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Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP · Nintendo official history image of Game Boy Advance SP, silver finish, open front three-quarter view; complete supplied canvas retained, backlight revision unspecified.
Game Boy Advance SP
Nintendo's folding Game Boy Advance with a lit screen and rechargeable battery, which plays Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance cartridges.
- Type
- Handheld
- Output
- –
- Memory
- 384 KB
- Storage
- –
- Weight
- 143 g
What reviewers say
Reviewers praised the lit screen, sturdy folding design and rechargeable battery as substantial improvements on the original Game Boy Advance. Nintendo World Report and Pocket Gamer both noted the missing headphone socket; The Gadgeteer also wished the front light were brighter and adjustable.
From nintendoworldreport.com, pocketgamer.com and the-gadgeteer.com
Specifications
Report a wrong or missing specPerformance
- Type
- Handheld
- CPU
- 32-bit ARM with embedded memory
- Memory
- 384 KB
- Disc drive
- No
- CPU
- 32-bit ARM with embedded memory (Nintendo)
- Memory detail
- 32 KB internal memory, 96 KB video RAM and 256 KB external work RAM (Nintendo)
- Storage detail
- Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Game Paks; saves on the cartridge
Display and video
- Built-in screen
- 2.9″ LCD, 240 × 160
- Built-in screen
- 2.9-inch reflective TFT LCD with switchable front light; 240 × 160 pixels and 32,768 possible colours (Nintendo's original model)
- Audio
- Mono built-in speaker; stereo headphones require an adapter for the EXT 2 connector
Design and power
- Battery life (maker's claim)
- Up to 10 hours
- Weight
- 143 g
- Battery life detail
- Rechargeable lithium-ion battery; up to 10 hours with the screen light on or 18 hours with it off, with about 3 hours to recharge (Nintendo)
- Size
- 82 × 84.6 × 24.3 mm (width × height × depth), closed
- Colours
- Silver, blue and pink among the European finishes; special editions also sold
Connections
- Ports
- Game Pak slot, EXT 1 link connector and EXT 2 power/headphone-adapter connector
- Controller
- Built-in D-pad, A, B, L, R, Start and Select buttons, plus a screen-light switch
- Backward compatibility
- Game Boy Advance games and almost all Game Boy and Game Boy Color games; some older cartridges may have display or sound issues
Pros and cons
Pros
- Front-lit screen is usable in dim rooms, unlike the original Game Boy Advance screen
- Folding case protects the screen and buttons in a pocket
- Built-in rechargeable battery lasts up to 10 hours with the light on
Cons
- No standard headphone socket; stereo headphones need a separate adapter
- Front light has only on and off settings
- Original SP has a front-lit screen, rather than the later back-lit revision's brighter display
Closest rivals
Model | Type | Output | Memory | Storage | Weight | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handheld | – | 384 KB | – | 140 g | Jun 2001 | |
| Handheld | – | – | – | 80 g | Nov 2005 | |
| Handheld | – | – | – | 218 g | Mar 2006 |
Sources
- nintendo.com/en-gb/Hardware/Nintendo-History/Game-Boy-Advance-SP/Game-Boy-Advan…
- nintendo.com/en-gb/Hardware/Nintendo-History/Nintendo-History-625945.html
- nintendo.com/de-de/Support/Fruhere-Konsolen/Technische-Daten-619375.html
- csassets.nintendo.com/noaext/image/private/t_KA_PDF/agsmanual_english
- Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP, silver finish, open three-quarter view with game displayed: Nintendo official legacy product/history-page image; complete manufacturer-supplied canvas retained.
- Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP, silver finish, open three-quarter view with screen off: Nintendo official legacy product/history-page image; complete manufacturer-supplied canvas retained.
- Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP closed silver, blue and pink finish lineup: Nintendo official legacy product/history-page image; complete manufacturer-supplied canvas retained.
- Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP, silver finish, closed three-quarter view: Nintendo official legacy product/history-page image; complete manufacturer-supplied canvas retained.
- Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP rear shoulder-button detail: Nintendo official legacy product/history-page image; complete manufacturer-supplied canvas retained.
