Nintendo Quietly Updates GBA

Could this be the ultimate version of the Game Boy Advance? All signs point to possibly.

Hardware upgrades are usually accompanied by staccato official statements and overeager press releases but there was none of that for Nintendo's stealth upgrade of the Game Boy Advance SP.

The workhorse model of Nintendo's popular handheld finds itself with a new, backlit screen that replaces the kludged front-lit version of the current model and which gives a much better image thanks to better colours and increased brightness.

The first updated models started appearing in US retailers within the last week and Nintendo has confirmed that they will start rolling out in Europe soon.

Some have argued that the improved screen on the Game Boy Advance SP will cannibalize sales of the upcoming Game Boy Micro, which will be released in Europe on 4 November.

The Game Boy Micro packs the guts of the Game Boy Advance SP into a tiny package. It also replaces the proprietary headphone socket - still standard on the bumped Game Boy Advance SP - with a standard headphone jack and swaps the old LCD for a crisper, albeit smaller, one.

The Game Boy Micro also has removable faceplates, much like those on mobile phones, so you'll be able to kit yours out as you see fit.

Nintendo said that the upgrade of the Game Boy Advance SP is a result of natural manufacturing progression. Backlighting technology has become affordable enough now for Nintendo to slot it into all of its portable systems.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games