GBA SP Updated with Brighter Backlit Screen

PSXer writes "Nintendo has quietly included a much brighter backlit screen into the new Game Boy Advance SP Graphite and Pearl Blue colors. From the article: "Though all that's changed between the classic GBA SP system and the updated ones is the screen technology, the difference is night and day. The new system kicks on with incredible brightness and clarity in its display right from the start, and the improvement becomes even more obvious with each game you stick in the system.""

Comments

That's nice...

[caryw]

But where's the incredible Gameboy Revolution that you can throw like a dart or kick like a soccer ball?
--
Fairfax Underground: Where Fairfax County comes out to play

Re:That's nice...

[ciroknight]

You can do that already with a GBA SP..

Just don't expect it to continue working afterwards..

Re:That's nice...

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh no! I'm in trouble w/ the meta mods! "you've been a bad boy mr. moderator". ok seriously, you can't be serious! get a life!

Re:That's nice...

[Soul-Burn666]

Actually you should.
Nintendo devices are known to be virtually indestructable.

My friend's DS fell from a sitting height onto a hard tiled floor, while running. Result? Not even a stratch and the game kept on running.

A recent slashdot post was about someone who threw his GC Wavebird controller in anger. It flew two rooms until it landed in a kitchen shelf. Result? a few scratchs, and the controller kept working, controlling the game two rooms away!

Moreover, I don't remember if it was for the GBA or one of the older GBs, but there was a game which had a tilt sensor inside the game catridge and allowed you to control some of the features by tilting. iirc it had a maze with a ball that you could tilt the device to make it roll to one side or the other.

Re:That's nice...

[Zhila the Great Z]

But where's the incredible Gameboy Revolution that you can throw like a dart or kick like a soccer ball?

You can do that already with a GBA SP..

Just don't expect it to continue working afterwards..

Well, considering that I've dropped, thrown, ran over, dunked in water, punched, taken apart, etc, and it still works like the day I bought it, I don't think that would be a problem.

Re:That's nice...

[KDR_11k]

Some people use the post type (Funny, Insightful, Redundant, etc) for point modifiers and that won't work if you keep using the wrong type.

Re:That's nice...

[Eccles]

Nintendo devices are known to be virtually indestructable.

I wish. My son was fooling around with his on a counter at a UPS place. It hit the floor and the screen was no longer functional.

Re:That's nice...

[Goose42]

Of course, anyone who subscribed to Nintendo Power during the original Gulf War will remember the story of the US soldier who had his barracks shelled while he was out on assignment. He sifted through the rubble, pulled out his Game Boy, and although the case was somewhat melted, the bloody thing still worked.

Re:That's nice...

[Breakfast Pants]

It was a Kirby game for the gameboy color. The "ball" was Kirby.

Re:That's nice...

[terrymr]

The GBA SP screen breaks from just being looked at funny. The original GBA seems a lot tougher.

Re:That's nice...

[Anonymous Coward]

You might want to pick up Kirby: Tilt and Tumble, Wario Ware: Twisted or Yoshi: Topsy Turvy if you want a preview of the Revolution motion sensing controls.

On second thought, just pick up Kirby and Wario Ware.

Re:That's nice...

[schtum]

That Gameboy is on display at the Nintendo World store in New York, along with a lot of other Nintendo history (including a pack of cards made by the company before they went into video games).

Re:That's nice...

[collar]

I've always been impressed with Nintendo's build quality as far as cheapish mass market products go.

Going back a fair way, a mate of mine had an original GameBoy, he was in his early teens and a bit of an angry man, when he was playing it and he died he'd get really frustrated and smack the GB on the metal bed head on the end on his bed. Now, it did die eventually after a couple of years, but god damn that machine took some hefty beating before it stopped.

Re:That's nice...

[PeelBoy]

I've dropped mine several times with no problems at all. I wouldn't say it breaks THAT easy.

psss who need a brigher blacklight

[Kuku_monroe]

I have no problems playing with a flashlight in my mouth (and a candle if i need to take the flashlight batteries for my GB)

Re:psss who need a brigher blacklight

[BenjyD]

Obligatory Penny Arcade comic.

Re:psss who need a brigher blacklight

[AliasTheRoot]

They ported Doom?

Re:psss who need a brigher blacklight

[Anonymous Coward]

Of course, that was regarding the original GBA, not the GBA SP.

Re:psss who need a brigher blacklight

[KDR_11k]

Yes?

Re:psss who need a brigher blacklight

[Anonymous Coward]

That was certainly true the Gameboy Color. I got rid of that quickly. The original SP that I use now is very bright, I'm curious to see how mcuh brighter they made it.

Re:psss who need a brigher blacklight

[Anonymous Coward]

"Cry me a river" - Justin Timberlake

Re:psss who need a brigher blacklight

[Shaklee39]

Penny arcade isn't funny, sorry.

Re:psss who need a brigher blacklight

[Truekaiser]

why am i the only one who had nor trouble seeing the screen on the original gameboy advance?

Re:psss who need a brigher blacklight

[StocDred]

This meant that the lights I had for my GBC wouldn't work with my GBA.Then came the next model of the Game Boy line, the one where you had to buy a special adapter to plug in headphones.

The total cost for a new GBA third-party light accessory and GBASP headphone adaptor was, what, maybe $15? Yeah, that's enough reason to wish Nintendo into the dirt.

Re:psss who need a brigher blacklight

[doublem]

Having to buy a new light wasn't the main issue. It was one of many problems with the product line. I mentioned it as an illustration of Nintendo's general trend. Whenever they CAN redesign the hardware to make the users spend more money, they do. The actual convenience of the customer isn't even a factor.

"Can we milk them by releasing the product with a crappy screen, so they end up buying a new one? Good, we'll leave the back light out of the first model. Even if they don;t WANT to buy a new one, if it's for a kid, their whining will force them to do it."

"Design the sucker so you have to buy a $40 adapter to use headphones? Excellent. We'll do that to."

"Leave off the C and D buttons, even though we'll be porting Super Nintendo games to the platform? Cool, we can force them to wait four years for the next model to get those buttons. Even if they're otherwise happy with the platform, some people will buy the new one."

Re:psss who need a brigher blacklight

[StocDred]

Is it possible that when the GBA was released, including a built-in light was too expensive to keep the model at the price point Nintendo wanted? As time goes on, components get cheaper and tech gets better. Didn't the Afterburner sell for $30 and require a stupid amount of home DIY? Nintendo didn't want to sell a $130 Game Boy, so they kept the light out until they could get it to $100. Suck it up.

At no time did the SP headphone adapter cost $40 US. That is an absolute lie. Unless you're talking AUS$ or something, and if that's the case you should always note that when spreading FUD.

I have almost 50 GBA games. At no point have I mourned the lack of a C and D button. And even though the DS (which I assume is the "next model" you're talking about) has four buttons (plus 2 shoulder buttons), it's not like Nintendo is out there playing up the button count for SNES rereleases as the major reason to buy a DS. There is plenty other features to talk about. If anything, they're completely ignoring that in favor of stylus control, being that they're on a "simpler is better" kick these days, as evidenced by the goofy new Revolution controller.

You're sounding like a conspiracy theorist out to justify your anti-Nintendo rage at all cost. You liked your GBC and got pissed when Nintendo released a new model with games you couldn't play. Get over it. If you want to play, you have to pay. Every company in the world regularly releases new and better editions of their hardware. You must be the guy clogging the line at Circuit City because RCA just outmoded your home stereo system.

Re:psss who need a brigher blacklight

[doublem]

You're sounding like a conspiracy theorist out to justify your anti-Nintendo rage at all cost.

Actually, I'm a former Nintendo Fan Boy who got burned by crappy hardware.

I LOVED the Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Game Boy, Game Boy Color and many of the games that came out on the Game Boy Advance. Super Mario Brothers and Zelda, "A Link to the Past" make up many fond gaming memories.

I'm not trying to justify a burning hatred of Nintendo, just explaining some of the reasons I lost interest in new generations of their hardware. I will admit, I came off as far more hostile than I intended to.

At no time did the SP headphone adapter cost $40 US. That is an absolute lie.

The actual price isn't really relevant. My point was, you had to buy extra hardware to use headphones.

I'm so pissed about it because of how I found out about the need for an adapter. A friend of mine bought his kid the damn thing, and found out Christmas morning that the brand new headphones couldn't plug into the brand new game system. The kid was cool with it, and played with the sound turned WAAAAAYYYY down, but I shudder to think what it would have been like had the kid been a bit of a brat. I can guarantee a lot of parents out up with a lot of screaming that morning.

The game system should have come with a big sticker that said "WARNING: Headphone adapter needed if you want to use headphones."

Penny Arcade had a great comic on the topic of the headphone adapters.

I don't care if they were $10, $20 or $30. The fact that they were necessary was either incompetent design, or an attempt to gouge the users just a little bit more.

You liked your GBC and got pissed when Nintendo released a new model with games you couldn't play

No, I got pissed when I got a Game Boy Advance the week it came out and found out I could only see the screen in ideal lighting circumstances or if I had a light hooked to the damn thing and was holding it at just the right angle.

Every company in the world regularly releases new and better editions of their hardware.

And here we get to the heart of my beef with Nintendo.

The new Game Boys may have faster processors and better graphics, but overall, they're less playable, less durable and poorly designed. You have to shell out the cost of a good game to get the extras (Light, Headphone adapter and so on) just to make the new Game Boys get close to being as playable in as many situations as the earlier models. (Outside for example.)

They're not "Better" in terms of offering a better game play experience. I tried the SP in a store, seriously thinking of getting one to replace my POS GBA, but quickly decided not to bother. I could barely see the screen in a well lit Mall, how am I going to see it in a subway car???

How long ago did the GBA come out? And they're just NOW offering a Game Boy with back lighting comparable to the Game Boy and Game Boy Color?

