Release Date: 09/19/2005

Colors: Black, Silver, Green, Blue, Pink, Red, Lavender, Famicon 20th Anniversary, Final Fantasy IV, Lite blue, Mother 3, Pokemon

MSRP: $99.99

---

Nintendo’s constant quest to reduce and miniaturize their handhelds has its fans and some detractors. I personally think it’s great, as we can still keep and own the larger handhelds. The Micro, however, may have been pushing this limit a little too far. The tiny handheld improved on a single feature: we finally got a good screen and a backlight. The Micro has the best screen out of any of the systems, even the Game Boy Advance SP AGS-101.

The system was designed with the idea of putting it on your keychain or lanyard and being able to put it into small pockets and pack it away. The system had interchangeable faceplates (you can still get new ones made today by third parties), but the tiny design irked a lot of people. It’s about 1/4 the size of the original GBA, and to many, the SP was the perfect GBA system. It retained the same button layout and rechargeable battery, and the screen brightness could be further adjusted.

However, all I/O was removed. This meant no multiplayer, and any accessories that connected to the GameCube, e-readers, and backward compatibility were out the window as well. To many, this is just a novelty, especially with the tiny 2″ screen. Does having a really good screen and backlight make up the difference for such a small form factor and cutting every other feature? Probably not. The system is still plenty playable, and I have enjoyed many hours on mine.

Sadly, due to low sales, poor marketing, and lambasted reviews, the Micro didn’t sell well, so these systems are expensive, especially in good shape or complete in boxes. Thankfully, the faceplates and rear housing can be replaced by third parties, and mods don’t really exist for this system. They’re not really needed. This system is really only for those who collect Game Boys or just want a really good OEM backlight without any fuss or mods. If you don’t use any accessories such as the ones mentioned above, you won’t miss those either. You also must remember that there is no backward compatibility with older Game Boy titles and that you need to be okay with just Game Boy Advance games.

The system does feel good in the hands, despite its size. There are only two face buttons, so this can work fine. I would complain about the small screen, but it’s so clear, crisp, and high-res for the size that you can see everything clearly. Adjusting the volume and brightness requires a button combo that is unintuitive without the manual, and it has its own proprietary charger that is not compatible with the GBA SP. There is also a headphone jack, so keep that in mind as well. This is just a raw GBA playing system.

Overall, the Game Boy Micro is a fun little system that cuts everything out to give us a fantastic OEM backlight and customizable faceplates, but to some, that may not be worth the cost of size and accessories. It at least has a rechargeable battery and comes in really awesome variations.