Retro Gameboy Micro for Japan Launch

[NoName]

http://www.gamasutra.com/db_area/images/news2001/6502/gbmicro.jpg
Gamasutra is reporting (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=6502) "better than expected" sales for the launch of the Gameboy Micro. As a launch promotion, Nintendo is selling a special limited edition Famicom themed version in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Super Mario Bros.
Nintendo aims to sell a total of 10.2 million Game Boy Advance consoles worldwide this business year (ending March 2006) of which 4 million are expected to be Game Boy Micros. The North American release is scheduled for September 19th at $99.99 and on November 4th in Europe at approximately €99 ($130).
Although I have no real interest in buying a new Gameboy Advanced, that famicom skin makes it so tempting... to bad I doubt we'll ever see it in the States

[KamaItachi]

This thing is a pain to use, literaly painful. Sharp corners and too small to sit comfortably in the average pair of hands. Plus a higher pricepoint than the SP just seems silly.

[Inglorion]

Is the screen size of the micro smaller than on the regular GBA? Looks like it.

[Derwin]

Yeah, the screen is smaller which is why I don't want it. Besides, I already have the Retro NES-themed GBA SP ;)

[ezzkmo]

i'll add this to my list of things i want but cannot afford. someone got about $50,000 laying around?

[NoName]

i'll add this to my list of things i want but cannot afford. someone got about $50,000 laying around?
Sure, let me just transfer it from my swiss bank account... ;)

[Vandenh]

This will sell like crazy in Japan...

Don't know about Europe/US.

[Justin_McElroy]

I'm glad to finally see Nintendo coasting on the success of its 80s consoles. Fantastic.

[NoName]

I'm glad to finally see Nintendo coasting on the success of its 80s consoles. Fantastic.
I'm glad to see Nintendo making a decent profit so they have more money for R&D, which it seems they invest a good bit in.

[jacktion]

This thing isn't painful, it's the most comfortable handheld out there. It is essentially like a NES controller with a screen. And that controller was the biz-nom. The screen is smaller than a SP but it has the same resolution so it supposedly looks really sharp. I want one but it is a bit pricy.

Once it drops this will be a must-have. It is coming out with its own version of play yan that lets you play mp3s and movies and some downloadable games on it. So if you grab a big flash card you can have a little game player/mp3 player. I think its pretty cool.

[31 Flavas]

This thing is a pain to use, literaly painful. Sharp corners and too small to sit comfortably in the average pair of hands. Plus a higher pricepoint than the SP just seems silly.You speak as if you've actually had playtime with one. Have you? Or are you just making assumptions?

[Bishop]

If they keep make this smaller you'll need tweezers and a magnifying to play them.

[Morratut]

How many times can Nintendo flog a dead horse?

Mmmmm many times as long as they make the horse smaller :rolleyes:

I bet these will fly of the shelves. So i guess the horse isn't even dead :D

[bapenguin]

My hands can feel the pain already. CRAMP.

[31 Flavas]

How many times can Nintendo flog a dead horse?

Mmmmm many times as long as they make the horse smaller :rolleyes:

I bet these will fly of the shelves. So i guess the horse isn't even dead :DRight.... and so for the same reasons Apple shouldn't have released the iPod mini or nano. They're just beating a dead horse.

[KamaItachi]

You speak as if you've actually had playtime with one. Have you? Or are you just making assumptions?

My local electroncs store have had a demo system up for the last week. So I managed to have a go on one. And for the record, I didn`t like the old NES controller either. So if that wasnt your cup of tea, neither is this

[Ernst_Jager]

Just like nintendo to re-re-release stuff and for the fan boys to eat it up. They make good things but I really get tired of seeing it over and over with only minor changes.

[jBusy]

Just like nintendo to re-re-release stuff and for the fan boys to eat it up. They make good things but I really get tired of seeing it over and over with only minor changes.

You wouldn't happen to be buying Madden '06 would you?

[KarmaGhost]

Just spend an extra $30 and get a DS, which can play GBA games anyway.

[Heretic Machine]

The Gameboy Micro might be the worst idea, ever. I mean honestly, for $30 more you can buy a DS which has the same GBA functions as the Micro (it's hindered in the same ways: can't play multiplayer, can't play old Gameboy games), or for twenty dollars less you can buy an SP which has a nice clam-shell design, and is a fully functioning GBA. The Micro just doesn't make sence, it makes less sence than the friggin iPod mini.

[Bushido]

The Gameboy Micro might be the worst idea, ever. I mean honestly, for $30 more you can buy a DS which has the same GBA functions as the Micro (it's hindered in the same ways: can't play multiplayer, can't play old Gameboy games), or for twenty dollars less you can buy an SP which has a nice clam-shell design, and is a fully functioning GBA. The Micro just doesn't make sence, it makes less sence than the friggin iPod mini.