As for the "If you want to play, you have to pay" argument, I DON'T want to play the new Game Boys. My whole point is they're so poorly designed that I have no interest in buying one.

Re:psss who need a brigher blacklight

[StocDred]

It's odd that a headphone adapter is a deal-breaker for you. I've known plenty of people (kids and adults), using every edition of the Game Boy from original to GBASP, and rarely seen anybody with headphones, unless it's kids in the back of a car. It's simply not critical equipment. If you had to buy the GBASP battery charger separate from the $100 purchase, then I would complain. But headphones? Come on. Nobody sane is going to deny the entire GBA library because of the SP model not having a headphone port.

but overall, they're less playable, less durable and poorly designed.

The entire world disagrees with you. The GBASP was lauded as being Nintendo's best portable hardware engineering to date. Clamshell to protect the screen. Frontlit screen. Pocket sized. Efficient layout (as opposed to the wasted space on the DS) Sturdy.

You have to shell out the cost of a good game to get the extras (Light, Headphone adapter and so on) just to make the new Game Boys get close to being as playable in as many situations as the earlier models. (Outside for example.)

Crazy talk. I'll agree that you had to get a light accessory or play under a lamp indoors for the original GBA. But OUTSIDE? Outside was the one place you could play the GBA without problem, thanks to the sun. Unless it was night, I guess. And you know what, I seem to recall playing my original Game Boy under a lamp or two as well in my day.

The "required" accessories were the cost of a good game? GBA games went from $20 to $30, mostly $30 in the first year of the GBA. A worm light cost $8 and the headphone adapter (which was only for the SP models) was $5. That's $13+tax over two hardware models. Quit making up numbers to prove your weak points. Aside from those two purchases, I've never bought any other optional accessories. No junky screen magnifier, no extra grips, no cigarette lighter adapter. So I really don't feel soaked by Nintendo (or third party vendors) on that score.

How long ago did the GBA come out? And they're just NOW offering a Game Boy with back lighting comparable to the Game Boy and Game Boy Color?

No, the GBASP solved the lighting issue on the original GBA. That came out some time ago. The new hardware revision you're all fantic about now is switching the GBASP frontlight to a backlight, which apparently, looks better. According to a press release anyway. Me, I'm happy with my original GBASP's lighting and will not bother to "upgrade." I can play it at the mall, I can play it on the subway. The GBASP looks and works great. I also had fun using the eReader thing and the few GameCube games they made that linked up with the GBASP.

And I have a Game Boy, a Game Boy Pocket and a Game Boy Color. They were not backlit, so I don't know what kind of comparison you're trying to make here.

I noticed you didn't address my point that Nintendo just may have been scrimping on lighting hardware to keep the GBA at the $100 price point, and that they didn't introduce a lit model until they could sell it for $100. I suppose it's more fun to imagine all the evil Nintendo execs sitting in Japan planning how they can "gouge the users just a little bit more."

You still haven't convinced me that you have any reason to hate modern-day Nintendo and the GBA line other than you're too cheap to buy new things.

Re:psss who need a brigher blacklight

[doublem]

rarely seen anybody with headphones, unless it's kids in the back of a car

You don't ride subways much, do you? :)

You still haven't convinced me that you have any reason to hate modern-day Nintendo and the GBA line other than you're too cheap to buy new things.

I gave up on Nintendo when I was shafted by the POS GBA. Your shots at me being too "cheap" to buy the new hardware are rather foolish, given all the coin I've spent on other products since then. I do spend money on gaming, just none of it on Nintendo gear. Refusing to spend money on crap does not make one "cheap."

I find it intersting that you ignore most of my other points to focus on the headphone adapter. What about the fact that the GBA was laughably fragile compared to any of the earlier models?

And I apologize for my rather liberal use of the phrase "Back Lighting." The earlier generations of Game Boys were quite visible in low light conditions, and had screens with fewer glare issues. I was trying to express that, and did not express myself clearly.

And you can write off what I say anyway I want, but the simple truth is I considered the GBA so abysmal, that I walked away from the product line.

As for your "evil Nintendo execs" crack, I will freely admit that the poor design I saw could easily have been explained by grotesque incompetence on the part of the designers, and simple stupidity on the part of the PHBs who gave the design the green light. You don't have to be hostile or evil to produce a crappy product.

I will ask you one last question though. Why do you think their market share in the console industry is shrinking? Could it be marketing, or the simple fact that the PS2 and even the Xbox are better pieces of hardware with better games?

It'll be interesting to see what happens to the Game Boy line when the Play Station Portable hits full swing. It would have been easy to sink Nintendo after the GBA release, as it's easier to kill off a deeply flawed device. It sounds like they hired some competent engineers for the subsequent models. I'm not going to waste my looking into one though, as I've largely outgrown the "need" for a portable gaming device. Even on planes, I'm more inclined to listen to some audio books instead.

Re:psss who need a brigher blacklight

[Goldberg's Pants]

Design the sucker so you have to buy a $40 adapter to use headphones?

What planet are you from? I'm in Canada and picked up a GBA SP recently. I LOVE IT! It's awesome! Get a flashcart and I've got a JPEG viewer, MP3 player, video player etc... Awesome.

My headphone adaptor cost me $10 Canadian, brand new.

Only complaint I have is the shoulder buttons are pretty crap if you have adult sized hands, but then most games don't require the buttons to be hammered repeatedly, so it's not an issue.

If you're going to whine, at least come up with facts instead of bumping figures by 400%.

Re:psss who need a brigher blacklight

[Goldberg's Pants]

If I had mod points I'd kiss you with them!:)

My GBASP is just peachy. I'd have been hosed with the original GBA due to the lighting issue, but the SP is marvelous. Long battery life. HUGE library of games. Ebook reader. JPEG etc... As I posted earlier. It's a bloody awesome device. For $200 Canadian I have:

A GBA SP
Headphone adaptor
Belt loop carry case
512 megabit flashcart (64 megs in the real world)

Throw in the homebrew goodies I mentioned. Fantastic.

Re:psss who need a brigher blacklight

[StocDred]

I find it intersting that you ignore most of my other points to focus on the headphone adapter. What about the fact that the GBA was laughably fragile compared to any of the earlier models?

Really, where do you get the idea that the first edition GBA was "laughably fragile"? It was just as solid as every prior Game Boy... and I would say it was more solid than the Pocket, which was a tad flimsy. And the SP is a complete tank. You can flush them, drop them, give them to a three year old, and they consistently come out working and fine. Your whole argument rests on the GBA/GBASP hardware being easily breakable, and I have never seen any evidence for that being the case. When the PSP came out, everybody jumped on it for being fragile... not so with the GBA, SP or DS.

And as for the headphone adaptor, that was your big example. You moaned about it in post 1, manufacturing an inflated price for it in post 2, but now seem to want to downplay it. Maybe it doesn't sound like such a good point anymore.

Why do you think their market share in the console industry is shrinking?

It ain't their portable market share that's shrinking, except by completely marginal numbers due to the simple presence of the PSP. There is still a massive userbase of GBAs out there. We weren't talking about their console marketshare at all, so I wonder if this exposes you as one of those people who liked Nintendo once upon a time, maybe when they were younger, but now feel no longer served and have moved on to more "adult" gaming platforms. Therefore, all further Nintendo games and consoles are kiddie and inferior. The PS2 is "better hardware"? I don't know of anyone who would agree with that statement. Better than an N64, sure. You probably hate the GameCube because of the lack of online play, or the lack of a DVD player, therefore there must be no games worth playing on the system.

It'll be interesting to see what happens to the Game Boy line when the Play Station Portable hits full swing.

Really? How much longer will we have to wait for it do that?

But seriously, we know what's going to happen. Nintendo has the DS out now, and they will replace the SP/Micro models with some newfangled GBA2. After all your complaining about how Nintendo has ruined the Game Boy by released new lousy units too often, I'm surprised you couldn't predict that. When will it happen? '06, '07? I have no idea, but with GBAs and DSs still selling fine against the PSP, I think your doom prophecy is misplaced.

Similar to the new Game Boy Micro

[meatflower]

The new Game Boy Micro (think GBA SP meets iPod Nano) has been noted for its much brighter display.
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000990043834/
I suppose Nintendo has decided to move the technology to the standard size SP as well...all of this development on what is basically a GBA I find puzzling. With the DS having been out for some time now I would think most people looking to buy a Game Boy device would look to the DS, especially considering it can be had for as little as $129 now.

Re:Similar to the new Game Boy Micro

[abdulla]

It also seems to me like they shone a brighter light on the newer gameboy. Are the facades of the two different, or did they cheat a little with these pictures?

Re:Similar to the new Game Boy Micro

[aliens]

Perhaps you haven't seen the size of a DS compared to the micro and SP? That's reason enough for me.

Re:Similar to the new Game Boy Micro

[PenguinCandidate]

It's strange at first, but then look at Nintendo's plan (or stated plan). They want to bring gaming 'to the masses,' so they've been flooding the market with several different versions to appeal to various groups. Maybe the iPod group will go for the Micro, while the innovative crew goes for the DS. Then there's always the SP, for the core group of GameBoy fans. A lof of hardcore games attribute 'new system' with 'more powerful,' but Nintendo isn't going in that direction with this latest venture.

OF course, there's always the Virtual Boy, but then again everyone has their Pauly Shore moment, right?

Re:Similar to the new Game Boy Micro

[Bastian]

Yah, I expected that, too, but most of the Game Boy owners I know are still more interested in the Game Boy Micro than they are in the DS. I know I am. The DS just doesn't seem like something you can readily whip out on the bus.

Re:Similar to the new Game Boy Micro

[pnice]

I've whipped out quite a few things while riding a bus and the NDS was one of the easiest...and the least criminal.

Re:Similar to the new Game Boy Micro

[kin_korn_karn]

everyone has their Pauly Shore moment, right?

Hey, what am I doing in this Bio-Dome?!??

