Product description
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Light wear to console, in great condition, see photos. 100%
functional, plays great! Will include a bonus game of seller's
choice (game pictured on console only used to show functionality,
not included). Charger not included, can be found on for only a
few dollars a piece. Will be shipped fully charged. Ships next
day!
.com
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Early Adopters Pick: March 2003. As the world's smallest
video-game platform, the Game Boy Advance SP is also the first to
use a built-in rechargeable battery.
Many decried the original Game Boy Advance's reflective LCD
screen and its reliance on external light sources. The Game Boy
Advance SP's main feature--optional backlighting--fixes this
complaint nicely, but it's the wealth of other features that
makes this system so surprisingly good.
At first look, you might think the SP is a sleek travel alarm
clock. When closed, it's just as tall and deep as the original
GBA, but only half as wide. Due to its clamshell design, the
screen is always protected from everyday scratches. A small
button in the center of the console turns on the backlighting
element for use in low-light situations, like in a moving car.
The SP comes with a well-designed power adapter that recharges a
built-in battery; its prongs fold in for easier storage. Our
informal tests found that it takes about four hours to fully
charge (you can even play it while it's plugged in and charging),
and the battery lasts about 11 hours with the backlighting
constantly on--your results may vary. Using the backlighting less
often will conserve battery power.
With separately sold cables, you can connect the Game Boy Advance
SP to other GBAs for multiplayer gaming (above) or to the
Nintendo GameCube (below) to access secret levels, exchange data,
or use other special features that vary from game to game. The
quality of the backlighting is very good. It's bright and clear
when looking directly at it, but degraded from other angles. This
is only a problem for friends who are watching the screen from
over your shoulder.
But size, power, and affordability do not come without trade
offs. There's no headphone jack here, though Nintendo promises an
adapter. The system isn't very loud at its highest volume, and
the sound can be turned down to socially acceptable levels. The L
and R shoulder buttons are a fraction of the size they were on
the GBA, and thus are harder to hit. Also, the reduced size of
the SP is slightly less comfortable for adult hands than the GBA,
but perhaps more comfortable for smaller hands. The cartridge
port placement on the lower part of the console is fine for GBA
games, since they are flush with the console body, but older Game
Boy Color carts will stick out in a way that takes some getting
used to.
Open it up and the hinge will seek out a preferred, pre-set
angle (about 150 degrees), though you can open it a bit wider or
narrower for your own comfort. The hinge stands up well to
lateral pressure, and over all, the SP seems just as rugged as
its predecessor--which has proven to be very rugged, indeed.
--Porter B. Hall
Unit Specifications
* CPU: 32-Bit ARM with embedded memory
* Memory: 32 KB with 96 KB VRAM (in CPU), 256 KB WRAM (external
of CPU)
* Screen: 2.9-inch reflective TFT color LCD
* Display Size: 1.6 by 2.4 inches (40.8 by 61.2 mm)
* Resolution: 240 x 160 pixels in a wide-screen aspect ratio
* Colors: 511 simultaneous colors from a palette of 32,768
* Software: Fully compatible with Game Boy and Game Boy Color
game paks
* Light Source: Front light integrated with LCD
* Size (closed): 3.3 by 3.23 by .96 inch
* Weight: Approximately 5 ounces
* Power Supply: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
* Battery Life: 10 hours continuous play with light on; 18 hours
with light off; 3 hours recharging