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Author
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Topic: Game Boy Advance SP Impressions
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Bowser
I'm such a moron that I keep an axe behind me at all times.
Member # 2037
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posted 03-22-2003 01:14 PM
Yup, picked up my Cobalt SP last night at Best Buy. They weren't supposed to be selling them until today, starting 10:00 A.M., but by some act of god, the employee offered to check in the back and lo and behold, came strolling out with a Cobalt SP, free carrying case and two-year PRP (if you're buying a SP, MAKE SURE to get the PRP, it really helps, only costs $9.00. I bought my GCN when it was $200 with the PRP, and then it fucked up on me about a couple of months ago. Sent it back, BAM! $215 replacement voucher to be used on anything I desired. Ended up getting a Platinum GCN with Mario Party 4 and used the rest towards a SP). So, I take everything home, feeling like the happiest I've felt in a while ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
First off, this thing is small. I know, you've heard everyone say it, but it really is THAT small. Just thought I'd get that out of the way.
The Cobalt is an incredibly sexy metallic blue. I've heard about the shitty paint jobs on the Platinum system (another reason to pick up Cobalt) and plus Cobalt looks so much better than "Plaininum." At certain angles it looks like blue with hints of purple, but it really is blue, not purple. Not even blurple. So if you were afraid that it really looks purple, put your fears to rest.
Now on to the most wanted feature in Game Boys for some time, the frontlight. Boy, this light is A fucking grade quality. You can see Castlevania: CotM perfectly in a pitch dark room. The colors only appear the slightest bit washed out (namely blacks looking a bit dark bluish [sp?]). I've heard complaints that there's a purple line in people's SPs, but that's not the case with mine. The light illuminates the entire screen and doesn't give off that bluish tint that the AfterBurner does. Great fucking light.
The buttons are also great too. I was worried about how the L&R buttons would feel, but they're fine. They feel better then the ones on the regular GBA. The face buttons and D-Pad have a clicky feel to them, like the buttons on a cell phone, but it's fine after you get used to them.
The speaker on this system is LOUD. MUCH better than a regular GBA's. With the volume all the way up, people can clearly hear the game you're playing...that's how loud it is. No need for headphones (if you want headphones though, the headphone adapter is $4.25 at Nintendo's Online Store, plus $5 ground shipping. It's only currently available at N's store, so non-Americans will have to resort to importing, buying 3rd party adapters, or waiting until it's released for retail sale [much like the GCN<->GBA Cable was only on N's store for the first couple of weeks]).
The SP is an incredible piece of hardware. It's leaps and bounds ahead of the GBA. I can't recommend picking this up enough if you like GBA games.
The GBA SP gets: 
I'll be picking up Sapphire (was going to get Ruby, but Sapphire matches my Cobalt system ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif) )tomorrow from Target for $19.99 too. Zelda's coming up on Monday too! This is Nintendo's month.
[ 03-22-2003, 01:15 PM: Message edited by: Bowser ]
From: My mommy's uterus | Registered: Jul 2001
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The Muffin King
Farting Nudist
Member # 2240
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posted 03-22-2003 01:19 PM
I was trying to jack off to pr0n, but was having no success.
Then I read this thread, and now everything's fine.
From: Maryland | Registered: Sep 2001
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Lark84
My skeleton is made of creamy nougat.
Member # 1186
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posted 03-22-2003 02:58 PM
Is the screen as big (in inches, not resolution) as on a normal GBA?
Registered: Nov 2000
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Bowser
I'm such a moron that I keep an axe behind me at all times.
Member # 2037
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posted 03-22-2003 04:28 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Lark84:
Is the screen as big (in inches, not resolution) as on a normal GBA?
Screen is exact same as regular GBA.
From: My mommy's uterus | Registered: Jul 2001
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Yurika
Farting Nudist
Member # 2525
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posted 03-22-2003 07:05 PM
I hope to win one at a special Nintendo event in Sydney. Apparently you win one buy beating kids at the new RuSa game. I wonder how people can play it if the game hasn't come out ![[Razz]](tongue.gif) . I like my chances and if I win I will be a happy camper. Anyway I just wanted to ask if there is any discomfort when you play this SP version for 4 hours plus? I normally don't get pains from my original GBA but the design could be a factor.
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Remember folks theres no "I" in "Orgy". Now ask yourself "Are you a team player"?
From: Australia, Sydney | Registered: Jan 2002
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Zerot
I pay schoolgirls to verbally abuse me.
Member # 1295
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posted 03-22-2003 10:16 PM
I heard that the Gameboy is surprisingly comfortable.
