• This incredible redesign features a fantastic flip-screen; unopened, the unit fits easily in your pocket
• When it's opened, gamers are in for a treat -- the screen can display up to 32,000 colors, and has a backlit screen for comfortable game viewing
• Redesigned button and D-pad placement make for hours of more comfortable playing
• Powered by a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery that provides 18 hours of play with the light off(up to 10 hours with the light on)
• Games are backwards-compatible -- your Game Boy Advance games will play just fine on the GBA SP

• Game Boy Advance Starter Kit
• Link Cable for Game Boy Advance and Gamecube
• Game Boy Advance SP Screen Lenses (2-Pack)
• Game Boy Micro Micro Sleeve
• Game Boy Advance Micro Sleeve Case Leather

The world's most popular video game system continues to evolve to bring you the ultimate in portable fun with Game Boy Advance SP!For gaming on the go, nothing beats Game Boy Advance. Optimized for gaming, Game Boy Advance provides powerful performance, responsive play and a beautiful display. Plus it fits in your hip pocket. Go Game Boy!Both flavors of Game Boy Advance get you in on the portable fun revolution. The classic Game Boy Advance offers gaming on the go at a bargain price, while the sleek Game Boy Advance SP adds a beautiful front light screen and rechargeable batteries.
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

Customer Rating:
Summary: Hey, you can see the game you are playing!
Comment: This is a really great handheld Nintendo game system. There is a light in the game system...so the games light up. Love it.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Game Boy
Comment: This was great! My son lost his first one, so we found a great deal on Amazon! t was perfect!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Life saver on those long flights
Comment: I travel a lot and bought this game to help pass the time on planes and and the airport. Game plays great, have never had a problem, recharging battery is absolutely great. Well worth the price.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: LOVE IT
Comment: this is 1 of the best thing nintendo has ever came out wit!!i have this same sp and is really cool oh yeah also any one who says the sp is better than the ds well they are retarted the sp is cool but the ds is better i love the nintendo dogs game and it is good for all ages

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Game system!
Comment: This is the best handheld game system that i've used. i also have a gameboy color, and the sp is a major improvement over that. I think that it's the best handheld game system out there currently.

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