GBA2 is Game Boy Micro

By Rob Fahey Published 17 May, 2005

Smallest and brightest yet, with snap-on covers.

Nintendo has taken the wraps off a new addition to the Game Boy Advance family of products at its pre-E3 press conference in Los Angeles, revealing the Game Boy Micro - the smallest GBA yet, with a backlit screen and snap-on covers. You can see a picture of it here.

The new console, which is based on the same hardware as the existing Game Boy Advance SP, is four inches wide, two inches tall and 0.7 inches deep - around the same size as Apple's iPod Mini, and two thirds of its weight.

It sports a two inch backlit colour screen, which Nintendo describes as the "best Game Boy screen ever", and which has an adjustable brightness control for the first time in a Game Boy product.

One of the other unique features of the diminutive portable is that it can be customised by replacing its front cover with a range of "snap on" covers, much like many popular mobile phones.

Nintendo of America's Reggie Fils-Aime was typically full of fighting talk at the announcement of the new system. "If our competitors don't like our two to one advantage, dominating the handheld market with the DS and the GBA, then I've got bad news," he bellowed. "Now it's two and a half to one!"

However, the system doesn't have any of the additional functionality which some commentators had expected it to build in - such as the wireless unit and Play-Yan adapter peripherals.

Game Boy Micro will be launched this autumn.

Picture of Rob.

About Rob Fahey

Read more articles from Rob by visiting the Rob Fahey archive page.

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Comments (48) Latest comment 7 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Burton2000 #1 7 years ago

    i saw the confrence and it is tiny im getin my selves one of these!!!

  • Bezzy #2 7 years ago

    I used to think the carts were small enough to swallow. Now the consoles?

  • Teeth #3 7 years ago

    When you think about it though, mobile phones are capable of this kind of thing now, must be. Then again, what do I know - I'm still using the old nokia, you know the one.

    Anyway it's about the size of a mobile which is cute, but I was expecting a bit more from Nintendo. You could feel the disappointment in the crowd, even watching from a different continent.

  • StixxUK #4 7 years ago

    I'm not sure if I'm disappointed. I think I probably am.

  • gerg #5 7 years ago

    Why would you be dissapointed? I'm very excited about the new look, as now Nintendo has a direct competitor against the PSP in the 'coolness' and 'stylish' department. I think this is the best move Nintendo has made at E3.

  • Burton2000 #6 7 years ago

    yeah its the size of a credit card

  • Burton2000 #7 7 years ago

    hope its cheap tho

  • Trowel #8 7 years ago

    I think I missed the point :?

  • Teeth #9 7 years ago

    That's true gerg - though personally I like the look of the SP and find it much cooler and more stylish than the micro GBA.

  • Burton2000 #10 7 years ago

    hey does the micro somehow protect the screen like sp and ds

  • Nikanoru #11 7 years ago

    Haha, I love Reggie.

  • #12 7 years ago

    it is HOT. but it's not the next gameboy. sheesh. :)
    Edited by 1 at 17/05/05 @ 21:57

  • mouse Verified Graphic designer, Eurogamer Network #13 7 years ago

    Nintendo has a direct competitor against
    the PSP in the 'coolness' and 'stylish' department.

    You are being sarcastic, I take it?

  • floW #14 7 years ago

    Oh yeah i've got a DS and a GBA, huh a THIRD console to play my games on. Here's 80 quid Nintendo.

  • Galvanizer #15 7 years ago

    No Play-Yan built in or even a bigger screen with more pixels!

    Quite dissapointing really.....

  • lost_soul #16 7 years ago

    I like this.

    If they sell for around £40 I'll get one.

  • gerg #17 7 years ago

    No, I'm not being sarcastic. In Japan they'll eat this up. It'll do probably at least or more than what the pink and blue DS's did to revive sales.
    Edited by 2 at 17/05/05 @ 21:59

  • #18 7 years ago

    it's not going to do anything to ds sales, gerg. heh

  • gerg #19 7 years ago

    Oh come on... don't nitpick.

  • the creeper #20 7 years ago

    Erm... a 2 inch screen? Really? And that's a practical size for playing games on is it? What about the back catalogue of games featuring lengthy text-strings that were barely legable on the larger screens? This can't be good for people's eyes...

    Was the GBA SP so oversized that a smaller version was really needed? After all, it comfortably fitted in the pocket as it was. I really don't see the point of this product. Why pour R&D resources into this?

