Please create an account to participate in the Slashdot moderation system

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Portables (Games)

The Gameboy Micro Reviewed 266

Posted by Zonk from the pocket-sized-hardware dept.
Advtg writes "Ars Technica has a great review of the Gameboy Micro, which is now shipping in North America. The thing is amazingly small, but it looks as though worries about the screen being too small and too dim aren't true. But will it sell? From the review: 'You'd think at this point the portable market would just be saturated with Nintendo products, and the Micro carries a price tag of US$99.99. For just US$30 more you can get a DS, and for US$20 less you can get an SP with the newly brightened screen. It occupies somewhat of an awkward place in terms of price point and features.'"
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

The Gameboy Micro Reviewed More

The Gameboy Micro Reviewed

Comments Filter:

  • Late much? (Score:2, Informative)

    by Dragon of the Pants ( 913545 ) on Tuesday October 04, 2005 @07:37PM (#13718002) Homepage
    It's been in my local Wal-Mart for over a week. Two weeks maybe even, and I live in Canada. Northern Canada.

  • IGN Gameboy's Review (Score:5, Informative)

    by dividedsky319 ( 907852 ) on Tuesday October 04, 2005 @07:41PM (#13718034)
    gameboy.ign.com's review of the Micro is actually pretty positive [ign.com]

    Here's the ending summary of it: The GB Micro isn't exactly the ideal way to enjoy Game Boy Advance games, but don't misjudge it by its size. Given the choice between toting a GBA SP in our backpacks or a GB Micro in our pockets, we'll take the Micro. It's tiny, its screen is amazing, and it is surprisingly comfortable to hold.

  • Price Point Products (Score:3, Informative)

    by nurb432 ( 527695 ) on Tuesday October 04, 2005 @07:42PM (#13718038) Homepage Journal
    Sometimes they are virtually throwaway products to get you interested, then think 'gee for just a few bucks more...'.

    Not quite 'bait and switch' but damned close.. More like 'bait and pull'...

  • Re:Taking bets... (Score:5, Informative)

    by RichardX ( 457979 ) on Tuesday October 04, 2005 @07:51PM (#13718101) Homepage
    How long till people port Linux to it?
    About... this long [fh-hagenberg.at]

  • A review from some experts on small tech... (Score:3, Informative)

    by TheGreatGraySkwid ( 553871 ) on Tuesday October 04, 2005 @08:00PM (#13718182) Homepage
    The guys at iPod Lounge did a comprehensive review [ilounge.com] of this little guy some time ago, with lots of pictures comparing it to the various iPods and previous GameBoys for perspective. Worth checking out.

  • Re:Looks great to me (Score:2, Informative)

    by Propaganda13 ( 312548 ) on Tuesday October 04, 2005 @08:16PM (#13718301)
    Finally, the article points out(at the end) the faceplates cover the screen. Everything I've read uptil this point just talked about the color. Now I'll actually consider buying it. I'll still have to try it out before I buy it though.
    I have replaced a couple of faceplates on non-flip cell phones including a Sony that have cracked or been scratched. Why other manufacturers of small items don't follow suit is beyond me.

  • I really want one of these, but... (Score:5, Informative)

    by Phantasmo ( 586700 ) on Tuesday October 04, 2005 @08:24PM (#13718361)
    Apparently if you want to play multiplayer with an SP or connect the Micro to your Gamecube you need to buy a converter cable [nintendo.com].
    I'm disappointed that they couldn't keep with the standard connector. It's not the end of the world, I'd just prefer not to worry about one more tiny accessory.

  • FYI... (Score:5, Informative)

    by jxyama ( 821091 ) on Tuesday October 04, 2005 @08:37PM (#13718463)
    Some of the things I've found out since I've had it for a few days...
    • The "black" version comes with the silver faceplate and the "silver" version comes with the black faceplate. (It confused me for a while...)
    • Battery lasts about 10 hours. (This was hard to find surprisingly...)
    • The shoulder buttons are pushed down on the inner side, not at the corner.
    • It's easier to hold than SP since the direction pad and A/B buttons are further apart.
    • Screen's crisp and gorgeous - you can "read" pretty much all text. Not much ghosting.
    • The one speaker is a bit on the light side. (Yeah, what did I expect...)
    • Volume control does not get in the way.
    • Headphone jack is a standard one (unlike SP) and does not get in the way even when plugged in.
    • The battery can be replaced on our own.

