29 replies to this topic

[Jasoco]

SmileyDude said:

BTW -- does anyone know where you can get that Famicom SP in the US?  That just looks so cool and retro, kinda like a Game & Watch game

Well, sadly, they only made a thousand or so. And those were given to contest winners. So if you're hoping for Lik-Sang, it won't happen... soon at least. And eBay will be a while before the lucky Japanese winners finally start selling them.

I want a two-tone US NES version with light grey top, dark grey bottom and red lettering for the buttons. Red NES style buttons, black D-pad and the words Nintendo on the face (Where the buttons are) in the old font and color. For the US of course. Maybe for the NES' 20th anniversary.

[Raijin Z]

Jasoco said:

I want a two-tone US NES version with light grey top, dark grey bottom and red lettering for the buttons. Red NES style buttons, black D-pad and the words Nintendo on the face (Where the buttons are) in the old font and color. For the US of course. Maybe for the NES' 20th anniversary.

Oh hell yes. Seconded. It's not impossible to do this by one's self, just impractical.

[Jasoco]

Raijin Z said:

Jasoco said:

I want a two-tone US NES version with light grey top, dark grey bottom and red lettering for the buttons. Red NES style buttons, black D-pad and the words Nintendo on the face (Where the buttons are) in the old font and color. For the US of course. Maybe for the NES' 20th anniversary.

Oh hell yes. Seconded. It's not impossible to do this by one's self, just impractical.

Though, it'd be a nice little conversation piece. Maybe get you in a magazine issue. A month of fame. Still, I'd do it. Maybe when they're cheaper and been around a while.

[Susuwatari]

SmileyDude said:

BTW -- does anyone know where you can get that Famicom SP in the US?  That just looks so cool and retro, kinda like a Game & Watch game

You find one, you own me one as well. From what I heard, only 1,000 was made to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Famicom system and only 1,000 lucky Japanese got them. AFAIK they are all long gone and your best hope is to find Japanese willing to part with it.

Considering the tiny run, it's going to start seeing 4 figures on eBay in 2010 and beyond. There's always a chance Nintendo may make more Famicom edition. Or even make limited edition NES version when NES turns 20 in October '85.

[JB]

SmileyDude said:

JB said:

One modern gamer too many has told me that if I can't comfortably hold the GBASP while worshipping the stupid thing because it has a near-useless light and proprietary battery pack, I'm seriousely messed up.

LOL -- heh, while I would have to wholehartedly agree that the damn thing is very uncomfortable, I would have to say that the light is definelty not near-useless and having a propietary battery pack isn't that big of a deal. Sure, it will be annoying 10 years from now, but given Nintendo's track record with the GB, you'll be able to play all your GBA games on whatever the current GB console is.

3 years.
Whatever Nintendo claims is irrelevant. The actual life expectancy of a lithium-ion battery right now is death 3 years from manufacture. This is regardless of usage patterns.

I also swap batteries out pretty regularly. I drain a pair and scavenge some from something else(walkman, remote control, whatever). I don't use AC adapters because I find them awkward, and don't really want to haul a charger around.


I still see no reason for the light. Maybe my eyes are very sensitive, but I can see my GBA just fine in normal lighting conditions.


As far as backwards compatibility, I refuse to just trust a continued pattern.
The next GameBoy could be disk-based. More far-fetched, Nintendo could go bankrupt.

Mr.FoodMonster said:

The light is VERY useful. Grab a GBA and an SP and look at them at all angles. Even in direct sunlight the SP is a lot better. And, for the battery running out, they have replacements that you can buy, so if you are really parinoid, buy a few of them so you can keep it for a lifetime.

My unlit GBA looks a lot better in most lighting conditions. The SP light washes the image out. As stated, I can see just fine without a light.
...
And sunlight is a horrible light source. It's bright enough that you get rainbowing across the screen and you can see some image flickering.


And buying a few spare batteries won't do me much good, since we're still dealing with a from date of manufacture life limit. I assume the replacements are lithium ion like the Nintendo ones. I also assume that 3rd parties will cease manufacture when the GBASP dies.

And short term, it's rather akward to change batteries when they're screwed down. Not to mention that storing them fully charged is very bad for them.