6 ms·

I remember this as well (I still have mine in fact!). However, I didn’t really care that much considering how much better the Game Boy Advance SP was than all

by arm 10y ago

I remember this as well (I still have mine in fact!). However, I didn’t really care that much considering how much better the Game Boy Advance SP was than all the previous Game Boys. It was the first Game Boy to have a backlit screen, which meant I could finally easily sneak and play on it in the night without alerting my parents (instead of trying to do the same with the much less effective wormlight accessory I had for my Game Boy Advance). The D-pad was far more comfortable to use over long periods compared with the ones on previous Game Boys. I distinctly remember having my left thumb hurt after playing for a few hours on my Game Boy Advance, since the D-pad on that one makes you feel like you have to press down a lot harder than the one on the Game Boy Advance SP. And the biggest point: it was the first Game Boy to include a rechargeable battery! This was huge, since people really didn’t buy rechargeable batteries nearly as much back then as they do now, so you’d pretty much be either wasting two alkaline batteries per day or two, or staying tethered to a wall by using the included AC adapter. That was a pretty annoying option too, especially when the power in your home died right before you could get to a save point… When I got one, I essentially stopped playing GBA games on my Game Boy Advance, since playing them on my Game Boy Advance SP was a far more enjoyable experience (so much so that I didn’t really lament the loss of the headphone jack all that much).

eropple 10y ago
I still have my GBA SP, too, but I'm pretty sure part of why charging it is so finicky now is that I used the headphone adapter so often. Which is a bummer. But it still charges with a little bit of a wiggle and I've got a flash cart with a bunch of translated versions of Japanese games. It's still a bunch of fun and I bring it when I fly.
- qwertyuiop924 10y ago
  I've got an original GBA. It's not the best, but it rocks for playing stuff on the go. Also, if you're into music and have a GB flashcart, lsdj is a must buy.
eriknstr 10y ago
>It was the first Game Boy to have a backlit screen, which meant I could finally easily sneak and play on it in the night without alerting my parents Actually, there was another Game Boy with backlit screen released much earlier -- just a few months before the Game Boy Color, though only in Japan. I remember said Game Boy because a friend of mine whose father traveled to Japan had brought one such Game Boy back with him for his son. It was called the Game Boy Light. The screen was monochrome with green backlight. Pretty badass. http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Game_Boy_Light http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Game_Boy_Light http://www.computercloset.org/NintendoGameBoy.htm http://www.computercloset.org/NintendoGameBoy.htm http://retro-treasures.blogspot.com/2012/04/silver-nintendo-game-boy-light.html http://retro-treasures.blogspot.com/2012/04/silver-nintendo-...
- arm 10y ago
  Ah, I completely forgot about the Game Boy Light! Also realized I made another error too: the original Game Boy Advance didn’t include an AC adapter; in fact the Game Boy Advance itself doesn’t even have a barrel connector on it to plug one in in the first place! I misremembered that the AC adapter that I have lying around for my Game Boy Advance didn’t come with it, but actually came from a third-party accessory my parents had ended up buying for me so they could stop wasting money on alkaline batteries (a controller grip similar to this¹ one that plugged into the battery compartment). Interestingly enough, Nintendo made such an accessory²³⁴ themselves as well (although without the grip part). ―――――― ¹ — http://emu.gbxemu.com/reviews/gba_battery_joypad.html http://emu.gbxemu.com/reviews/gba_battery_joypad.html ² — https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/gameboyadvance/hook_acadapter.jsp https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/gameboyadvance/hoo... ³ — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005B8G0 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005B8G0 ⁴ — http://ign.com/articles/2001/09/30/game-boy-advance-ac-adapter-review http://ign.com/articles/2001/09/30/game-boy-advance-ac-adapt...
- kuschku 10y ago
  Are you sure the Game Boy Light was Japan-only? I’ve seen at least a handful of them in my childhood here in Germany. Backlit screen, exact same format, etc.
douche 10y ago
> And the biggest point: it was the first Game Boy to include a rechargeable battery! This was huge, since people really didn’t buy rechargeable batteries nearly as much back then as they do now, so you’d pretty much be either wasting two alkaline batteries per day or two, or staying tethered to a wall by using the included AC adapter. I definitely had a rechargeable battery pack for my Gameboy Color[1], and at the height of the Pokemon craze, it was an essential investment... [1] this one, IIRC https://assets.listia.com/photos/8875a4007b0476b501e5/original.jpg?s=320x320m&sig=5c8540f511b4c1d5&ts=1383775920 https://assets.listia.com/photos/8875a4007b0476b501e5/origin...
- arm 10y ago
  True, I did eventually get a similar one¹ for my Game Boy Color as well, but it took quite a while before that happened since I didn’t want to ask my parents to buy me something else when they already paid for the Game Boy Color and an AC adapter (which I now realize wasn’t included with the Game Boy Color; they actually had to buy it separately!) that I could use to power it instead. It’s definitely more convenient for kids (and parents!) when rechargeable batteries are already included. ―――――― ¹ — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00000K4LC https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00000K4LC
Endy 10y ago
As someone who went from GBC to original purple GBA and then to DSLite (and I still haven't gone to DSi or 3DS), I don't see what all the fuss is about. I never really had problems with lighting - sure I couldn't play at night, but I had a lighted magnifier for GBC and a light for my GBA. The shift from real batteries to rechargeable on the DS was actually a stopping point for me. I guess it's just how I think, but I want control over my power source. I don't want something where I rely on Nintendo or any one company. On my GBC and GBA, I could use any brand of battery I wanted, change 'em around, etc. Sure, I had one of the recharge packs; but that got used very rarely, only for very long trips. Most of the time, I was on battery power only.

