Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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138 of 149 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easy to Carry - Great Quality, October 14, 2005
For portable systems, many of the Nintendo GameBoys are rather large. I'm really thrilled with the GameBoy Micro, with its small size and sharp screen.
This super-slim design fits perfectly in your pocket or purse, something not easily said for the other GameBoy systems I own. The back-lit screen means the display is always quite crisp. The buttons are easy to use, the screen is quite easy to read. The volume can crank enough for you to understand what's going on.
You get a variety of faceplate designs with each purchase, to customize it. I happen to love the pink ladybug design, but friends of mine really like the blue "ammonite" display. There's also basic black and other options too.
You can play any GameBoy game with this system. You can NOT play old GameBoy and GameBoy color games on this. While some complain about this, heck, the game system is TINY. They simply couldn't fit all that other functionality into this tiny system. To be honest, if I want to play an ancient game, I'll play it on one of my other systems. I rarely want to do that. This micro system is just perfect for all of my modern gaming needs, to carry around with me. Heck, you could complain that this doesn't play DS games either. Well, sure, that's why I own a DS.
I have a SP too - but the micro is much smaller and lighter. They are each different systems, for different reasons. It's like having an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar. Sure, they're both guitars - but there are reasons to use them in different situations. I'd use a SP at home - but I'd carry a micro with me when I travel.
The Micro *comes* with a little velvet-like pouch. You stick it in the pouch, it's safe. The faceplate covers the display area too - so you can simply switch faceplates any time you run into a scratch, and get a new look too.
As far as the smaller screen goes, it actually makes the display more crisp. For those of us with large screen TVs, you now how making an image larger also makes it more fuzzy. When you make an image smaller, you make it more crisp. I was really impressed with how some games looked on this!
Highly recommended!
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44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
GBA Micro--The Ultimate Buying Guide, June 14, 2006
A Kid's Review
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
The purpose of this review is to give anyone having doubts about buying this, or anyone very interested in buying this, a good idea of what the system is like. If you want a simple Pros. Cons. list, simply skip to the end of this review. If you want an in-depth buying guide, read the whole thing.
First off, I'll say that this system is small--really really small. It's about as wide as the top hinge of the GBA SP, and is about as thick as your thumb-possible thinner. Is the smallness bad or good? Well, that depends on a few things. Because of the smallness, you can't play Game Boy or Game Boy Color Games. This might be a problem if you don't have a Game Boy or a Game Boy Color and want to trade in your SP or original GBA to get the Micro. If this is the case, don't get the Micro, and stop reading this now. If you have a system to play old games, the Micro might just be for you. Anyway, the smallness really isn't a problem for most people. It fits in any pocket, unlike other systems, and, although it may not look it, is incredibly easy to hold, much easier to hold than the GBA SP or the original GBA. I have big hands--bigger than most peoples, and I find it easy to hold. On the SP, the buttons were all mashed together and it was hard to find a good playing position for the SP. I have already found 5 comfortable playing positions for the Micro. Of course, because the system is so incredibly lightweight, there are many more playing positions you can use without having fatigue.
I'm sure anyone interested in the purchase will be interested to know about the screen. If you didn't already know, yes, it is considerably smaller than the screen on previous GBA systems. However, it really isn't a problem. Yes, some text in games is hard to read, but this is a small price to pay for the screen looking so good. Because the screen is smaller, the pixels are smaller, and it looks incredible, much better than the SP or the GBA. This is only enhanced by the fact that it is brighter, much brighter than the SP, and easy to see anywhere. If you are older and with bad eyesight, you might want ot stick with an SP; the smaller screen size may be hard to see.
How does it sound? That's a good question. The speaker is faily small, and the sound is diminished by the fact that the faceplate (which I'll cover later on) only gives the speaker three small holes to get through. So its quiter than the SP, but is in fact louder than the original GBA, and is listenable. The thing is, you can stick a pair of headphones in quite easily because the port is right there on the bottom of the system. No need for extra hookups like on the SP. The thing is, the headphone jack isn't placed ideally on the system. It is on the bottom, right next to the GBA Cartridge slot, and sometimes gets in the way of your hands.
How do you turn the sound up? Another good question. There is a little button on the right hand side of the system that you click to turn the sound up or down. This can be annoying at first, as it takes a long time to get to full sound or to no sound. This switch also controls brightness on the system. By holding down the L button and hitting the button, you can adjust the brightness on 4 levels. My recomendation: Keep it on the highest level. There's not a lot of difference between brightness levels.
Onto faceplates. If you can look at a picture of the Micro, you can see the black or silver color that surrounds the buttons and screen: believe it or not, this is actually a faceplate. Each system comes with three faceplates, including the one on there when you buy it. The system comes with a little device that removes the faceplates from the system so you can put a new one on. This faceplate feature is cool because you can customize your Micro to look like you want it too. (Additional faceplates are sold seperately.) While the faceplates are a neat feature, there's one problem: The faceplates collect dust REALLY easily. You can never leave them lying out exposed, or they'll get really dirty. Also, they collect fingerprints easily, and you can see your finger stains anywhere on the faceplate after playing even for ten seconds. This isn't a huge problem, but might be if you're a super neat freak (like me.)
