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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.""

37 of 237 comments (clear)

  1. That's nice... by caryw · · Score: 4, Funny

    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

    1. Re:That's nice... by ciroknight · · Score: 4, Informative

      You can do that already with a GBA SP..

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

      --
      "Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is." G.W.Bush
    2. Re:That's nice... by Soul-Burn666 · · Score: 4, Informative

      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.

      --
      ^_^
    3. Re:That's nice... by Zhila+the+Great+Z · · Score: 2, Informative

      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.

    4. 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.

    5. 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).

  2. psss who need a brigher blacklight by Kuku_monroe · · Score: 4, Funny

    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)

    --
    //WR
    1. Re:psss who need a brigher blacklight by BenjyD · · Score: 3, Funny

      Obligatory Penny Arcade comic.

    2. Re:psss who need a brigher blacklight by KDR_11k · · Score: 2, Informative

      Yes?

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  3. Similar to the new Game Boy Micro by meatflower · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

    1. 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?

    2. Re:Similar to the new Game Boy Micro by pnice · · Score: 4, Funny

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

      --
      My Xbox Live Gamer Card
  4. 3 IGN by beckett · · Score: 3, Funny

    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?

    1. Re:3 IGN by makomk · · Score: 5, Informative

      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?

  5. True if all you play is GBA games by gasaraki · · Score: 4, Insightful

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

    1. Re:True if all you play is GBA games by petermgreen · · Score: 2, Informative

      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.

      --
      note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
  6. not brighter, but bigger !!! by maharg · · Score: 3, Funny

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

    --

    $ strings FTP.EXE | grep Copyright
    @(#) Copyright (c) 1983 The Regents of the University of California.
  7. Much Better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    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*

    1. Re:Much Better by pnice · · Score: 2, Informative

      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

      --
      My Xbox Live Gamer Card
  8. Brighter light=shorter battery life by jurt1235 · · Score: 5, Funny

    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!

    --

    My wife's sketchblog Blob[p]: Gastrono-me
    1. Re:Brighter light=shorter battery life by FidelCatsro · · Score: 3, Informative

      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

      --
      The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
  9. Yeah! by ShaolinTiger · · Score: 5, Insightful

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

    --
    Share your Knowlege - Kung-Fu Geekery
  10. 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.

  11. 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.

  12. Re:Damn by Dogtanian · · Score: 4, Informative

    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.

    --
    "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
  13. 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.

  14. Re:Why we haven't heard of it till now: by real_smiff · · Score: 3, Informative

    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?)

    --

    This is my Sig, this is my Gun. One is for Slashdot and one is for Fun.

  15. Fixing problems that don't exist? by KeiserSoze · · Score: 3, Insightful

    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.

  16. My plain text was lost so I'll try with HTML. by aliquis · · Score: 2, Informative

    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.

  17. Missing the point? by Sockatume · · Score: 2, Insightful

    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.

    --
    No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
  18. Re:Lucky me. by Red+Flayer · · Score: 3, Funny

    "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.

    --
    "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
  19. 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!
  20. GBA has 6/10 top selling titles by ibentmywookie · · Score: 2, Insightful

    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

    --
    -- The doctor said I wouldn't get so many nose bleeds if I just kept my finger out of there!
    1. Re:GBA has 6/10 top selling titles by BenjyD · · Score: 2, Informative

      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.

  21. The ROM is a CPU hog by tepples · · Score: 2, Insightful

    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.

  22. 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.