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GBA

NES GBA Might be Right Around the Corner

by Mike Sklens - March 2, 2004, 5:04 pm EST
Total comments: 24 Source: Game Informer Online

It looks like America might get their own retro-styled GBA SP soon.

According to Game Informer Online, Nintendo just might be planning to release a new Game Boy Advance SP system designed to look like the original 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System. The system will probably be released this summer, in a move similar to the Japanese launch of the Famicom styled Game Boy Advance SP. The inner part of this NES GBA SP will be designed to look like the original NES controller.

Along side the release of the system a series of old NES games will be released for Game Boy Advance. Much like their Japanese counterparts, these games will most likely come in cartridges colored like NES games and boxes that are reminiscent of the old school Nintendo game boxes. Which games will be released has yet to be decided, but the Famicom mini games released in Japan are up for consideration.

Although Nintendo has not yet officially announced this system yet, when contacted about it they did mention that it "is being considered."

Talkback

SuperLink666March 02, 2004

I want to get a SP but damn i would jump all over a retro one!

CaseyRybackMarch 02, 2004

looks like I will purchase a second GBA over the summer.

Sir CampbellMarch 02, 2004

well, this is one rant I will have to voice at Nintendo for this. I just bought the famicom sp with mario 1 and zelda 1 from my import connection. right after I get them in the mail, they leak THIS info out.... BLAST!!!!! it's mainly just making me regret my purchases. I'll still give them support and buy this one as well. I guess I'll just have another "controller" for Crystal Chronicles.

As for the rest of you, enjoy the special edition sp!

DjunknownMarch 02, 2004

aww snap, now they've done it!

Its very tempting to either A)Trade in my SP for this B) just tough it out and just have 2 GBA'S. It would break my rule of frivolousness, but c'mon! Its a piece a history!

Imagine being decked in Retro-Nintendo gear, and just whip out this retro GBA! Now that's mad flossin' yo!

Odd, you'd think they would wait until 2005, since that would be Nintendo's 20th anniversary in the States...

joshnickersonMarch 02, 2004

Curses. I guess my Cobalt SP will just have to share playtime with this one.

Ian SaneMarch 02, 2004

My friend recently bought a GBA SP and after trying out I was very impressed. However I'm still going to stick to my old GBA. Nintendo f*cked me over by releasing a flawed system with a superior one right around the corner and I refuse to buy a second GBA because of that. However if my GBA broke I would buy an SP to replace it (though I'll wait to see if the DS had GBA support). In that situation I would probably buy this one.

The re-release of old NES games is also pretty cool but I'll be disappointed if like the Japanese ones they're released seperately. There's no reason for games that small to take up a whole cartridge and be charged as seperate games. Even if they're budget titles they'll be too expensive. For the American releases Nintendo should release two or three compilations which have like four titles each. Of course they won't because everybody bought all the old Mario games seperately despite having most of those titles previously available in one SNES cartridge. Nintendo will release those titles standalone and all the suckers that bought Super Mario World again with a "new and improved" lower difficulty and sh!tty voice samples will eat these up.

The OmenMarch 02, 2004

Quote

However if my GBA broke I would buy an SP to replace it (though I'll wait to see if the DS had GBA support). In that situation I would probably buy this one.


Is the hammer in hand?face-icon-small-smile.gif

Now i'll finally have to purchase the GBA. Not that its bad. But now i must have it.

Aussie Ben PGCBen Kosmina, Staff AlumnusMarch 02, 2004

Hot damn, that concept image looks awesome.

I think this might be my next Game Boy!

Uncle Rich AiAiMarch 03, 2004

Whoa! That concept image looks sexy! face-icon-small-happy.gif

Bill AurionMarch 03, 2004

I think this may be my next Game Boy as well... face-icon-small-happy.gif

SuperLink666March 03, 2004

Yes, Im sold.. now whenever it comes out I can play 2 player FF:CC face-icon-small-tongue.gif

idiotMarch 03, 2004

I agree it is absurd to charge $30 for a 256k game from 1986. They should be releasing these in packs of *at least* 10 per cart.

I have no incentive to buy one NES game for thirty bucks when I can play all of them on my GP32 for free. However, I would pay for several per cart, especially if they had all the old manuals and promotional materials on the cart as well. I'd get all nostalgiac looking at those posters of all the games again.

The NES style GBA might be really cool if they don't do some sort of horrible patchwork color mismatch that they seem to be so fond of lately. The Famicom one looks awful because the top doesn't match the bottom by any stretch of the imagination. And don't get me started on that black & white one. I saw about 400 different color GBA sp's at last year's E3, but all we get are GBAs built with leftover mismatched parts. Bah.

gwgtrunksMarch 03, 2004

I think they should release a pack of all the games, each on their own car in a little box inside the bigger box, for 30-40 bucks. I'd say that's pretty reasonable.

I'm gonna get this GBASP though... I've been putting off getting one for a while now, and now I have a good reason to. That and SMB3.

JaleMarch 03, 2004

I'm wondering if:

a) It will work with other GBA games
b) It will work with FF:CC

If it doesn't do either I'm not gonna buy it.

Ian SaneMarch 03, 2004

"I think they should release a pack of all the games, each on their own car in a little box inside the bigger box, for 30-40 bucks. I'd say that's pretty reasonable."

That would be cool but there's no way it would be profitable. The reason selling them individually is a rip-off to us is because since they have to manufacter a different cart for each game Nintendo has to charge a certain amount to make a profit. By putting them all in one big set but on different cartridges a $40 set would be like $2 a cartridge and I doubt that's economically feasible for Nintendo. In order to knock the price down they would have to put multiple games on a cartridge.

gwgtrunksMarch 03, 2004

I know, but one of the cool things about the Japanese carts are the little boxes they come with, that are smaller versions of the old NES boxes.

matthewwithanmMarch 03, 2004

of course itll work with all the GBA games and ffcc. its just got a different paint job.

Sir CampbellMarch 03, 2004

That concept image looks great, but combine that pict with the way the color is plit on Famicom SP from japan... walah, you have the perfect looking GBA SP. face-icon-small-smile.gif

JensenMarch 03, 2004

Like this?
http://webpages.charter.net/shadowfax1/nesgba2.jpg
I think I may agree with you.....

I also updated the original a bit (I made it look cleaner)

idiotMarch 04, 2004

Now *that* looks cool. ^^^

KnoxxvilleMarch 04, 2004

*lightbulb turns on*

....so THIS is how Nintendo plans to move copies of Crystal Chronicles! EUREKA!

Sir CampbellMarch 05, 2004

If it is, then I'm sold. Of course, I already have one... BLAST!!! Curse my burning desire to give good games support (so much so that I'm willing to buy multiple GBA's and games)!!!

Sir CampbellMarch 05, 2004

Quote

Originally posted by: Jensen
Like this?
http://webpages.charter.net/shadowfax1/nesgba2.jpg
I think I may agree with you.....

I also updated the original a bit (I made it look cleaner)


Yeah, that's perfect! I think Nintendo stock just went up a bit from that pict alone.

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