Re:Similar to the new Game Boy Micro

[Anonymous Coward]

Due to the sleep mode on every game I find it easier to play DS games and just pause them and close the lid when my break/commute is finished whereas the GBA games either don't have a sleep mode or need to go in a menu to get there... which is not as easy as closing down the lid.

Re:Similar to the new Game Boy Micro

[Goldberg's Pants]

I have no real interest in the DS. If I picked up any new generation portable, it'd be the PSP. I've never had a particular affinity to Nintendo, but I do think the GBA is a terrific device, which is pretty funny, since when I first tried one about 4-5 years ago, I thought it sucked. It took the SP to really sell me on it.

3 IGN

[beckett]

dear slashdot editors,

hey i think you made a mistake in the article posting. i was expecting an article on the new GBA but all i got was an ad. what's up?

Re:3 IGN

[makomk]

The website does have one interesting property. If you've got cookies disabled, you can't read the article - it just displays ad after ad, in some sort of loop. Damn annoying. Of course, that's not to say the article itself isn't an ad of sorts - but it's more relevant (and interesting).

Anyway, I wonder if retailers are going to have to discount the older, dimmer version in order to sell off old stock - and by how much?

Re:3 IGN

[PKFC]

adding ?fromint=1 usually gets you to the page.

Re:3 IGN

[Anonymous Coward]

If you are using firefox with adblock. Block this "wrapper".

Re:3 IGN

[Anonymous Coward]

Not as annoying as people who disable their cookies for no damn reason at all. It's fucking retarded and it's fucking annoying. There is no good reason for disabling cookies. If you're scared of being tracked (then you obviously don't know shit about cookies) you better throw away your god damn cell phone and credit cards, check book and pretty much everything else you do on a daily basis.

The reason you can't view articles with cookies disabled is because the first time you hit the page it displays an ad and sets a cookie then when it reloads it sees the cookie and displays the article instead of an ad. If it doesn't see the cookie it displays an ad.

True if all you play is GBA games

[gasaraki]

But the DS doesn't support regular old GB and GBC games, whereas the GBA and GBA SP do.

Re:True if all you play is GBA games

[Anonymous Coward]

You dumb ass, thats what he was talking about

Re:True if all you play is GBA games

[aliquis]

But the GBA doesn't support NDS games ;), and there are emulators for GB/GBC for the NDS.

Re:True if all you play is GBA games

[petermgreen]

there are but iirc you need both a GBA flashcart and either a special bridge device or a very specific wireless nic to hack your DS into running unofficial software in DS mode.

the cost of getting that kit will almost certainly be more than the cost of a GBA.

Re:True if all you play is GBA games

[steveo777]

The reason the DS can run GBA carts is because they both share the same processor. There is no emulator. The GBA runs off an ARM 7 and the DS has an ARM 7 and ARM 9.

Re:True if all you play is GBA games

[Pichu0102]

Another thing to remember is that the NDS's wireless capability cannot be used for wireless adaptor compatible GBA games, such as Pokemon Fire Red and Leaf Green, Mario Golf, just to name a few.
Another thing is that the NDS cannot be connected to a Gaemcube as a controller, seeing as there is a lack of GBA link port.

Re:True if all you play is GBA games

[lowrydr310]

I read somewhere that the GameBoy Micro won't support original GB and GBC games. I've been thinking of picking one up (4 more days!!!) but I want to make sure they work with the flash carts.

Re:True if all you play is GBA games

[Soul-Burn666]

Not too pricy.

It also allows making backups of your games and running homebrew code.

Re:True if all you play is GBA games

[mrtivo]

That is correct, it only plays GBA games.

Re:True if all you play is GBA games

[lion2]

You dont need the bridge device or flash your firmware to play GB/GBC emulators made for the GBA. Only for the GB emulators made specifically for the DS.

Re:True if all you play is GBA games

[petermgreen]

i must admit i haven't been keeping up on the details of NDS hacking and the items listed at those links don't seem to correspond with anything i saw last time i looked into this.

but bearing in mind that a GBA can be had for about £20 round here its unlikely to be cheaper than one to get all the bits you need.

not brighter, but bigger !!!

[maharg]

http://gameman.loungespot.com/play/index.html

Re:not brighter, but bigger !!!

[KillShill]

i wonder how they cool the massive z80 cpu...

Damn

[Anonymous Coward]

Damn, I had just bought one the these a year ago (classic NES version). They upgrade these things yearly it seems.

Re:Damn

[Anonymous Coward]

I have 2 GBA, 1 GBA SP and 1 DS. Loved the SP the most. The DS has the pen, but for the most part sucks to use.

However I just bought a PSP. I have to say Nintendo will go the way of the dinosaurs unless they

a) resell themselves as a cheap alternative.

b) Come out with a better game system that can rival the PSP.

Re:Damn

[Dogtanian]

Damn, I had just bought one the these a year ago (classic NES version). They upgrade these things yearly it seems.

Putting some retro-decals on a standard GameBoy SP doesn't really count as an upgrade. This is the first "real" upgrade since the SP came out, and is hardly of the same magnitude as the upgrades the SP had over the plain Advance; let alone the original Advance against previous GameBoys.

Re:Damn

[KDR_11k]

The DS sells better than the PSP, I don't think Nintendo is really as cornered as you say they are.

Re:Damn

[Anonymous Coward]

I believe the DS sells better then the PSP as the PSP only recently launched in Europe. The DS is far inferior to the PSP (and tbh the SP is better). I bought a DS I'm sure I added to that score, what I won't be adding to it is buying any games anymore for the DS and unless they can do better then a backlight they won't be getting money from me unless it can do at least the same as the PSP.

As for the battery of the PSP (from other poster) I am currently getting 5+ hours out of it fully charged without wifi on.

Re:Damn

[aliquis]

But to me it seems the current and as of now known game setup is way better for the DS, and also I don't own a GBA so there is another 700+ games, and last I can run emulators and stuff on the NDS, I can't on the PSP until it's cracked ones again, and who knows for how long it will work that time?

The PSP screen is gorgeus thought, and of course snappier hardware on the NDS would be good, the touchscreen compensates a little since it makes it possible to make games on the NDS which will never be any good on the PSP.

But I can understand that the PSP is more intresting for someone who already own a GBA.

Re:Damn

[Babbster]

Somehow, I don't think he was referring to the decals when he was referring to an upgrade. I suspect he was referring to the SP compared to the [awfully painful pre-Afterburner] GBA.

Re:Damn

[KDR_11k]

Actually I'm referring to the regular sales charts, not total installed base. Especially in Japan the DS is outselling the PSP constantly, numbers for the US are harder to get as the sales trackers there cracked down on the leakers (last numbers I've seen put the PSP below the GBA in monthly sales but were unclear on the DS) and numbers for Europe pretty much don't exist (well, okay, the PSP isn't really available here yet, either).

In what respect is the DS "far inferior" to the PSP? You mean the hardware? Well, the PS2 is the weakest comnsole this gen and it's been the most successful and offers the largest selection of games. Or do you mean the games selection (which is what REALLY matters)? Last I checked the PSP wasn't any better in this respect than the DS and apparently in the US and Japan the DS has the better lineup.

Re:Damn

[Anonymous Coward]

>I can run emulators and stuff on the NDS, I can't on the PSP until it's cracked ones again,

Actually you can. You can also run movies on a PSP and you access the internet, where as the DS has its own hard-to-hack wifi protocols.

Sony are also working on PSP OS to stream movies over the net for micropayments.

Re:Damn

[Sancho]

They may bring out new handhelds quickly, but none of them are strict upgrades. Not one of the new handheld systems is a superset of another, and with each one is a flaw that keeps me from moving on entirely from my GBA.

Flaws:
GBA: No backlight, Start+Select buttons on the right side. No X & Y buttons, an anti-feature plaguing the entire Game Boy line.

GBA SP: No standard headphone jack. Cannot listen to headphones while charging. Too small for my hands (they cramp after a short period of playing on the SP).

GBA Micro: No GB/GBC compatibility. I haven't played one of these, so I don't know whether I'd be able to play it comfortably, but at least it's more like the style of the old GBA.

Nintendo DS: Doesn't play GB/GBC games. Input for native games can be unwieldy (though I guess this is only a flaw for individual games.) Annoying nag screen before each game. Cannot link to other Gameboys/Gamecube.

What I really want is a Nintendo DS with full backwards compatibility, including using the wireless link to replace the standard link cable for GBA games. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like this is going to be a reality.

Re:Damn

[Anonymous Coward]

This is my feelings on the DS and why I think it is flawed.

1. Size. It is just too chunky to drag around. PSP has this issue too but for the quality of games and wifi access + movies it makes up for it. SP wins hands down in the size department.

2. Pen games suck. I've yet to see a game that makes the pen games intresting and I have bought a few. It appears to be a novelty then anything else. The size of the pen is also painful on the hand and annoying if your left handed (although some games let you switch controller sides to compensate).

3. DS games are dated technology. The games are dated. Comparing the games to a PSP shows how old the games are. Yes you have loads of games to choose from the GB/GBA days but they are old. GBA has built in APIs for tilesets and a lot of games use this. 3D on the DS isn't the best compared to the PSP, actually even looks old (another code is a good example).

4. Old games are better played on an SP. Seriously. Your have a huge chunky console and dual screen and pen. The pen+dual screen you can't use unless it is a game for the DS. Which there are not many of yet (and tbh PSP certainly looks like it has more for it then DS in that regards).

5. Non-Standard wifi. If the DS had setup the wifi to work properly instead of one that only works with DS then they could of been onto something great.

PSP also has every sony movie ever made UMD ready (which is only a bonus if you have never seen 'A knights tale').

But where I see the console market going is for internet based game play. Hard enough to get people to play local LAN. The ability to play others over the net will be a huge selling point and MMORPGs will probably boost PSP sales more as the DS has not positioned itself to take advantage of this at this time.

Re:Damn

[KDR_11k]

Then please explain to us: How do I get an emulator to run on a PSP if I bought one from the store right now?

