Nintendo Game Boy Micro Console

The game boy micro still has value in 2009 because it offers the convenience of nintendo's smallest handheld with an affordable game library ($3-25), and it is extremely casual to play in public both physically (comfortable and discreet) and economically (mine cost $30, if it falls in the sewer....whatever).

What a long strange trip the evolution of the game boy has been. Who would think we'd be tapping the game boy screen with a plastic wand in 2010 ? Since 1989 nintendo has led the way in the handheld gaming market, innovating and exploiting along the way while never ever turning down an opportunity to make money. The game boy micro has attributes of nintendo hardware's worst and best qualities.

It is a beautiful manifestation of their love of money, essentially charging the consumer more for less, much much less. Already have a gba multiplayer cable ? Well its incompatible with the micro, but you can purchase a secondary cable and connect 2 micros by giving us more cash!

So whats the balance ?

Well its a breath of fresh air to see Nintendo release a product which is more adult in design. The micro does not have the kiddy friendly clamshell design and its small size makes it the ideal handheld for a soldier or professional assasin on the ago.

New technologies in the gameboy product line have dated the micro's functionality but many consumers/gamers still prefer the GBA cartridges to the new Dual Screen software releases which some believe use the DS technology as a crutch. We've had multiple iterations of the DS since its release and now that the DSi (with no GBA support) has been in the market over a year, most retailers have ceased carrying GBA products.

So this was it. The micro was the last product to carry the name gameboy. It fixed the biggest issues with the advance series (Screen / headphone jack), and nintendo's decision to release the micro without any compatibility with THEIR OWN camera, printer, past games, and link cable products showed their seriousness about improving their handheld line by looking to the future.

Yes, the micro was the nintendo system which killed the original gameboy cartridge's legacy. Sort of how the DSi has now killed off the GBA. Which is sad as the advance cartridge line lived up to it's technical capabilities to many people, becoming the snes of handhelds with numerous ports, remakes, and classic games. The big N certainly lived up to its reputation as the essential hardware provider for 2D gaming experiences.

By serving up the consumer the delicious micro and dropping all backward compatibility nintendo wisely eased the transition to what would become the DS with a library of quality nintendo-style entertainment. Platformers, RPGs, Puzzle, kids games, and dozens of greedy television/movie franchises looking to turn a fast profit.

Now that the Dsi is out, I think people feel the same way about losing their GBA library as they did about losing their GB & GBC library. A staggering loss of quality software which stacks up better against the current generation of DS shovelware flooding stores. Though, games like scibblenauts offer hope for the future of DS gaming and the DSi XL will probably force developers to push the graphical capabilities of the DS. While the DS's wireless multiplayer is beckoning with digital experiences to be had, I will almost always be playing 1 player when portable gaming which is where the micro excels with it's compact design.

If you're an american living in an urban setting such as myself you know there are multiple social settings where there is no casual way to bust out a DS and begin gaming with a plastic stylus. My game boy micro on the alternative is a much more discreet option. Its is only slighly larger than my nokia cell phone. I purchased my micro second-hand and its low price ensures I feel no anxiety it getting jacked or dropped on the street.

PRESENTATION

Around the same size as an NES controller with a similar but slightly heavier feel. The screen is very bright and offers a pleasant & detailed viewing experience. LCD is slightly smaller than the GBA cartridge.

The buttons are very nintendo-like, a good medium between softness & click-iness. Headphone jack is functional with high-fidelity sound. The Speaker is a joke unfortunately, low quality and poor placing (it often gets covered by the right-hand thumb).

Perfect size. This is the best handheld for the person who finds the PSP redicuously large and inconvenient. Seriously, the consumer has waited through so many incarnations of the game boy sine 1989 which were essentially the same size and finally nintendo reaches a balance of getting stuff right (headphones, screen, rechargable battery) then cuts the product down to the size of a cell phone. Its almost a reward to the original people in line for tetris.

Yup GBA cartridges only. Now that they did it again with the DSi people are used to the idea that nintendo is willing to drop any format to ease people onto their new technology and regain their prospective market(s). ACTUALLY people seem to be dying for nintendo to retire the wii and come out with some new hardware. If you've already owned some flavor of original gameboy or even the sp I believe you will enjoy the uniqueness of the micro's size even more as well as the old-school fun aesthetic it oddly invokes (there is even a a 20th anniversary NES edition).

FUNCTIONALITY

The gaming experience on the micro is pleasant. The smaller screen really does look more clear (crisp pixels if you will). Part of this is reducing the the dimensions of the screen which gives the slight illusion of a higher resolution and the other part is the rocking backlight which is more than functional.

The micro/headphone combo is a good setup, as its smaller than an ipod or zune and the jack is conveniently located in the corner of the gameboy.

Holding the micro feels like your holding a cellphone to horizontal text as many models now do, as opposed to holding the DS which feels a bit like an expensive elecronic version of operation.

If you already own only own a DSi and would like to play the GBA library in a very portable & modern way than the GBA micro is very affordable nowadays. If  you are an adult on a budget who wants to add portable gaming to their life for the commute then I would recommend the micro. If you are a parent on a budget looking to buy a gameboy for your son or daughter I would buy an sp so they have a broader range of games to play (you'll be able to find gb cartridges for cheap) and the more industrial clamshell protection.

But if you are, like me, an adult gamer on the go who has a variety of consoles/portables and just wants something that will ACTUALLY fit in your pocket then the micro is an amazing piece of hardware. Great games, great price (nowadays), and great way to end the gameboy line.

This is one of my favorite nintendo products for convenience and I would certainly have given it an additional star if it could play gb,gbc games.