The , released in February 2003, is an upgraded version of
Nintendo's
Game Boy Advance. The "SP" in Game Boy Advance SP stands for Special. The SP was marketed at
US$99.99 at launch. In September 2004, Nintendo lowered the price to US$79.99. The SP is accompanied by the
Nintendo DS (released in November 2004) and the
Game Boy Micro (released in September 2005).
In Japan, it was marketed at ¥12,500 on February 14, 2003. In Canada, it was marketed at CA$149.95 on March 22, 2003. In Australia, it was marketed at AU$199.99 on March 28, 2003. In Europe, it was marketed at €129.99 on March 28, 2003.
Technical specifications
Physical
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 colors: Onyx, Flame, Platinum, Cobalt Blue, Pearl Pink, Pearl Blue, Graphite, Midnight Blue,
Charizard Red,
Torchic Orange,
Venusaur Green,
NES classic design, and
Pikachu Yellow. A limited gold edition was available at one point as well. In September 2005, a Surf Blue edition was sold through
Best Buy. A special Pokémon Emerald pack contained a limited edition Green Rayquaza SP and the Emerald game. A limited edition backlit edition exists. There is also an
All Blacks edition. An Orange and red version was made as a prize for a speed run competition for Metroid Zero Mission. A red SP with a circle with an M in it, modeled after
Mario's cap, was also made in a special pack that included the Mario Vs. Donkey Kong game.
The GBA SP is slightly more than half the size of the GBA when closed and roughly the height of Nintendo's Game Boy Color when open. The clamshell or laptop design protects the screen from scratches and dust, reminiscent of two-screen Game & Watch units. However, the casing is made from a different material, making it more prone to scratches than previous Game Boy systems. The slot for cartridges has been moved to the front of the system, facing towards the user.
The GBA SP AC adapter comes with the package to recharge its lithium ion battery, something previous Game Boys did not have. The software library and general hardware specifications are identical to those of the Game Boy Advance. This adapter was also compatible with the original version of the DS.
In Japan it was released in a variety of standard colors and special packages. In most other regions it was released in Platinum Silver and Charcoal Black. Later, a Flame Red version was released. The Six special editions have also been released: a NES Classics model with the same color scheme as a classic NES controller (and designed to resemble a NES deck when closed), a SpongeBob SquarePants model, a Pikachu model, and a silver model with a tattoo design engraved on it, called the 'Tribal Edition'. In other regions, such as Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, additional colors have been released, such as Pearl Green and Starlight Gold. Additionally, two new special versions have been released in Asia exclusive to that region.
Internal
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. Game Boy games can be played using the same selectable color palettes as on the Game Boy Color.
Headphone jack
Nintendo removed the headphone jack from the SP, which had been included on all previous Game Boy models. Headphones designed specifically for the GBA SP can be purchased, or standard headphones can be attached with an optional adapter that plugs into the same port as the
AC adapter.
As both AC adapter and headphones use the same port, it is not possible to charge the SP and listen to headphones at the same time with the Nintendo brand adapter. There are however third-party solutions, such as an adapter that "splits" into two different cords; The power jack on one side, and a normal headphone jack on the other. Other solutions are an adapter that plugs into the charging port and has another charging port along with the headphone jack.
Backlit Model (AGS-101)
In September 2005, around the time of the
Game Boy Micro's release, Nintendo released an improved version of the Game Boy Advance SP in
North America, featuring a brighter backlit screen instead of the previous version's frontlit screen.
The new model can be distinguished by the following features:
The box states "Now with a BRIGHTER backlit screen!" to distinguish the new model from the older, frontlit models.
The backlit SP has the Model Number
AGS-101 on the label on the bottom of the unit, whereas the original frontlit SP has the Model Number AGS-001
The switch at the top center of the consoles lower face is now referred to in the manual as the "Brightness Switch" and selects between two levels of brightness, "Normal"(Low) and "Bright"(High) with no off setting. On the frontlit models this switch turned the frontlight on or off only. With the backlight set to "Normal"(Low) the brightness still surpasses the original AGS-001 with the frontlight on.
The North American backlit version comes in three standard colors: "Pearl Blue", "Pearl Pink" and "Graphite" (a grayer version of Onyx Black). There were also two Toys "R" Us exclusive backlit models; a "SpongeBob SquarePants" model and a "Limited Edition Pikachu" model.
In 2006 the AGS-101 backlit model also saw a very limited release in Europe. Few models made it to market, likely due to the release of the Game Boy Advance-compatible Nintendo DS one year prior. The European version was released in "Surf Blue" as well as re-issued "Pink" and "Tribal" editions.
Unlike the North American release the European box does not feature any prominent text to distinguish the backlit models from the older frontlit models. In addition, only the "Surf Blue" color was unique to the AGS-101, the other two colors "Pink" and "Tribal" had already been released as frontlit models - for these reasons it can be very difficult to identify a European backlit SP. Apart from the AGS-101 model number on the base of the unit, the only other obvious distinguishing feature of the European backlit model is the large picture of the Game Boy Advance SP featured on the front of the box. (The European frontlit models of "Pink" and "Tribal" only feature small pictures of the Game Boy Advance SP on the sides of the box and Flower/Tattoo patterns on the front respectively.)
So far the European AGS-101 model has only been reported in Germany, Italy, The Netherlands and Spain so it may not have been released in all European countries.
Sales information
As of June 30, 2009, the Game Boy Advance series has sold 81.48 million units worldwide, of which 43.54 million are Game Boy Advance SP units.
See also
List of Game Boy Advance games
References
External links
Official website
Game Boy Advance at Nintendo.com (archived versions at the Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
Category:2003 introductions
Category:Backward compatible video game consoles
Category:Game Boy Advance
Category:Game Boy consoles
Category:Regionless game consoles
Category:Sixth-generation video game consoles
Category:Video game console remakes
Category:Handheld game consoles
