Game Boy Micro Review

By Tom Bramwell Published 27 September, 2005

Shine get!

Version tested: GameBoy Advance

I wonder if I can get away with reviewing it like this. Probably not. Might be fun to stick with it though. Voices-in-the-head kinda thing.

The Game Boy Micro, then, is Nintendo's answer to...

Hang on. Why the hell have they made this? The GBA SP, which is being quietly relaunched right now with a brighter screen, costs just a few quid more and - particularly given the screen change - is simply a better toy. The Micro is a very small Game Boy Advance with a very bright screen; it has a headphone socket, which you can't get on the SP without a silly little peripheral that I've never been able to find; and the directional pad and buttons are spongier, which is a pleasant alteration. But the SP plays my old copy of Tetris and the Micro doesn't, and you have to pay extra to use your old link cables. Do they honestly expect me to pay £69.99 for this?

Well, now we come to it, no - they don't. I can if I want - that's if I want a very small handheld with a very bright screen and the option of (soon to be) collectible interchangeable faceplates - but I'm not really expected to. As Satoru Iwata said at the Tokyo Game Show, the GB Micro is part of Nintendo's three-pronged strategy to expand the gaming populace, to attract disillusioned gamers back into the fold, and to keep the hardcore happy. Specifically, it's targeting people who don't necessarily want a bulky (or, in the SP's case, bulky-ish) handheld, but might be interested if it looked good, slotted into a jeans pocket and had lots of fun little games. The faceplate stuff adds some value there and, to a lesser extent, satisfies those elements of the hardcore with plenty of disposable income - the sort of folks who saw the Famicom (NES) faceplate and thought, "Crikey, I'm sold."

In other words, it is the answer, in a sense, but not to a question that we're asking. Those of you who want one don't need to see a score - you were probably convinced by the first photographs and testimonials, and as much as you might lament the need to pay extra for peripherals that allow link-up and wireless play, they're not factors that'll weigh into your thought process when you reach the till. And, let's be honest, the people who don't play games or gave up on games a while ago because things were becoming more and more adventitious with each iteration aren't reading this website.

Although apparently I am reading Word of the Day.

Still, we can at least ask ourselves this: Is the Game Boy Micro good enough to do what it sets out to do?

'Game Boy Micro' Screenshot gbm

Mmm, shiny.

Look back to the introduction, and you'll see that I described the GBA SP as "a better toy", a term I didn't apply to the Micro. That wasn't actually deliberate, it just came out that way; but it's certainly a distinction worth emphasising. The Micro looks very sharp - the stylish lines that curve inward atop and below the screen, lending definition to the shiny and reflective faceplates; the metallic glint of the shoulder buttons, which depress in the centre rather than at the edge; the initial glow of the Start and Select buttons when you fire it up; the rather chic-y lowercase "b" and "a" buttons; it's a unit rather than a toy. It may be light to the point of implying flimsiness (an unfair implication, as it goes), and the games may be colourful - largely drawn from the annals of 8- and 16-bit software - but aesthetically it's treading on ground closer to Sony's PlayStation Portable or Apple's iEverything devices than anything Nintendo's released. It's a bit like the Panasonic Q of the Game Boy line - like the Q, which was just a shiny GameCube with DVD playback, you've no real reason to buy it, but you do kind of want one.

It's not as stylish as the PSP, but it's definitely quite gorgeous and it's very robust compared to Sony's model. I've dropped the Micro from a height of around a metre and it was fine. If it spills out of your jeans it'll probably be fine unless someone steps on it - and while the faceplate may scratch it can be snapped off and replaced. It also has five brightness settings accessed through a digital audio/brightness-adjust button on the side, so you don't have to cane the battery too hard unless you need to - and that's a rechargeable laptop-style battery, too, which lasts for absolutely hours.

In other words, yes, it's probably going to appeal to the people that Nintendo are targeting with it. It lacks a suspend mode, the peripherals cost extra, and it's also worth noting that the sound from the built-in speaker is pretty tinny; but what it lacks there it makes up for with its elegance, convenience and robustness. Tell your friends - and if you happen to buy one because you can't help yourself, I won't judge you.

