Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP - Graphite

by Nintendo

Product Features

• This incredible redesign features a fantastic flip-screen; Unopened, the unit fits easily in your pocket
• When it's opened, gamers are in for a treat -- the screen can display up to 32,000 colors, and has a Backlit screen for comfortable game viewing
• Redesigned button and D-pad placement make for hours of more comfortable playing
• Powered by a rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery that provides 18 hours of play with the light off(up to 10 hours with the light on)
• Games are backwards-compatible -- your Game Boy Advance games will play just fine on the GBA SP

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000B5MV60
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5.5 x 1.8 inches ; 1 pounds
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: June 15, 2006
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,339 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

The GBA SP is as small as a PDA and more portable than the original GBA. Take your portable gaming to the next dimension with this futuristic new game system! Color - Graphite

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even with a few frustrating problems, the SP is a huge improvement over the GBA, December 27, 2005

A Kid's Review

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP - Graphite (Video Game)

First, I just want you to know that I'm 14 :)

This Christmas, I got a Graphite GBA SP. I could've gotten a DS, but I decided to get this. And now I am very happy that I did! The SP is a huge improvement over the GBA. It's almost like a completely new system to me, since I didn't play my brother's badly beaten (but still working) GBA much. I also got three new games: LOTR-ROTK, Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, and my brother got me and my other brother Mario Tennis. I absolutely love the first two (the only thing I like in Mario Tennis is the exhibition, and I haven't even tried multiplayer yet). I also got the GBA movie player which I want to use mostly for music, since I use my dad's portable DVD player (I'm patiently waiting for my flash card to come).

But anyway, back to the SP! As I already said, this is a huge improvement over the GBA. First of all, it's backlit, like a TV (not like the old SP) when you turn it on, you'll be stunned by how bright it is, but that's not all! Press the small button near the screen, and it'll get even brighter (I'm not sure, but the highest brightness of the SP's screen may even be brighter than the DS's screens!) This is a BIG advantage.

The next thing, and actually one of the first noticeable things, is the clamshell design. This is an improvement in two ways. First, it protects the screen. Unlike the GBA (and PSP, for that matter), the screen is protected when it's shut. When you're finished playing just close it up, and put it away without worrying about scratches on the screen. Second, it gives it a more "mature" look. When I was at the barber shop, I actually tried to hide the GBA from view while playing it. However, with the awesome look of the SP, I won't be afraid to play it in front of people.

One of the best things about this is the rechargeable battery. Since Christmas, I've had to charge it twice (counting the first time). That saves money for what, four AA's? Really, this idea is brilliant. It lasts a while after a full charge, and takes only a little while to charge. Also you can play while it's charging! This will definitely come in handy. On Christmas day, I couldn't wait, so a played while it was charging. This will save a lot of money.

Another good thing about it is it's small size. The GBA was pretty big, but the SP is like almost half the size! The SP (when closed) is about the size of the middle of the GBA. This makes it much more portable.

One of the things that people might be afraid of is how it fits in your hands. People might think that since it's so small, it'll be uncomfortable. To tell you the truth, I think it's actually more comfortable than the GBA. If you think about it, when you play video games on the TV or computer, are you going to have the screen between your hands, or above you hands? Of course you're going to be looking up. Well, it's the same thing with the SP. As far as having your hands squeezed together, I'm not an adult with adult hands. My hands are pretty close together when playing it, which makes it a little uncomfortable, but really, is there any portable game system that gives you even the slightest pain? The L and R buttons are actually not that hard to it. Just hit them from a little farther away from the tips of your index fingers. I also like how the buttons are very "clicky" and responsive (the start and Select buttons aren't as easy as the others, however). Although the directional pad and A&B buttons are burrowed into the machine, they're very responsive, and don't need to be smashed to get a resonse.

There are also some small (but good) changes:

The speaker sounds better than the GBA's. It's probably because it's centered, not off to the side like the GBA's.