  • Even better!! (Score:4, Informative)

    by jxyama ( 821091 ) on Tuesday October 04, 2005 @08:44PM (#13718514)
    The battery is replaceable too. And the standard headphone jack is great, compared to SP. The only drawback is that it only plays GBA games, which is fine by me, but I'm sure others would have loved the ability to play GB/GBC games.

  • I bought one (Score:4, Informative)

    by Shaleh ( 1050 ) <shaleh AT speakeasy DOT net> on Tuesday October 04, 2005 @09:37PM (#13718837)
    I am 28. It fits easily in my blue jean pocket. The screen is a wee small but damn bright and clear. The sound (via headphones) is really impressive. Was playing metroid on it the first day and was in love.

    Yeah, its small. But I played for over an hour the other night, holding the right shoulder button through Toularian (Mother brain land) almost the whole time.

    No regrets. No AA batteries to replace.

    Why not buy the DS? Never buy the first edition of a Nintendo product -- they always come out with a better version in 6 months to a year. Compare the original GBA to the new SP. The DS is currently molded like a kid's toy, but I expect that to change. For now I have a large library of GBA titles available to me. When a new, improved DS comes out I can give the micro to my wife (-:

  • Re:Here I am sitting on the crapper... (Score:3, Informative)

    by Darius Jedburgh ( 920018 ) on Tuesday October 04, 2005 @09:42PM (#13718867)
    You're right. There is one big giveaway. The volume control is 'digital' which means that the device has to be on before I can turn the volume down. So If I was playing it loud before my visit to the john, as soon as I switch it on it'll make a noise that can be heard in the next stall. Gotta be careful when I do this or it could be very embarassing.

  • I bought my SP for three reasons: (Score:3, Informative)

    by AndyChrist ( 161262 ) <<andy_christ> <at> <yahoo.com>> on Tuesday October 04, 2005 @09:47PM (#13718890) Homepage
    I bought it because the screen was significantly better than the original Gameboy advance (The fact that the GBA screen was WORSE than my Gameboy Color was what prevented me from buying one at first).

    I bought it because it was smaller, it fit in a shirt pocket, or well, any pocket. A GBA wouldn't have (in fact I think the GBA SP was the first portable system that would).

    I bought it because of the clamshell design, which protects the screen when not in use.

    The Gameboy Micro does two out of three better than the SP. That ain't too shabby.

  • As a PSP Owner....ITS HUGE!!! (Score:2, Informative)

    by marcybots ( 473417 ) on Tuesday October 04, 2005 @10:58PM (#13719240)
    I own a PSP and its to big to bring around every day in my pants pockets, since it requires some sort of case due to the fact that it is rather delicate and has a huge unprotected screen, it usually has to go into the backpack. Add to the fact that its a pain to get in and out of my pants the fact that it takes time to boot up and play games, I actually want a Gameboy micro, since I can bring it anywhere and get my game on quickly. I actually cant wait for winter in New York because that means I can wear a Jacket with extra pockets so I can actually bring around my PSP without having a huge bulge in my pants. What amazes me even more is that the Nintendo DS is even larger than the PSP, and that was a important consideration when buying the PSP, while I can bear bringing the PSP around with me, it does not fit into some of my pant pockets. I could not even imagine fitting a brick like the Nintendo DS in my pocket, which is sad because I actually think that system has better games than the PSP, I am waiting eagerly for the Nintendo DS - Micro or at least a shrunken version of it, I am glad that at least nintendo is coming to their senses and making a portable game system that fits in the pocket and doesnt take over 30 seconds to boot.

  • Re:Here I am sitting on the crapper... (Score:2, Informative)

    by cornface ( 900179 ) on Tuesday October 04, 2005 @11:50PM (#13719448)
    I was trying to make a joke about wanking. I wasn't as successful as I would have liked.

  • Re:As a PSP Owner....ITS HUGE!!! (Score:2, Informative)

    by marcybots ( 473417 ) on Wednesday October 05, 2005 @12:44AM (#13719663)
    I bought that "face armor" and it broke within five minutes of buying it...WARNING CRAP ALERT! that is one of the top 5 crapiest things I have every bought, I was just happy the store gave me my money back after I returned it...it was so cheaply made it was crazy.

  • Replaceable li-ion (Score:3, Informative)

    by tempmpi ( 233132 ) on Wednesday October 05, 2005 @06:33AM (#13720673)
    It got a built in lithium-ion pack, but it is replaceable by the user.

Slashdot Top Deals

Prediction is very difficult, especially of the future. - Niels Bohr

Close