Written by Matt Swider  on July 01, 2003

Accessories: Special УAd.Ф joins the class.

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Nintendo has given Game Boy several makeovers throughout the portable's 15 year span, and though a compact size, colorful screen, and advanced graphics were nothing short of revolutionary, there was one thing that remained absent. The missing link surfaced this year in the form of Game Boy Advance SP where the SP stands for special project. Indeed, this version of Game Boy is special primarily because it brings light to all of those handheld enthusiasts still shrouded in darkness. It also sports a number of other features with its slick design and rechargeable battery to boot. In many ways, the Game Boy Advance SP makes the original design of two years seem outdated with its light weight, lit screen, and lithium-ion battery.

Game Boy has seen more than a fair share of accessories in its time, especially when the Advance unit launched in June of 2001. Now, the SP makes many such accessories obsolete and puts them all to shame in the process. The multitude of lights, or protective screen covers, or protective screen covers with lights on them need not apply when owning an SP. Likewise, the rechargeable battery packs and AC adapters cease to serve a purpose. When you think about it, the only items that have any worth are the link cables and carrying cases. So, unless you bought a number of obsolete add-ons recently or work for a company that sells cheesy accessories, the latest enhancement here are in your favor as GBA SP has everything a portable player needs.

Alright, well it doesn't have everything. Nintendo opted not to include a headphone jack in the GBA SP, but whether the reason stemmed from cost or compactness, the solution around the problem remains rather simple. For less than five bucks, Nintendo.com offers an adapter that converts the unit's power connector into a headphone jack. Even better, if you intend to subscribe to Nintendo Power Magazine any time soon, the company is offering headphones with a built-in converter as the free gift. Consequently, this magazine surprise from the Сjack not in the box' helps makes light of the slight hassle.

As different as the GBA SP looks, nothing has changed internally. Thus, it plays all of the standard games and, except for the 3 enhancements that require further analyze, it sports specs similar to those of the original Advance model:

Size: Approximate Height (closed) 3.33" / Width 3.23" / Depth 0.96"
CPU: 32-bit RISC-CPU with embedded memory
Screen: 2.9" Reflective TFT color LDC
Light Source: Front lights have been integrated with existing reflective
Display Size: 1.61" x 2.41" (same as Game Boy Advance)
Resolution: 240 x 160 pixels (same as Game Boy Advance)
Color: Simultaneously displays more than 32,768 colors
Weight: Approx. 5 oz
Power Supply: Rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery
Battery Life: 10 hours continuous play with 3 hours recharging / 18 hours continuous play with lighting disabled
Hardware Color: Platinum, Cobalt, Onyx, and Flame

Backlit Screen
The process that Nintendo went through to illuminate the Game Boy without draining a tremendous amount of power was like our trials in trying to find a good light source: next to impossible. Sure, we managed by tilting the screen to receive an adequate amount of light from a lamp or the sun, but then your reflection would present a new problem while playing. And you could forget about playing games in the dark because, even with the mediocre aid of an accessory, the vibrant colors could never really shine through the darkness. Some took steps like modding their unit with the Afterburner, which actually worked with impressive results. Of course, the idea seemed kaput for those that didn't want to void warranty.

Fourteen years of eagerly awaiting a frontlight for the screen, portable players finally see that the light at the end of the tunnel is GBA SP. The backlit display evenly distributes light and ensures that reflections aren't a glaring problem. Going back through older Game Boy Advance games, I notice that color is more vibrant and the backgrounds actually show up. Castlevania: Circle of the Moon is clear as a bell and every other game seems more visible when the light is on. If you need to conserve power though, there's a button to turn the light off. This enables to battery to last 18 hours and, best of all, the reflections are less likely to show up compared to the original Advance screen.

Rechargeable Battery / AC Adapter
Nintendo was never willing to suck batteries dry like Sega did with Game Gear did in the nineties (6 AA's in 4 hours!), so the company stuck with the dim display until the lithium-ion battery came along. This rechargeable battery type, often seen in cell phones, can endure 10 hours of continues play while lit and squeeze an extra 8 hours out of the SP when the light is turned off. Even more incredible is the fact that it only takes 3 hours to juice back up. And recharging the battery doesn't require you to remove a battery clip since the charger, that doubles an as AC Adapter, fits right in leaving this cell phone style GBA intact.

Flip-Style Case Protecting LCD and Buttons
A lot of gamers label the GBA SP as the perfect size for their pocket, but beyond this, the other benefits boasted by its design are taken for granted. For one, the hard shell case protects what really matter most: the LCD screen and face buttons. Since the first GBA was open and easier to damage, it wasn't long before gamers grieved over dents and cracks that marred an already dim display. Almost like a flip-style cell phone, the GBA SP folds from the center and shields the inside from damage, all without resetting a game in progress.

Besides protecting GBA SP from potential hazards, the design bounces the buttons back underneath the screen where they were situated from Game Boy through Game Boy Color. These newly placed face buttons have more of a click feel to them and the D-Pad seems to move a lot less than before. Just the opposite is demonstrated by the shoulder buttons which act as the corners of the unit and have just as much resistance to them as they did on the original Advance.

The Colors!
The system currently comes in two colors: Platinum and Cobalt. But when September rolls around, Nintendo plans to expand its line of silvers and blues with Onyx and Flame, as shown below.




Buy It?
The millions of gamers that bought the previous GBA model 2 years ago might feel gypped now that this Game Boy Enhanced is on the market. For these people, stores allow you to trade-in the old GBA system for an SP at an even more reasonable price. With features like a lit screen, compact design and LiON battery, the SP is just too alluring to pass up.