Cos, well, it's really, really shiny, isn't it?

Game Boy Micro launches in Europe on November 4th priced £69.99 or thereabouts.

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (85) Latest comment 6 years ago

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

  • Talha #1 6 years ago

    No score? EG disappoints me. Don't really get Ninty these days.

  • Jetset_UK #2 6 years ago

    I'd buy that for a dollar. (If I didn't have an SP).

  • ralphwolfenstein #3 6 years ago

    Love my PSP. Still want one of these though. A proper portable...

  • The Old Bill #4 6 years ago

    They're nice, but mostly pointless.

    That said, they could attract a new market to ninty.

  • The_Real_Olla #5 6 years ago

    Why? Why? Why?

  • tengu #6 6 years ago

    Biggest waste of circuits since Johnny Five.

  • tonynibbles #7 6 years ago

    Just to confirm, I've dropped my PSP from a height of around 1.5 metres / top jacket pocket whilst running and its happily flown threw the air, landing with a loud 'THOONK' against a large metal radiator before sliding across the floor.
    Not a scratch. Apart from a white paint smear where the paint chipped on the battery compartment ;p

  • TipTop #8 6 years ago

    So your not strictly telling the truth when you say 'not a scratch' ;)

    I like this but have too much on my hands with the PSP and imminent DS purchase (advance Wars is going to shift a few units!)

  • flp #9 6 years ago

    I'm really interested in how decent the d-pad is on this for games like Street Fighter 2 before I purchase.

    The original GBA d-pad was fine(ish), the SP one is terrible, as is the DS one. The Micro one looks more like a NES d-pad, which is a good thing, if it feels that way too.

    THIS IS IMPORTANT, HELP ME.

  • Blerk #10 6 years ago

    Expensive, isn't it?

  • Dizzy #11 6 years ago

    This will sell to the iPod crowd. Stylish, cool and tiny.

    I might even get one... but I am spending my cash on a DS instead for XMas.

  • joey #12 6 years ago

    Expensive? Yes, waste or circuits? Personally I don't think so.

    For the ultimate in portability it dont get much better than this.

    I think that this will be a success (more of one if it were £10-20 less!!). In Japan it's been a huge success, selling 150,000 in the first few days, now i know we wont buy them like they do but there are some great games on the GBA platform, and although I have an SP there is something about this that is so tempting!

    It also looks cool and it's tiny, and as the world has just gone nuts over the ipod nano, it may do rather well.

  • UncleLou #13 6 years ago

    I think it looks great. I also think it's a bit useless though.

  • WhiteSaturn #14 6 years ago

    Hardware sales in Japan this week.
    PSP:70,000
    DS:70,000
    GBA Micro:170,000

    So turns out that even the white psp and WE9:UE cant help the psp, but a smaller, pointless GBA with a Famicom face place sells by the bucket load

  • mattius30 #15 6 years ago

    Hmm - I am not sure whether this will appeal to the 'iPod crowd' as while the iPods do look cool, it is actually only as cool (as you perceive it) as the music you put on it. For me, there are NO GBA games that I like. I am sure there will be people screaming 'what about Mario/Advance Wars etc etc - but no, when i had my GBA SP, I tried loads of games and none of them held my attention. So the idea of a cool, silver tiny console is great until i realise that I will only be able to play exactly the same crappy games...

  • Teeth #16 6 years ago

    I demand a score! I cannot function without quantitative assessment of how this compares to Halo!

  • Eighthours #17 6 years ago

    This thing might be worth a punt if it wasn't so ludicrously overpriced in this country.

  • Kay #18 6 years ago

    The main thing that I've wanted to know (and this review neglects to mention) is the screen size - is it too small to play games on?

    And, more importantly, will I be able to play Gunstar Super Heroes on it without getting hand cramp (and possible eye strain)?

  • PearOfAnguish #19 6 years ago

    "silly little peripheral that I've never been able to find"

    I don't think you're looking hard enough. Just about every Game and Gamestation store sells those headphone adapters.

