Customer Reviews

Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP - Onyx

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just purchased the GBASP, and while I have not played at great length, I must say that initially, I am blown away! I was attracted to it not only by the compact size and small screen, but the exceptional low price as well. It will be great to take my gaming habit wherever I want to go. In addition, it is not loaded with bells and whistles like it's newer brother, the DS, and is simple to use. I know of a few people whose only system is the Gameboy, so if you want something simple and portable, this is for you!
the SP is very easy and fun to operate. In addition, the endless list of games will keep you busy for a long, long time.
While everyone seems to be raving over the DS, I'm having a great time with the SP.

Tip. Be sure to get a carrying case, as if you put it in your pockets, lint, dust, etc. will get into the system.

The SP is a small step for gamers but a giant leap for Nintendo. The convience, fun, and portability of the GBA just got better. The SP is smaller, easier on the hands, and has an illuminator behind the screen so you can actually see the game you're playing. Also the SP doesn't switch games so you can still get the GBA Games for it.

I just bought an Onyx SP and a Mario Bros. 3 game yesterday at my local KBToys, and I must say I'm impressed. Many companies have tried to make handhelds before (I hear even Playstation is coming out with one -- jeez), but Nintendo is the only company that is preffered by ACTUAL GAMERS. I mean, sure I'm pretty upset about my old GBA gathering dust somewhere in my personal junkyard, but the GBA really was quite a problem. I mean, after only a week the screen was cracked and smuged, and once it was night out I couldn't see what I was doing. I tried to fix this by buying a Pelican Light/Shield, but the thing kept falling off and leaving a blue tint on my screen. But just when I thought I had lost, here it is -- the SP!!!!

PROS:

Sidelit screen that completly illuminates your gameplay

Clamshell design folds-down, making less annoying, horrible looking scratches on your screen

Rechargable battery saves money on buying batteries

Cool design and colors (Especially Onyx)

CONS:

Screen collects dust quickly for some reason

No headphone jack (which isn't really a problem since the stereo sound of the SP is phenominal)

Smaller L-R buttons

RECOMENDED GAMES:

Zelda: A Link to the Past, The Four Swords
Mario Advance
Mario Bros. 3
Metroid Fusion
Legacy of Goku II
all Tony Hawk games
Final Fantasy Tactics
Draognball Z Taiketsu
Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Sacred Cards
all Golden Sun games

I just got my GBA SP Onyx from Toysrus, I totally recommend this to people, who haven't bought a GBA yet. But if you enjoy having a better system, Buy it.

PROS:
- Rechargable Battery Adapter
- More Portable than the last one. (Flip Screen)
- Built-in Light (has button to turn off)
- Charge Indicator (LED)

CONS:
- No headphone slot
- Must buy a new rechargable battery pack (after approx 500 recharges)
- This is for kid hands, it has a small body system, So I recommend adults buy GBA

It fits in my pocket greatly, better than the old GBA, too big. Get it now!

I first had the original gameboy advance and was reluctant to upgrade to the SP. Well, the light I had for it died, and I couldn't find a replacement. Thus me buying this little guy... I'm kicking myself for not buying it earlier. This is way more portable, has a built in light that rivals just about any you could buy for the standard gba, and it has a built in rechargible battery. How can you go wrong? And since it's backward compatible with all the previous gameboy systems, you can still enjoy the all the classic games you've collected over the years.

First when I saw GBA SP, I thought it was so dumb. But when I found out that it had built in light, and rechargable battery, I was hooked up to it. After that I decided to buy one. So I went to the store and bought one. I couldn't wait to open it. When I got home, I read the insturction manual,and started charging. the Clam shell disigh was what I thought it was the coolest. It looks like a mini laptop that plays game! The part I liked the most is built in light. The GBA's light got on your way when playing game in the dark. Now there is built in screen like palm, you don't have to worry about light getting in your way. the LED indicater makes SP more cooler. (From side way) My hands are fairly large but SP is still comfertable to me! I still like playing GameBoy Advance SP.

Pro
- It has built in screen
- Rechargable battery
- portable
- better sound

Cons
- No headphone jack
- have to order rechargable battery when it goes completely dead

I bought black GBA SP because I thought it was the coolest color.

