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Many decried the original Game Boy Advance's reflective LCD screen and its reliance on external light sources. The Game Boy Advance SP's main feature--optional backlighting--fixes this complaint nicely, but it's the wealth of other features that makes this system so surprisingly good.
At first look, you might think the SP is a sleek travel alarm clock. When closed, it's just as tall and deep as the original GBA, but only half as wide. Due to its clamshell design, the screen is always protected from everyday scratches. A small button in the center of the console turns on the backlighting element for use in low-light situations, like in a moving car.
The SP comes with a well-designed power adapter that recharges a built-in battery; its prongs fold in for easier storage. Our informal tests found that it takes about four hours to fully charge (you can even play it while it's plugged in and charging), and the battery lasts about 11 hours with the backlighting constantly on--your results may vary. Using the backlighting less often will conserve battery power.
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| With separately sold cables, you can connect the Game Boy Advance SP to other GBAs for multiplayer gaming (above) or to the Nintendo GameCube (below) to access secret levels, exchange data, or use other special features that vary from game to game. |
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But size, power, and affordability do not come without trade offs. There's no headphone jack here, though Nintendo promises an adapter. The system isn't very loud at its highest volume, and the sound can be turned down to socially acceptable levels. The L and R shoulder buttons are a fraction of the size they were on the GBA, and thus are harder to hit. Also, the reduced size of the SP is slightly less comfortable for adult hands than the GBA, but perhaps more comfortable for smaller hands. The cartridge port placement on the lower part of the console is fine for GBA games, since they are flush with the console body, but older Game Boy Color carts will stick out in a way that takes some getting used to.
Open it up and the hinge will seek out a preferred, pre-set angle (about 150 degrees), though you can open it a bit wider or narrower for your own comfort. The hinge stands up well to lateral pressure, and over all, the SP seems just as rugged as its predecessor--which has proven to be very rugged, indeed. --Porter B. Hall
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Limited Edition SP = My new best friend !,
By Nick (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Game Boy Advance SP - Platinum/Onyx (Limited Edition) (Video Game)
This has got to be one of the coolest things Nintendo has made. The Gameboy has been a part of gaming since the days of the original Nintendo. It has seen many shapes, sizes and most of all, colors. After 15 years Gameboy is still king of portable gaming. Now here we are with yet another Gameboy Advancement...known as the Gameboy Advance SP.When I first seen the Gameboy Advance, I thought it was great, like having a mini-super nintendo. But, the one thing that bugged me was how dark the screen was...I mean come on, no built-in light? Well Nintendo must have heard the calls of despair and answered with the Gameboy Advance SP...a Gameboy Advance with added features and a sleek new look. One of the most notiable feature and worth getting the SP for, is the built in light. No longer do you have to hunch under a lamp to play. Now, you can play in ANY lighting situation with ease. Plus, the built in light causes no glare and also enhances the graphics of the game by providing so mush more clarity. You'll see what I mean when you turn the light on and off during gameplay for comparison. Another cool feature is that it folds up like a mini notebook computer. This protects the screen which a BIG plus for kids or gamers who are a little rough with their things. The GBA SP also features a rechargeable battery pack. Just plug it in the wall with the included charger. Now...some one mentioned that this is a bad design by Nintendo since they don't sell a universal voltage adaptor for foreign countries. BUT, I have a solution for our friends who do traveling to other places on the globe. Nintendo sell replacement SP batteries for $10. For the price of a standard GBA game you can get 3 batteries plus with the one you got with your GBA SP, that makes a total of 4. A battery fully charged will last 10 hours with the light and nearly double without the light. So with 4 fully charged batteries ready to go before your trip, you'll have a good 40 - 70 hours of solid gameplay. All you need is a mini screw driver to remove the battery cover. This should last you til you get back to the states. One last thing is that you'll notice the SP has no headphone jack. But Nintendo along with other 3rd party companies sell headphone SP adaptors to let you use headphones. Plus they are very inexpensive...I got mine for $4.99 with headphones included. Now, with all these cool features, Nintendo has finally perfected the Gameboy. But it makes me wonder...what took so long?
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Game Boy Advance SP,
By Cool Kid "Jinzo" (Rochester, NY USA) - See all my reviews
= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
This review is from: Game Boy Advance SP - Platinum/Onyx (Limited Edition) (Video Game)
I got the Game Boy Advance SP on Christmas. I loved it! I was excited to play with it. My GBA SP is the Platinum/Onyx version. I thought those two colors go together well. The SP itself, I loved the fact that it had a lighted screen. I have a dark house so I used it regularly. The charger is a great step in gaming. Since I'm hooked on this thing I use it often. The clamshell design is brilliant but I am taking no chances with this thing. Screen protectors are the first thing on my mind. For a moment I was worried about the compatibility with E-Reader compatible games. Nothing to worry about. This is a must have, get it now. I was lucky to get the dual color one, but no matter which color you get you will have hours of fun!!!!!!!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Darn Sexy,
By
This review is from: Game Boy Advance SP - Platinum/Onyx (Limited Edition) (Video Game)
man, this color it rocks so much. black and platinum matches very well. many people thinks it's goofed up, but when you hold it, man, does it feel and look nice (especially closed). ok, firstly (yes, it's a word) the sound is louder than the original gameboy advance due to the follwing: it's centered on the system and the holes are bigger, letting more sound project out, while on the original the second layer of plastic covered the sound completely, so it seemed muffled (compared to GBA SP). Second, the light cover all the area of the screen. the bulb is mostly at the bottom of the screen lighting upward. third, the buttons are more "precise"; they're more low, giving a nice click feel to it, think playstation 2 power button. fourthly, the folding of the system. ingenious. Just wish the screen can stay still when going past the preset position (see image). whenever a small thrust occur to the screen toward the body, the screen snaps back to the preset position. irrating if you want to hold/have the screen vertical/ly (like the GBC). Finally, it feels very expensively made, not like the cheapness of the original GBA. Sure the original is more comfortable, but you'll get use to holding the flat lower section in no time. btw, all SPs have glitter on them, if you're wondering (i was).
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