  • joey #20 6 years ago

    Kay

    Check out

    http://w ww.kotaku.com/gaming/micro/index.php

    Lots of GBM stuff - some very silly, but somewhere he actually shows you what the games look like on screen, and they look very good, even text.

  • jiroczech #21 6 years ago

    satisfies those elements of the hardcore with plenty of disposable income - the sort of folks who saw the Famicom (NES) faceplate and thought, "Crikey, I'm sold.". That's me, well it is if you take away 'the plenty of disposable income' :( even less now. But I do have a Famicon Micro.

    /dances

    The d-pad is FANTASTIC. The L and R triggers are "Hmm".

  • joey #22 6 years ago

    You have the Famicon one - how cool, Lik-Sang have just confimed my back order is now on it's way - I'm so excited!! Actually more so then when I got my DS or PSP!

    I know I'm sad.

    /checks collection of Mario tat *sigh*

  • smelly #23 6 years ago

    Well im not interested. But it seems the japanese prefer small gadgets over huge heffers (such as the xbox). Last weeks Japanese sales:

    Game Boy Micro 48.55%
    Nintendo DS 20.57%
    PSP 20.00%
    PlayStation 2 6.95%
    Game Boy Advance SP 3.18%
    GameCube 0.54%
    Game Boy Advance 0.18%
    Xbox 0.03%

    Total 100.00%


    Which is kinda interesting... Maybe.

  • Kay #24 6 years ago

    True, the Famicom version is the one that's really tempting me.

    I was sceptical at first, but now I understand Nintendo's way of thinking - in Japan at least, where people are obsessed with small gadgets, this was always going to be incredibly popular. I don't know how it'll fare in the UK - it won't steal the PSP's thunder, but I can still imagine a lot of people (with money to spare) looking at it and thinking 'Wow, that's so small!'

  • the creeper #25 6 years ago

    Is text legible on this thing? Games that have been around for a while were designed with a bigger screen in mind. That would suggest that text is going to be too small to be comfortably readable on this...

  • Bezzy #26 6 years ago

    "Biggest waste of circuits since Johnny Five. "

    My father was a technical assistant on both the Short Circuit movies, and I'll have you know that for all the puppeteering that went on (i.e. faking robotic movements and such) there are some true robotic feats going on within that robot, due in no small part to my father's passion for robotineering.

    I take great offense to what you've said, as you obviously have no clue about the hard work and effort my father put into that robot, even if it wasn't really a robot and was more like a puppet, but with wires and camera irises and stuff.

    What you don't know is that my father wrote up plans for how Johnny Five could be made to actually WORK! His plans were dismissed as a crackpot fantasy by the Director, Special Effects Supervisor, Osbudman, and Writer (though what a writer knows about robotics, I have no idea). After Short Circuit 2, he left the movie industry to work on his dream. He's been in the shed ever since. Simulations he wrote in the mid nineties showed that an excess of voltage resulting in electricity jumping between R15590 and C562 COULD result in the system software becoming self aware.

    So FUCK YOU! Johnny Five COULD have been real, and if he's not dead yet, my father will prove it!!

    That film is not so much "Science Fiction" as "Science... Maybe?".

  • tengu #27 6 years ago

    LOL

  • flp #28 6 years ago

    Good good, d-pad is good! But now I have concerns over the L+R triggers. Damn.

    Cheers jiroczech!

  • binky #29 6 years ago

    When are the new style GBASP's coming out? Are they out in the US already?

  • templar-wizard #30 6 years ago

    hey bezzy, is your father Chris Ross? if not did you father plug in lights on set?

  • Kiigan #31 6 years ago

    Three handhelds on the market, all around the same pricepoint. Nintendo have gone bananas.

    Anyway there's no point trying to make a Gameboy cool, because it just isn't. It's not going to woo the iPod crowd (as some optimist here suggested) - it is more likely to end up in a few Xmas stockings with copies of Pokemon. It's a dinky little toy, and quite nice at that, but it needs to be sub-50 quid.