Re:Damn

[Anonymous Coward]

Blame the DS's warning screen on the frivolous lawsuit that made Nintendo decide to force people to acknowledge gaming gives you seizures every time you play even though they put the warning on the box and in with the games on a pamphlet.

Re:Damn

[KDR_11k]

It might be possible to improve the GBA emulation on the DS by modifying the firmware. I'd appreciate a feature to change the button configuration (e.g. Y->B, B->A. The Super Gameboy did that, why not the DS?). Hitting B while holding A is hard and since there are some damn hard games for the GBA (most problematic are Ninja Five-O and Megaman Zero 3 for me) that can be a matter of life and death. Firmware flashing kills the nag screen already.

Re:Damn

[aliquis]

1) Size
Their sizes are quite the same, but the screen on the DS is atleast protected while you carry it around. PSP with bag is probably bigger. Althought both are "big", and both require a large pocket or bag, noone will fit in your pants. So the same issues for both. Gameboy Micro owns both by a thousend times thought.
_MY_ NDS will be able to play movies aswell and it got wifi-access to. Don't tell me you are actually browsing webpages with the PSP...
Regarding the quality of the games it probably depends on personal taste, I would say the quality of the NDS games is much higher, but I speak game-value, not fancy graphics.

2) Pen
The pen functionallity doesn't suck, many of the games which uses it does. Things like Advanced Wars and Metroid Prime Hunters are good exceptions. Atleast it's better than not having the pen at all. It also opens up the chance of PDA software for the NDS. It's damn small and crappy thought, and I would want to replace it with another one.

3) Yes, the hardware isn't as speedy as the PSP, still I will buy one of them for the games, not for the specs. And the NDS seem to win this round for the moment, allthought it's probably to early to count the PSP out completely.

4) Better on the Micro in that case I guess. Anyway, I want to be able to play DS games aswell. To me not many PSP games looks that intresting. Depends on taste.

5) The NDS uses 802.11, so it is standard WiFi. It just doesn't use TCP/IP, but why should it? Anyway there is a bounty ti get if you fix TCP/IP and there is DSLinux (which I don't know if it supports the wifi.)

I won't pay 300 sek for a crappy movie to play on my PSP, so movies doesn't make a shit of a difference to me.

What are you talking about in the end of your post? The Nintendo DS will play games over Internet to, and it will be free. So will you please STFU. Get a cluestick instead.

Re:Damn

[tepples]

I believe the DS sells better then the PSP as the PSP only recently launched in Europe.

And whose fault is that?

The DS is far inferior to the PSP

In graphics. How else? Ask your doctor if the PSP is right for you.

and unless they can do better then a backlight they won't be getting money from me unless it can do at least the same as the PSP.

What does the PSP do other than games? Music and movies. With a GBA flash card and the GSM Player, the DS can play music. There aren't a lot of movies on UMD Video, especially G-rated titles (Toy Story is pretty much it), and due to the DMCA it's a felony to format-shift your DVD collection onto Memory Stick. But if you happen to have video that is compatible with fair use, try the Play-Yan adapter.

Re:Damn

[FuzzyBad-Mofo]

So far I've been labelled as a Sony fanboy, a Nintendo fanboy and an XBox fanboy. Go figure.

So.. Sega fanboy? ;)

Re:Damn

[ElleyKitten]

>>GBA SP: No standard headphone jack. Cannot listen to headphones while charging.

While I agree that a headphone jack should have been standard, there are adaptors that allow you to connect both headphones and the power cord. I got one in a $10 accessories pack with some other stuff that I bought when I got my SP.

>>>What I really want is a Nintendo DS with full backwards compatibility, including using the wireless link to replace the standard link cable for GBA games. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like this is going to be a reality.

Something like that might happen. Nintendo has said repeatedly that the DS isn't a part of the game boy line, and they're making a gba 2 or whatever it will be called. That will probably have X + Y buttons, wireless, and be fully backwards compatable. So, it won't be a DS, but it will probably have most of what you want.

Re:Damn

[Anonymous Coward]

Nintendo DS does not play games over the internet and won't until later in the year. As the OP pointed out. So kindly stfu and go get your own cluestick.

Re:Damn

[Goldberg's Pants]

GBA SP: No standard headphone jack. Cannot listen to headphones while charging.

If you buy the Hipgear headphone adaptor, yes you can. (I know. I've got one.)

Much Better

[Anonymous Coward]

I love the photos with the slightly adjusted 'previous version' gameboy that has just a tad bit more angle on it to increase the viewing angle and thus the increased light effect they are trying to show *cough*buybuysatan*cough*

Re:Much Better

[pnice]

It's a conspiracy! Here is another article with different pictures for those that are interested. They compare it to the DS the PSP and the older GBASP and I couldn't tell if you were joking or not since you were modded insightful but the pictures on this page don't appear to be at any different angle.
http://www.nintendogal.com/index.php?/archives/108 -Backlit-GBA-SPs.html

Re:Much Better

[Burpmaster]

It's front-lit. Viewing at an angle does NOT make it dimmer.

Brighter light=shorter battery life

[jurt1235]

Plan to win a head to head game:
1. Take your original GBA with dim light
2. Play a game against a person with a new brightly lid GBA.
3. At a certain moment the other one just stops because he ran out of battery power. You will still have some minutes left. => Victory!

Re:Brighter light=shorter battery life

[FidelCatsro]

There is a switch on the machine for setting the brightness so it shouldn't really be that much of a problem.
Though the article doesn't cover it , I am assuming that since nintendo do enjoy keeping Battery life high that the new technology will perhaps be a touch more efficient .That (which is a maybe) and the switch should keep things all even on the machines

Yeah!

[ShaolinTiger]

1. Change something minor on your product
2. Get loads more free publicity
3. PROFIT!

Re:Yeah!

[Anonymous Coward]

Sounds very much like an Apple formula.

Re:Yeah!

[Anonymous Coward]

1. Change something minor on your product

Or with Nintendo and Gameboys:

1. Introduce some very obvious flaw with each generation of Gameboy ranging from irritating (earphone jack) to showstopper (screen).
2. Wait 12 months.
3. Promote new version on the basis that it fixes faults in last version.
4. Repeat.

As someone bitten by one shitty version of the GB / GBA after another, I wouldn't touch another one of their handhelds ever again.

Re:Yeah!

[Fnord666]

1.5 Post adicle to slashdot

Re:Yeah!

[justinhj]

If they want me to buy something, how about a new DS that doesn't look like a gray brick?

Re:Yeah!

[Overly Critical Guy]

Hey, Nintendo did it "quietly." It's the gaming sites, Slashdot included, making it big news.

Why we haven't heard of it till now:

[osrevad]

Nintendo clearly shipped this update with no fanfare so as not to take the attention away from its Game Boy Micro launch. Why promote a system with a big, bright screen for 80 bucks when you're trying to sell a scaled back edition for 20 dollars more?

Re:Why we haven't heard of it till now:

[real_smiff]

Look Ma, he can copy and paste!
That's nice!
Try some quote marks next time!
(maybe you meant to comment on that paragraph and hit the submit button too early?)

Gameboy Micro is sweet!

[los furtive]

To hell with the SP. I just got a Gameboy Micro and it is sweet! It's the same size as my Nokia phone, and way smaller than my Mario Cement Factory Nintendo Game & Watch. The screen, while small is just brilliantly gorgeous. For those of you who have SPs you'll find the screen lacking in size, but for a guy like me who skipped the whole Advance series and was using the original Gameboy as my last portable (we'll ignore the fact I also owned a GameGear and Lynx) the screen size is just fine. It's a real classy device.

Re: Gameboy Micro is sweet!

[Anonymous Coward]

Too bad the micro doesn't support regular Gameboy games. (Which I have alot of)
I'm probably going to go pick up an SP today.

Re:Gameboy Micro is sweet!

[BenjyD]

Just how small does the screen appear? I think the SP's screen is pretty good, although I have to sit with it quite close to my face. Does the brightness of the Micro's screen make up for the size a little?

Re:Gameboy Micro is sweet!

[Anonymous Coward]

Ill trade you my 17in tft for your 21in tft :)

Re:Gameboy Micro is sweet!

[los furtive]

Yes. I've only been playing Zelda Pickin Cap (or whatever it's called) on it since I've gotten it and the text is very readable and it's it's very lush in colour. It is small though and I have better than 20/20 eyesight so you definitely want to test it out first, but my goal was to have something I could cary in my pocket without noticing, and it accomplishes that no problem. Even comes with a cute little pouch to put it in.

Re:Gameboy Micro is sweet!

[Breakfast Pants]

x ft/x ft eyesight only refers to distance viewing...

Re:Gameboy Micro is sweet!

[los furtive]

Hehe, I was wondering about that.

Battery Usage

[Bad to the Ben]

What sort of effect does the new screen have on battery usage? Has battery capacity been increased to compensate?

It can be frustrating when new energy-draining features are added without a corresponding increase in power supply. I now a lot of this is due to battery chemistry restrictions, but isn't the Gameboy battery system rather old? Perhaps some new advances have come out that Nintendo could use to offset the extra drain.

Re:Battery Usage

[Kredal]

The Nintendo DS uses backlit screens just like the new SP.. and it uses the same battery. When playing a GBA game, its battery lasts around 8 hours. I'd expect the new SP to last about the same amount of time.

Re:Battery Usage

[ultranova]

It can be frustrating when new energy-draining features are added without a corresponding increase in power supply. I now a lot of this is due to battery chemistry restrictions, but isn't the Gameboy battery system rather old? Perhaps some new advances have come out that Nintendo could use to offset the extra drain.

Perhaps one could connect the buttons (especially the directional controller) into generators ? It wouldn't neccessarily give them much more resistance, but together with some of those funky generators that turn acceleration and shaking into power, it might be just enough to supply the device.

Re:Battery Usage

[Bad to the Ben]

Now that is a damn good idea!

