he Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP (GBA SP) was a redesign of the original Game Boy Advance, released in 2003. The “SP” stands for “Special”. It was designed to address several shortcomings of the original model, making it a major commercial success and a favorite among collectors.
Key features
- Clamshell design: The most noticeable change was its folding, or “clamshell,” design. This made the GBA SP significantly more compact when closed, and protected the screen from scratches and damage.
- Built-in screen light: Unlike the original GBA, which had a reflective screen that was difficult to view in low light, the GBA SP included a built-in screen light.
- AGS-001: The initial model featured a front-lit screen.
- AGS-101: A later revision, released in 2005, upgraded this to a brighter, backlit screen. The AGS-101 model is highly sought-after by collectors.
- Rechargeable battery: The GBA SP was the first Game Boy to include a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery. It could provide up to 10 hours of gameplay with the light on, or 18 hours with it off, on a three-hour charge.
- Backward compatibility: The SP was fully backward-compatible with all Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, and original Game Boy cartridges.
Criticisms
The
GBA SP was praised for its improvements, but it also had a few drawbacks:
- Missing headphone jack: A standard 3.5mm headphone jack was removed to accommodate the more compact design. Users had to purchase a separate adapter that plugged into the charger port to use headphones.
- Small shoulder buttons: The L and R shoulder buttons were smaller than those on the original GBA, which some players found less comfortable.
Legacy
The GBA SP’s enhancements and more portable design made it a significant leap forward for handheld gaming. Its features would influence the design of future Nintendo handhelds, most notably the dual-screen, clamshell Nintendo DS. Despite being succeeded by the Game Boy Micro and then the DS, the GBA SP’s durable and feature-rich design has ensured its enduring appeal among retro gaming fans.
- The Game boy collection
Well started off photographing the Nintendo Game boys and DS selections we have. We are quite lucky with our collection […]