  • smelly #32 6 years ago

    "My father was a technical assistant on both the Short Circuit movies"

    wow.. I bow down before you! Thats soo cool! :-)


    As for whether or not it'll sell.. Looking at japanese market, it already is.. quite substantially so. Over here, people are quite happy to trade in their ipods for smaller ones, subsequently having a handheld console which looks "less kiddy" (as you guys like to say) and actually fits properly into your pocket may work over here too.

    Doesnt interest me in the slightest as i have a DS (and i really do wish they'd redesign that to make it smaller).

  • joey #33 6 years ago

    I loved the Short Curcuit movies - repect ;-)

  • Bezzy #34 6 years ago

    Chris Ross has NO VISION. He is stuck in a strange mind set where he thinks that everything in a movie should be an ILLUSION, like smoke and mirrors and manipulation of interpretation.

    THAT IS WRONG AND EVIL.

    My dad is from the school of thought that you should make everything look as real as possible by making it actually real. That goddamn robot could have worked! He made the circuit diagrams and everything!!

    Anyway, my father gave the film the Alan Smithee treatment because he was so appauled at this special effects fakery. MAKE EVERYTHING REAL DAMN IT, STUPID HOLLYWOOD! MAKE THE EXPLOSIONS ACTUALLY BLOW UP THE BAD GUY LIKE A SNUFF FILM. It would make it more believable because IT HAPPENED.

  • PearOfAnguish #35 6 years ago

    Bezzy, you're insane.

  • Bezzy #36 6 years ago

    Ahh, or am I the only SANE one?

    Ahhh.

  • templar-wizard #37 6 years ago

    bezzy, FYI (and to use a quote i use very often, i cant remember who originally said it):

    'they didnt leave the planet to make fucking Star Wars'.
    Chriss Ross was a very capable guy.

  • joey #38 6 years ago

    oh yeah!

  • Bezzy #39 6 years ago

    "bezzy, FYI (and to use a quote i use very often, i cant remember who originally said it):

    'they didnt leave the planet to make fucking Star Wars'."

    Well, my point exactly.

  • PES_Fanboy #40 6 years ago

    I think the comment on a waste of circuits regarding Johnny Five was more that the character the obviously very-well-made-puppet-with-robotic-shit-on was supposed to be, was an advanced killing machine, but turned out to be a peacenik hippy buttmunch. In the imaginary story. Thus a waste of imaginary circuits on an imaginary robot for the imaginary military.

    Didn't stop the movies defying physics and managing to suck AND blow at the same time, though.

  • KillerK #41 6 years ago

    I am so getting me one of these! I only wish that the colours over here were the same as in Japan. :(

  • PearOfAnguish #42 6 years ago

    Johnny Five looked too flimsy, one AT rocket and he'd be scrap metal.

    Was I the only one that found the scene in Short Circuit 2 where he gets beaten up and hit with an axe quite disturbing?
    Edited by 1 at 27/09/05 @ 11:54

  • Eraser #43 6 years ago

    Nintendo should strike a deal with Nokia and produce a mobile phone that'll play GBA games as well

  • templar-wizard #44 6 years ago

    lol, no Bezzy, that wasnt your point :D

  • lasersrule #45 6 years ago

    Those sales figures for the Micro massively depress me.

    IT'S A FIVE YEAR OLD MACHINE. BEING SOLD TO US. FOR THE THIRD TIME.

  • IP #46 6 years ago

    I'm not sure why so many are suggesting Nintendo has lost it. Surely, attacking several market points with several models makes more sense for a company (see also: iPod) than releasing one model and, if you want something different, exclaiming "fuck you!" (see: Sony).

  • PES_Fanboy #47 6 years ago

    Was I the only one that found the scene in Short Circuit 2 where he gets beaten up and hit with an axe quite disturbing?

    Only in that he recovered, to SUCK for another hour.

  • struddie #48 6 years ago

    "the peripherals cost extra"

    When don't they?

  • oerhoert #49 6 years ago

    <em>The faceplate stuff adds some value there and, to a lesser extent, satisfies those elements of the hardcore with plenty of disposable income - the sort of folks who saw the Famicom (NES) faceplate and thought, "Crikey, I'm sold.</em>

    That's - spot on - exactly how I felt. Also, I'm now thrilled to see that my Famicom Micro has finally been sent from Play-Asia.

