|
As
the field of electronics increases its drive for smaller and smaller
things at an exponential rate, miniaturization is becoming a
fashionable necessity. Smaller phones, smaller
music players, smaller consoles, it appears small is the new big. Of
course at the forefront of this is Apple, intelligent marketing and
clever technology have made the iPod the one of the most sought
after products in recent years, with it‘s smaller incarnation, the
iPod Nano, flying off the shelves at the moment. The recent release
and consequential success of the SONY PlayStation Portable, which is
essentially a handheld PlayStation2, confirms that the masses are
very keen on pocket sized gadgets, regardless of the price.
Nintendo
have dominated the handheld console market since the release of the
first Game Boy. Subsequent releases in the series from the Game Boy
Pocket to the Game Boy Advance have all trounced their competition
and even outsold their home console counterparts. However, recent
years have seen tough competition from the likes of Nokia’s
N-Gage, the Gizmondo and recently SONY’s PSP, systems that not
only play games, but also have added functionality; such as movie
playback and the ability to make phone calls. A key factor in sales,
especially in the case of the PSP, is the sleek design of the unit.
A lot of people will buy a mobile telephone based on t he
way it looks and it seems this kind of mentality is starting to
apply to handheld gaming. Nintendo are not oblivious to this fact
and in response to the growing number of people buying handheld
consoles because of their look, are releasing the Game Boy Micro on
Friday 4th November, 2005
.
Measuring
a tiny 4 inches wide, 2 inches tall and 0.7 inches wide, the Game
Boy Micro is smaller than most mobile telephones. It weighs only 2.8
ounces, which apparently is about the weight of eighty
paperclips.
With all the functionality of the Game Boy Advance in such a small
package, the Game Boy Micro is certainly a technical achievement.
Although the Game Boy Micro is available in four colours, blue,
pink, silver and green, its Faceplates are fully interchangeable
allow the user a bit of customisation, not to mention increasing its
image factor. It also has the sharpest screen seen on any Game Boy,
complete with a brightness setting that should prove useful in
variable lighting conditions. As with nearly all modern portable
systems, the Game Boy Micro is powered by a Lithium Ion Battery that
gives approximately seven hours of play in normal conditions.
The
system is compatible with all current Game Boy Advance games, a
platform sporting an already expansive selection of titles,
including the always popular  Pokemon
series as well as all-new classics such as Banjo-Kazooie:
Grunty’s Revenge and Sonic Battle. Despite the
arrival of the NintendoDS, the Game Boy Advance is still supported
by Nintendo as well as dozens of third party developers so there is
little chance of releases drying up in the foreseeable future. The
thought of being able to play Advance Wars on a console only
a little bigger than a matchbox should attract Game Boy Advance
owners looking to upgrade and image conscious people looking to jump
on the portable bandwagon will not be disappointed by the quality of
software available.
However
the Game Boy Micro is not without faults, launching with an RRP of
£69.99 being the largest of these. For an extra £20, consumers can
purchase the NintendoDS, a console capable of playing all Game Boy
Advance games as well as brand new NintendoDS titles. It is also the
third incarnation of the Game Boy Advance, with a lot of gamers
already having upgraded to the Game Boy AdvanceSP and possibly not
wanting to spend further for no reason other than to have a slightly
nicer looking system. However, it does have an incredibly striking
appearance and will probably find a market for itself in image
conscious buyers wanting a portable gaming device, as it does
suffice as cheap alternative to the all conquering SONY PSP.
|
