Nintendo - Game Boy Advance SP Console Review

To silence the critics Nintendo finally gives us a new flip top Gameboy with an optional light feature so you can finally see those games in dark situations plus it also comes with its battery charger so you don't need to buy loads of batteries any more. The system is called the Gameboy Advance SP.

The SP is no different, technically, then the GBA, lets get that right off the bat. It is still a 32-bit machine that will play all the older Gameboy titles as well as the more advanced GBA games. What has changed however is the design itself is totally different. You can now open and close the system up just like a mini laptop computer, one side has the screen one side has all the buttons. That was part of the reason why I bought yet another Gameboy (hey, believe it or not I'm not made of money so that's why I didn't get one right away), my brother's Gameboy Advance was all scratched up and the buttons don't work as well as they used to (sorry Jeremy). I needed a new Game boy and thanks to this fold away feature means I wouldn't scratch up as easily now.

The SP has only one new button and that is the Light switch. If you are having problems seeing the screen at anytime then you easy turn it on to see if it helps. Using this Back lit option will eat away at your standard 18 hours of battery life but at least you have option to turn it off on the fly just in case. That moves me to another big change; this thing doesn't even need those annoying AA batteries anymore. Since the SP doesn't have to take the traditional batteries, Nintendo threw in an AC Adapter that automatically charges the new internal rechargeable lithium battery if it runs low on power. You can even play the SP while it's charging up, it will just charge slower while in play.

The GBA SP still has some problems that you should be aware of. First off, the SP doesn't have the standard Headphone jack like the original Gameboys did. I was one person who never used any headphones personally (mostly because I'm not a big fan of the Gameboy's mono sounds anyway) but that doesn't mean that they didn't serve a purpose. With headphones you could still listen to the action while others around you don't have to plus a lot of games these days require that you hear what's going on while playing (i.e. games like Splinter Cell). You can still buy an special adapter or custom made headphones if you want but be prepared to shell out some more cash. The SP also doesn't need batteries to work anymore and sure that will save you a lot money but if you can't get at a power outlet (like during a Black out or if you're a price that doesn't have electricity) to charge the unit then you're pretty much screwed.

The Gameboy Advance SP isn't a huge improvement over the original GBA especially since it still plays all the standard 1,000 plus Gameboy games like the older Gameboy's do but the new features of this little beauty are just too impressive to ignore. The cool flip top feature now protects your LCD screen getting major scratches, the Back lit option lets you finally play in the dark, and the unit can even save a lot of your money because you don't have to buy those stupid AA batteries anymore. Although Nintendo has already named a successor to the SP (The DS) and Sony has a cool portable system themselves, still the Gameboy Advance SP is such an improvement over the previous unit it may be the best portable gaming unit I ever played.

Overall Gameboy SP rating: 89/100

-StarSoldier 2007
(Ryan Genno)