Customer Reviews
Oh boy I wish I still had mine! - By: i wrote this, 09 Sep 2007 
I sold my GBA SP Classic NES edition to help pay for my Nintendo DS. I reallly like the DS but oh boy do I miss this beauty of a machine.
Let's get the moans out of the way, yes the GBA SP only had a front light & not a proper back light so the screen isn't as colourful as the DS. And yes, you had to pay extra for an adapter if you wanted to use headphones. But stuff that, this thing is amazing & I miss my old one!
So why was it so good? Well the design was spot one. I get finger burn & cramps from my DS light & my PSP when I try to play racing games, never got any pain from the GBA SP. Also this was the last portabl console to have the traditional Gameboy style layout of control buttons under the screen (instead of either side like the Lynx, GG, GBA, Neo Geo, DS & PSP). For some reason I find this layout better, don't ask me why it just is. Some truths are as unedinable as they are unquontifiable!
Next up: the NES design is a winner, easily the best looking console I've owned. The DS lite is sleek but this baby had charm. The light weight clam shell design is very smalll indeed & easily fits into any pocket I ever had. Also the battery life took a mighty wacking on many occassions.
But the main reason I loved this console was the games. The great titles just kept coming & coming. I was getting a soar neck from trying to angle my old GBA under a lamp to see them. The GBA SP meant I could actuallly enjoy my games without hurting myself, which I think you will agree makes a nice bonus!
Advance Wars, Mario Golf Advance, Sonic Advance, FIre Emblem, Metroid Fusion, Wario Ware Twisted, Aria of Sorrow, Golden Sun & Astro Boy are as good as the best any system has to offer. In fact I argue that the GBA has a lot more AAA titles then the N64, the Cube, the Xbox or any of the current gen consoles. I still play many of the GBA RPGs & SRPGs on my DS as they are yet to be bettered. But some how they doesn't quite feel the same as they did on the GBA SP NES edition. If you've got one KEEP IT!
one of the best! - By: Mark, 27 Apr 2007 I bought one of these the day it was released & I had so much fun with it & had some cracking games for it, notably Zelda! The handheld looks gorgeous, even today, its light & can easily store it in your pocket when not using it! I sadly no longer had it as I got a psp & a DS Lite, & I got to say, for a upgrade from the GBA SP, you got to get the DS Lite, as that can play the GBA games too as well as the many great DS titles that are available to own, but the GBA is still a greta buy today if you just want a handheld with no special features like touch screen. The GBA has a lot of games from alll different types to offer & so you can't go wrong with this beauty!
everything you need to know. - By: Mr. Adam D. A. Murphy, 02 Mar 2007 
FIRST GLANCE: this sp is coated in a non reflective silver plastic,it has L + R shoulder buttons which are a little smalll but work fine,in between these buttons is a link cable port & a power port.to the left of the sp is a volume slider which is very sensitive & to the right is of course the power switch.facing you is the cartridge port which supports alll gameboy cartridges,but gameboy/colour cartridges stick out considerably.
UNFOLDING THE SP AND TURNING IT ON: their is of course a dpad to the left & a+b buttons to the right with start & select below.in the middle of alll that is your speaker & above is a smalll button to turn on & off the light.the actual buttons feel very nice its hard to explain.right turning on a game ..KERBLAM! THEIR IS LIGHT!! its taken for granted now but finaly been able to play your gameboy games un-aided in the dark was a much needed upgrade.
PLAYING THE SP: now the screen isnt backlit its frontlit which isnt as good the light shines from the bottom of the screen & and lights it up,it produces a milky color becouse of this.its not that bad though im just nitpicking,but consider this milky screen when choosing between the beatiful backlit gameboy micro or the even better nintendo ds lite.
CLOSING THOUGHTS: the sp is a superb handheld,to be able to play your games in the dark was worth its weight in gold,the sp also has a long battery life & is the only handheld you can play gameboy & gameboy colour games with light.but if your just wanting to play gameboy advance games i highly recomend either gameboy micro or dslite. ^_^
SP should stand for So Perfect - By: S. Apperley, 20 Dec 2006 Everybody this is just brilliant. 10/10, 5/5, or 100000000/100000000 whatever its so good. I have got it!! Its much better than the DS, GO SP!! When i play on it, even though SP means special picture i think it should mean So Perfect!
Easy, Flexible, Non-Irritating, Just About Perfect! - By: Mrs. Dawnc Alexandre, 04 Sep 2006 After a couple of years from the success from the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo released it's 2nd Edition Game Boy Advance: The Game Boy Advance SP (Apparently SP means Special), and, as far as I'm concerned! This is one of the best Game Boy Advance consoles around!
What I mean is. Unlike the Game Boy Advance, the Game Boy Advance SP is flat, flexible & it doesn't irritate you like the original may have done!
The Game Boy Advance SP features some new bits & bobs which the Game Boy Advance didn't reallly have. It has a rechargeable battery fitted in, along with extra battery life, alllowing users to play up to 20 hours, it has a back light, so if you have too much botheration, you can dim the bedroom light down & fiddle about with this for a period of time & loads more.
You can also, play Game Boy & Game Boy Color games as well as Game Boy Advance Games, and, you can also use the Game Boy Link Cables on your Game Boy Advance SP to connect to your old Game Boy Color & trade Pokemon or so!
A disadvantage I would say is that if you have big hands, you may have a problem, as since it's so compact in size, your fingers may get into contact & irritate you! You may also, have to pause your gaming after 1-2 hours, since this console will wear down your hand's strength!
My Console Rating: 8/10: Enjoyable, Fair-Play, Thumbs Up
My Recommended Games For Console: Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, FireRed, LeafGreen, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World, Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros 3, Sonic Advance, Sonic Advance 2, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, NES Classics: Super Mario Bros 1, Donkey Kong Country & Donkey Kong Country 2!
My Wish: Nintendo done some NES Classic Games for the Game Boy Advance system! One of which is Super Mario Bros 1 (NES Edition), however, they only did roughly 12 games! My wish would be that Nintendo would release a few loads more, like the NES Edition of Super Mario Bros 2, Super Mario Bros 3, Double Dragon, The Flintstones: The Rescue Of Dino & Hoppy, Mario Bros, Kirby's Adventure & Duck Hunt!
Final Comments: Overalll, if you're after a Game Boy Console which has everything you reallly need, with no fuss in between, then I recommend you get one of these consoles, cause they are worth the hassle & they are starting to become cheap, since the Nintendo DS is starting to roll around!
Review By Captain Chris Kipper!
