Video Games : Game Boy Advance SP, Flame

Price: $164.75

Prices subject to change.

Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Binding: Accessory
Brand: Nintendo of America
EAN: 0045496714512
ESRB Age Rating: Rating Pending
Label: Nintendo of America
Manufacturer: Nintendo of America
Model: VHNIN 045496714512
Platform: Game Boy Advance
Publisher: Nintendo of America
Sales Rank: 1471
Studio: Nintendo of America

Features:

Approximate Size (Closed): Height 3.33 inches, width 3.23 inches, depth 0.96 inches.
CPU: 32-bit RISC CPU with embedded memory.
Screen: 2.9-inch reflective TFT color LCD.
Light Source: Front lights have been integrated with the existing reflective LCD.
Display Size: 1.61 inches by 2.41 inches (identical to the Game Boy Advance).

Accessories:

Related Items:

Editorial Review:

Product Description:
Building on the significant improvements and refinements already introduced in the current Game Boy Advance, the new Game Boy Advance SP features a revolutionary Front Light Screen making game play easy in any lighting condition.

Amazon.com Review:
Many decried the original Game Boy Advance's reflective LCD screen and its reliance on external light sources. The Game Boy Advance SP's main feature--optional backlighting--fixes this complaint nicely, but it's the wealth of other features that makes this system so surprisingly good.

At first look, you might think the SP is a sleek travel alarm clock. When closed, it's just as tall and deep as the original GBA, but only half as wide. Due to its clamshell design, the screen is always protected from everyday scratches. A small button in the center of the console turns on the backlighting element for use in low-light situations, like in a moving car.

Game Boy Advance angle diagram

The SP comes with a well-designed power adapter that recharges a built-in battery; its prongs fold in for easier storage. Our informal tests found that it takes about four hours to fully charge (you can even play it while it's plugged in and charging), and the battery lasts about 11 hours with the backlighting constantly on--your results may vary. Using the backlighting less often will conserve battery power.

With separately sold cables, you can connect the Game Boy Advance SP to other GBAs for multiplayer gaming (above) or to the Nintendo GameCube (below) to access secret levels, exchange data, or use other special features that vary from game to game.

The quality of the backlighting is very good. It's bright and clear when looking directly at it, but degraded from other angles. This is only a problem for friends who are watching the screen from over your shoulder.

But size, power, and affordability do not come without trade offs. There's no headphone jack here, though Nintendo promises an adapter. The system isn't very loud at its highest volume, and the sound can be turned down to socially acceptable levels. The L and R shoulder buttons are a fraction of the size they were on the GBA, and thus are harder to hit. Also, the reduced size of the SP is slightly less comfortable for adult hands than the GBA, but perhaps more comfortable for smaller hands. The cartridge port placement on the lower part of the console is fine for GBA games, since they are flush with the console body, but older Game Boy Color carts will stick out in a way that takes some getting used to.

Open it up and the hinge will seek out a preferred, pre-set angle (about 150 degrees), though you can open it a bit wider or narrower for your own comfort. The hinge stands up well to lateral pressure, and over all, the SP seems just as rugged as its predecessor--which has proven to be very rugged, indeed. --Porter B. Hall

Unit Specifications

CPU: 32-Bit ARM with embedded memory
Memory: 32 KB with 96 KB VRAM (in CPU), 256 KB WRAM (external of CPU)
Screen: 2.9-inch reflective TFT color LCD
Display Size: 1.6 by 2.4 inches (40.8 by 61.2 mm)
Resolution: 240 x 160 pixels in a wide-screen aspect ratio
Colors: 511 simultaneous colors from a palette of 32,768
Software: Fully compatible with Game Boy and Game Boy Color game paks
Light Source: Front light integrated with LCD
Size (closed): 3.3 by 3.23 by .96 inch
Weight: Approximately 5 ounces
Power Supply: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Battery Life: 10 hours continuous play with light on; 18 hours with light off; 3 hours recharging

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- GBA SP
Good game system exactly like the game boy color system only more modernized and higher technology and it folds and has a back light and rechargable battery pack to just plug into the wall cool game system though it plays the old school game boy games, game boy color games, and the game boy advance games defently excellent game system.

Rating:

- What awesome customer support!
I inquired about this product before purchasing it, and heard back w/i 1 day from the seller. She was so kind and even threw in extra accessories. How sweet was that?! My daughter is going to love her gift! Good doing business here!

Rating:

- Great road trip bring along.
This hand held system was and still is amazing. Some great games have been produced for the system. Downside: On the older versions the colors were a bit to grey and were not true. Also once the screen cracks for some reason, if it be frustrated and thrown, you might as well trash the system. The repair is not worth it at this day and age. Positives: You can play in the dark and if you need to avoid getting caught you can turn off the light. The battery life is also good and its rechargable. Saves money spent on batteries for sure.

Rating:

- This is hands down the second greatest handheld of ALL TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Only behind the DS, which was executed great, and very revolutionary and still is (November 2004 - October 2007, and beyond!!!)!

The Flame is the best of the best of the Nintendo SPs. It actually looks more orange than red. Red-Orangish.

It's a beautful system, and when you fold it shut, the screen shuts down, and a green light blinks, letting you know that it is using minimal power.

I owned one of these for a good year, year and a half. But then I sold it to an ex-friend's brother for 40 bucks. Forgive me, I was desperate, and wanted a DS (although I didn't put the money towards one =P)!

All in all, a great, reliable system that can be used years to come!

I hear that the pink and light blue ones have better battery life and a brighter screen, like the Nintendo DS Lite.

Worth a purchase!!!

Pros:

Great games
Small
Colorful
Did I mention the great games that came out for this???!
Comes with a charger
Charges rather quickly

Cons:

Too small for larger hands
Some of the games were mindless (Looks at 95% of the Disney games) (Is ashamed to be a human)
Scratches somewhat easily

If you take care of it though, you won't have to worry about many scratches. Also, if you lose your charger, they're dirt cheap here at amazon!!!

Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance SP Rapid Home Travel Charger with IC Chip

Rating:

- pretty cool but takes no batteries
the gba sp is quite inpresive it comes in lots of colors and all but if your on along road trip but evrey 15 to 20 hours it needs charging and cannot play it on trips it should have batteries because you can just put new ones in insted of waiting 10 hours in an equnox (chevy) unless i have a portible dvd player


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