Sense....and sensibility.

[Heretic Machine]

Sense....and sensibility.

Oh, go fuck yourself spelling-whore.

[Vandenh]

>The Gameboy Micro might be the worst idea, ever. I mean honestly, for $30 more you can buy a DS which has the same GBA functions as the Micro

In Japan it is a good idea... Japanese love small stuff and especially for gaming this is a good idea. Yeah DS is better value-for-money (a very Euro/US way of thinking BTW), but this thing is nice and small to use on the tube. You would never dream of whipping out your PSP on the Tokyo tube... believe me I have seen it and you become the object of much ridicule. This mini-GBA makes perfect sense to Nintendo... it is a niche product for a niche market segment. Nintendo made this to compete with mobile phone games. Small is beautiful... I bet this will outsell PSP in Japan next few months.

[Hewie]

For a product called "Micro", I expected it to be smaller, or at least slimmer.

[Heretic Machine]

In Japan it is a good idea... Japanese love small stuff and especially for gaming this is a good idea. Yeah DS is better value-for-money (a very Euro/US way of thinking BTW), but this thing is nice and small to use on the tube. You would never dream of whipping out your PSP on the Tokyo tube... believe me I have seen it and you become the object of much ridicule. This mini-GBA makes perfect sense to Nintendo... it is a niche product for a niche market segment. Nintendo made this to compete with mobile phone games. Small is beautiful... I bet this will outsell PSP in Japan next few months

But it's not just a Japanese way of thinking, more and more we are seeing devices being shrunk and then overpriced, often with less functionality than their slightly larger counter-parts. The iPod mini and shuffle are excellent examples of this. People eat it up all over the world, why? Because of some misplaced sense of style. I'm here to say that this is stupid, and a waste of money. Heck, my friend payed about $500 more for his laptop just so it would weight a pound or two less, and it was less powerful than what he could of gotten with the price he had before.

[jacktion]

The Gameboy Micro might be the worst idea, ever.

I guess it is a bad idea if you hate making money. But Nintendo is a business. They are not a creation designed to fulfill "your" techno-desires. They don't do what is good for you here in this forum, they do what will make them scads of moolah. And you know people will eat this up. Even if it makes you angry (for some reason) people are still going to buy it. Cause it is cool.


(Come on, you know part of you likes it. The black unit with the black faceplate looking all tiny and shiny. You know you want it. Just give in and enjoy. Playing the new Rebelstar Command from the makers of Xcom on that clear little screen then putting it in your pocket and still having room for your squirtle keychain. do it!)

[Worldcrafter]

Just spend an extra $30 and get a DS, which can play GBA games anyway.

Ding! We have a winner on the 'guess what I was thinking' game. I'm not sure why someone wouldn't just suck up the cost of a new game and just get a better system. Then again, I didn't think the iPod Shuffle was a good idea, so what do I know.

[rein]

I may buy one if it is small enough to make a key chain out of it.

[DaedalusFolly]

So how porn-able is the new GBA micro with a play-yan?

[31 Flavas]

But it's not just a Japanese way of thinking, more and more we are seeing devices being shrunk and then overpriced, often with less functionality than their slightly larger counter-parts.Sure, miniaturization doesn't cost a thing. Just throw GBA's specs in the computer hit the minaturize button and ta-da. And as far as why devices are being shrunk, sorry perigon, bigger isn't better for computer gadgets. The end consumers (the public at mass) want stuff that's smaller and lighter.

The iPod mini and shuffle are excellent examples of this. People eat it up all over the world, why?Because all they want to do is listen to music on something that is small and portable? An iPod maybe great, but an iPod that is smaller, lighter, more concealable/portable and still lets you listen to music is even better. Edit: If you NEED to play GB/GBC games you buy an SP. Similarly if you NEED the features that a mini/shuffle/nano don't provide you buy an iPod. Believe it or not there will be lots of people who DO NOT need their xbox 360 to go online or have a HDD or whatever else. They just want to play x360 games.

Because of some misplaced sense of style.Oh please, don't you even try to say style doesn't sell. i.e. "z0mg!11!~3 PSP IS tEH sEXXy11!2#!@1!one2"

I'm here to say that this is stupid, and a waste of money. Heck, my friend payed about $500 more for his laptop just so it would weight a pound or two less, and it was less powerful than what he could of gotten with the price he had before.One mans trash, is another mans treasure. Perhaps your friend wasn't interested in CPU or graphical power? If you are going to take your laptop with you everywhere you go or carry it in a briefcase, you wouldn't want want an 8 or 9 lbs laptop. You'd want one that was small and light and had good battery life.