But I doubt they have gorilla-hands. Like me ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
From: Lizton, Indiana | Registered: Dec 2000
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Dark_Herakurosu
Farting Nudist
Member # 1677
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posted 03-22-2003 11:13 PM
GBA SP was made for teh Japaneesie, with their small hands and their big minds. Still, you get used to it. I keep trying to press Start but I keep hitting that blank space just below the d-pad. After about five repeats of this, I finally remember that Start is in a different place. The first thing I thought when I opened the box was "wtf it's tiny". I unfold it, and go home. There I remembered that you don't need batteries since it comes with one. I plug it in, turn it on to play Ruby, and I'm liek "wtf backlight my arse!" Finding that little button was just a matter of time. The sound volume thing was a great (yet unnoticable) addition; it's a slider! And on to the backlight. Whoo! I've never seen Groudon look so bright! I'm so excited I turn off all the lights just to see it glow. Another good thing: when the GBA becomes obsolete, I can always turn it into a nitelite.
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There is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra today than on Alzheimer's research. This means that by 2040, there should be a large elderly population with perky boobs, huge erections, and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.
Registered: Apr 2001
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starCaliber
is evil and also MewtwoSama
Member # 268
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posted 03-23-2003 02:54 AM
thinking I might sit this one out
pretty fuckin tired of buying game boys
From: San Francisco, CA | Registered: Apr 2000
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cfalcon
OLDNBLD
Member # 19
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posted 03-23-2003 03:10 AM
No, see, you need one for each of the two new identical pokemon games, so you can trade.
From: 39°45' N, 104°52' W | Registered: Feb 2000
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Barrierd
I have a colony of shrimp living in my bladder
Member # 3132
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posted 03-23-2003 03:51 AM
I'm undecided about getting the Game Boy SP, even though I really really want it. My best reasoning so far is that since I'm getting Sapphire, I'll be able to trade/play with my Ruby import.
I'd have to buy all this myself. And also a link cable (that's no biggy tho).
But I also kinda want a Gamecube. That'd be way more expensive, though, because of extras and also the games.
I'll probably go with the GB SP and hope for Gamecube for Christmas.
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Where are my bitches
From: Victoria, B.C., Canada | Registered: Nov 2002
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Lark84
My skeleton is made of creamy nougat.
Member # 1186
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posted 03-23-2003 04:24 AM
Another thing I just thought of:
There's no way to connect an external battery to it (a la MD players, where you attach a small battery case to the MD to use regular AA's instead of the rechargeable LiIon-battery), is there?
That's bad news for those of us who wants to go on a long hike in the woods, or whatever.
Registered: Nov 2000
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pkthunder
I look like your mom.
Member # 67
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posted 03-23-2003 09:27 AM
Long hikes in the woods are not about Gameboys.
From: Broomfield, CO | Registered: Feb 2000
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Dark_Herakurosu
Farting Nudist
Member # 1677
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posted 03-23-2003 11:31 AM
Actually, I think an external battery could be created using the port for the included AC adapter. Looks like it could just clip on the bottom.
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Gary Oak
Farting Nudist
Member # 1028
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posted 03-23-2003 11:32 AM
quote:
Originally posted by starCaliber:
thinking I might sit this one out
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"You think it is done, you think all is well. Well kiss my green ass I shall see you in hell."
AIM: GRISH81
From: Roselle, Illinois | Registered: Oct 2000
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Psybro
Half Psyduck. Half Slowbro. All cop.
Member # 290
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posted 03-23-2003 11:35 AM
God bless Nintendo for its perfectly moral marketing and non-insistence on buying their fucking inferior hardware just so you can buy the better version they have deliberately withheld until after the Christmas shopping season so they can give their inferior hardware one last hurrah and thank God they don't spend their every waking moment thinking of how to leech another $30 from small children and pathetic loveless nerds.
From: Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK | Registered: Apr 2000
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cfalcon
OLDNBLD
Member # 19
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posted 03-23-2003 01:31 PM
Dude, that SP is a turd. I'll probably end up getting one to trade with my existing one, but honestly, it doesn't lie comfortably in my hands. I'll grant that it makes you look less like a tyke than a GBA, but they could have just made that shit black and contoured then.
From: 39°45' N, 104°52' W | Registered: Feb 2000
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ReturnofNumeroUno
Farting Nudist
Member # 476
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posted 03-23-2003 03:56 PM
It's easier to conceal during school.
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Ich Liebe NintendoLover
From: Pembroke Pines Florida | Registered: May 2000
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Charmeleon42
Date Rapist
Member # 1066
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posted 03-23-2003 07:51 PM
pretty fuckin tired of buying game boys
This made me lol.
But I just got a cobalt SP, and Sapphire, so I'm happy!
From: Mountain Dew Land | Registered: Oct 2000
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Bowser
I'm such a moron that I keep an axe behind me at all times.
Member # 2037
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posted 03-23-2003 07:57 PM
damn this weekend was fucking expensive:
Cobalt SP=$100
Pokemon Ruby + Sapphire (Ru for my lil' bro, Sa for me)=$40 ($5 off coupons at Target )
Zelda (Monday)=$50
Total=$190.
Also, I got Sonic Advance 2 for free (Price-matched CompUSA's deal at BB [CompUSA had a deal where you get Guilty Gear X Advance free with a SP, and since BB doesn't stock that game, they let me substitute any $29.99 game! ]), and picked up my new GCN and Mario Party 4 with my BB PRP Voucher ($215, the other $55 (tax ) went towards the SP). So the total was/will be really $135, but whatever.
