A Look at the Game Boy Advance SP

GamePro puts the American GBA SP through a week's worth of thorough testing and fondling.

Fennec Fox reported earlier on the nuts-and-bolts details of Nintendo?s portable makeover, and readers have been asking for more details ever since. GamePro recently acquired the final US model and gave it a week-plus worth of testing to see how the new unit holds up under "battlefield conditions."

First off, the GBA SP?s screen size is exactly the same as the standard GBA, but more than one observer has noted it looks "bigger" somehow. The quality of the back light is impressive, casting an even glow around every part of the screen. You can?t adjust the brightness, but every game tested so far (over 40 of ?em) looked fine. A small button with a sun icon allows you to view the screen without lighting, for when you?re outdoors, or if you just want to conserve batteries. As advertised, the battery does last close to its advertised "10 hour with light" playtime, although there were a few instances where an extra 1/2 hour or so was able to be squeezed out.

There were initial concerns that the D-pad was too flat and the L and R shoulder buttons felt awkward. The results vary from game to game, but no game greatly suffered from either of the above. In fact, some games, like Street Fighter Alpha 3, are much easier to play on the SP than the standard GBA. Extended use of an hour or more made some of the testing panel?s hands a bit sore due to the slim profile of the SP, but this was also a problem for some on the bulkier standard GBA.

The clam shell design makes it easy to place it in your pocket, and carry anywhere you like without too much fear of damaging it. Still, minor scuffs will appear on the outer shell of your SP if you don?t place it in some sort of protective case. Hopefully, some third parties will release classy looking covers that are more in line with cell phone casings than the bulky, padded protectors currently available for the GBA.

Overall, all editors involved in testing gave the GBA SP a resounding "wild happy guy face," but gave a "slightly depressed guy with crossed arms" rating to the SP?s lack of a built-in headphone jack.

Size Comparison
The GBA SP specs state that the SP is 3 1/3" x 3 1/3" x 1" when all folded up, but humans aren?t very good at judging volume. To help you visualize just how compact this thing really is, here are some photos of the GBA SP?s size when compared to?

First ever comparison between the portable and a full size human male. The GBA SP and a popular male bodyspray.
Both are loved by the ladies.
The Gamepro puppets take turns with the portable powerhouse. Iron chef Samus treats hers as if she were a pirate with a parrot on her shoulders. Arggg!
The Pez line up to check it out.
You will too if you haven't pre-ordered yours.		 Worse yet you might resort to drastic measures to get a hold of one.
Perhaps a crime spree will erupt for folks scrambling to get one. Dr. Zombie and Pepsi man both agree, they like the GBA SP.
"Denizens of Hell, I present to you the GBA SP!"

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