What does the system come with? Well, it comes with an instruction manual that if definitally worth reading. It tells you about the faceplates and how to use and remove them. The system also includes two extra faceplates, the faceplate removing device I mentioned earlier, and a nifty little pouch to keep the system in. This pouch is very handy. Since the system doesn't fold shut, the screen (or, I should say, the faceplate,) is entirely exposed to dust and grime unless you keep it in this pouch. This pouch is big enough to also include two or three games and up to two more faceplates and the faceplate remover. (That's what I keep in there.) It's a good idea to keep the faceplates in here, even if not the system, as the pouch protects them from dust. The system also comes with a new AC Adapter (charger.) The cord on this Adapter is much longer than the one for the SP or the one for the NDS, which is very handy. Keep in mind that the Micro has a new port and that this adapter will not work in other systems, nor will other adapters work in this system. I'll talk about the Port later.
Now for some final general specs. about the system that I haven't yet covered. The buttons are more "springy" this time, and less clicky like they were on the SP, giving you more control. The L and R buttons are bigger than on the SP, which is a big improvment, as it is easier to hit them now, especially on a shoulder-button-heavy game like DK: King of Swing. The power switch is once again a slider, and in the top right of the system is a hole so that you can put this system on a keychain if this is to your liking. The new port is on the top, and is much smaller now than in previous systems. Also, there's only one port, and its built diferently than on the SP or GBA. So that means that you can't use the same old cables: you'll need new cables and a converter if you want to play with friends. These can only be purchased on the online Nintendo store, and are fairly cheep. It'll be under 20 bucks to replace the cables.
Finally, how pricey is the system? New, its 100 dollars, though I've noticed Amazon is now selling it for 95. This doesn't make much sense, since the Micro does less than the SP, and the SP is less money. So consider everything I've said so far, and add the price thing in there, and figure if its worth it for you.
Now if you're still not sure about buying or not buying, I'll give a personal review before giving the pros. cons. list. My feeling is that its a very good system. My only gripe with the thing is that it uses a new port, making all my old cables obsolete, and that it can't play Game Boy or GB Color games. I'm ok with the backwards compatability thing though, as I still have by GBC in almost mint condition, even though I still play it frequently. (I have a soft spot for Pokemon.) I overall love the system, as its very easy to hold. My reccomendation, (and don't buy merely because of my reccomendation; look at all the general info. and make the decision yourself) is that its worth the buy ONLY if you plan to keep a system that will play GB or GBC games. Its definately worth it for the brighter and better screen and comfort while holding.
And finally, the pros. and cons. list, in case you didn't read the rest of the review, or if you simply want a recap:
PROS:
---Brigter Screen
---Easier to Hold
---Removable Faceplates for Custimization
---Bigger Shoulder Buttons
---Springier Buttons
---Smallness-Fits in any pocket
---Weight-Light as a Feather!
---Longer cord on the adapter
---Actually has a headphone jack
Cons:
---No backwards compatibility
---New Port, Jacking up the Price even further
---Price-100 Bucks! An SP is cheaper and has backwards compatibility
---Small screen. Could have been bigger
Ok, so that's it. I hope I've helped you make your decision--wheather it be to buy or not buy, and I hope I covered everything. Thanks for reading!
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108 of 127 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Compact For Gamers, September 20, 2005
Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars
Nintendo has always been the landmark in the gaming world for handhels users since the late 80's.With the unrealistic success of the Nintendo Game Boy, it has been the cornersstone of the gaming world, as the most successful video game system of all time. Today, it is still growingin popularity with the versions like the Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Color, and the Game Boy Advance, and Game Boy Advance SP editions, as well as the compatability with the Nintendo DS system to the mix. While all that has withstood the test of time, Nintendo has made another reinvention of the popular Game Boy status.
Game Boy Advane Micro Silver edition, is a mor discreet and compact version of the popular video game system. The device is so small, it is the first handheld video game system you can actually put in you pockets. The device also has a pair of customiztaion plates, so you can make your Game Boy have some style. It is well, compatible to all of the video game from Nintendo's Game Boy Advance library and the Game Boy video collections too, with games like Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Brothers 3, and Madden '06. While all that is hot, there is one big problem for longtime Game Boy fans. The device is not compatible to the earlier Game Boy games, and the Game Boy color editions either. This move is unfortunate if you can't play those games. If you do, I honestly suggest the Game Boy Advance SP version instead.
Despite a small glitch, this is a must buy for anybody who is a die hard fan of the Nintendo Game Boy. Game Boy Advance Micro, is a great compact game system for anybody to have.
Graphics: B
Sound: B+
Price: B-
Control: A
Compatibility: B-
Overall: B 1/2+
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