BTW, Sonic Advance 2 is awesome. I still have to pick up Megaman and Bass, Metroid Fusion, SMA3: Yoshi's Island and LoZ: LttP.
From: My mommy's uterus | Registered: Jul 2001
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starCaliber
is evil and also MewtwoSama
Member # 268
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posted 03-24-2003 02:13 AM
quote:
Originally posted by cfalcon:
...they could have just made that shit black and contoured then.
I see you've heard about the all new Game Boy Advance SP: Ergo slated for a September 2003 release for the low low price of $119.95.
From: San Francisco, CA | Registered: Apr 2000
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Lark84
My skeleton is made of creamy nougat.
Member # 1186
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posted 03-24-2003 12:40 PM
quote:
Originally posted by pkthunder:
Long hikes in the woods are not about Gameboys.
The point with a Gameboy is to make it portable. What's the point of a GB if I can't take it on long trips where I won't be able to play games without plugging a console into a TV?
I could fork up $150 bucks and then play a GBA in my home, but why do that when I can buy a GCN/PS2/XBOX and get a better (although more expensive) gaming experience?
It all depends on how long it lasts on one charge, though. And if there will be extra battery holders released, perhaps by a third-party developer.
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Ferquin
Farting Nudist
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posted 03-24-2003 01:39 PM
Let's see...
18 hours with the light off and 10 with the light on.
If you're conservative with the light (i.e. don't leave the light on while you're in the sunlight), you'll be able to play the SP a good long while. The light is only really necessary for poorly-lit areas. You can see the screen perfectly fine without the light as well.
Then, at night, just hook it up to the charger for the about three hours and you're set for another 18/10 hours of gaming.
If you use the light in moderation, you really shouldn't have any problems with keeping it wireless for long periods of time.
Oh, and the lithium ion battery is not meant to be removed regularly. It's only to be replaced when the battery is no longer functioning or cannot hold a charge. It's supposed to last a real long time, but I'm sure you can order a replacement from Nintendo's website. In either case, it's not meant to be charged like a PCS where you click off the battery and put it in a cradle. You plug the charge adaptor directly into the port on the back of the SP.
[ 03-24-2003, 01:45 PM: Message edited by: Ferquin ]
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Ferquin N.C. Root
The Ferquinarium
From: Renton, WA, USA | Registered: Feb 2003
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Psybro
Half Psyduck. Half Slowbro. All cop.
Member # 290
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posted 03-24-2003 06:02 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Ferquin:
18 hours with the light off and 10 with the light on.
From: Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK | Registered: Apr 2000
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137
Whiner
Member # 1465
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posted 04-03-2003 03:12 AM
Got mine. Very happy. Would've posted yesterday when I got it, but I was busy.
I absolutely refuse to turn the light off. That's why I bought this one. I turned it off once to make sure the button worked. 10 hours is good enough for me.
Thank God for early birthday gifts. Just wish I could afford new games. I've been mastering Wario 3 Golf.
From: Space. Like, outer space. | Registered: Jan 2001
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Manuel Calavera
Sock Lover
Member # 1202
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posted 04-03-2003 04:46 AM
I got mine with Sonic Advance 2. This new microswitched buttons are so SNK.
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Gates is the Saddam Hussein of the consumer technology world. ~ Mr.K
From: Newcastle, Home of Geordies, Brown Ale and The Wildhearts | Registered: Nov 2000
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Coxy
Hulkamania has run wild over me.
Member # 2297
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posted 04-03-2003 09:00 AM
I got mine with F-Zero, and Sapphire today.
I reckon the D pad and the general shape of the SP is better, but the shoulder buttons are too easy to hit.
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I love nintendolover, but only in a strictly platonic sense.
From: Australia | Registered: Oct 2001
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Dav1dL
Farting Nudist
Member # 2046
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posted 04-12-2003 05:01 AM
Nintendo of Japan announced that a new battery is underway for the GBA SP and will be available for a May 17th release. The batteries will promise 75% more playing time. You will now be able to play 17.5 hours with the light on. No mention of an over seas release.
olol Nintendo make money
[ 04-12-2003, 05:04 AM: Message edited by: Dav1dL ]
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Never argue with an idiot, they'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
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Donald
Bob the Builder
Member # 1551
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posted 04-12-2003 07:19 AM
Picked up a Cobalt for the low, low price of $89.95 + tax thanks to swapping my old GBA in.
And I think I'm in love.
Now I might actually play Super Circut and F-Zero now (not, too busy playing Sapphire).
From: In your girl's panties | Registered: Feb 2001
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Manuel Calavera
Sock Lover
Member # 1202
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posted 04-13-2003 06:02 AM
Pffft, I got my SP for only £24.99 ($39.99). I traded in my old GBA, and I had £20 worth of vouchers for Gamestation.
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Gates is the Saddam Hussein of the consumer technology world. ~ Mr.K
From: Newcastle, Home of Geordies, Brown Ale and The Wildhearts | Registered: Nov 2000
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