And by funky generators, you mean like this shake torch, right? Cause that would kick ass. I mean, it's a portable gaming device, of course it's going to move, might as well get some current out of it.

Re:Battery Usage

[Short Circuit]

Just change they work.

Instead of silicone pushbuttons, use piezoelectric devices. Allow the buttons to directly drive the ICs. Normally, with pushbuttons, you're drawing current continuously for as long as the button completes the circuit. If the button drives the circuit, it's necessarily not drawing current from anywhere.

Re:Battery Usage

[ultranova]

Instead of silicone pushbuttons, use piezoelectric devices. Allow the buttons to directly drive the ICs. Normally, with pushbuttons, you're drawing current continuously for as long as the button completes the circuit. If the button drives the circuit, it's necessarily not drawing current from anywhere.

Does the piezoelectric device keep on giving current when the button is held pushed (stationary) ? Or is there a way to differentiate the pulse that follows from pushing the button from the one that follows from releasing it ?

In any case, I don't think that buttons actually need to draw a continuous current to function - just grounding the control pin of a transistor to two different voltage levels depending on button position would make the transistor change state. Of course a small amount of current flows through the wire as voltage changes, but once it's stabilized, there shouldn't be any further drainage.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the obvious in my original post - make the back of the screen reflective, and only switch on backlight when there's no natural light. You could even have tiny optical wibers starting from different parts of the surface of the device to supply natural lighting to the screen irrelevant of device orientation.

Re:Battery Usage

[HunterZ]

Does the piezoelectric device keep on giving current when the button is held pushed (stationary) ?

No, piezoelectric devices only generate voltage while a change in pressure is occuring (and vice-versa). Common uses include internal speakers in modern PCs (voltage->pressure) and spark makers in barbecue lighters (pressure->voltage).

If you're a Wikipedia fan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectric

Re:Battery Usage

[Short Circuit]

Does the piezoelectric device keep on giving current when the button is held pushed (stationary) ? Or is there a way to differentiate the pulse that follows from pushing the button from the one that follows from releasing it ?

Yes. Piezoelectric crystals have electrons pushed out of them when compressed, and draw electrons when decompressed. The direction of your current flow will tell you whether the button is getting more or less force.

The reason they came to mind is because one needs something as simple to construct as a membrane keyboard if one wants to keep it cheap. Using piezoelectric crystals should provide a small enough footprint. Using a SPDT switch is more expensive.

As for a reflecting background, they tried that with the GBC and (I think) the original GBA. People bitched about how you could only see the screen in the brightest environments.

Re:Battery Usage

[jandrese]

That is great and all, but I have a feeling you're looking for cost savings on a part that is already extremely cheap to run. I suspect the screen and perhaps the AEM7 are the big items in the power budget, and making the buttons more expensive will have no noticable effect on the battery life of the device.

Re:Battery Usage

[Jeff DeMaagd]

I think the backlight technology is probably different, so it is more efficient. My guess is maybe they switched to white LEDs.

Re:Battery Usage

[Txiasaeia]

Oh, and I forgot to mention the obvious in my original post - make the back of the screen reflective, and only switch on backlight when there's no natural light. You could even have tiny optical wibers starting from different parts of the surface of the device to supply natural lighting to the screen irrelevant of device orientation.

Are those kinda like nuclear wessels? I'm not up on all the latest Russian technology, so I wouldn't know.

Re:Battery Usage

[toddestan]

The backlight in the original SP wasn't very well designed. Have a look at the SP's screen at odd angles (especially from the top) and note how much light is being thrown off at those angles. That's light that isn't being used to illuminate the screen when you're looking at it from the front. Nintendo could of simply made the new SP brighter by putting in a better mirror for the backlight.

Re:GayBoy

[utnow]

yes. you'll look cool lugging an xbox and tv set around an airport terminal, not to say anything about actually trying to aim in Halo at the same time.

My, GBA SP!

[demondawn]

"What a bright screen you have!" "All the better to burn your retinas, my dear!" At still $80, I don't expect this to go flying off the shelves. Are there really THAT many people who want to play their GBA in a cave? At the end of the day, I guess it has a new hat, and that's all that really matters.

Re:My, GBA SP!

[Alistar]

I am not sure why the the old screen was considered so bad.

I could play it in pitch black and it was plenty bright enough, and I could it play in full flourescent, candescent (spelling on two?) and sunlight without any issues.

Re:My, GBA SP!

[tepples]

Are there really THAT many people who want to play their GBA in a cave?

How many kids sit in the back of a parent's car at night?

Re:My, GBA SP!

[Dark_Lord_Prime]

"the refresh rate is a tad slower than the classic GBA SP and Game Boy Micro screen, so there's an ever so subtle "blur" when objects move or the screen scrolls."

Hey! It's also got snazzy "Classic GameBoy Simulation" added!! :)

Re:My, GBA SP!

[kisrael]

Yeah, absolutely.

The GBA's zero backlight was tough in many situatios...
but the SP seemed to nail that problem right out of the gate. I hope there isn't a battery drawback, because then it is just gratuitous.

Re:My, GBA SP!

[Txiasaeia]

I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and now that my SP has inch-long scratches from where my bloody cat landed on it, I've been thinking about getting a new GBA. This decision is complicated, of course, by the Gameboy Player for the Gamecube (which would be nice with my wavebird), which is *further* complicated by Revolution coming next year - why buy a $70 peripherial now only to not be able to use it with the Revolution later?

Sigh. Anyway, not all of us who might by the new GBA are doing so because we like the newest & shiniest toys.

Re:My, GBA SP!

[Anonymous Coward]

"Sigh. Anyway, not all of us who might by the new GBA are doing so because we like the newest & shiniest toys." yet you were going to buy a new device because it had a scratch.. talk about liking shiny!

Re:My, GBA SP!

[Txiasaeia]

There's a difference between being anal retentive and being obsessed with the latest and greatest ;)

Lucky me.

[Sartak]

Wow, talk about lucky. I was honestly planning to go to Wal-Mart (yuck) today with my paycheck to pick up a GBA. Now that there is a new version, I won't look quite so much like a goon buying ancient hardware. ;)

But seriously, this is great.

Re:Lucky me.

[Turn-X Alphonse]

Give it a couple of weeks, they may not instantly come in stock.

If you have the money (and don't want the classic GB/GBC playing properties) you may want to go for a DS instead. Not much more money and you have a bigger selection of games in the long run.

Re:Lucky me.

[Red Flayer]

"I was honestly planning to go to Wal-Mart... Now that there is a new version, I won't look quite so much like a goon buying ancient hardware."

Umm, sorry to mention this, but if you're concerned about looking like a goon while shopping at Wal-Mart... you've got other problems.

DS Comparison?

[falkryn]

So I guess my question would be, which is brighter, this or the DS? Or are they the same now?

Personally what I wish they release would be a GB with this type of screen, however with the shape and such of the original GBA (which I have and enjoy). The SP form factor while better for protecting the screen I guess, just feels more cramped to me. I've considered getting a DS for this reason. The dual-screen and pen don't mean a whole bunch to me. I just want a brighter screen and be able to comfortably keep my hands apart.

Re:DS Comparison?

[aliquis]

"Personally what I wish they release would be a GB with this type of screen, however with the shape and such of the original GBA"
It's already here, more or less, as the PSP ;)
But seriously, the PSP is probably just the thing the GBA would have been if Nintendo had decided to upgrade it's hardware. But with the small difference it only get crappy games of course ;)

(I didn't wanted to say anything good about THEIR side :D)

Re:DS Comparison?

[wed128]

Because 15 years of market dominance is driven by hundreds and hundreds of crappy games, right? I mean, it was that sweet dot-matrix display that drove the original gameboy into our hearts and road trips...

Re:DS Comparison?

[aliquis]

You need to read my comment again I think.
Hint: Think different.

Re:DS Comparison?

[wed128]

Ohh...i get it now. Apologies for the flame, i read it wrong.

Re:DS Comparison?

[Alistar]

Well I have a DS and personally find it more uncomfortable than the SP to play with for any extended period of time. It feels like (to me) that you are holding a box weighted towards the top.

Re:DS Comparison?

[Castar]

Apparently this is brighter than the DS.

Re:DS Comparison?

[PeelBoy]

Yep quite a bit brigher in fact. I think kotaku.com had some pictures or I might have saw it on joystiq.com not sure.

Which is brighter

[/ASCII]

So is the new SP screen brighter than the PSP screen?

Great. Just bought a 2nd GBA SP 8 weeks ago.

[Qbertino]

Great. Just bought a 2nd GBA SP 8 weeks ago. With the small one coming up and this new one ... guess I'll wait a while before shelling out money again. But I'm going o at look at it. Always thought the SP screen could be a little brighter.

Re:Great. Just bought a 2nd GBA SP 8 weeks ago.

[aliquis]

Sell the 8 week old one and get the Micro? Sure you lose a little but it's not the end of the world, and you get an even more portable system with a bright screen.

Fixing problems that don't exist?

[KeiserSoze]

Interestingly enough, the main gripe users had with the backlight was the discolouration it had on the screen, tinting everything slightly blue. If this fixes that problem I could see merit in it - but if it not only is just brighter, but uses x amount of battery life to power that, what is the benefit? Personally, what the SP needed was a brightness adjustment, as anybody who has used it late at night will no doubt agree.

Re:Fixing problems that don't exist?

[Sockatume]

The system has a brightness toggle (although the light can't be switched off now, for obvious reasons). As for battery life, the GBA SP's was long enough to make a small reduction unnoticable - assuming there is a reduction (the old frontlit SP wastes so much light it's not hard to imagine improving efficiency).

Psp vs. DS

[puffaliaz]

It is a tough choice: get a PSP, or a DS? A PSP has the ability to get internet access through peoplez vulnerable LANS!!! *laughs evily* The DS has a shiney touch-screen, but no internet access :- . The DS has very few games, but the games are better than those on the PSP. So the choice remains... Ds for quality; or the PSP for quanity and internet?

