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Brilliant. Friday, March 29, 2003: Well, this is the big day. I'm going to the Annapolis Mall to try and track me down a brand spankin' new GBA SP. Ah, the thrill of the hunt! When I got to Electronics Boutique, I found out that they were out (NOOOOOOO!), but that I shouldn't worry because a new shipment was due in about 15 minutes (I kid you not!). So, to hedge my bets and to kill a little time, I walked over to Babbages (which is way the hell over on the other side of the mall). When I got there, I found out that they were out of GBA SPs too, and wouldn't get any more in till Monday. At this point, I thought to my self, "Come on EB, don't fail me now!" By the time I got back to EB I found out that their shipment had come in, and yes, there was a Platinum unit available. SCORE! First, though, a little background. I was one of the first in line back in the spring of 2001 when the Gameboy Advance came out. My friend Vince and I spent an entire morning collecting our GBA's and games from all over the greater part of Northwest Indiana. And while I was more than a little impressed with the sound and graphics on the new system, I nevertheless could not shake the feeling that there was something missing, something that kept the GBA from being the perfect hand-held system. That missing ingredient was, of course, some kind of internal light for the screen. There were external lights and magnifiers, sure, but they all created glare on the GBA's highly reflective screen, and I simply couldn't handle that. Apparently, I'm not the only one who felt this way, because Nintendo has now released the GBA SP (SP stands for "SPecial," although in a good way and not in the "SPecial Olympics" way). Without further ado, allow me to introduce you to Nintendo's newest Gameboy:
The GBA SP corrects just about every conceivable flaw of the GBA's that I can think of, including button design, speaker position, battery usage, and of course, a lack of a lighted screen. The buttons on the SP are a little stiffer than those on the standard GBA. I like the new buttons better, as I prefer the increased feedback. The same holds true for the D-pad. The screen's light system provides for playing no mater what the conditions, from pitch black to bright sun. In any kind of direct light, the screen's light is actually pretty superfluous, so it is fortunate that the light can be turned off to conserve battery life when it isn't needed. Instead of AA's, the SP runs off of an internal NiMH rechargeable battery that provides around 10 hours of play with the light on. The speaker seems to be of a bit better quality than the GBA's, but I have no quantitative way to demonstrate that. The speaker's position is also a vast improvement, as I always tended to block the speaker of the previous Gameboy designs with my fat hands. Finally, the speaker has been moved out of the way! As good as this system is, it is not without flaws of its own, however. The most glaring shortcoming is the system's lack of a headphone jack. Nintendo is selling an adapter for about $5, but one can't help but wonder why this feature, which has been standard on every Gameboy until this one, isn't included right out of the box. Another problem is that the finish on these systems is supposedly easy to damage, since it consists of painted plastic instead of plastic that is molded a solid color. I haven't noticed any problems with my unit yet, but then I haven't had it for very long. Finally, the lack of a replaceable battery concerns me somewhat. I often take my GBA on camping trips, for instance, and on such trips there would be almost always little or no opportunity to charge the internal battery. I am hoping Nintendo or a 3rd party will release a car cigarette lighter adapter, so that I can charge the system that way when I am traveling. Overall, I am immensely satisfied with my purchase of a GBA SP. The screen is wonderful, the system itself is small and yet fits into my hands quite well (and I have somewhat larger hands), and the design of the unit can only be described as damned sexy. The lack of a headphone jack doesn't bother me much because, to be honest, I usually play with the volume all the way down anyway. The danger of the finish scratching bothers me somewhat, but I am not hung up on the issue. Any scratches, when and if they occur, will only add "character" to the system. In conclusion, I would highly recommend the GBA SP to any fans of hand-held gaming and anyone who hasn't gotten a GBA with an "Afterburner" kit installed. Now, if you will excuse me, a small silver portal of gaming happiness is beckoning me. By Andy Rucker |
