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Game Boy Advance SP
Nintendo has finally heard the cries of the people and released the Game Boy Advance SP (GBA SP, for short) here in America! The GBA SP takes care of two problems that have been the bane of gamers on the go; the necessity to do acrobatics to get an adequate amount of light to see a Game Boy game and the need to keep an unsightly number of batteries laying around for graphics intensive games like "Golden Sun", which have a leech like affect on battery life. One of the things that drew me to the new GBA SP is the compact an sleek new flip-top design that the system is sporting. Not only is the system small enough to fit in the palm of your hand when it's folded, it's small enough to fit easily into a front pants pocket. A safer option for the gamer-on-the-go than sticking it in your back pocket where it might be easily lifted by sticky fingers! The flip-top design of the GBA SP also doubles as a way to protect the screen from scratches and dings. This is especially good considering that Game Boy screens are notoriously easy to scratch up, in my experience. A backlit Game Boy has been a long time coming and good things come to those who wait! The system's backlight can be turned on and off with the press of a button located under the GBA SP screen. While you can turn it on and off, you'll probably be playing with it on most of the time. It seems Nintendo has really optimized the screen for backlit play and because of this, I've found it to be a little difficult to find lighting that gives me the same kind of playing experiece I get with the backlight on. But this isn't really much of a problem, it's more a testament to how well the backlight enhances the already wonderful graphics of GBA titles. One of the best things about the GBA SP is the need for batteries is all but eliminated. That's because the GBA SP comes equipped with a rechargable battery pack. All you need to do is plug one end of the included charger into and electrical outlet and the other into the GBA itself and let the charging begin. An LED light alerts you to the need to charge and turns off when charging is complete. You can also play the GBA SP while charging, but this will increase the time until a fully charged battery pack. According to the instructions a fully charged battery will give you 10 hours of playtime without the backlight and 8 hours with the backlight on. But I've heard of people who've gotten much more play time out of a single charge. Up to 13 hours! Of course, I play so much I lose track of time so I wouldn't know how long a charge lasts, but it at least seems like forever! If you're in the market for a portable gaming system or are just tired of doing contortionist acts to see you Game Boy Advance in the "good light", then you definitely need to invest in a GBA SP! Especially if you're like me and prone to 3AM gaming cravings. Now somebody let me know if the thing will play imports like the rest of the Game Boy line and I'll be in Gamer Girl heaven! Cynthia Threadgill
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Game Boy Advance SP - Platinum
 Game Boy Advance SP - Cobalt
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