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402 of 410 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent!, March 9, 2003
Well, after playing the SP last week, I decided to write down my (random) thoughts about it.I bought a Game Boy Advance on launch day in the U.S., and while it is a great system, I had a few problems with it. The main one being the screen. The first game I bought was Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, and I couldn't see worth a darn if there wasn't the exact right angle of light on it. So that's why, when I heard this new 'upgrade' was coming out, I was quite excited. Since you probably already know all the features of the SP, I'll address a few concerns some people have brought up. One of my friends imported the SP from Japan, so I've actually had some playing time with it, and he used it on a long car trip, so... When I first read about the SP, I was a little afraid my hands would be cramped with the small size. To my relief, I found that the GBA:SP is surprisingly comfortable to hold, and I have rather large hands. My friend, who played it while on a 1000 mile car trip across country, said his hands never felt at all cramped while playing. And he has small hands. Most reviewers have also said it fits the hands quite well. So it seems, whether you have big or small hands, hand cramps shouldn't be a problem, as it fits any hands quite well. The light on this thing is the best available for the Game Boy Advance. Even better than the Afterburner. It covers the whole screens and leaves no area unlight or anything. It doesn't tint the screen in the slightest either. It's just too bad they didn't use a screen like this for the original GBA. The fold-down screen is great, since my current GBA screen has several scratches on it. Also more compact when closed, the SP is easier to carry around and use whenever you want. It's a little annoying that you have to buy a separate adapter for headphones, but I don't ever use my GBA headphones, so it's not too big of a bother. One thing that worries me though, is the fact that you are not supposed to change the battery without being a 'professional.' I mean, what if you are on a long plane ride and you don't have access to a power outlet. You probably won't be playing the thing the whole time you're on the plane, but still, it seems a little inconvenient. Most of the things, such as the back-lit display and the rechargeable battery, were available for GBA, but they came at an extra cost, and often didn't work as well. So overall, this just seems to combine those things into higher quality first party objects at probably a little cheaper than you'd spend buying them separately. For those complaining that you feel like you got cheated because they're releasing a new system so quickly, you should have expected it. Recently they have been upgrading their Game Boys quite frequently. This system is actually probably more designed for those who don't already have a GBA and want more options with theirs. And for those who do have one and simply cannot live with the current model. Yeah, Nintendo is trying to get parents to spend more money, but what do you expect? That's every companies' goal, to try and get you to spend as much money as possible. If you simply can't stand the thought of Nintendo trying to cash in like this, don't buy the system and stop complaining. You say it's not that great of an upgrade, well then, don't buy it. Other people, who like the new model, will be happy to buy it. If you don't, wait for the true sequel with upgraded graphics. (Sorry, I had to get that out.) Overall, it should be great for those long car rides and times when you are really bored. The game selection for the Game Boy Advance is great and getting better, so if you're a first time GBA player, don't worry about software choice, as there is a ton. Also, if you are a first time GBA buyer, this is definitely the version to get, despite being a little more expensive than the regular model. I'm glad Nintendo finally listened to its fans and made this upgrade. Sometimes they make questionable decisions (sure they make tons of money, GameCube is great, but one has to admit... Some of their decisions,) but I think this is one of their great decisions. Now, I'm not going to say whether it's really worth [the money] yet or not, because I'm not sure. I think it is, and I'll be buying it. But if you really don't have many problems with the screen and you don't use your Game Boy often, it's probably not the best choice. Besides the fact that one can be quite sure within the next couple of years a new Game Boy will be released with improved graphical capiblities and all that stuff. To add to that, if you're patient, there will most likely be a price drop soon enough. But if you have had problems with the screen and you would like an upgrade to your system, it's worth it. In review: Pros:
- Excellent back-light display
- Smaller than original
- Rechargeable battery lasts a long time
- Comes with an AC adapter
- Fits hands very well
- Fold-down screen prevents scratches Cons:
- A bit pricey if already own current model
- Headphone jack
- If rechargeable batteries run out while on a plane or something, you won't be able to play until you get to a power source.
- Cannot play Kirby's Tilt and Tumble. :(
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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. 
