The original Game Boy Advance was released in June of 2001 and, like every Game Boy system ever, was immediately a huge success. The system specs were amazing, the new games were great, and the backwards compatibility meant it had a library of hundreds of games right away. The major problem with the system was that the screen was dark to the point of being almost unviewable, except in direct light. Hardly a great feature for a portable system. Thankfully, Nintendo decided to address this flaw with the Game Boy Advance SP with a price of $99.99.
The first thing you’ll notice when you see the GBA SP is how tiny it is. Folded up, its dimensions are 3.3 inches by 3.23 inches by .96 inches, which makes it almost half as small as the original GBA. Looking at it, it seems like holding the square system would be uncomfortable. But when you hold it, it works out fine—although pressing the L and R triggers in the back can be a bit awkward, depending on the size of your hands.
The next thing you’ll notice is the new clamshell design. Like a miniature laptop, the screen is kept folded down to protect itself and flips up into a locked position when you’re playing. This is a really nice improvement that keeps the size of the system to a minimum.
The big change that you’ll notice is the new front-lit screen. This is what makes the new package. I can’t stress how well the light works. It’s actually easier to play the GBA SP in the dark than it was to play the original GBA in direct light. The only drawback to the lit screen is the strange bars that scroll across the screen when you move the system. Fortunately, they don’t interfere with gameplay very much. It’s a far cry better than dealing with the absurd amount of glare that you get from playing under direct light.
There are also a few changes that you wouldn’t notice at first. The most annoying is definitely the lack of a headphone jack. Although the GBA supports stereo sound for its software, both versions of the system have only one speaker. It’s possible to get an adapter to plug headphones into—the GBA SP has an additional adapter port, probably just for this purpose but it really isn’t worth it. You don’t really play a portable game for the sound, anyway.
The other less noticeable, but much more useful change is the rechargeable battery. It powers the GBA for 10 hours if the light is on and 18 with the light off—although I don’t know why you’d ever want to turn it off. It takes about three hours to charge, but you can play it while it’s recharging, if you’re that desperate.
Other than those changes, everything about the SP is the same as the previous GBA. The hardware, screen size, game compatibility, and input scheme are all the same.
The only thing that’s really special about the new case is the light, but it’s a big difference. If you’ve ever played a GBA you know that you have to be in direct light to even attempt to play it, and even then the glare is a huge pain. If you already own the original system, you should seriously consider trading it in for the new and improved style. It’s well worth the $55 difference you’ll pay after trading in the old one.
If you’ve never checked out the GBA, and you’re a fan of games from the Super Nintendo/Playstation period, you should definitely check it out. Although the system has a ton of lame licensed games, there are a lot of really good original games, like the Castlevania or Golden Sun series. It’s also got a bunch of great ports like Zelda: A Link to the Past and the DOOM series. And, of course, it plays all the old Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. But if you’re thinking of picking one up, don’t even bother looking at the original. The difference in playability between the two systems more than justifies the extra money you’ll spend on the SP.
