Game Boy Advance SP

• • Manufacturer: Nintendo

  • Generation: 6th Generation Era

  • Bits: 32-bit RISC-CPU (16.78 MHz)

  • Year Released: 2003

  • Units sold: 43.54 million as of 2009

  • Media: Cartridges

  • Colors: Sold in a wide range of colors (original colors: Blue and Silver)

History

The Game Boy Advance SP was a sleeker upgraded version of the already widely popular Game Boy Advance hand held gaming device. The SP’s flip lid was a new design element introduced. The hinge was very sturdy, and the screen could be tilted more than 180 degrees back. When closed the SP is barely thicker than the original Game Boy Advance, and about half the width, making it very easy to carry around. Various other upgrades were made to the handheld's design that made it very easy to use. Most problems that caused Game Boy Advance owners to gripe were resolved with the SP.

Hardware

Technical Specifications:

• • Size (closed): Approximately 8.4 × 8.2 × 2.44 cm (3.3 × 3.23 × 0.96 inches).

  • Weight: 142 grams (approximately 5 ounces)

  • Screen: Reflective TFT Color LCD.

  • Light source: Frontlight integrated LCD.

  • Power: Rechargeable lithium ion battery.

  • Battery Life: 10 hours continuous play with light on, 18 hours with light off; needs at most 3 hours recharging.

Hardware/ Capabilities

• • CPU: 32-bit ARM7TDMI with embedded memory.

  • Co-processor: 8-bit Zilog Z80

  • Memory: 32 kilobyte+96 kilobyte VRAM (internal CPU), 256 kilobyte WRAM (external CPU).

  • Resolution: 240 × 160 pixels.

  • Color: Can display 511 simultaneous colors in character mode and 32,768 simultaneous colors in bitmap mode.

  • Software: Fully compatible with Game Boy and Game Boy Color games.

External Hardware

One of the main complaints about the Game Boy Advance SP's design that was not an issue with any of the previous models was that there was no generic headphone jack. In order to use headphones one had to purchase a head phone adapter.

Various other accessories were made available to SP owners by Nintendo and other game hardware companies such as Mad Catz. These accessories ranged from protective cases to assorted cables and adapters.

Notable Qualities

Something that set the SP apart from the other handheld gaming systems available at the time was its front lit screen. The SP's predecessors did not have a front lit screen and, in order to play them in dimly lit areas, one had to purchase an accessory light that would plug into the handheld and cast light (much like a reading light) onto the screen. Needless to say the front lit screen of the SP was a huge improvement.Eventually a version of the SP was released with a back lit screen as opposed to a front lit screen.

The SP also introduced a built in rechargeable battery pack.

Notable Titles

The Game Boy Advance SP, which played the same types of cartridges as the Game Boy Advance, had just under 1000 games (948 games)

It's top selling games included:

• • Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (13 million)

  • Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen (11.82 million)

  • Pokémon Emerald (6.32 million)

  • Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 (4.179 million approximately)

  • Super Mario Advance (3.938 million approximately)

  • Mario Kart: Super Circuit (3.768 million approximately)

  • Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (3.698 million approximately)

  • Namco Museum (2.96 million in US)

  • Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team (2.2 million)

  • Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 (2.196 million approximately)

Game Boy Advance (SP) Cartridges

References

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_video_games#Game_Boy_Advance

• http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/772/772284p1.html

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Game_Boy_Advance_games

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy_Advance_SP#Internal

• http://www.gameboy-advance-sp.com/