gdgt

This unit was released not long after Nintendo's Game Boy advanced. The Game Boy Advanced was a popular console, but it had a lot of flaws, it was a bit on the big side for a portable game system, it had no backlight, and used AA batteries for power. Nintendo used a transflective lcd to try to avoid using a backlight in an effort to give the thing decent battery life, but in the end, all that came of this decision was a booming market in after market backlight kits, and people buyin a lot of rechargeable batteries. Seeing the hand writing on the wall, Nintendo released the Game Boy Advanced SP, which was physically smaller, and was a clam shell folding unit, allowing it to be carried in ones pocket (a bit thick for that though). The unit boasted a backlight on it's lcd, as well as a built in rechargeable battery saving peoples budgets from mass consuption of AA's (I bet Duracell and Energizer cried when this thing came out.). A decent hand held system, but again, Nintendo suffered from timing issues on this one, as the PSP and the Nintendo DSI were soon to be released. But still a nice handheld system at the time, it was everything the Game Boy Advance should have been from day 1.