    As for the games, I believe there are quite a lot of excellent games available, so no worries there. Metroid series, Super Mario Advance series, Donkey Kong Country series, Zelda: Minish Cap, Mario & Luigi, Tony Hawk, Golden Sun, Fire Emblem, FF Tactics, Castlevania, Astroboy, WarioWare etc. Seems I won't be having problems filling it with goodness..
    Edited by 1 at 27/09/05 @ 13:09

  • Xerx3s #50 6 years ago

    Can it be linked to the xb360? ;p

  • Kay #51 6 years ago

    Also, no-one's mentioned the battery life. Is it longer than the SP?

  • Kiigan #52 6 years ago

    Are there any new games of note being released on the GBA? Is anyone making any money from it other than Nintendo?

    The only game that springs to mind is that new Gunstar Heroes.

  • Bezzy #53 6 years ago

    Clarification:

    They didn't leave the planet, and that's why it sucked.

  • SlackMaster #54 6 years ago

    I have an SP and a DS and initially I though what is the point of this console... but then it began to grow on me. When I take my SP or DS with me I have it in a carry case with games, thereofere without a bag it isn't really very portable. Also I'm worried about scratches I get on the screen cos replacing them isn't easy, but with the Micro the face plates can be interchanged like a mobile phone... It really appeals to me cos it really will fit in your pocket and I can take it with me when I'm not taking a bag or where I usually couldn't take my other consoles.

    Will just have to see if I can resist this November.

  • Kay #55 6 years ago

    Cheers jaspoid. 6-10 hours...not bad, considering it's backlit.

  • Kay #56 6 years ago

    Well, there's that new Rebelstar Command game that everyone seems to be looking forward to. And there's Mario Tennis Advance, which I'm looking forward to.

    But there's dozens of classic GBA games that I'll be happy to play again on a better screen.

  • #57 6 years ago

    appeals to me cos it really will fit in your pocket and I can take it with me when I'm not taking a bag

    That'll be me too.

    The fact that I don't own an SP or GBA also helps I guess.

    The micro might not look like much but you really have to see it in action to appreciate how slick it is. And this coming from someone who wanted to steer well clear...

    QT video of micro here

  • Sid-Nice #58 6 years ago

    It's a bit like the Panasonic Q of the Game Boy line - like the Q, which was just a shiny GameCube with DVD playback, you've no real reason to buy it, but you do kind of want one.

    My Panasonic Q can play US/Jap games, If the game I want to play is in the Q, then I don't have to leave my seat. Also it plays DVDs from all regions.

    bengalibengali wrote: Can I see the source
    Media Create

    WhiteSaturn The DS sold 72,167 units: Stop trying to make the PSP look good. :)


  • Hench #59 6 years ago

    *Yawn*

    Next...

  • RubyRed #60 6 years ago

    It'd fit nice in my handbag. £69.99 though? Bugger off.

  • djchump #61 6 years ago

    Yeah - I really want one (I love my GBA turn-based strategy games), but I really think they've pitched the price wrong for Britain.
    At a nice round £50 it woulda been at that crucial "impulse-buy" price for me... but £70? Bit too pricy at the moment. Now, £70 with Play-Yan I would definitely get ;-)

  • Kiigan #62 6 years ago

    I reckon if the Micro launched at 50 quid bundled with Pokemon, it'd outsell Xbox 360 and PSP combined this Xmas. As it is... I'm not sure who it is aimed at. Is there anyone in the world who doesn't have a GBA by now? The hardware sales have always been great, but the software sales rather less than great.

    The worst thing is, you can't even find any of the best GBA games on the high street now, it's all just cartoon and movie tie-ins.

  • ST.. #63 6 years ago

    70 quid???? Unbelievable.

  • paul_haine #64 6 years ago

    It was the Famicom edition that got me in the end. Lik-Sang offered me the chance to change my order to one of the other colours as they'd sold out of the Famicom version but I held out and found it's being shipped today. Mmm.

  • Malakhai #65 6 years ago

    I already have a gba!