[G-Man]

Its the same thing I don't understand about women's clothing. Less material should equal a lower price, right? Yet I can walk into a shoestore and get some sketchers for $50, and my wife gets half the shoe for the same price.

[Stormwatcher]

YEAH, nientendou is teh ghei,""!!!ONE SHIFT etc etc

C'mon, people, the Micro is an EXCELLENT idea, and the sales figures show it. It is a hip gba! it is a GBA for non-geeks! it has the BEST screen of ALL nintendo portables, including the DS.

Why get the Micro instead of the SP? Because it is sexier, smaller, has a better screen? Why get a Micro instead of the DS? Ops, you should get BOTH! The DS can't link to the GC, can't play GBA games multiplayer, can't play GBC and GB games...

And nintendo already is the #1 profit maker beetween the 3 big ones, so this will only make it even more profitable.


Why do you guys act like your personal hater opinions have ANY weight in the greater scheme of things?

[Liquidize105]

A pair of Air Jordan doesn't use more material than any other shoes, but there's the brand association there. It's about selling people the ideas associated with the brand.

[31 Flavas]

A pair of Air Jordan doesn't use more material than any other shoes, but there's the brand association there. It's about selling people the ideas associated with the brand.Yeah, and as we all know, Nintendo is the ProWings of portable gaming so...

[G-Man]

Hi stormwatcher, and welcome to EvilAvatar.com! This is a public forum where opinions are expressed and defended on an everyday basis. Please enjoy your visit!

And Liquidize, are you actually validating the inflation of price based on a man's name??? Anyway, at least Jordans are fully backwards compatable.

[Heretic Machine]

YEAH, nientendou is teh ghei,""!!!ONE SHIFT etc etc

We didn't say shit about Nintendo. I like Nintendo, but that doesn't change the fact that the Micro is a stupid piece of hardware.

[RandomViolence]

I'd never buy it, for price reasons listed above. I'd get a DS or an SP. Those who'd like to waste their money, please continue buying bad products.

[31 Flavas]

We didn't say shit about Nintendo. I like Nintendo, but that doesn't change the fact that the Micro is a stupid piece of hardware.You know your opinion is going to change when you play one :p

[mister_slim]

But it's not just a Japanese way of thinking, more and more we are seeing devices being shrunk and then overpriced, often with less functionality than their slightly larger counter-parts. The iPod mini and shuffle are excellent examples of this. People eat it up all over the world, why? Because of some misplaced sense of style. I'm here to say that this is stupid, and a waste of money. Heck, my friend payed about $500 more for his laptop just so it would weight a pound or two less, and it was less powerful than what he could of gotten with the price he had before.
And here we are, finding out that sometimes other people have other needs and desires. *Shock and Horror!*

I carry my laptop around all the time and I don't use it for performance intensive tasks, so weight is of primary importance to me. If you live with a laptop, your priorities will be different. Likewise, I have a DS, and it's just not pocketable.
A pair of Air Jordan doesn't use more material than any other shoes, but there's the brand association there. It's about selling people the ideas associated with the brand.
Hmm. I'd bet Air Jordans actually tend to be lighter and smaller than most shoes. People are being ripped off. I mean, for the same price, I could get some fucking boots that would last forever, no matter how much jogging I did.

[G-Man]

Reggie-fils says, "Micro is sexy!"

[Heretic Machine]

I carry my laptop around all the time and I don't use it for performance intensive tasks, so weight is of primary importance to me. If you live with a laptop, your priorities will be different.

I do carry my laptop around ALL THE TIME. But 2lb =/= $500.

Likewise, I have a DS, and it's just not pocketable.

If you carry a laptop, then put the damn DS in your laptop bag. That's where mine is. And if you don't carry around your DS, why do you even own one to begin with?

[Bushido]

I do carry my laptop around ALL THE TIME. But 2lb =/= $500.



If you carry a laptop, then put the damn DS in your laptop bag. That's where mine is. And if you don't carry around your DS, why do you even own one to begin with?

I wish you would just die.

[31 Flavas]

I do carry my laptop around ALL THE TIME. But 2lb =/= $500.Let me guess, you won't buy a top of the line computer video card either.

[KamaItachi]

You would never dream of whipping out your PSP on the Tokyo tube... believe me I have seen it and you become the object of much ridicule.

When did you ever see that? Everyone plays games on the train and nobody will so much as bat an eyelid. I`ve seen housewives, nerds, schookids, salarymen all blasting away on games. I wouldn`t imagine doing the same at home at all unless I want some passing asshole to bat it out of my hands "for a laugh" or some 14 year old punk try and steal it.

