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

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

Posted by CowboyNeal on Monday June 9, 2003 @04:51AM 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?

26 of 339 comments (clear)

Sure... by ScriptGuru · 2003-06-09 04:54 · Score: 5, Funny

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

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Great Machine, but... by Rosyna · 2003-06-09 04:56 · 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 · 2003-06-09 05:03 · 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 · 2003-06-09 05:08 · 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 · 2003-06-09 05:13 · 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!
old GBA? by SHEENmaster · 2003-06-09 04:56 · 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...

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Slashdot editors... by SlashChick · 2003-06-09 04:56 · 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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Too damn small! by Chris_Jefferson · 2003-06-09 04:56 · 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!

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1. Re:Too damn small! by Phexro · 2003-06-09 05:24 · 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.
More on colors by generic-man · 2003-06-09 04:56 · 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.

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Use it? by sporty · 2003-06-09 04:56 · 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.

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Doesn't require batteries? by irving47 · 2003-06-09 04:56 · 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?

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1. Re:Doesn't require batteries? by calethix · 2003-06-09 05:18 · 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.
New users or upgraded users by Almost_anonymous_cow · 2003-06-09 04:57 · Score: 5, Interesting

I think it would be intresting to see how many of those purchases where new or old gameboy users simply upgrading.
No batteries? by evilviper · 2003-06-09 04:57 · 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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Old GBA use by scot4875 · 2003-06-09 04:57 · 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

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A great guy by Anonymous Coward · 2003-06-09 05:00 · 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.
What to do with the old one? by Echo5ive · 2003-06-09 05:01 · 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.

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Re:I love my GBA SP by FroBugg · 2003-06-09 05:03 · 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.
Flame and Onyx: Strippers? by burgburgburg · 2003-06-09 05:06 · Score: 5, Funny

I hadn't realized that "red" and "black" were so last week that they couldn't serve as product color descriptors.
What to do with an old GBA by JWhitlock · 2003-06-09 05:07 · 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".
Total darkness? by moronga · 2003-06-09 05:09 · 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?
Re:What to do with an old GBA by levik · 2003-06-09 05:11 · 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)

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Re:I love my GBA SP by robbway · 2003-06-09 05:14 · 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.
Re:Games? by Dylan+Zimmerman · 2003-06-09 05:38 · 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.
Re:I love my GBA SP by alphaseven · 2003-06-09 07:39 · 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.