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GBA SP Updated with Brighter Backlit Screen

Posted by samzenpus on from the brighter-than-ever dept.

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.""

12 of 237 comments (clear)

  1. Damn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

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

    1. Re:Damn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      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.

    2. Re:Damn by Sancho · · Score: 2, Interesting

      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.

  2. Gameboy Micro is sweet! by los+furtive · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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.

    --

    I'm a writer, a poet, a genius, I know it. I don't buy software, I grow it.

  3. Battery Usage by Bad+to+the+Ben · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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.

    1. Re:Battery Usage by ultranova · · Score: 4, Interesting

      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.

      --

      Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

  4. DS Comparison? by falkryn · · Score: 2, Interesting

    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.

  5. Re:Similar to the new Game Boy Micro by PenguinCandidate · · Score: 2, Interesting
    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?

  6. Re:Yeah! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting
    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.

  7. No Link Cable by ibentmywookie · · Score: 2, Interesting

    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 :/

    --
    -- The doctor said I wouldn't get so many nose bleeds if I just kept my finger out of there!
  8. Re:That's nice... by Goose42 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    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.

  9. Re:That's nice... by schtum · · Score: 2, Interesting

    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).