Game Boy Micro Priced and Dated

If you just have to have a new Game Boy Advance, you better wait it out a little longer.

It's not how big it is but rather how you use it that matters, or so they say, and Nintendo is hoping you'll be using its new Game Boy a lot when it comes out this November.

You can have it looks as plain...

The Game Boy Micro is the third iteration of the Game Boy Advance and it's the first to come with backlighting for its LCD - the same as that found in the DS. What this means is that you'll finally get to experience the rich colours of Game Boy Advance games the way developers intended.

Another bonus is the jettisoning of the proprietary headphone socket found in the Game Boy Advance SP. Game Boy Micro features a standard headphone socket, letting you use any cans you want.

But the biggest change is also the most obvious. The Game Boy Micro is much smaller than any previous Game Boy. The handheld weighs in at less than three ounces - that's about as much as 80 paperclips, according to Nintendo's reckoning.

...or as funky as you like

Nintendo is pushing the aesthetics of the tiny new machine with the hopes that it will compete with the other gadgets in your pocket.

This compact redesign does, however, mean that the old, 2.5-inch LCD had to go. Instead Nintendo has gone with a new 2-inch LCD that makes up for its reduced size by making Game Boy Advance games look better than ever before.

The initial batch of Game Boy Micros will be available in four colours - silver, pink, blue and green - but the portable comes with removable faceplates that allow you to gussy your system up exactly how you want to.

A range of faceplates will be available when the portable ships in November, but you'll also be able to get creative and make your own.

The Game Boy Micro will available from 4 November and will sell for around £69.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games