Impressions: Game Boy Advance SP
Though Nintendo doesn't actually have a booth set up at CES, there's a whole lot of action going on in their hotel suite. Hands-on impressions of the Game Boy Advance SP are inside.  
Written: 01/09/2003  
 
Today I had a chance to get my hands on the new Game Boy Advance SP in Las Vegas. Nintendo doesn?t actually have a booth set up at CES, but they had a hotel suite for the press to try out the new hardware. I have to admit, before I actually got to hold the unit and find out all of the hardcore details, I was seriously skeptical how this would actually feel in my hands, and if there would be that much of a difference between the Afterburner-modified GBA and the GBA SP. Also, as other GBA owners feel, I believe it would have been nice if Nintendo had released this unit first, seeing as how it was in development since before the original GBA was released.  
 
All of my worries and issues leapt out the window the second Thom Leonard handed me a platinum GBA SP. When it comes right down to it, what matters is how it feels in your hands, since it has all of the same (well, slightly modified) guts in it as the original Game Boy Advance has. It still even has the strap attachment. Just like almost every piece of hardware that Nintendo has released, it just feels natural in my hands.  
 
One of my major concerns was how the new smaller shoulder buttons would feel. Since I have larger hands than the normal child, my index fingers would get cramped quite a bit while playing a lot of shoulder button intensive games like Mario Kart Super Circuit, F-Zero, or even Metroid Fusion. With the smaller layout, I can hit the buttons (L and R) with the inside of my index finger instead of the tip. Even people with huge hands shouldn?t be uncomfortable.  I?ve only had about 20-30 minutes with the GBA SP, and without further prolonged testing, I can?t say my hands won?t get cramped. For now, I think it?s a step in the right direction.  
 
For the first time ever, a Game Boy has an actual moving part. With children, or the clumsy, there is always going to be that chance that you could snap it apart. But the unit is not flimsy. It stays open by friction -- it will stay in place when you angle the screen. But in general, there?s an open position and a closed position. I even shook the GBA SP violently to see if the screen would flip open or closed. It moved a little bit, but for the most part it stayed in its original state.  
 
Did I mention that the GBA SP just looks plain cool? I think this will really appeal to older gamers and adults. It looks and flips open like a PDA or a cell phone. When fully opened, it looks like a futuristic version of the original Game Boy. What a great throwback! I?m dying to get my hands on the Platinum version. The Cobalt doesn?t have that same pizzazz to me. I also don?t understand why we?re getting a bluer version than the indigo (the original GameCube/GBA ?Nintendo Purple?) that Japan is getting. As far as I know, Americans like to match their things just as much as the next guy. I?ll be very curious to see if this changes, because to me, why change the formula. Just give us a metallic version of Nintendo Purple and I think you?ll find a lot more happy consumers. It just doesn?t make sense to me.  
 
I was shocked to find out that all of the GBA accessories Nintendo has released will still work on the GBA SP. The only new issue is the optional headphone accessory. I?m peeved that we will have to pay an extra $5-10 for this piece (no price point has been officially announced yet). It?s also another thing a kid could easily lose. As I think about it though, how many times have you seen any "casual gamer" using headphones while playing the GBA? Personally, I do about 50% of the time, depending on the game?s sound quality and the environment I?m in. If Nintendo can save space, make the unit smaller, and still allow people to connect their headphones if they want, then I?m almost happy.  
 
Since last summer, I?ve had both of my GBA?s modified with Afterburners, and I still think they look decent next to a GBA SP. But I have to say Nintendo?s screen is no doubt cleaner, more vivid, and fresher looking than a mod. I?m not going to recommend against getting your current GBA modified, because if you can?t afford a GBA SP, by all means, mod your GBA. But if you really want to see a clean looking display, I would start saving those pennies and pony up for the GBA SP. The Afterburner made the original GBA?s screen viewable, but the GBA SP is mere perfection. The only downside to the GBA SP?s lit screen is that there is no brightness dial like the Afterburner can have.  
 
I was happily surprised walking out of the demonstration. Nintendo has fixed some of the flaws in the original GBA design, and churned out another excellent product. I?m impressed with the new design, the lit screen, the rechargeable batteries, and the overall system. I still wish this was the original design, but after getting my hands on the GBA SP, I know I?ll import one of these right away.

Bah je vois pas le probleme du retro eclairage, les PC portables ont un ecran 10X plus grand et 10X de meilleure qualite !!
Et ils fonctionent sans prob pendant 6h avec le CPU, CDrom qui tourne en continue, je vois pas le prob pour Nintento les batteries Lio-plymere c'est pas pour les chiens  !!