The Gameboy Micro Reviewed

Advtg writes "Ars Technica has a great review of the Gameboy Micro, which is now shipping in North America. The thing is amazingly small, but it looks as though worries about the screen being too small and too dim aren't true. But will it sell? From the review: 'You'd think at this point the portable market would just be saturated with Nintendo products, and the Micro carries a price tag of US$99.99. For just US$30 more you can get a DS, and for US$20 less you can get an SP with the newly brightened screen. It occupies somewhat of an awkward place in terms of price point and features.'"

Comments

The biggest selling point

[Eightyford]

For me, the biggest selling point is that it is the least toy-like in appearance of the three. The DS may be fun, but I think it looks a little too much like a kid's toy.

You'd think so...

[Pichu0102]

...But remember what the iPod is doing?
It's popular, and it just came out with the Nano, and even that's selling. Size matters there days, when people want to do things on the go, they like what's smallest best.

Re:You'd think so...

[ZachPruckowski]

But the size of the Nano is less of an issue than the size of a Game Boy. I mean, almost no matter how small the Nano is, all you need to do is see which song/playlist you're playing, whereas the Game Boy is much more dependent on size: Awkwardness of pushing buttons and also having to see everything on the screen.

Someone might say (and have said in other comments), "iPod Nano storage is small compared to the regular iPod". yes, but 4 gigs is enough for 60 something hours of music, which should be plenty for the average user. It's the equivalent of 60 CDs, and can be relatively easily swapped on and off the iPod from the home computer. Does anyone here can 60 physical CDs in their front pocket? ::Looks for hands::

Innovation!

[Naerymdan]

Neither the rain nor the wind nor consumer opinion will stop Nintendo(TM) from trying to sell us ANOTHER copy of an already existing product it seems...

Looks great to me

[RichardX]

One feature of the micro which may seem trivial but, to me is a great idea, is the replacable faceplates.. it's not so much the customisation aspect, though that is pretty nifty, but the fact that the faceplates include a transparent screen cover.
That means you can stick it in your pocket/bag/whatever, and not worry about screen scratches. When too many scratches accumulate simply change the faceplate for a new one.

This is probably the only portable gaming system I'd consider getting. All the others just seem too bulky for me.. and as an ex Atari Lynx owner (stop laughing!) I'd really rather not go through all that again. The micro looks truly "take anywhere", perfect for those 5-minutes-here, 10-minutes-there gaming sessions, especially if you put one of those backup card thingies in it and load it up with emulators.

Re:You can overanalyze it from a feature/function

[Anonymous Coward]

Dude, that's not the point. People will buy the Micro because of its aethetics- it's small and cool.

Just because it's less powerful than the DS and more expensive than the SP is irrelevant. Many people will buy it because they're buying on looks not features, like the people who bought an iPod nano despite still having a perfectly good iPod mini.

Speaking as a proud owner of a limited Famicom coloured Micro, it is a great little machine, very easy to chuck in your pocket and take where you want. This is the first handheld since the GB Pocket that makes doing that easy. Plus with a flash cartidge with a selection of my favourite GBA games I'm never short of something to play!

Oh, side note: never try buying flashcarts from these people:
http://www.memtechsolutions.co.uk/
they take your money and never ship the product.

Re:Why?

[NeuroManson]

I think it's more than likely due to the sheer volume of games available, along with a lot of middle of the road buyers who wouldn't go for the DS, and want a simple "least number of moving parts to break" gaming system. Both the GBA SP and GB DS have hinged setups, which for many, are inconvenient. Ribbon cables can break, hinges can break, the backlight on both handhelds will obviously consume battery power far quicker than what the Micro would, and on an economical basis, the screen on the Micro is far cheaper to produce in the long run.

Besides that, it's the "small is good" mentality beyond everything else, the GBA, GBA SP and GB DS are all the size of a wallet. The Micro is the size of a keychain. Like at a LAN party, which would garner more interest? Lugging a suitcase size PC in, or carrying in a 17" LCD with a mini ITX box attached that's the size of a Mac Mini?

Re:Why?

[Is0m0rph]

They are marketing it as a fashion statement. There's an ad for it in the new Transworld Skateboarding mag. It shows a kid with a nose ring wearing all camo clothes with a camo GB Micro connected to strap across his chest. There's a slogan "make it yours" at the top. I'll keep my SP.

Fantastic! A video iPOD Nano, of sorts....

[sracer]

I'm very interested in testing the GBA Movie Player cartridge on this new device. It works fine on bot the GBA and GB/SP but the screen on the GBA is pitifully dull, and the lighted GB/SP screen isn't bright enough.

For those who don't know what the GBA Movie Player is, it is a GBA cartridge w/Compact Flash slot. It can play videos, music, images, ebooks, and NES game ROMs. Not bad for a $15 cart.

If this works as well as I hope, then it'll make a nice little mobile entertainment system. ;)

Re:Would you buy this or the PSP?

[natd]

A YEAR AND A HALF??? I could tell you what I was doing at work this week 18 months ago.

I got some kind of computer abut 24 years ago. I can tell you the model and price, plus the software that came with it. And I was 7 at the time.

You didn't get any gameboy you trolling twat, because a) you didn't and b) the games typically don't suck.