P.S Don't buy platium. It scratches off and smears off

I love the backlit screen! This toy has more bang for the buck than almost any other I can think of. The internal battery and recharger is brilliant -- no more asking for new batteries (though I now have a nice collection of rechargable AAs!). Great titles, Nintendo's strong point.

Can I think of ANYTHING negative about a GBA? No, I cannot! I wish they'd had these when I was a kid!!!

The Game Boy SP is the greatest thing I have ever held in my hands that was not distilled in Scotland.

I've never owned a Game Boy before this; my sister has had an original Game Boy for a good while, but I've had nothing in between. I hear the GBA was terrible without a light, and certainly this looks beautiful with its light; I actually like playing it in the dark, since I can see the excellent graphics so well. The rechargeable battery is sheer genius and lasts a good long time, even with the light on.

This thing is tiny and there's no problem carrying it around, but it manages to pack enough power to play some great games - Metroid Fusion is particularly pretty. The Super Mario Advance rereleases are a great idea, since those are some of the best games Nintendo has made; I bought Yoshi's Island, as it is clearly the best of the group (see my review). If you want to play the old Game Boy games, you can't get a DS, since that's only compatible with GBA games, whereas this will play anything from Super Mario Land (giggle, don't laugh) on up.

I would like to address problems people have had with this that have no merit before I get to the legitimate problems that caused me to rate this lower than five stars. The battery pack recharges five hundred times before you need to buy a new one. That's roughly five thousand hours of playing time. If wearing the battery pack out is a serious concern to you, get the following: a. a job; b. a girlfriend; c. a life. If you can play this enough hours out of the day to worry yourself that the battery might go bad, you need to step outside maybe once a month, at least to buy groceries.

It's true that older Game Boy games stick out of this since they longer than GBA games and the slot isn't designed for them, but you'd have to be a bigtime neurotic to care about this. When you're playing the game, you can't even see the cartridge, and if you're holding the system right up against your chest, you're a freak.

Real problems? As has been mentioned, the system is so small that you have to handcuff yourself to play it. Over extended periods of continuous play this can be very painful. Also, the system requires a headphone adapter, and can't simply accept standard headphones without this extra. I don't use headphones anyway, but this is certainly a disadvantage to the system.

My major beef is the control scheme, since the buttons are too close together and it's painful to play for very long, but I still give it an excellent four-star rating. For pure fun this is perfect.

Before the SP, I had absolutely no interest in the Gameboy games as my younger siblings did. The screen was so crappy; it was so hard to see. But then the SP came. Seeing it' sleek, compact design and the backlighted screen, I fell in love. Sadly I did not get one for Christmas, as my parents knew I had no interest in handhelds. However my mother had accidentally bought an extra (thinking she forgot to buy my sister one, when it was just hidden). I thought about keeping it. I said "Is it onyx?" And to my luck, it was! And that is how I came to love the SP. The design is genius; WAY better than the bulky, exposed screen of the previous. And what shocks me most-- it's so tiny! Tiner than I had ever imagined! Great for travel! However the only con I have to talk about is the fact that it has no headphone jack. No room, perhaps? But anyways, you will have a blast playing away on the GameBoy Advance, GameBoy Color, and origional GameBoy games!

If you were thinking about buying an original Gameboy Advance I would highly reccomend reconsidering. I recently purchased the new GBA SP and was very impressed with the sleek design and great performance of this product. The visuals are very nice, and there are tons of great games out there available for the system. If you were concered about the small size don't worry my hands are fairly large, and holding the system was very comfortable.The Frontlit screen is probobly the most notealbe and anticipated new feature the system has to offer, I was able to play games in a room without any lighting whatsoever with ease, and with the new Lithium Ion battery being used as the power source you won't be needing to spend money on batteries for roughly 3 years; This feature will pay for itself over and over again. I have owned a good deal of handheld consoles and by far this this is the most innovative of them all, finally Nintendo Got it right! My only complaint was the lack of a built in headphone jack for private listening, so you'll have to pay a bit more for the headphone adapter if you plan on using headphones. Unfortunately it always seems to be bundled with something, other than being sold as a standalone item, But the good that this product has to offer greatly outweighs the bad, which makes it highly reccomendalbe. If you have been searching for a great handheld system your search is over, So what are you waiting for? There's no time like there present and these little handhelds are going fast, better get yours while they are still so abundant. ;)