Customer Reviews

Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP - Graphite

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

It is still a mystery to me. Which portable console released is the ruler? The god of portable gaming goodness? Is it the gameboy advance, the game boy advance sp, the nintendo DS, the nintendo ds lite edition, or the Playstation Portable? Right now, I'd have to say none.

The nintendo game boy advance sp is a leading contender, though. Why, you may ask yourself? This system has a colossal software library. Not only does it play game boy advance games, but it also plays game boy color and original game boy games. Another words, if you want a nice selection, turn here. It also has a nice backlight; This is the only gaming system that allows you to play Game boy color and advance games with a backlight. Seems like a perfect portable, right?

Wrong. You see, even though It is awesome in the ways I've mentioned prior, It still has one HUGE flaw. Console design. Unless you have baby sized hands, you will find your hands cramping up playing this. The reason this happens is because the d-pad and the "b" and "a" buttons are extremely close to each other. Also, the console is not wide enough. The Original Game boy advance was not a hand cramper because the d-pad and the face buttons were at a normal lengths apart. Is this one a winner? No. It has no backlight, so the Game boy advance and the Advance Sp are about equal when it comes to overall experiance.

Now for the Nintendo DS. It has two backlit screens and the bottom screen is touch-sensitive. It has 64-bit graphics.(Roughly the equivalent graphics of a Nintendo 64.) It has built in WiFi, so there is no need for those damn link cables. WiFi allows you to wirelessly play multiplayer with anyone who has a DS in a 100 foot radius. It is backwards compatible with Game Boy Advance Games.

That's Game Boy ADVANCE games. You can not play your game boy color and original game boy games on this thing. That's the main folly. By doing this, Nintendo eliminated a truckload of titles. The only other mistakes on the DS is the fact that is is huge for a handheld,(you'll be lucky to get it into you're pocket,) and that the backlight isn't all that bright. But trust me here: It is much better to have an oversived system than an undersized one. (DS and SP)

Keep in mind though, A Nintendo DS lite will be releasing in North America this month and is supposed to fix the original Ds's problems. It will be 20% lighter, 2/3 the size, has a backlight four times as bright as the original, comes with a longer stylus, and will cost $129.99 at launch. I can't exactly judge a system that is not out yet, but I'm sure it will have its own problems. (It looks a bit fragile.)

Then the Playstation Portable came. It offered the ability to browse the internet, play games, listen to mp3s, watch UMD movies and look at pictures. It sounds great, but to use all this multimedia stuff you have to buy super expensive memory sticks, the games look like jagged PS2 graphics, and UMD movies only work on the PSP. They have minimal features, and they cost more than DVDs. The PSP feels strange in your hand because of it's long screen. Although, I have to admit, this is the only portable with a port of Katamari Damacy. The games cost $40 and $50 and the system costs $250.

So what system is the best? You must decide. I've given you the facts, now you make your move on the chess board of the Portable Console war.

This portable is great for anytime gameplay! Even in the dimmest lighting, playing your favorite GBA games has never been better. For adaptivity, this is ranked 1st place. But not only can you play games in the dark or slip it in your jacket pocket, you can also play your favorite GBC and GBP games!! And also for long car rides, so that your gameplay lasts longer, the battery life is AWESOME, also letting you RECHARGE your battery PACK for the first time in Nintendo history. And to make things better, the battery life is extra long to make limited charge breaks. But even when you need to charge, you can still play your games WHILE YOU CHARGE!!! So if you want a console that can:

1. Fit in almost any pocket
2. Have a bcklight for Take-Anywhere gameplay
3. Have long battery power
4. Play GBA,GBC, and GBP games

Buy this portable console, and you won't regret it!

Like the gameboy advance sp, abut sports a brighter screen for better game experience. The screen is truly backlit like the gameboy micro and NDS, not frontlit like the older variations.. (...)

my five year old got one of these for christmas, and he absolutley loves it!!!! he can sit and play with this for hours!! and there have been times when i have not had anything else to do and i have sat and played this for hours!!

