Billy just phoned in from CES. Here's the skinny on the newest in the Game Boy line!Billy's had a very busy day in Las Vegas today, but he made sure to take a few minutes to phone in and give you guys the scoop on Game Boy Advance SP. He'll be back later with more detailed impressions, photos, and maybe video, but for now, here's a little snack:
- The original Name for the Game Boy Advance SP was "Game Boy Advance DX".
- The "SP" stands for "Special".
- The GBA SP has been in development since the standard Game Boy Advance was released.
- All accessories work with it, everything. Including the e-Reader.
- The GBA SP's internals are the same as the standard GBA, just modified to fit the form factor.
- Screen is the same size as the standard GBA.
- "I think it feels better than the original Game Boy Advance." - Billy
- The Japanese market is getting Indigo (Purple), Black, and Platinum, while the US is getting Cobalt (metallic blue), and Platinum. Cobalt and Indigo are DIFFERENT colors.
- Kirby's Tilt and Tumble (and other Tilt Pak games) will NOT work, due to the orientation of the cartridge slot and the unit. Pokemon Pinball and other Rumble Pak games WILL work.
- Lid is held closed by friction only, no latch or magnet.
- Screen is very solid, will only move on its own under extreme movement. There should be no problem with jiggling the unit while playing and having the screen move.
- LED will still turn red when battery is running low, just like the standard Advance.
- Light has a simple on/off button near the hinge, visible in all the screenshots
- SP is cased in plastic, painted for the metallic colors.
- Headphone adapter is indeed sold separately, no pricing yet.
- There is a screw on the bottom that can be used to access the battery, but it's currently unknown if battery will be user replaceable.
- The GBA SP CAN be used while on AC Power.
- Screen is lit from the sides, just like the Afterburner, but the GBA SP is lit from ALL sides, not just the top down like the AfterBurner.
- GBA SP looks better than the Afterburner, with no blue tint.
- The single mono speaker was kept for size reasons, and consistency with previous units.
- The GBA will continue to be manufactured, no word yet on a price drop for the GBA.
- GBA SP is NOT a replacement for the GBA, meant to address a different market segment. It's an expansion of the series, not a redesign.
- Targetted towards older gamers and adults.
- Shoulder buttons feel great. Not too small, feel better than the original. No finger fatigue was noted, although longer play times will tell for sure.
That's it for now. Stay tuned, Billy will be back later with more!