I think the power light on the right does a better job than the GBA's (it looks cooler, too)

Everything on the SP (the buttons and slider switches, for example) are placed much better. The GBA had things placed all over the place

However, even with all of these complements, the SP suffers some noticeable things. For one thing, it has no headphone jack. Some people might see this as a huge con, but really, it isn't. If Nintendo wanted to make this smaller and more durable, then fine. Leave out the headphone jack. Of course, if there was absolutely no way for you to listen through headphones, I might not have gotten it. Fortunately, you can buy a headphone adapter for less than ten bucks. It's slightly annoying to have to constantly get that instead of just plugging the headphones in, but it's not that terrible.

Another thing is that this doesn't have any new games. Except for maybe two or three, you play the same games as the GBA. This isn't a huge deal, but it would have been nice if they made it even just a little stronger, like 40-bit.

One thing that has annoyed me so much is how much dust gets on the screen. The clamshell design protects the screen from scratches, but it doesn't stop the dust from living on it

And there are a few small cons:

The start and select buttons are a little hard to reach and press, but where else could they have put them?

The volume wheel is replaced by a volume slider. This makes it harder to get an exact volume. Also, it is easy to raise the volume accidentally while playing because of it's placement (this is really annoying when using headphones). But the slider looks better than a wheel would, which is a small advantage.

The L and R buttons are REALLY tiny, but actually not too uncomfortable. I hit them about three-fourths of an inch away from the tips of my index fingers.

However, even with these faults, I think that this is the best portable system today even with the micro, DS, and PSP out. It is the cheapest of the four, and probably the second most portable. The PSP is way too expensive, is very fragile, and probably not too many games (I'm probably not allowed to play some of the games). But I love the big, beautiful screen and graphics! The DS is cool with the two screens, touch screen, wireless multiplayer, and better graphics, but there probably aren't many games for this either, it's too big (probably about twice the size of the SP), has no analog stick for 3-d games, and it's screen is only .1 in. larger than the SP's. By the time Metroid: Prime hunters comes out, the Nintendo Revolution might already be in stores. As for the micro, the screen is way too small, and it even costs more than the SP! And is the small size really an advantage? You can carry it easily, yes, but it might be pretty uncomfortable for both big and small hands (of course I've never played one, or actually seen it in person).

Now I'll sum it all up by listing the most important pro's and con's.

Pros:

~Two-level backlit LCD screen

~Clamshell design protects screen from scratches, dirt, food, or whatever, and gives it a
more mature look

~Rechargeable battery saves money

~Smaller size makes it more portable

~Very cheap

Cons:

~No headphone jack

~It's really just an upgrade of the GBA, which means no new games

~Screen collects a LOT of dust

~ Can be slightly uncomfortable

However, even though some things could be improved, the pros far outweigh the cons. I recommend this over the micro, DS, and PSP.

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It is worth it for the new backlight alone, November 3, 2005

By 

S. Mills (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP - Graphite (Video Game)

Just bought this one last night for my hubby for Christmas as he keeps stealing mine for the better light than the old GBA he has. Tried it out this a.m. and now I want a new one. The lighting system is tons better than my GBA-SP I got last year. When you turn it on the light is off but referencing my GBA I thought it was on, when I actually turned it on, WOW is all I can say. If you are looking for a GBA, get one of the newer ones with the new backlit system, you will not be disappointed. Now if they would just come out with a pink GBA-SP.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great durable handheld, December 7, 2005

By 

T. D. Wallace "mom2twinsx2plus2" (Fort Lauderdale, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP - Graphite (Video Game)

Last Christmas my 7 y/o son received this gameboy. I was very hesitant about the flip top. I thought for sure it would be broken in a day. I have found out that this is a very durable system. I just purchased 2 more systems for my 5 y/o twin boys and they have dropped them, stepped on them, thrown them, spilled drinks on them, you name it they've done it and so far the gameboys have survived and no scratches on the screens either! Can't ask for much more than that. The graphics aren't what you will get with other systems but my boys don't know the difference yet. We've been able to find plenty of games that were age appropriate. Our biggest problem is keeping up with the game cartridges.
The battery seems to hold it's charge for a long time. These have definently been a hit with my boys.