I had one of the original GB Advances, and my co-worker's husband bought her one of the improved ones (like this one). The difference in picture quality is AMAZING. I bought myself a new one and gave my mom (who is still playing Tetris with my original 1990s GameBoy) my original blue GB Advance.

I take mine on my subway commute, use it as an extra controller for our GameCube (adapter required), and play head-to-head with family members who have them. This is a great system for nostalgic folks like me who love playing the original NES games (and, like me, may have trouble with the fancy 3D controllers) as well as those who like the newer games. It's small, folders to minimize screen damage, has good battery life, and is backward compatible with old GameBoy games -- a pleasant surprise in this day and age of disposable electronics.

My only complaint would be the limited selection of not-so-hot colors (only graphite or aqua), but I'd imagine this is because the spotlight product is now the GameBoy DS.

nice screen, great games. the only thing better than the gba is the next-generation nintendo ds which is slightly more expensive but plays ds games AND gba games. nintendo is the king of handheld gaming! whatever you do don't make the mistake of getting a psp...i got one and traded it in at a significant loss, it was that big of a hunk of junk. i wouldn't trade a game boy color for one!

Yes, it's 2011 and there are more powerful handhelds around like the new Nintendo 3DS and soon the Sony NGP, I myself have a Nintendo DSi XL, but in my opinion, nothing can beat (yet) this perfect little machine called the Gameboy Advance SP, bear with me and read along please.

The first Gameboy Advance released in 2001 was a joke, it was big and ugly, with no lit screen and using standard AA batteries that died in few hours it was a horrible handheld indeed, you had to resort to rechargeable batteries or annoying 3rd party "lamps" to get a good experience out of that GBA. Then the GBA-SP came in 2003 to solve all those problems but it still used a front-lit screen (bad design decision), but soon after a redesign appeared (GBA-SP model AGS-101) with a powerful back-lit screen and it was (and still is in my opinion) the perfect gaming handheld. Be aware that this model is a bit hard to find nowadays, few units where produced, you can identify it by the unit color: Gray (called Graphite), Cyan (called Pearl Blue) and Pink (called Pearl Pink). There is also a Silver GBA-SP with back-lit screen but it is identical to the front-lit Silver, so look in the back of the console for the model, if it reads AGS-101 then is a back-lit device. Trust me, the back-lit screen makes a HUGE difference and a much better gaming.

The unit is extremely small and portable, measuring 8x8x2cms (closed) and at just 140gr it fits in any pocket ready to be carried around, the new 3DS and the PSP just can't beat the GBA-SP portability, they are big and heavy. The rechargeable battery last between 10-12hrs, compare that with the 3-5hrs of battery life of the 3DS or the PSP...

But, what makes this the winner for me is it's compatibility with the hundreds of classic Gameboy (GB) and Gameboy Color (GBC) games, so you have a HUGE library of awesome games for GB, GBC and GBA and you can play ALL of them on this little gem (with some exceptions). Yes, Nintendo will release soon a Virtual Store for the 3DS so you can buy classic GB games and play them on the 3DS, but to me the experience and feeling is not the same like popping in your old GB cart and play like it was mean to be, and I doubt so much good games like R-Type and Adventure Island will be available on the 3DS.

The GBA-SP may surely not appeal the younger or the people that want the latest cutting-edge devices, but it DOES appeal old-school gamers like me that loved those "real" games on their NES and SNES, with ports like the Super Mario Advance 1-4, Zelda: A Link to the Past and the hundred of classic GB games like Super Mario Land, AND with the ability to play them ANYWHERE, these kind of gamers will feel like in heaven with a GBA-SP, if you loved your classic platforming and shoot-them-up you should get a GBA-SP now. Trust me, this is the perfect console for old-school gamers.

The only complains are the lack of a headphone jack and that some old games are really hard to find, but a big plus is that you can find them REALLY cheap, I got some classic games even at 2-3$ each! The console itself is really cheap compared to the new ones.

I have my GBA-SP and I'm in love with it, my DSi and 3DS can't just compete with the awesomeness that is the GBA-SP. Get one, you'll not regret.