubic volume we can't use for other parts of the GBA. We were worried, of course, how people would respond to that, but when we looked at our research, we found that the percentage of people that use headphones with their GBA is actually pretty low. It's low, but there are people that use them, so we decided to build the system with the majority of users in mind and, at the same time, also accommodate the rest of the people that play it with the adapter. It was a compromise, you could say.
      Not sure that I buy that but there you go.
  12. Old GBA use by scot4875 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Anyone got ideas for what to do with an old GBA?

    Save it for use as a controller for your Gamecube for when Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles comes out. It's rumored to *require* a GBA for every player.

    --Jeremy

    --
    Jesus was a liberal
    1. Re:Old GBA use by Chris_Jefferson · · Score: 3, Informative

      The most recent beta versions let you get to everything without the GBA (except for some shiny subgames) although it looks like if you are going to try for 4-player split-screen it's going to get awful crowded if you force it to display stuff on the screen instead of on a GBA.

      --
      Combination - fun iPhone puzzling
  13. GBA SP Rocks by Microlith · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I got mine back in March, shortly before I came to Japan.

    To say the least, it's worth the money. Even more so if you (like I) owned zero consoles before it.

    The thing lasts forever with the light on, and even longer with the light off. And it's very, very small. Only downside might be the attachment you have to buy for the headphone jack but the sound isn't really that important.

    Nintendo did an awesome job with the SP. Now if only they had 4 buttons instead of just A and B...

  14. I wonder... by PainKilleR-CE · · Score: 3, Informative

    I simply wonder how many they would've sold if they could keep up with the demand. It took me 3 weeks to get a GBA SP, and then I had to get the blue one (I wanted the silver one), or face another 2-3 weeks unless I got lucky (and no, I haven't seen a silver one in the ~1 week since I got mine). The worst part is that everyone I asked pretty much knew what I was going to say by the time I got the words Game Boy out of my mouth, but they had to wait for the SP because they have so many of the old GBAs on the shelf and would love to get rid of them.

    Everyone pretty much said that they get a shipment of 12 of them every couple of weeks, 6 of each colour, although sometimes they come in seperate shipments. They also have no idea when they will receive them (except for a couple of the larger retailers like WalMart which gets more regular shipments, though the shipments are the same size).

    --
    -PainKilleR-[CE]
  15. I still prefer my old GBA by aTMsA · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Of course, I prefer it now that I've modded it with the afterburner and dimmer chip(and a battery).

    My hands are somewhat big and i find the grip on the SP model too small and awkward, the old model is a bit bigger, but with the afterburner, i actually think you're better off(the dimmer chip has different levels of intensity, and an auto-off feature, very handy if you leave it turned on because you can't save at that moment).

    By the way, i think Nintendo has done wrong requiring an adaptor for headphones, because in both the old GBA and the SP the speaker is practically useless.

  16. A great guy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    A great man I know bought an SP and left his GBA at work for bored people to play (this is a receptionist job with very slow times). He is unto a god.

  17. What to do with the old one? by Echo5ive · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Save it. Final Fantasy: Chrystal Chronicles uses a GBA hooked up to your Gamecube as a controller.

    Some people will shout that they did this just to sell more GBAs, but it all makes sense, really. A Final Fantasy where the game pauses every time one of four players need to change equipment?

    This method also encourages you to talk to each other during the game, since you only see your own stuff and need to tell the other players that you're low on healing potions or whatever.

    --
    Leveling up builds character.
  18. Hmmm... by st0rmshad0w · · Score: 3, Informative

    "Anyone got ideas for what to do with an old GBA?"

    Mutter curses while throwing it in the dumpster on your way out to get the newest version, now with Tint Control®. Gotta stay on the bleeding edge you know.

    Seriously tho, Toys for Tots or something along those lines would be a nice this to do with "out-dated" game systems, just make sure you pack the games with them.