    I fear for Nintendo, I really do. It just seems to me that they always try to do something different to what's working for their competitors. I suppose it keeps things interesting, but if Reggie thinks Sony will worry about this then he's delusional. I know a lot of people like him and his outspoken bullishness, but he always seems to wind me up. Honestly - who writes the rubbish that comes out of his mouth?

    I wish Nintendo luck with the Revolution. I'm certainly interested in getting one myself, simply for all the great games of the past I'll be able to play again, although I can't decide whether it's a brave move by them or a stupid one. But this Micro GBA is a shameless attempt to get people to part with more money for old technology. It simply serves no purpose.

  • Hunam85 #21 7 years ago

    tbf, owning a DS i really care not for this

  • gerg #22 7 years ago

    Where does it say it'll have a two inch screen? I thought it would be the same size screen as the SP..

  • Tiiti #23 7 years ago

    As i said in the forums.

    I think it's horrible along with the DS :( Whats this now? The 4th handheld that can play GBA games? Why god why?!

  • stormcr0wfleet #24 7 years ago

    It looks good and all, very stylish.. much better than the GBA or SP. But.. and its a pretty big BUT!. my mobile phone is about the same size as this thing, and has a lot of games wich are far more advanced than a GBA game.. and once i get bord of one i can go online and download another.. Its a bit like how mobile phones with hard-drive players will spell the death of the i-pod. When it comes to things that you have to carry around with you, the smaller the better.. and the more things once device can do the better..

    i ask myself what i would want
    a mobile phone, with games, internet acess, camera, messaging, mp3 playback and video downloads.

    or...

    a mini gamboy
    an i-pod
    and a mobile phone..

    i have only two pockets so i will have to leave one at home anyway!.


    hmmmm


    + the nintendo event was a joke.. i was all exited, streaming the live event..

    then all they could show was *another* gameboy that plays old out of date games, and a shiny black box.. that they plugged in, made it glow a blue colour.. then didnt show any games footage or even a controller!. i wouldnt be surprized if all that box had in it was a CC light!.
    Edited by 1 at 17/05/05 @ 22:36

  • redzero #25 7 years ago

    Wow, it'd fit in the little pocket in my jeans that has no use - you know, the one above your right hip pocket! See, industry insiders - pfft! - its Levi's and ASDA George that knew this all along!
    Edited by 1 at 17/05/05 @ 22:33

  • GordonJ #26 7 years ago

    It sports a two inch backlit colour screen, which Nintendo describes as the "best Game Boy screen ever", and which has an adjustable brightness control for the first time in a Game Boy product.

    Third paragraph Gerg

    Edited by 2 at 17/05/05 @ 22:35

  • el_pollo_diablo #27 7 years ago

    I think it looks like a flimsy bloody disgrace.

    What we actually want is a redesigned DS, not this heap of shit. GUARANTEED finger paralysis within 10 minutes.

  • Tiger_Walts #28 7 years ago

    redzero"Wow, it'd fit in the little pocket in my jeans that has no
    use - you know, the one above your right hip pocket! See,
    industry insiders - pfft! - its Levi's and ASDA George that
    knew this all along!"

    I think you'll find that it's a watch pocket, no longer used since everyone wears wrist-watches today.

  • jumpdeveraux #29 7 years ago

    I'll be keeping my SP thanks Reggie, can't beat a clam for protecting the screen whilst pocketed.

    Had to laugh when Reggie showed the slide with their 94% share of the handheld market, he may not be so keen to show the slide at the next E3 as (a la Play Your Cards Right) next years slide is going to be lower...

  • the creeper #30 7 years ago

    nekotcha -
    It's not really the same as what Sony did with their home consoles though. There's a notable advantage to the end user if you shrink down the original design of a console - it takes less room under your tv, and with the amount of different pieces of AV equipment people tend to have these days, that space is at a premium.

    However, to shrink down a pocket sized piece of equipment so that it fits in an even smaller pocket doesn't really give you any advantage. Personally, I'd rather have a GBA SP (if I wanted a GBA at all) because at least then you get a better sized screen. Two inches is ridiculously small for a handheld console screen, especially given some games reliance on text.

    I agree with you though - it is obviously a ploy to string out sales. But with the DS capable of playing GBA games, perhaps it's time to put that cynical cash cow to bed...


    I should add that I recognise the smaller PSOne and PS2s are also ways of stringing out sales. But I think that the consumer also gets an advantage out of these.
    Edited by 1 at 17/05/05 @ 23:19

  • the creeper #31 7 years ago

    Eurogamer guys - I've got to say, if you edit a post in these new forums, it seems to screw up a lot of your formatting. Perhaps it's my PC, but I don't recall having this problem before.

