I must have deliberated for a week before purchasing Nintendo’s latest version of the
Game Boy.
It was an epic mental struggle, a psychological clash between desire
and logic that ultimately...never mind. In light of all the
self-debating, I am quite pleased with my new super-portable
Game Boy, even though it left a Ben Franklin shaped hole in my savings account. Hopefully I can recount just what makes the
Micro worth the hundo you’ll drop for it.
The obvious selling point is the size of the machine. Without a doubt, the
Game Boy Micro
is the smallest gaming console ever created, and you can’t really get
an idea of how small it is until you hold it in the palm of your hand.
It’s smaller than an NES controller. The GBA cartridges it plays are
bigger than the Micro’s screen itself. In fact, when comparing the size
of the game paks to the system, you’ll be amazed that with such a
honking huge cartridge inside, there’s still enough room for the GBA’s
processing guts.
And that’s where one of the Micro’s chief down
points comes in: it plays only Game Boy Advance cartridges. No classic
Game Boy Games. No Game Boy Color games. What the Micro gains in
portability, it loses in versatility; there just isn’t enough room in
the Micro’s diminutive frame for two processors. Nintendo is quick to
stress that the GBA game library has over 700 titles, and I’m sure
that’s enough to keep the average consumer busy, but I still won’t be
able to play my copy of Metroid II on the Micro.
The average consumer, however, is the target demographic. Odds are they’ve never heard of
Metroid II Return of Samus,
so they’ll be perfectly happy with the massive GBA library. They’ll
also be enamored with the Micro’s distinct sense of style as well.
Everything about the past Game Boy models has been sleeked and
sexified. The
Micro comes in two colors, black and silver.
Power and charge lights have been eliminated; the start and select
buttons now glow an icy blue or molten red depending on the battery
level. There’s a small slot for a wrist strap, but oddly enough the
strap itself is sold separately, unlike the one packaged with the DS.
Shoulder buttons are larger and easier to manage, and the horizontal
design of the original GBA is back for a more natural feel.
Interchangeable faceplates (the Micro comes with three) allow the
console to match the player’s mood, so if you’ve always wanted to deck
your portable out in military camo, here’s your big chance. A pink
ladybug-flower plate is perfect for the bubbly and flirtatious gamer,
while I prefer the haunting nautilus X-ray image. It fits my
smoldering, cynical outlook nicely.
The faceplates serve a practical purpose as well, by protecting the
screen with a transparent layer of plastic. New styles and colors will
be released soon at an affordable price, so picking up a new faceplate
to replace your scratched old one won’t break the bank.
The
Micro comes
packed in a spiffy box that’s reminiscent of the iPod, and a first in
package design for Nintendo. Accessories for the portable are more
numerous than those for its GBA SP and DS older brothers; included with
the
Micro are a tool for popping the faceplates in and out, a specialized charger for the
Micro’s smaller charging port, and a sleek velvet bag that keeps the console safe from dings and scratches.
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