by arm 10y ago

eropple 10y ago

I still have my GBA SP, too, but I'm pretty sure part of why charging it is so finicky now is that I used the headphone adapter so often. Which is a bummer. But it still charges with a little bit of a wiggle and I've got a flash cart with a bunch of translated versions of Japanese games. It's still a bunch of fun and I bring it when I fly.

qwertyuiop924 10y ago
I've got an original GBA. It's not the best, but it rocks for playing stuff on the go. Also, if you're into music and have a GB flashcart, lsdj is a must buy.

eriknstr 10y ago

>It was the first Game Boy to have a backlit screen, which meant I could finally easily sneak and play on it in the night without alerting my parents Actually, there was another Game Boy with backlit screen released much earlier -- just a few months before the Game Boy Color, though only in Japan. I remember said Game Boy because a friend of mine whose father traveled to Japan had brought one such Game Boy back with him for his son. It was called the Game Boy Light. The screen was monochrome with green backlight. Pretty badass. http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Game_Boy_Light http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Game_Boy_Light http://www.computercloset.org/NintendoGameBoy.htm http://www.computercloset.org/NintendoGameBoy.htm http://retro-treasures.blogspot.com/2012/04/silver-nintendo-game-boy-light.html http://retro-treasures.blogspot.com/2012/04/silver-nintendo-...

arm 10y ago
Ah, I completely forgot about the Game Boy Light! Also realized I made another error too: the original Game Boy Advance didn’t include an AC adapter; in fact the Game Boy Advance itself doesn’t even have a barrel connector on it to plug one in in the first place! I misremembered that the AC adapter that I have lying around for my Game Boy Advance didn’t come with it, but actually came from a third-party accessory my parents had ended up buying for me so they could stop wasting money on alkaline batteries (a controller grip similar to this¹ one that plugged into the battery compartment). Interestingly enough, Nintendo made such an accessory²³⁴ themselves as well (although without the grip part). ―――――― ¹ — http://emu.gbxemu.com/reviews/gba_battery_joypad.html http://emu.gbxemu.com/reviews/gba_battery_joypad.html ² — https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/gameboyadvance/hook_acadapter.jsp https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/gameboyadvance/hoo... ³ — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005B8G0 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005B8G0 ⁴ — http://ign.com/articles/2001/09/30/game-boy-advance-ac-adapter-review http://ign.com/articles/2001/09/30/game-boy-advance-ac-adapt...
kuschku 10y ago
Are you sure the Game Boy Light was Japan-only? I’ve seen at least a handful of them in my childhood here in Germany. Backlit screen, exact same format, etc.

douche 10y ago

> And the biggest point: it was the first Game Boy to include a rechargeable battery! This was huge, since people really didn’t buy rechargeable batteries nearly as much back then as they do now, so you’d pretty much be either wasting two alkaline batteries per day or two, or staying tethered to a wall by using the included AC adapter. I definitely had a rechargeable battery pack for my Gameboy Color[1], and at the height of the Pokemon craze, it was an essential investment... [1] this one, IIRC https://assets.listia.com/photos/8875a4007b0476b501e5/original.jpg?s=320x320m&sig=5c8540f511b4c1d5&ts=1383775920 https://assets.listia.com/photos/8875a4007b0476b501e5/origin...

arm 10y ago
True, I did eventually get a similar one¹ for my Game Boy Color as well, but it took quite a while before that happened since I didn’t want to ask my parents to buy me something else when they already paid for the Game Boy Color and an AC adapter (which I now realize wasn’t included with the Game Boy Color; they actually had to buy it separately!) that I could use to power it instead. It’s definitely more convenient for kids (and parents!) when rechargeable batteries are already included. ―――――― ¹ — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00000K4LC https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00000K4LC

Endy 10y ago

As someone who went from GBC to original purple GBA and then to DSLite (and I still haven't gone to DSi or 3DS), I don't see what all the fuss is about. I never really had problems with lighting - sure I couldn't play at night, but I had a lighted magnifier for GBC and a light for my GBA. The shift from real batteries to rechargeable on the DS was actually a stopping point for me. I guess it's just how I think, but I want control over my power source. I don't want something where I rely on Nintendo or any one company. On my GBC and GBA, I could use any brand of battery I wanted, change 'em around, etc. Sure, I had one of the recharge packs; but that got used very rarely, only for very long trips. Most of the time, I was on battery power only.