GBA SP": Worth upgrading? (1 Viewer)

[Oscar Saenz]

Dave, I just got the call from my local EBX. It appears everyone is breaking the street date.

 

[MatS]

just picked mine up (Cobalt) at local Chicago area EB...what a great looking piece of hardware. Can't wait to be able to see what I am playing, too bad they couldn't get it right the first time.

 

[Benson R]

I just picked mine up from a major retailer. I was shocked everyone broke street date on this. These days I have a hard time finding software titles ahead of time so it seems odd a system would be out several days ahead of time.

So now that I have a gameboy I suppose I need games to play. I already picked up Zelda and want to get another game. I don't want to spend another 30 on a second game just yet so I thought I might pick up an older gameboy title. I am interested in getting a casino game. Are there any decent ones preferably in color that someone can recommend?

 

[Rob Lutter]

Damnit... I wish I wasn't in the middle of nowhere till Sunday :frowning:

I want my SP!

 

[Dean Cooper]

Rob, you're in the same boat as me. A quick check on the phone to see if anyone even had them in yet yielded nada :frowning: I hope I can get one on the weekend.

 

[DonRoeber]

I picked up my preorder from my local GameStop last night. Wow, what an amazing machine. Just the display quaility is worth the upgrade from a GBA with Afterburner.

 

[DeathStar1]

One more stupid question....

Do you have to use rechargable batteries? Or can you use regular ones instead and still get the maximum amount of game time?

I think I've decided to trade in my GBA and pick one up : ) .

 

[Allen_Appel]

Do you have to use rechargable batteries? Or can you use regular ones instead and still get the maximum amount of game time?

The SP has a proprietary lithium-ion battery. It is intended by Nintendo that you won't access the battery yourself and you'll send it to them for battery replacement when it eventually dies (i.e. cannot be recharged significantly) in several years. The only caveat I've heard about the SP is a few instances of dust appearing inside on the screen. I'd advise buying a replacement policy from the gamestore, in case this is a widespread problem.

 

[Leo]

I also heard that EB now has the headphone adapters, so folks can go pick them up now if you already have your GBA SP.

 

[DeathStar1]

All right, so I'm a bit confused. This means that I won't be able to use standard Duracell AA's. But if my batteries suddenly die while I'm standing in line for something, I'm stuck?

Seems like a rather strange decision..

 

[Allen_Appel]

I think N's assumption is that people won't play for 10-18 hours before being able to plug in the included recharger.

 

[MikeAlletto]

This means that I won't be able to use standard Duracell AA's. But if my batteries suddenly die while I'm standing in line for something, I'm stuck?

Think of it like a cell phone. You use it throughout the day or week then every night just plug it in. It'll be ready when you wake up in the morning. I don't own a spare battery for my cell phone. Haven't had the need to. I just plug it in once every few days.

 

[Carl Walker]

Also, you DO NOT have to send the unit to Nintendo to get the battery replaced. Nintendo sells the batteries right on their web page for $15. All that is required to replace the battery is a small phillips screwdriver. The battery is housed neatly in a battery compartment that is easily accessible...

(soapbox)
GET A CLUE, COMPAQ/HP (MAKERS OF THE IPAQ!!!).
(/soapbox)

 

[Graeme Clark]

I was shocked everyone broke street date on this.

Nintendo is pretty good about letting everyone do it once it starts. Our store got a call this morning saying we had permission from Nintendo to start selling them since Walmart and another store has broken the street date (which was Tomorrow anyway).

 

[Dean Cooper]

Well I managed to find one of these this morning! I have to say Nintendo did a superb job on this thing. I love the fact that you can swing the prongs in flat on the AC adapter, outstanding feature. The Gameboy itself is really small but still very comfortable and I can actually see what the hell I'm playing! Highly recommend picking one of these up..Two BIG from me. Now I have to find out what games to get... Advance wars is VERY addictive BTW.

Dean

 

[MikeAlletto]

Nintendo sells the batteries right on their web page for $15. All that is required to replace the battery is a small phillips screwdriver.

Yeah I read that originally it was a hex or some other type of non-standard screw, but it has changed so its now just a standard phillips screw.

 

[Tim Hess]

Totally worth it. I've never been an avid GB player.
I have used my GBA more than I used my GBC, but the GBA screen is (of course) the most frustrating thing.

With the SP, you can 'just play' a game and not scour the planet for the ideal light or playing angle.

 

[Brian E]

With the SP, you can 'just play' a game and not scour the planet for the ideal light or playing angle.

You said it. I wasn't going to get the SP, atleast not right away. I was playing my GBA last night and got so frustrated by not being able to see the game well I broke down & bought an SP at lunch today. This thing is great. I love the light and the form factor, which at first I was unsure of.

 

[Joel Mack]

I'm stunned you were able to go out and find one on a whim...

 

[Brian E]

I'm stunned you were able to go out and find one on a whim...

Well... The Sam Goody, Best Buy & Circuit City I tried were all out. I swung into Target on my way back to the office & they had 10 blue ones and no platinum. I had wanted a platinum one, but after actually seeing the blue one with its metallic looking finish I was fine with blue. Got Driver 2 for free. Don't know if it's any good or how much I'll play it, but it looks good on the lit screen. I'm just looking forward to being ale to play some of my RPG's, most of which are pretty dark.

From talking to a few friends it's kind of hit or miss depending on what part of town you're looking in around here.