  19. Kinda slow, eh nintendo? by Microlith · · Score: 3, Informative

    I've been in Japan since April 1st, and the black GBA SP is all over the place here.

    I'm suprised Nintendo is waiting until September to release it in the 'states.

    The red one is nice looking though. I'll stick with my silver though.

  20. Flame and Onyx: Strippers? by burgburgburg · · Score: 5, Funny

    I hadn't realized that "red" and "black" were so last week that they couldn't serve as product color descriptors.

  21. What to do with an old GBA by JWhitlock · · Score: 4, Funny

    Nail it to a picture frame, with the caption "If you are going to be an early adopter, occasionally you are going to throw away your money".

  22. Deving by Chris_Jefferson · · Score: 3, Informative

    The GBA has the advantage that it is a very easy machine to do home development on. Grab yourself a flash cart and get going. I should put some references in now.. instead I'll just say any of the top ten links from goodle under "gba development" are good. If you can't be bothered to search for it deving is probably too much hard work for you.

    --
    Combination - fun iPhone puzzling
  23. Total darkness? by moronga · · Score: 4, Informative

    I'd attribute this to the SP being the first Game Boy to have a screen that's viewable in total darkness

    What about the Gameboy Light?

  24. Re:What to do with an old GBA by levik · · Score: 4, Interesting
    There's more to the new GBA-SP than just the backlighting. That makes it usable, sure. But the small size, and the shape make it cool. While the old GBA was way too childish for my tastes, the SP model just looks sleeker and cooler. Also, the ability to fold away the screen makes it perfect for sticking into a pocket for use on the train.

    Nintendo did a smart thing by releasing this one - it's suddenly cool to have a gameboy, even if you're not a kid. I hope this will bring the console to older audiences and Nintendo will follow up by releasing games to match the interests of that demographic (versus just releasing games aimed at younger children)

    --
    Ñ'
  25. Re:Games? by Dylan+Zimmerman · · Score: 5, Informative

    Well, you've got Golden Sun, which is easily the best handheld RPG that I've ever played. Then there's Metroid Fusion, which is a game worthy of the Metroid name. Last, but not least, Advance Wars, which is the most addictive game that I have ever played.

    Any one of those is worth getting at least the original GBA.

  26. The reason GBA SP is killing by Divide+By+Zero · · Score: 3, Insightful

    is that it solves all the problems of the original GBA.

    I would have got the original GBA, but I'm hard on my hardware, and screens get scratched. The "clamshell" design of the SP solves that problem.

    I also hate buying batteries or battery packs. The SP solves that with an internal Li-Ion battery that lasts as long lit as the GBA could go on a set of alkalines without a light (ten hours) and longer unlit (eighteen hours).

    The Castlevania games that every review site ever said "Get a halogen lamp and don't move while playing this" are no longer valid now that the SP has an even front-light (that does make the screen a bit bluer, but still very playable). I don't have to go third-party (sketchy) or trust my own skills (sketchier) to avoid getting dirt in the screen when installing a light.

    It's also small. I've got enough crap in my pockets (cell, keys, PDA, etc etc) that I needed something a bit smaller than the GBA. At three inches square, the SP fits the bill.

    Yes, the lack of a headphone jack is annoying, but I can play without sound and rarely lose anything. Unfolded, the form factor's similar to the original Game Boy, and I can play it just fine. I guess I have small girly hands. Lucky me.

    The SP is replacing old GBAs ("MOMMY MOMMY BUY IT FOR ME" is a popular one, but far from all) and is increasing the userbase to adults who can drop a hundred bucks on a toy. I just wish they'd premiered with all four colors - I would have preferred black to silver. Oh, I'm sorry. ONYX to PLATINUM.

    --
    Dare to Hope. Prepare to be Disappointed.
  27. Anyone got ideas for what to do with an old GBA? by KAMiKAZOW · · Score: 3, Informative

    Slashdot geeks propably want to run the GBA Web Server on it. :)