[Fungii]

Well, I have an SP and would rather buy a few more games for it before forking out for this thing. Plus my SP fits in my pocket just fine. Having said that, I have no problem with Nintendo putting this product out there and people buying it. I understand the attraction; very small, it can use headphones, faceplate to protect screen etc. If it has a sleep mode you could just toss it in your pocket when the boss comes round and whip out again afterwards for some instant gaming satisfaction. Pretty sweet. Wired has a review (http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,68777,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_4) and they quite liked it.

[Heretic Machine]

I wish you would just die.

It's a good thing no body gives a damn what you think, huh? :)

[greensky]

If the screen is big enough for me to see I'll probably get one. Price really my deciding factor on this once (well since the price isn't that horrible). Sure I would like for it to be $50, but nintendo certainly isn't doing to do that for a while. I really want something very small and easy to carry around. I might get an SP, but I don't want a DS for sure. I guess I'll see how it looks when it comes out.

[Kelegacy]

If the thing is small enough to fit up into my anus, that's one less pocket I'll have to use. Too bad about those sharp corners though...

[Bushido]

I think it looks slick and being small is perfect for kids and parents who dont want to lug around macro sized systems.

[Derwin]

Nintendo is releasing the Game Boy Micro whether or not anyone likes it. End of story.

[baz]

Nintendo is releasing the Game Boy Micro whether or not anyone likes it. End of story.

No, I believe they are going to read through the EA forums first and then decide... I thought that was pretty common knowledge.

[Heretic Machine]

You know, if you stupid fuckers don't like to hear about what people think of the Micro, and gaming products in general, then get off the forums.

[baz]

You know, if you stupid fuckers don't like to hear about what people think of the Micro, and gaming products in general, then get off the forums.

Who the fuck is saying that they don't want to hear about what other people think? A bit angsty today maybe.

[31 Flavas]

You know, if you stupid fuckers don't like to hear about what people think of the Micro, and gaming products in general, then get off the forums.If you don't want to hear us call your overt attitude, don't post here either. You don't have to get so worked up over the Micro or it's $20 dollar premium. People are willing to pay a premium to get top performance parts just as they willing to pay a premium (in addition to sacrificing some features) to get a much smaller/lighter/more stylish device. That should not be as startling a revelation to you as you are showing.

It also wouldn't hurt to make sure you don't say patently false statements about whatever device you're ranting about. (i.e. Micro does have multiplayer link compatibility with all GBAs) And just for the record, the swappable face plates protect the game screen completely therefor no need for clamshell design.

[Eran Hawke]

So how porn-able is the new GBA micro with a play-yan?
Very
Very
VERY!
:D

[Stormwatcher]

Well, you can say whatever stupid opinions you have, but then you must take the answers. You said that the micro is a stupid thing, lots of people offered very good arguments on the opposite. If you dislike the thing, fine, whatever, who cares. But if you state that it absolutelly sucks, and that nintendo is stupid, then the joke's on you.

[G-Man]

Well, you can say whatever stupid opinions you have, but then you must take the answers. You said that the micro is a stupid thing, lots of people offerede very good arguments on the opposite. If you dislike the thing, fine, whatever, who cares. But if you state that it absolutelly sucks, and that nintendo is stupid, then the joke's on you.

They let you post in forums during study hall now?

If the thing is small enough to fit up into my anus, that's one less pocket I'll have to use. Too bad about those sharp corners though...

God bless you sir. Thanks for the chuckle. :D

[Stormwatcher]

OMG, UR FIND A TPYO.
Congratulations, sir, you are literate enough to spot a mistyped word! You must be feeling pretty good with yourself!

[G-Man]

OMG, UR FIND A TPYO.
Congratulations, sir, you are literate enough to spot a mistyped word! You must be feeling pretty good with yourself!

...and knowing is half the battle.

[Heretic Machine]

But if you state that it absolutelly sucks, and that nintendo is stupid, then the joke's on you.

I love it when we get people on these forums who can't fucking read anyone else's posts. Ya, go ahead and post whatever you like, just make shit up.

Hey everybody, Stormwatcher pee'd in his sister's butt! I heard it on Gamefaqs!

[Chris_D]

Heck, my friend payed about $500 more for his laptop just so it would weight a pound or two less, and it was less powerful than what he could of gotten with the price he had before.

While your 1 pound weight saving for $500 example sounds kind of extravagent there's no doubt that weight and then battery are my primary considerations when buying a laptop.

And the shuffle rocks :p, well it did until the nano came out..