Re:Psp vs. DS

[bynary]

Honestly, are you really going to be surfin' the interweb on a PSP? Also, Nintendo is introducing a wireless network for the DS sometime in the very near future.

Ds for quality; or the PSP for quanity and internet

More likely: DS for quality, quantity, free wireless network, back-catalog of GBA games; or the PSP for it's wonderful marketing, somewhat small catalog of games that isn't full of fun, new games.

Re:Psp vs. DS

[PeelBoy]

my roommate surfed with his for an hour or two... now it's back to collecting dust.

The DS did not replace the Gameboy line

[Vandil X]

Nintendo has stated several times that the Nintendo DS is a third system pillar. The other two pillars are the Gameboy and the home console (currently the GCN, soon to be the Revolution).

The inclusion of the GBA cartidge slot in the DS was simply a way of adding value and removing some risk in investing in a DS.

Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to resume my game of monochrome-GB Tetris on my NES Classic model GBA SP while I await FF4's release...

the PSP

[aliquis]

I think not, since I've earlier read that:
GBA (no light) http://www.ign.com/, http://www.1up.com/ and http://www.gamespot.com/ for screenshots and movies.

Heh

[ASUSanator]

Heh, I sold my SP a while ago i just dont like the design and the cramped position holding it. I still have my standard GBA It is so comfy :D But yes today nintendo dropped the price on DSs so i will probably get one tommorow. But on topic i never noticed the SP screen being too dim ... it was perfectly fine for me.

My plain text was lost so I'll try with HTML.

[aliquis]

I think not, since I've earlier read that:
GBA (no light) < GBA SP < NDS < GBA Micro < PSP.

And this one seem to be said to have the same brightness as the Micro.

I've also understood that the PSP and the new GBA SP got slower screens, and the NDS and GBA Micro got faster ones (don't know which one is fastest.)

Some people have complained the GBA SP got a blueish color, and on the example photos it looks like the GBA Micro also got a tint of blue. The new GBA SP seems to have better colors.

So if you compare brightness and colors I'd expect the PSP to be the best one, then the new GBA SP, then the GBA Micro, then the NDS, and then the old GBA SP.

Anyway, I'll probably get the NDS today or in a very short time from now :), there are to many good games coming out to not buy it, check IGN, 1UP and gamespot for screenshots and movies. Also Joystiq is a good site.

Re:My plain text was lost so I'll try with HTML.

[rohlfinator]

Here's a comparison pic posted on GAF: http://ga-forum.com/showpost.php?p=1967028&postcou nt=97

To me, it looks a tad bit brighter than the PSP, though it could just be the color palette. It's almost too close to tell, though.

Re:My plain text was lost so I'll try with HTML.

[aliquis]

Hard to tell from a photo, on ign/1ups images the psp looked brighter, I know I read in a review that the Micro was indeed brighter than the Nintendo DS but not as bright as the PSP. And I guessed the new GBA SP would be around the same thing. Anyway, it's probably safe to say they are all as bright as it gets and the difference is so small it's not a major point when trying to figure out which one to get.

Re:My plain text was lost so I'll try with HTML.

[Anonymous Coward]

Also Joystiq is a good site.

No. It WAS a good site. Nowadays it seems they don't give a shit about quality. Whoever edits that is a moron. Basically went down the shitter when Zackheim left.

Kotaku is better these days.

This is wrong.

[aliquis]

I think the NDS battery was like 30%+ more capacity, and also you can't compare them anyway since the NDS uses TWO screens, not one, and it's hardware is much more powerful, but on the other side of the coin it's also much more modern so it might consume less power/performance. Anyway, you can't figure out the new battery power from looking at the NDS.

Re:This is wrong.

[miyako]

The DS only uses one screen to play GBA games.

Switch to adjust lighting level

[jurt1235]

I do not know the quality of the circuitry they use for this, but on my ancient palm the intensity of the screen changes with the power left in the battery, causing me to turn the intensity higher, while the battery gets emptier, and that just to keep a constant screen intensity.
And ofcourse nintendo keeps battery life in mind when altering it this way. I would even be surprised if it had a real significant impact, hence the winning by just a few minutes of extra battery life.

Missing the point?

[Sockatume]

Those maligning the system as pointless because they already have a GBA SP or a Micro are perhaps missing the point. While I'm sure a few existing GBA or SP users will buy the thing, they're not the target market: like the quieter, DVD-R-able PS2, this is a refinement of the product line aimed at people who haven't got the system yet.

Remember the original "Lame Boy Advance"?

[Nova Express]

Is not, thus may help refresh your memory.

Re:Remember the original "Lame Boy Advance"?

[Phantasmo]

Heh, I still own and use the Lame Boy. Actually, my girlfriend picked it up the other day to play Zelda, and...

GF: "Where's the backlight?"
Me: "There is no backlight."
GF: "Don't be a prick. Seriously, where's the button?"
Me: "I'm totally serious. That's as bright as it gets."

I was in trouble until a trusted source could verify that yes, Nintendo did something incredibly stupid when they made that console.

On the bright side, I can charge up a couple of Ni-MH batteries and run it for about a year. As long as it plays Four Swords Adventures I'm happy.

GBA != light, GBA SP = light

[rednuhter]

I modded my GBA before the SP came out,
http://www.gameboy-advance.net/accessories/gba_aft erburner_internal_light.htm
much better light than the GBA SP but I did manage to get a few specs of dust that got sealed in permenantly during the upgrade than now glow white like undead dead pixels.

doctored image

[Particle010]

Oh, hey! My new TV has a brighter screen than my last one! Here, watch...

takes picture
scans picture
opens photoshop
select right side of image
adjust brightness/contrast +50

VOILA! Brighter! see!

I mean, wasn't it THAT obvious when you look at the images?

Re:doctored image

[Anonymous Coward]

You sir, are a dumbass.

Re:doctored image

[Anonymous Coward]

You do realize the new "Graphite" shell color is not supposed to be the same as the older "Onyx" color?

Sure, just joke about it

[aliquis]

But look what happens when Sony tries to be innovative.
PSP Metal Gear Acid 3D-binoculars, full story, that's one pair of sexy glasses.
I'm sure the PSP will never make you look like a geek.

Re:Sure, just joke about it

[Destoo]

I don't read japanese, but I'm pretty sure that sign in the top left corner of the picture is
no video cameras, no cellphone cameras and no digital cameras..

Funny.

Hacks for the DS

[aliquis]

The mod gods
Natrium42

Both got 802.11, the PSP got a TCP/IP-stack and a useless browser, the NDS doesn't. On the other hand there is Linux for the NDS (in the form of DSLinux.)

Does the DS really have fewer games? I thought it was around the same amount or maybe more. I've watched all the major gaming sites and there are much more games I feel I might play for the NDS. And also since you can play all 750+ GBA games the NDS must win that round.

Timing is everything

[TomHenderson]

Figures that something better is introduced at the same price, just a couple of weeks after my wife just got me a GBA SP for my birthday. Oh well--she took advantage of a special package that included Final Fantasy Tactics Advance for only $10 more. So...

This was an upgrade from an original GBA SP, so *anything* was going to be an improvement.

MOD PARENT UP

[Anonymous Coward]

The information is invaluable and unobvious!

Product life of Gameboy

[ChrisF79]

It is really surprising to me that this device is still on the market. I'm used to seeing a current system phased out rather quickly once the new one hits the shelves. Doesn't Nintendo worry about this gameboy cannibalizing the sales of the Nintendo DS? With higher volume, Nintendo could lower the price of the DS but for most of the SP sales they're getting, they're missing that DS sale. It just seems a little odd to me to have various gameboys (albeit different features) on the market at the same time. When the next PSP comes out, I doubt Sony will be modifying the first PSP and keeping it on the shelves.

Re:Product life of Gameboy

[Sockatume]

You're forgetting that Nintendo considers the DS to be their "third pillar" alongside the traditional handhelds (the Gameboys) and the home consoles. The DS is also significantly more expensive than the GBA line, so it's probably wise that they keep that "entry level" product around. Word has it that the next "proper" handheld is currently in development.

Re:Product life of Gameboy

[Sockatume]

Addenum: "When the next PSP comes out, I doubt Sony will be modifying the first PSP and keeping it on the shelves." You're forgetting that Sony made improvements like this one to the PS and the PS2 throughout their product lives, even before the "mini" versions of each console appeared. It's just part and parcel of the evolution of the product. It may even be cheaper for Nintendo to make backlit rather than frontlit SPs at this stage, given that they're rolling off backlit screens for the DS and the Micro.

Re:Product life of Gameboy

[Soul-Burn666]

Not really.
Since the DS can play GBA games, they don't mind keeping the GBA still alive. Every game that comes out for the GBA is another DS game aswell.
They also want to give you choise. Some people might say: "The DS is too big and expensive.. is there any cool portable which is smaller and cheaper?" The answer is yes, the GBA, GBA SP and GBM. These people would have not bought a DS but might just buy a GBA.
And again, every game that is published for the GBA can be played on the DS.
It's not like Nintendo are losing money. I'm not really sure the profit margins on the DS are larger than on the various GBAs.

Re:Product life of Gameboy

[Anonymous Coward]

The PS2 plays Playstation games, but it certainly didn't stop Sony from re-releasing original Playstation hardware in a new form factor after the release of the PS2.

http://www.us.playstation.com/consoles.aspx?id=1

If they can squeeze more money out of the old hardware by sticking it in a new form factor, there's no reason for them not to release a PSPOne after they come out with a PSP2.

-Lee

Re:Product life of Gameboy

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

Someone hasn't seen a pack of gamers sitting around playing Nintendogs, have they?

Re:Product life of Gameboy

[Anonymous Coward]

Profit is Profit... Why should they care which one they sell more of? Either way they make a ton of money and that's what running a business is all about.

