Game Boy Micro Big in Japan

The puny portable has garnered a tidal wave of attention.

Nintendo's latest iteration of the Game Boy Advance, the teeny Game Boy Micro, debuted in Japan earlier this week to a rabid response from longtime Nintendo fans. Early uptake has been good with certain versions of the handheld selling out on the first day at many stores across the country.

In addition to regular silver, purple, blue and black versions, the Game Boy Micro showed up in a special edition fashioned like the Famicom - the Japanese NES.

It's this latter version in particular that has proven popular as dyed-in-the-wool fans celebrate Mario's 20th birthday with the special Game Boy Micro and a new version of Super Mario Bros for Game Boy Advance with celebratory packaging.

The success of the Game Boy Micro seems wholly driven by its sleek new design, though the portable does bring advancements over previous versions, including a better - albeit slightly smaller - LCD and a regular earphone socket to replace the proprietary one on the Game Boy Advance SP.

The handheld also features removable faceplates, much like those on some mobile phones, which will allow creative types to get crazy with their own designs.

Europeans will have to sit tight for a while still, though. Nintendo is planning to release the Game Boy Micro here only later this year. There's no word on whether a NES-styled Game Boy Micro will be available, but the success of the NES-styled Game Boy Advance SP suggests that it's a distinct possibility.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games