"Gameboy Advance - From the Original Design to the Micro with complete observations"

Gameboy Advance – As Time Comes To Judge

8/10
I write this review as time has begun to judge the Gameboy Advance and it begins a slow decent from the current generation to the days of classic gaming.

The Gameboy Advance comes in what can be considered to be four different portable models (and an adapter exists to play it on your Gamecube with a tv). These changes in the systems have come about as Nintendo continues to tout improvements in the design, but at all times people have raised questions of the necessity of the improvements and suggested that perhaps Nintendo should not have released a particular model. This review intends to provide you with information regarding all of the models and provide information regarding which system is best for you.

The Models

Original Design - This is the first variation of the GBA to be released by Nintendo. This one is held vertically and is the widest of all models. The original design is the only model to lack a backlight.

Gameboy Advance SP - This is the first major remodeling of the Gameboy Advance. The SP introduced light to the Gameboy Advance. This model has a clamshell design to protect the screen from scratches.

Gameboy Advance SP2 - A secret variation that Nintendo let quietly slip onto the marketplace in the fall of 2005. The screen has been improved and is now brighter. It looks just like a regular SP but is advertised as having a “brighter” screen. Except with regards to the screen section, information for this model can be found in my reviews of the regular Gameboy Advance SP.

Gameboy Micro - The Gameboy for hipsters? Nintendo released the smallest variation of the Gameboy Advance system. Its small size and various means of customization are designed to appeal to the trendy crowds.

Layout

Original Design - Held horizontally, the original design is the widest of all the models. The screen is in the middle of the system. To the left of the screen it features a directional pad and the Start/Select buttons. The right side has the B and A buttons. The top of the unit has the Left and Right Triggers. Volume is controller by a scrolling wheel on the bottom right, below the speaker.

The system when held gets the job done, but in my mind doesn't feel as good as the other variations. The directional pad is small. Identical, I believe, to the one that is used on the Gamecube controllers. The start and select are made out of rubber and quickly get worn slightly out of the shape that they were originally made of. I have no complaints with the trigger buttons.

Gameboy Advance SP - Flip the system open and then hold it. There are 2 parts now. One is the screen, which flips to the top and the other is the controls, which are found on the bottom of the unit. The triggers are still on the side. The directional pad is on the left side. The B and A buttons are on the right side. Select and Start are moved to the bottom of the control part of the unit. At the top a new button appears, one that controls the backlighting of the screen. On the original SP it is either lights on or lights off. On the newer SP2, it is lights on and brighter, but there is no “off” mode to the system. Volume is controlled on the left side with a slider.

Gameboy Micro - This system is held in a horizontal manner like the original design of the Gameboy Advance, but the system is much smaller. The layout is the same, except the Start/Select, which are in the middle below the screen. The directional pad is bigger (and more convenient). The B and A buttons are around the same size. Triggers are placed on the top and can take a little time to adjust to the same size. To the right side is a volume/brightness settings switch, which while can feel a bit clunky to use.

Power Source

Original Design - Two AA batteries provide approximately 15 hours of gaming. In order to run the system on AC power, you need to turn it off first and then plug it into a wall. No other system requires that of you.

Gameboy Advance SP - A rechargeable lithium ion battery provides 10 or 15 hours of gaming, depending on the screen setting (the backlight drains the power). To replace the battery, you must arrange it with a Nintendo licensed repair center (according to the instruction manual). The battery should be good for a couple of hundred charges.

Gameboy Micro - A rechargeable lithium ion battery provides between 12 and 14 hours of gaming, depending on the screen setting. The battery is easy to replace, you can order replacements through Nintendo, but it should last several hundred charges. The extra weight of the battery does make the Micro feel unbalanced.

Screen

Original Design - The Stone Age of video game. It is dark and primitive in comparison to the other screens. It was the lack of lighting that caused a person to sell alternative screens, which improve the quality (taking a bit out of the battery life) but with the newer models, the companies stopped producing them making the screens very rare and difficult to come by. It is difficult and sometimes requires maneuvering to find good external lighting for the screen.

Gameboy Advance SP - The screen is on or off. When the light is off it can be a trip to the past, it's not great and it is even darker then the screen of the Original Design. When the screen is on, it's decent. The lighting which was once revolutionary is now however, dated. The screen type seems to distort the light providing a gray shade to all the colors.

Gameboy Advance SP2 - The DS came out in 2004. Immediately, people began to claim that the colors for the GBA games were better. Those people happened to be right. The DS had a bright light, but it did not add a distortion to the games. The DS screen could however make the games feel a little bit jaggy and blocky. Around the same time as the Micro, Nintendo shipped out some more Gameboy SP, these models touted that they have a brighter light and sure enough they do. These have a bright screen and replicate the DS in the lower setting. The screen can get even brighter and play GBA games in magnificent quality. There are occasions in some of the faster games that certain images “ghost” or leave a brief but observable image trail.

Gameboy Micro - Small screen, but it has a very bright light. The screen is sharp and surprisingly clear. Games won't be difficult to read on the screen and because of the smaller pixel size most images look better! On some occasions images can seem a little jaggy, when they were supposed to have subtle curves. Nintendo protects the screen from scratches by introducing us to faceplates for the console, which can easily and cheaply be disposed of.

Sound

Original Design - This has a loud and audible speaker and it features a headphone jack. Nintendo probably should have stuck with the sound system of this design.

Gameboy Advance - The speakers are good but there is no headphone slot. You need to buy an adapter from Nintendo if you want to plug your headphones in.

Gameboy Micro - The Micro has a weak speaker but a standard headphone jack to listen to the system with. If you care about the music, you probably need to get yourself some headphones for this.

Product Compatibility

Original Design - Backwards compatible with all previous Gameboy games. To play multiplayer games with the older games, you need to buy an older link cable. The advance cable only works with Advance games. This system works with basically everything made for the Gameboy Advance.

Gameboy Advance SP - Fully compatible with the same products as the original design except for the E-Reader, which cannot be used to play multiplayer products.

Gameboy Micro - New link cables, new wireless adapters, new everything. The micro does not work with the older wires or older link cables because it has a new port size.

Final Thoughts

The Gameboy Advance is a well designed system. The games that have come out for it are simply magnificent. It will be remembered fondly, but it as the sunset of its console life. I still recommend that everybody have one, it just depends on the kind.

My suggestion is a Micro if it's simply Gameboy Advance games that you want. Classic gaming never looked so styling and the screen of the Micro is remarkable. If multi-player doesn't appeal to you, I recommend the DS. It plays Gameboy Advance games, the screen does it well, it has a good speaker system too!

The SP2 is worth considering if you want a bigger screen, but I enjoy the Micro more then the SP models that I have. A word of warning, if you buy the SP2, be careful of what you buy, many stores sell both in the same pile, the box must tell you that it is a new brighter screen, with the light from the screen projecting to the sky, you don't want to end up with an SP1 (same price, worse screen).

Some people might advocate the original variation, but I recommend the DS over that version (if you want something for your big hands). The DS has a superior D-pad and plays its own batch of games.

The GBA is one of the best console ever, but newer handhelds are coming out with better technical specs, that given time might match the gaming quality of the system.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/05/06