Game Boy Micro

Hardware

Since the Game Boy Micro was meant to retain the functionality of the Game Boy Advance SP, but with an update form factor, it was unable to play original Game Boy game and was incompatible with the Nintendo e-reader and other peripherals due to design issues (Zilog Z80 chip was not included).

Technical Specifications:

- Size: 50×101×17.2 millimeters (2×4×0.7 in)
- Weight: 80 grams (2.8 ounces)
- Screen: 51 mm / 2 inches , back light with adjustable brightness. Reflective LCD
- Power: Rechargeable lithium ion battery.
- Battery Life: Up to 5 hours of battery life with top brightness and sound or 8 hours with both features on default
- Headphones: standard 3.5mm headphone jack

Hardware/ Capabilities

- Processor: 32-bit 16.8 MHz ARM processor (ARM7TDMI)
- CPU: 32-bit ARM with embedded memory
- Memory: 32 Kbyte + 96 Kbyte VRAM (in CPU), 256 Kbyte WRAM (external of CPU
- Color: Can display 511 simultaneous colors in character mode and 32,768 simultaneous colors in bitmap mode
- Resolution: 240×160 pixels
- Software: Fully compatible with Game Boy Advance games and Game Boy Advance Video Cartridges

- Manufacturer: Nintendo
- Generation: 6th Generation
- Bits: 32-bit ARM7TDMI (16.78 MHz)
- Year Released: 2005
- Units sold: 2.42 Million
- Media: Cartridges

History

The Micro was unveiled during E3's press conference on May 17th, 2005. It was then released in Japan on September 13th, 2005 and in North America on September 19th of the same year. A few months after it was then released in Europe on November 4th, 2005 and in Australia on November 3rd, 2005. Finally on October 1st, 2005 in China and in South Korea, November 9th, 2005, as the "iQue Game Boy Micro." This was the final hand held console released that used the Game Boy name.

External Hardware

Where as many of the Game Boy systems had a list of peripherals that were compatible with them, the Game Boy Micro had a list in the users manual listing all of the additional items that could not be used with the system to to its minimalist form. The following items were not usable with the Micro (as stated by its manual):

- Original Game Boy Game Packs
- Game Boy Color Game Packs
- Game Boy or Game Boy Advance Game Link cables
- Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter
- Game Boy Advance e-Reader
- Nintendo Game Cube Game Boy Advance cable
- Game Boy Printer
- Game Boy Camera

Notable Qualities

While the Micro was in essence and upgraded form of the Game Boy it had many notable qualities. The most noticeable quality of it was its small "micro" design in comparison with the SP version and how it was made in the shape to resemble an old Nintendo console controller. Along with this was the praise it received for its backlit screen which was superior to the originals Game Boy Advance SP's. It used a finer dot pitch making the screen more evenly lit and also allowed for the brightness to be adjusted with a switch on the side (5 levels of brightness). Consumers could also buy removable face plates for it making it customizable to a certain degree.

Notable Titles

As on each of the other Game Boy systems the most notable titles were from the Pokemon series. The best selling for this system being Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire along with Pokemon Emerald. Combined these games sold just about 19 million copies.

References

Wikipedia contributors. "Game Boy Micro." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 16 Mar. 2010. Web. 30 Mar. 2010

"GAMEBOY Micro Technical Specifications [ [_]=]." GAMEBOY Micro GBA Mini [ [__]=]. Web. 30 Mar. 2010. <http://www.gameboy-micro.com/technical-specifications.htm>.

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