Gameboy Advance SP

Nintendo’s Gameboy Advance (GBA) has been upstaged by more powerful devices like the Sony PSP and the Nintendo DS but it still remains a fantastic gaming device: affordable, easily available and with an enormous selection of games that stretches back more than a decade.

The SP is a redesign of the earlier GBA which features the same internal hardware but with a new and much improved external design. Immediately noticeable is the clamshell shape which does a better job of protecting the screen. The screen itself is much better lit than before making it easier to play even in poor light. The SP also features a rechargeable lithium-ion battery which can give up to ten hours of play with the light on.

The biggest strength of the GBA is the selection of games; it’s backward compatible with the earlier Gameboy devices and there are many great games released for the GBA as well. Given its Nintendo origin, it’s not surprising that many of these come from the famous Nintendo franchises like Zelda and Mario. But there is also Advance Wars: a surprisingly deep and cerebral strategy game and excellent skating games from the famous Tony Hawk series.