    /saves money for a ds

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #66 6 years ago

    FOR ALL THE *YAWN* and *OLD TECH* CROWD:

    It's NOT FOR YOU! Get it through your thick skulls. You've already got a GBA/SP/DS. Why are you complaining?

    Let people who want it, buy it, and go on your merry way rather than bitching about it here. Get a life.

    Personally I'm off around SE Asia and a GBmicro will be with me while my DS goes home. It's perfect. Small, cheap, bright screen and great games. Sorted.

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #67 6 years ago

    Yes, because a DS slips easily into your pocket. O_o

  • PedroTheLion #68 6 years ago

    Better than Halo 2 then?

    Even tough I don't have the slightest interest in GBA games, I feel strangely tempted to buy one of these, quite odd really.

    Damn those japonese and their tiny inventions

  • Psi #69 6 years ago

    joey, you ever been in a turkish prison?

    i want the famicom version! damn we've been screwed again...

  • Zuiyo #70 6 years ago

    Back to Bezzy and Johnny Five: we need Bezzy's dad in charge of the Transformers movie, won't you say so?

    You can start with my 93 Honda Civic hatch. Only two conditions: I should be able to drive it like before after your dad is done, and the robot should have a mild personality and listen to what I say. None of that KITT shit.

  • Psi #71 6 years ago

    at least kitt talked, herbie was an ignorant fucker, the sooty of possesed cars

  • Kami #72 6 years ago

    If you got an iPod, why would you want an iPod Nano?

    Some people like these small devices. It's fashionable. Nintendo are just catering to a market which exists... something most people have been bitching about for god-knows-how-many-years...

  • joey #73 6 years ago

    Only once, it was years ago, still walk a litttle funny tho'

  • Bezzy #74 6 years ago

    My dad's robot is going to solve world poverty and catch terrorists. It's not there fore your childish amusement.

    Once again, I am offended by your internet words of shame.

  • Zuiyo #75 6 years ago

    "My dad's robot is going to solve world poverty and catch terrorists."

    Then it would be enough if he made a robot able to drop a nuke at the White House.

    Alternatively, if he can fix my Civic, I'll just drive there, dodge the bullets and talk them into stop killing and deceiving the human race.

  • eric2k5 #76 6 years ago

    PSP or Micro for Xmas?

    PSP, fool!

  • djchump #77 6 years ago

    £180 or £70 for Xmas?

    £180, fool!

    ;-)

  • #78 6 years ago

    A wise man once said: "A fool and his money are easily parted."

    :oP

  • Tonka #79 6 years ago

    I can't brlieve it but I'm actually tempted to buy one. I have a DS so it's not like I need a Micro. But it's so small...

  • #80 6 years ago

    You and me too.

    But because I don't own GBA or SP it makes the decision that much easier. DS for playing in bed / on the easy chair / when others are watching TV and micro for when I'm on the move.

  • paul_haine #81 6 years ago

    Mine's arrived today - it's really nice. The screen is excellent and the small size doesn't matter as much as you'd think. I haven't played it for hours yet but it's quite comfortable to hold - more so than the SP, I think.

  • gamesb*tch #82 6 years ago

    "I don't get Nintendo"

    It's 'another' way of selling Pokemon to kids at Xmas. It's like, d'uh, obvious. And if we 'hardcore gamers' get some cool games on the back of the pokeplatform being super popular then \o/ yay! Right?

  • otto #83 6 years ago

    I bought one, I have absolutely no idea why, I don't need it, I don't use my SP that often any more, and anyway I have a nice new DS. But I bought one. I couldn't help it. And I love it!

  • HunterSeeker #84 6 years ago

    Can't...resist...
    ...Got...to...get...a...micro

  • justMe #85 6 years ago

    It's the 5th piece of GBA hardware I buy from Nintendo, I just can't resist...

    Anyway, this must be the coolest gaming device ever! So small and light, yet plays all the great GBA games. The screen is amazing, the real HD era has arrived. ;)

    Best home console of 2005: Nintendo DS
    Best portable of 2005: Gameboy Micro

    :)