Game Boy micro

The Game Boy micro^[1] is Nintendo's second redesign of the Game Boy Advance. It was released in late 2005 and marketed towards the "image conscious" consumer, with emphasis placed on its small size and sleek design. It was available for $99.99 in most stores, although by the end of its lifespan it could be found for only $19.99 brand new.

The Game Boy micro was not as successful as Nintendo hoped it would be. This is commonly attributed to the fact that the console was released after the Nintendo DS, which not only included more advanced features, such as Wi-Fi and true 3D graphics, but itself contained a port to play Game Boy Advance games.

While no games were released specifically for the Game Boy micro, it is capable of playing all Game Boy Advance games with the exception of the e-Reader.

Specifications

The Game Boy micro is available in four colors: black, blue, purple, and silver. A number of specially designed consoles were also released, including one themed for Pokémon (see below).

• Dimensions: 50×101×17.2 millimeters (2×4×0.7 in), almost the size of an average credit card
• Weight: 80 grams (2.8 ounces), about the weight of 80 paper clips
• Processor: 32-bit 16.8-MHz ARM processor (ARM7TDMI)
• Screen: 51 mm / 2 inches (compared to 74 mm / 2.9 in. for the GBA), backlight with adjustable brightness.
• Resolution: 240×160 pixels
• Battery: built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery, up to 5 hours of battery life with top brightness and sound or 8 hours with both features on default.

Incompatibilities

• The Game Boy micro lacks the processor required to play Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. As a result, it can only play Game Boy Advance games.
• The micro's link cable port is a different shape than that of a standard link cable. This means that an adapter is required for a micro to communicate with an older Game Boy Advance model.
• The micro is also incompatible with the original Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter. As a result, a mirco-compatible version was released.
• The micro cannot connect to a Nintendo GameCube using a GCN-GBA connector cable due to the required adapter and the GBA-GCN cable being unable to connect correctly.

Pokémon specials

• A promotional Pokémon Game Boy micro was released in Japan on November 17th 2005. It is black and red with a metallic silhouette of Pikachu above the A and B buttons.

References