More people can afford an $80 GBA SP vs $130 DS and they probably make just as much if not more money of each one. Games are cheaper to develop too.

It's like saying Target should only sell 1 brand of shirts.. why the fuck do they care? Selling shirts is selling shirts. Selling one brand of shirts doesn't make them any better off if anything it makes them worse off.

What's next?

[HalloFlippy]

Yesterday: a titanium ThinkPad!
Today: brighter backlight for the GBA SP!

Man, the innovation these days is truly mind-blowing! Kudos to /. for keeping us on the cutting-edge!

Tommorrow: Logitech announces a dodecahedron-shaped trackball! Woot!

No Link Cable

[ibentmywookie]

DS doesn't support GBA link cable, which means I can't use it to play Zelda Four Swords :( :( I'm borrowing my friends original GBA with the crappy screen to play it :/

Goomba emulates GB, not GBC

[tepples]

there are emulators for GB/GBC for the NDS.

There is Goomba, an emulator for the Game Boy that runs on Game Boy Advance, but you need a $70 flash cart for it. In addition, Goomba emulates a Game Boy, not a Game Boy Color, making it incompatible with all GBC-only (clear cartridge and "crystal" cartridge) games, and it runs dual-mode (black cartridge) games in black and white.

Or has a GBC emulator been ported to the Nintendo DS? In that case, you'll need a $70 flash cart and a $30 passthrough adapter. By this time, we've already surpassed the price of a used PSP with 1.50. (Remember to buy a second PSP if you plan on playing PSP native games that need the new APIs introduced in new firmware.)

Re:Goomba emulates GB, not GBC

[KDR_11k]

You don't necessarily need the adaptor, if you have a RALink rt25x0-based WiFi card you can use it to flash your firmware. I have mine configured for that but so far I've only used it to download demos for the DS and play those. The card was 10 Euros extra on my mainboard price so I took it, apparently WiFi cards using the chip can be had for ~25 Euros. Might not end up cheaper than the pass-me but certainly gives more value.

GBA has 6/10 top selling titles

[ibentmywookie]

Games for the GBA currently occupy 6 of the top 10 highest selling titles in Australia. I didn't realise GBA was so damn popular until I found that out. Pokemon seems like a license to print money.

source

Re:GBA has 6/10 top selling titles

[BenjyD]

I think the GBA is a far better console than many people give it credit for. It's small, durable, powerful enough for most mobile games, has near zero loading times and an absolutely enormous catalogue of great games. I've certainly spent more hours playing on my GBA SP than on either my Gamecube or my PS2.
It's not just Pokemon, either. There's Omega boy, the Sonic games, the Mario games, Puyo Pop, Advance Wars, Warioware, the Final Fantasy games - the list of excellent, big-selling games is vast.

Re:GBA has 6/10 top selling titles

[BenjyD]

OK, Astro boy: omega factor, not omega boy. Great game, anyway.

Re:GBA has 6/10 top selling titles

[KDR_11k]

Omega boy? Do you perhaps mean Astro Boy: Omega Factor?

Re:GBA has 6/10 top selling titles

[BenjyD]

That's the one. Now, if you'll excuse me I have to go and play Black Hole Wars 2: Advance Rising.

Not quite

[Anonymous Coward]

It is possible to get past the ad without cookies on, but you have to follow the link 1-15 times to get though.

"THIS GAME WORKS ONLY WITH GAME BOY COLOR"

[tepples]

GBC emulators made for the GBA

Which would that be? Goomba is monochrome-only.

Re:"THIS GAME WORKS ONLY WITH GAME BOY COLOR"

[lion2]

Well there are about 7 GB emulators for the GBA. Just realized none of them emulate the GB Color. I never used them on my DS and I assumed that they emulated the GBC because I havent seen a modern emulator that didn't. Sorry. My mistake.

Dead pixels, begone!

[amrust]

I hope they don't ship a bunch of these "improved" backlit displays with dead pixels, like they did the last time. I remember I went through returning 2 different GBA:SP, before I actually got one that had all pixels active.

Re:Dead pixels, begone!

[Akaihiryuu]

I checked mine in the store for dead pixels last night when I got it before I left. It didn't have any, screen looks great.

The ROM is a CPU hog

[tepples]

I suspect the screen and perhaps the AEM7 are the big items in the power budget

Actually, the big power hogs are the screen, the ARM7, and the Game Pak. The battery runs down more slowly when you play "multiboot" programs (that is, programs that run from internal RAM, such as GameCube connectivity extras, single-pak multiplayer, and small homebrew games) than when you play programs that continuously access ROM.

Four SworDS

[tepples]

DS doesn't support GBA link cable, which means I can't use it to play Zelda Four Swords :(

Coming soon: The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords 2 (tentative title) for Nintendo DS.

MOD PARENT INFORMATIVE!

[NewStarRising]

Sorry, out of mod-points here.

8o)

Dang!

[AstroDrabb]

I just bought a GBA SP about 3 weeks ago. I wonder how much credit I would get from EBGames as a trade-in for this newer version. The GBA SP LCD is a little too dim. The manual recommends having the light off for better battery time. Though I have never been able to really see the screen with it off, even if I am standing outside down here in Sunny Florida.

Re:Dang!

[Akaihiryuu]

EB Games is currently offering $30 in trade for an SP. If you trade in 1 game with it, they give you a $15 bonus on top of that, plus whatever the game is worth. I traded in a bad game that I paid less than $10 for, ended up getting $50 total in trade. I liked my cobalt SP, but frankly the screen on the original SP sucks compared to the new one. The difference is night and day...moreso than from the original Advance to the SP.

Re:Dang!

[AstroDrabb]

So I take it that you are suggesting I take the plunge and do the upgrage? :) I guess I will, though it sucks that I have to pay $30-$40 to upgrade the screen when I just bought the GBA-SP only a few weeks ago. Oh-well, you live and learn ; )

So...

[Anonymous Coward]

Have they removed support for GBC compatibility to save money?

Oh yeah?

[Anonymous Coward]

Well my screen kicks all their asses! I got the GBA adaptor for my Gamecube!

AARGH!

[zootm]

The goggles, they do nothing!

GBA bleh

[j-joshers]

I refused to get a GBA SP. I dropped the money on an original GBA at launch and was frustrated by the dim screen and cramped design (I had technolust at the time, and I played it in the store pre-release, where the screen wasnt a problem). Nintendo adamantly swore they couldnt do a lit system. Until that Afterburner add-on came out, then they rushed out the SP. So it was about that time I just gave my GBA to my sister, choosing to spend my dollars more wisely. Most of the good stuff on the GBA was just SNES games I already beat anyway.

Re:GBA bleh

[Anonymous Coward]

Ehhhh... I can understand about being upset about the GBA but the SP is worlds better and this new one is better yet.

There is NOTHING to not like about the GBA SP it's perfect in every way.. it's tiny, the screen is great, it's light.. it's rugged as hell.. it's cheap... it comes in a wide range of colors...it's the PERFECT portable gaming system and there are TONS of great games I don't know what you're talking about when you say all the good games are SNES games you already beat. Sure there are a fair amount of them but I wouldn't even say those were even close to being the best games for the system. There are so many good games for the GBA it's insane. I don't even think SNES games makes up a few percent of the good games for the system.

Loading Times

[jclast]

<Devil's Advocate>
It's more the exception than the rule, but the GBA can have loading times. Rebelstar Tactical Command is complex enough that each mission loads for about 10-15 seconds.

Granted, you play that mission for an hour and it's the only one with load time I can think of, but it's there.
</Devil's Advocate>

Re:Loading Times

[BenjyD]

I'm so looking forward to that game, but I can't seem to find anything about a UK release date. The best I can see is August 2005 "To be confirmed", and I can't find it in any UK retailer.

wtf?

[An0maly]

i bought the original GBA. i was pissed at the dark display and bought an afterburner. it's irritating that they keep releasing "new and improved" versions. they need to fucking do it right the first time and let it go.

Re:wtf?

[Goldberg's Pants]

Yes. Because technology doesn't move on and improve in five years.

Good god, how do you people even manage to dress yourselves?

Price point.

[porkchop_d_clown]

Despite the claims about GB/DS sales, I suspect the price is high enough that people aren't willing to buy them for their 8 year olds. The SP, on the other hand, seems to fall under that line.

Caveat: In my own case, I make the kids work for their toys: In late 2004, my (then) 7 year old saved her allowance and traded in her GB/Color for a GBA SP. This year, after saving her allowance for 6-8 months, she traded from the SP up to the DS. She had actually accumulated enough birthday money and trade ins to pay for the DS, the service plan, Nintendogs and Pokemon Dash. I was quite impressed.

Re:Price point.

[Anonymous Coward]

A 7 year old bought a service plan!? Is she also paying into her pension?

That seems very wrong to me. I knew kids are growing up faster but I'm 24 and apparently a good deal less mature...

Star Wars marketing

[ShentarZ31]

This reminds me an aweful lot like George Lucas' model for marketing the Star Wars films. Upgrade to THX sound and release a version. Digitally enhance the movies and release them. Put them in theaters. Release a DVD set for th original trilogy. Release a set with all 6 movies. Release a 3d version of the original trilogy. Correct me if I missed one or three. Sadly enough, its a descent marketing stradegy. It annoys those of us who see whats going on, but the sheep of the world marvel and buy.

I'm having trouble quantifying that.

[porkchop_d_clown]

I know people *say* the DS has as many games as the PSP, but when I look at the shelves at the local EBGames the PSP has a whole rack in the front of the store, all GBA and GB/DS games are in a small half-rack that's a bit out of the way.

That kind of tells me that PSP users are, at least, buying more games than GB/DS users.

Re:I'm having trouble quantifying that.

[Anonymous Coward]

Not necessarily true. Sony pays for that advertising space. You don't think they put it up at the front just because they wanted to did you?

Re:I'm having trouble quantifying that.