  • GitSomE_UK #32 7 years ago

    Pah! is that all Nin can come up with? re-modeled GBA!

    Can't see this being much of a goer especially when PSP hits the stores fully.

    /runs away before mob catches up

  • Killerbee #33 7 years ago

    Bit disappointing really. The SP is a far nicer piece of kit and I can't really see that there is any need for a third iteration of basically the same hardware.

  • Cregser #34 7 years ago

    I don't own a DS or any handheld gaming device, and I'm still not pushed. I need to be wowed at bit more to be honest. My mobile (p900) plays VRally (ps1 graphics) and it's 2 year old mobile tech.

  • redzero #35 7 years ago

    Tiger_Walts; man, I was being sarcy :) I mean... ASDA George! heh

  • IP #36 7 years ago

    Yay! It's tiny! Yay! It'll screw up your fingers after about five minutes! Yay! It has snap-on covers! Now, how about some decent games? Oh, wait.

  • Ranger101 #37 7 years ago

    The GBE (GameBoyEvolution) is scheduled for next year, so dry your eyes, and put away your pitchforks. Nintendo said they weren't unveiling anything substantially new after the arrival of the DS.

  • beep #38 7 years ago

    It looks quite literally like the top half of a DS with buttons!

    I think they should have kept the SP design and size, put in a backlit screen of DS quality, and a SD card slot for multimedia playback.

    I should be the boss of Nintendo, dammit!!!

  • gerg #39 7 years ago

    If you want a comparitive screenshot of how tiny it is, just go over to the forums andc click on one of the links in the GAME BOY MICRO! thread.

  • zErOb_cOOl #40 7 years ago

    Hmmm retro. I like it. Simple, to the point, extremely portable, no bull, built for purpose.

    Don't know why more handhelds can;t just drop the BLING, drop gimmicky functionality, and hence drop the price.

  • Xerx3s #41 7 years ago

    Hey, wait! Where is your sony fanboyism in this article?! Arnt you supposed to go like: "Meh, underpower, lame customisation, remake, sequel, lamewhateveritcan/willdo"?

  • IronGiant #42 7 years ago

    Hmmm it's cute but i don't believe it will sell the sales charts alight. How many punters will keep buying the same just slightly repackaged hardware over and over, especially with the DS and PSP already slugging it out. If i want a tiny game machine for my pocket i'll download a few games to my phone.

  • hp_on_toast #43 7 years ago

    I noticed they didn't mention the micro being able to play old GB/GBC games - goodbye Cannon Fodder :'-(

  • #44 7 years ago

    I think they should have kept the SP design and size, put in
    a backlit screen of DS quality, and a SD card slot for
    multimedia playback.

    Guys - there's a pretty simple reason why they didn't go for an SP-like redesign. DS is now the premium handheld system. They don't want to confuse customers (many casual) by making GB look too much like DS. Makes sense.

    Oh, this GB Micro is 4" across ie about 100mm - the same size across as an audio cassette though slightly smaller from top to bottom.

    I don't own GBA or SP, might consider this. I'll try it out in the shops first and see what I think of the screen.

  • Pina Verified Producer, Seed Studios, Lda. #45 7 years ago

    Nintendo is definitly history.

  • Tweakmonkey #46 7 years ago

    I think they should have [..] put in [..] a SD card slot for multimedia playback

    Couldn't agree more beep. Missed opportunity I think.

    However, I still think it will be lovely and the perfect way to play GBA games on the move. It might even take up permanent position in my coat pocket which no other handheld system has done before and I own a GBA, SP and DS.

    To those people saying the screen is too small - have you actually played any GBA games? There is no problem reading text.

  • sonmi451 #47 7 years ago

    woohoo, if it's under £39....
    ....i'll spend that money on games for my SP.

    purely a collector's item for gadget monkeys.

  • #48 7 years ago

    This thing looks as sleek as a Ferrari taking a corner at 50mph while the road is on ice!.

    Compare Nintendo's dull and boring silver-grey GB Micro pic to this one here:

    http: //www.cubed3.com/viewnews.php?storyid=3905

    Nintendo - sort your PR guys out!
    Edited by 6 at 21/05/05 @ 11:49

  • justMe #49 7 years ago

    Oh well, I have a GBA, a GBASP, a Gameboy Player and a DS, and I'm afraid I will not resist buying one of these... I just hope they make it cheap.

  • thegetawaydriver #50 7 years ago

    bah, save your money it doesnt do anything new, just a money spinner for ninty. bring on the psp ! that'll show 'em *dreams of psp launch*