Game Boy Advance SP

Let’s see a show of hands, how many of you think of kids when you hear someone mention a Game Boy?

It’s true that these handheld game machines from Nintendo are primarily marketed towards children. But guess what? Adults can love them too! I know I do. Having owned the original Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket and Game Boy Color, I was extremely interested when I first read the news about the Game Boy Advance SP. It finally included the features I’d been waiting years for.

Ok, now here are the hardware specifications:

CPU: 32-Bit RISC with embedded memory

Memory: 32 Kbyte + 96 Kbyte VRAM (in CPU), 256 Kbyte WRAM (external of CPU)

Screen: 2.9in diagonal, reflective TFT color front lit LCD, 240 x 160 pixels

capable of displaying 32,768 simultaneous colors in bitmap mode

Size: (closed) 3.3 x 3.23 x 0.96 in.

Weight: 142 grams

Power: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery, 10 hours continuous play with light on, 18 hours with light off, 3 hours recharging time.

Are you wondering what the "SP" in the name stands for? It stands for special. Though the performance is exactly the same as that of the original Game Boy Advance, the new Game Boy Advance SP has a compact folding design, rechargeable batteries and finally a back light for the display! Other than these three changes, this new unit has the same functionality as the regular Advance unit. Both can play the entire library of Game Boy games.

Physically, the SP reminds me of an original Game Boy that has been folded in half. It has a boxy shape with rolled edges. Available in Platinum or Cobalt case colors. I chose Platinum. When closed the unit is very small. Small enough to easily fit in a pocket or bag. The case is very solid. The game cartridge slot is at the bottom front of the unit. Game Boy Advance carts fit flush with the front of the casing. Older original carts stick out about 3.2 cm. Although this looks awkward, the carts don’t get in the way of your hands as you hold and play with the unit.

On the back of the unit is the AC adapter and External Extension connectors. The AC adapter connector also doubles as the headphone jack. Yeah, it doesn’t look like any stereo jack that I’ve ever seen either! Unfortunately, to use the Game Boy Advance SP with headphones, you’re going to have to purchase an adapter

separately. This adapter will give you a 3.5mm jack that any standard set of earphones can plug into. There is a caveat, you won’t be able to charge the batteries and listen through headphones at the same time. The External Extension connector allows you to use a link cable to link Game Boy units for multiplayer games, or interact with a GameCube. On the "shoulders" of the SP are 2 spring loaded Left and Right buttons. These buttons do different things depending on the game cartridge loaded in the slot. One cool feature that I discovered when using the SP with old original Game Boy games is that pressing these buttons changes the display from regular to wide screen format. It stretches the image to fill the screen. Older games were only 160 x 144 pixels. Look at the pics!

Normal Mode

Wide Screen Mode

Opening the cover reveals the screen, buttons and speaker grill. Although the screen isn’t held closed with a latch, it will not fall open on its own, even if you shake the unit when it is upside down. When opened, the screen folds backapproximately 140 degrees which is a great viewing angle for playing games. Sound-wise, the front speaker is loud enough in most situations. For noisy environments though, you’re going to want earphones… The button layout is pretty much classic Game Boy. The 4 way navigation pad is on the left and the A / B buttons are directly across from it. Above these buttons is the screen light toggle and below them are the Select and Start buttons. Playing games on the SP is great. The unit is comfortable to hold, and the buttons have very good tactile feedback, and are easy to press. The frontlit display is the best new feature of the SP as far as I’m concerned. Now you can enjoy playing games in any lighting condition. You don’t need an overhead light to allow you to see the screen like you had to have with the Game Boy Color and original Advance units. The new front light makes the screen as bright as playing with an unlit screen in a bright room… if that makes any sense. The only thing I wish is that the light was just a little brighter and that there was a way to adjust the brightness / contrast. The only display adjustment that you have available to you now, is On or Off. The display on the SP isn’t as bright as a, for example, a PDA on its brightest setting. It’s about as half as bright. Playing outside in the direct sunlight is great too! In bright sunlight, you can use the light toggle button to turn off the light to save your batteries.

I love this little game machine. I can put it in my bag, and have it with me anytime I’m in the mood to role some RGG with Pokemon, or battle some bosses with Dragon Ball Z. Not having to buy batteries for it, is a real plus as well! Should you buy the Game Boy Advance SP? If you already have the Advance and don’t mind not having a lighted screen, then I would say no to upgrading. But, if you don’t have a Game Boy unit at all, and are looking to buy one, then definitely get this one! It’s compact, fun and not just for kids!