[aliquis]

I look at webpages to see which games have came out or will come out and decide from that which ones seems the greatest. The situation is similair here and it's easier to try the PSP, and only Sony advertises, but anyway. Also Ebgames is crap and I would never buy from them.

Re:I'm having trouble quantifying that.

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't think so. The most popular NDS game has sold more than the top 2 or 3 PSP games combined. The DS is selling LOADS more games than the PSP, and that's in the US (PSP hardware sales are doing better though). In Japan it's even worse. The DS has several games in the top 10 best selling games every week and the PSP has only had maybe 1 game get into top 10 for 1 week in its entire life.

There are quite a few games for both systems but there is only a few games for the PSP that you can't find on just about every other system out there. Infact I can only think of 1 good game for the PSP that isn't a port of a PS2 game (off the top of my head) and I don't care what anybody says that game isn't HALF as good as Meteos. It's much slower paced. Shit it's only slightly more fun than basic tetris.

I still like my old GBA for one BIG reason...

[Turken]

Batteries! Since I have an original GBA with Afterburner installed, I can take it on long flights and not have to worry about running dead part-way with no way to recharge. I just make sure that I carry an extra set or two of AA batteries with me. Being able to change batteries is also nice, because even when you're on the ground between flights, there's no guarantee that you can recharge an SP or NDS, and to get the most charge, you can't play while they are charging.

Also, I prefer the ergonomics of the GBA to the SP... neither is the greatest, but at least my GBA isn't quite as cramped. Now, if only someone would figure out how to hack a new backlit LCD into the old GBA shell, I might consider an upgrade. But until then, no need to buy new hardware.... well, except maybe a mico just because.

Re:I still like my old GBA for one BIG reason...

[BenjyD]

You can get replacement GBA SP batteries for around $10. You do need a mini-screwdriver to change them, though.

Re:I still like my old GBA for one BIG reason...

[Pichu0102]

Another thing is most third party GCN-GBA cords cover up the L and R buttons on the GBASP, so normally only Nintendo official brand one work. And trust me, it is irritating to play Four Swords Adventures with both L and R permanently pressed down.

Re:I still like my old GBA for one BIG reason...

[Phisbut]

Another thing is most third party GCN-GBA cords cover up the L and R buttons on the GBASP, so normally only Nintendo official brand one work.

Don't bitch on the SP if the flaw is in third-party parts... you should always get your hardware first-party from Nintendo. Anything else is a total waste of money.

How much money did you save by buying a third-party link cable instead of first-party? Was that amount of money worth the extra frustration of playing Four Swords with buttons pressed down?

Re:I still like my old GBA for one BIG reason...

[Turken]

Very true, but once you arrive at you destination you can only recharge them through the SP itself, and have to swap battery packs again to recharge the spare. The point I was trying to make is that the old GBA runs on a nearly universal and easy to obtain power supply. That's why I still prefer the old unit to the newer one. That's also why I like digital cameras that run on AA batteries, despite the fact that they are usually larger than other models. Or why I drive a car that runs on gasoline instead of some cleaner alternative fuel. You never know when you'll need your devices to be up and running, and having to depend on rechargable battery packs just doesn't work for me.

GBA has had one too many mis-steps

[rAiNsT0rm]

The GBA product was one that was so easy to sell because it fills the portable markets needs almost exclusively... even above the DS and PSP In my opinion especially when battery-life, game library, and durability are considered. The first outing sold extremely well, but the lack of backlight and Castlevania began the torrent of anger.

They rebounded with the SP, but it was what the GBA should have been all along. And I believe what Nintendo had in mind the entire time but backed out of for profit reasons and other business matters. No way they designed the SP completely in the short timeframe after the GBA debuted.

Then came the word of the micro GBA, which is very cool but fairly impractical. The market is already fairly saturated, and there is no real market for this device.

Now comes the brighter backlight. Which makes an amazing difference over even the regular SP. Who will buy them? The market is so flooded with so many GBA variants that no one is sure of what way to go, or to hold out for the *next* revision.

Overall, a very bad release by almost any standards. And with the slower release schedule for GBA titles lately, what reason is there for anyone to change GBA's let alone buy a new one?

Not Nintendo-like at all, and really a puzzling release roadmap that no one could be happy about.

This is for me.

[Beebos]

I'm an older gamer with increasingly bad eyes. The drawback of the SP for me has relatively dim screen. When they announced the Micro, I was intersted in the brighter screen, but ticked off at the smaller screen. A new brighter screened SP is just what I need.

Watch out for save problems

[tepples]

but I want to make sure they work with the flash carts.

Some people have reported problems with saving on the Chinese flash carts.

Nintendo DS vs. Super Game Boy

[tepples]

e.g. Y->B, B->A. The Super Gameboy did that, why not the DS?

SGB had a layer of software running on the Super NES to translate Super NES keypresses into Game Boy keypresses. Nintendo DS, on the other hand, runs GBA games on the bare hardware.

Re:Nintendo DS vs. Super Game Boy

[KDR_11k]

They can redirect the output to either screen so why couldn't they redirect the input as well?

Re:Nintendo DS vs. Super Game Boy

[Grey Ninja]

Because the screen buffers are quite easily swapped. The X and Y buttons are on a completely different register than the A and B buttons. The DS is much like a GBA with extensive modifications. The extra screen can be redirected quite easily just by changing a couple of bits. The extra buttons can not.

Re:Nintendo DS vs. Super Game Boy

[KDR_11k]

The emulation writes to one buffer, the firmware decides which buffer that ends up in. Why can't the firmware take the button presses and hand the emulation a separate memory address that contains the state of the virtual button? It's not like the DS has too little memory to add a few bytes to the GBA emulation.

Re:Nintendo DS vs. Super Game Boy

[Grey Ninja]

That's the thing. There is no emulation layer. You can think of the real GBA hardware as being a subset of the DS hardware. The firmware tells the GBA where the framebuffer is, but that's about it. Everything else is pretty much exactly where it was on the GBA.

Re:Nintendo DS vs. Super Game Boy

[KDR_11k]

I still think that if the firmware can tell it where the framebuffer* is, it can just as well tell it where the A and B buttons are. It may be hard to make it do that NOW but it would certainly have been possible when the device was designed.

*=Framebuffer? I thought these things were line buffered?

Old front light is good for something...

[macshome]

Now there is one thing that the frontlighted SP could do that my backlit DS can not, and that is operate with the light off to save batteries. If there is plenty of light you can see a old SP screen with the light off. If you turn off the lights on a DS you just get black squares.

For the life of me I can't figure out why they even give you the option of turning the backlights off on the DS!

Re:Old front light is good for something...

[Anonymous Coward]

You can switch the DS light off in the Boot ROM. It's one of the icons at the bottom.

Every Sony movie?

[tepples]

I've yet to see a game that makes the pen games intresting and I have bought a few.

Is it that you live in Europe or NZ/Australia, where Kirby Canvas Curse isn't out yet?

DS games are dated technology.

Dated technology is affordable and reliable. Affordable means you're more likely to find some random player in, say, the mall to initiate a DS Download Play session. Reliable is important if you have children under 7 in your household.

Yes you have loads of games to choose from the GB/GBA days but they are old.

Sure, the 3D on the Nintendo DS is about PS1/N64 level, but with the success of Lumines for PSP, is a 3D playfield an absolute requirement?

Non-Standard wifi.

Wi-Fi on Nintendo DS games follows the 802.11b standard for layer 2, though it does use a proprietary layer 3. Compare it to IPX vs TCP/IP. If you're talking about the fact that the current DS games can't be tunneled over the Internet, compare this to PSP titles such as Lumines that run the Wi-Fi chip in ad-hoc mode because they too are too sensitive to latency to work over the Internet.

PSP also has every sony movie ever made UMD ready

What do you mean by this? So where/when can I get Care Bears Movie II, The Little Shoemaker, or any of the Berenstain Bears or Precious Moments videos on UMD? Those videos were published in North America by Columbia Tristar or Sony Wonder, both units of Sony. And what if my favorite movies were published by Lions Gate?

Re:Every Sony movie?

[Anonymous Coward]

Sure, the 3D on the Nintendo DS is about PS1/N64 level

PS1 and N64 3D are not comparable at all. N64 is far more powerfull than PS1 (Do you remember PS1 3D games and those of N64?), and DS is arround N64 level (Nintendo say a bit more, I say a bit less).

Re:Every Sony movie?

[tepples]

N64 is far more powerfull than PS1 (Do you remember PS1 3D games and those of N64?)

Yes, I remember the N64 and the PS1. Forsaken on the PS1 had better frame rate than the N64 version. For most games, the big difference in practice was that the N64 had texture filtering and perspective-correct mapping. If you disagree, I'd like to see reasons why.

DS is arround N64 level

Nintendo DS doesn't have texture filtering, making games look more like PS1 than N64.

If you want homebrew buy a used PSP

[tepples]

How do I get an emulator to run on a PSP if I bought one from the store right now?

I think the answer is to buy a used unit with 1.50 firmware from a store called "Cash America Pawn". Then buy a second PSP to play official games on.

Re:If you want homebrew buy a used PSP

[KDR_11k]

Won't work here in Europe. They ship with 1.52 or 2.0.

Re:If you want homebrew buy a used PSP

[tepples]

Won't work here in Europe.

I forgot to mention the round-trip plane ticket. Sorry.

Point is that homebrew is generally more practical on the Nintendo DS, where both major firmware versions have been cracked and games can't force an upgrade, than on the PSP.

GBA SP+

[Anonymous Coward]

My brother just got one of these, apparently it is extremely bright compared to the original and brighter than the DS as well. He's pretty happy with it.

One thing to note is that the NDS was never meant as a replacement for the SP from what I've read but was meant to be sold alongside it as Nintendo was concerned about it possibly failing and hurting the GB name (note there is no reference to GB on it).

Not to be an ass ;D

[aliquis]

Ok, so I pay for two units which plays crap games so I can play old ones? Great.