Three cheers for Game Boy Micro

For the uninitiated, the Game Boy Micro is Nintendo's latest addition to their venerable portable Game Boy console lineup. The Micro made its North American debut in September 2005 - albeit with very little fanfare in the US. Although I'm by no means a gadget hound, I only became aware of its existence in late 2006. I'm also not a completely avid gamer - but I do enjoy gaming now and then during my free time.

The Game Boy Micro caught my eye due to its striking design and attractive price. Most retailers are now selling the Micro for approximately $60, which seemed like an undeniable purchase to me (in December of 2006) compared to the initial asking price of $90-$100. Another factor that led me to purchase the Micro was the special, Nintendo Famicom (Japan's version of the NES) inspired, 20th anniversary edition, which sports a dark-red colored body with a gold faceplate that mimics the Famicom controllers of old. I found this addition to be the sharpest-dressed, although many configurations are possible with the removable faceplate.

The Micro plays Game Boy Advance games only - with no legacy support for previous generation Game Boy cartridges. This lack of compatibility is perhaps where the Micro has encountered the most criticism. Why, in many gamers' opinion, would Nintendo release yet another Advance-based Game Boy (a lineup that already includes the original Game Boy Advance and Advance SP) that (upon release) costs more than the SP yet offers less functionality? For those who already own an Advance-compatible console, that is a legitimate question. From my standpoint, however, it didn't apply - I've never owned any handheld gaming console. So not only did I not have an extensive library of previous-gen cartridges with which to expect compatibility, but I also conceded to the assumption that I would find little value in purchasing older Game Boy games to play on my Micro. Therein lies the primary value of the Micro - for the consumer that does not have a history with the Game Boy franchise. Those who already own the Advance SP will not necessarily find the Micro to be a valuable addition to their collection, unless they are strictly looking for an extremely portable version of the Game Boy.

Design and Features

The Micro is the smallest Game Boy yet - 2" tall, 4" wide, and .7" thick, weighing in at 2.8 ounces - yet has a feel of impeccable build quality. You really cannot perceive the Micro's micro-ness until you hold it in your hands. No comparison picture for scale can do it justice. Its weight is just right, not too light, and certainly not too heavy. As a result, you can hold it at many angles without fatigue. It's rather striking appearance garners attention from onlookers, too - with just two buttons and a directional-pad on the face of the unit, the shape and size make it look like a hybrid between a cell phone and MP3 player. Ironic then that the Micro's design borrows so heavily from the original NES controller while managing to remain so contemporary. The option to switch out the faceplate is yet another nod to the contemporary cell-phone customization fad, and there's nothing wrong with that. As a complaint, however, the faceplates exhibit some convex curvature to follow the Micro's shape, yet they only attach at the lateral edges of the case. Thus, there is a slight looseness to the faceplate's attachment if you press on it toward the middle (near the screen, for example). This isn't necessarily an issue while playing games, however, as it generally takes close inspection to notice any faceplate looseness.

The 2" back-lit screen, as described by Nintendo as the best Game Boy screen yet, is very impressive indeed. Sure, it's diminutive at 2", but the clarity, brightness, and crisp detail combine to create an excellent gaming experience. Text legibility and clarity is also not a problem. I have so far been amazed at the ability of a 2" screen to create such an enveloping game experience. As with any LCD screen, some color change is apparent from different viewing angles - however, this screen suffers from this effect far less than comparable devices, and can be easily seen from a decent tilt away from on-axis viewing. I have yet to use the Micro in a sunny, outdoor environment, but the multi-setting backlit screen should at least help increase visibility somewhat. On a side note, I have not experienced eye-strain or headaches from hours of gameplay - but some users have noted their occurrence. Perhaps it takes some getting used to, but I would suppose that anyone comfortable with other similarly sized gaming devices should find the Micro's screen to be of exceptional quality.

The standard START and SELECT buttons are on the bottom-middle of the face and are rather small to add to the sleekness of the Micro. As an added feature, these buttons act as a battery-level monitoring system. If they glow blue upon start-up, then the battery level is fine. A red glow at start-up indicates the batteries are low, and if they glow red during gameplay, then the unit should be recharged promptly. Nothing revolutionary, but a nice touch.

On that note, the lithium-ion rechargeable battery is another strong point. It is rated for 7 to 13 hours playback, depending on volume and screen brightness settings, and recharges fairly rapidly in around 3 hours. I have found that the battery life is quite good, falling somewhere within the specs (without official timing, of course). Another common complaint regarding the Micro is that it uses a proprietary charge and link port - but again, this is a minor issue to those consumers who are new to the Game Boy franchise. The A/C adaptor is included in the box, but linking accessories are not.

I am pleased that the Micro does have a standard 1/8" headphone port, unlike the SP, which required a proprietary adapter. The built-in speaker is, as one would expect, quite small, and as a result sounds rather tinny at times. Beyond any gripes about sound quality, I'm more concerned with not bothering those around me - so I use headphones most of the time to keep the gaming to myself. The added bonus of fuller stereo sound only adds to the experience, too. The volume button toggles up and down on the right side of the Micro - hold down the L shoulder button and it functions as the brightness control as well. I've found that the second-to-lowest brightness setting is quite vibrant for indoor use. Keeping it at a lower setting also helps extend battery life as well. As yet another (lengthy) side note, Nintendo has been manufacturing (only available upon import in the US) an Advance-compatible cartridge that facilitates MP3 and video playback for some time now. The cartridge holds an SD flash memory card and also features its own headphone port (due to the SP's lack of a traditional 1/8" port). Although I'm a firm believer that few multi-function devices perform up to my standards in all aspects, I think marketing the Micro with the "Play-Yan" cartridge (as it is called) in the US might have created a little more fervor. Having an MP3 player about the size of the iPod mini with the Micro's gaming capabilities (and game library) might have created quite a splash - but it is not certain whether Nintendo ever intends to bring the Play-Yan to the US. As such, it feels like the Micro hasn't been given its full potential to compete in the US market, although I'm perfectly satisfied with using my Micro as a gaming unit only.

Controls and Ergonomics

The Micro features the same controls as the other Advance-series Game Boys - a D-pad, A and B buttons, and two "shoulder" or "trigger" buttons (L and R, atop the unit). The controls are laid out well, although I too needed to spend some time with the Micro before the shoulder buttons felt entirely natural. The problem with the shoulder buttons is that they engage, or click, at their inner-most position - whereas my (and others', too) index fingers want to push the triggers at their outer edge. The importance of these buttons of course depends upon the game, but I found a few hours of F-Zero: Maximum Velocity and Mario Kart: Super Circuit sufficient in training my index fingers to use the shoulder buttons efficiently.

The perception of the Micro's ergonomics is entirely up to the individual. Although I have found it to be laid out in an intuitive and (mostly) natural configuration, others (such as those with much larger hands than me) may completely disagree. Imagine smoothing out the edges of an NES controller and adding shoulder buttons, and you've essentially envisioned the Micro's layout.

Games

As mentioned, the Micro can only play Advance cartridges - which limits you to only about 700 games. Sarcasm aside, the number of games you'll want to own depends on your genres of choice, as well as your age. An inherent fact of the portable gaming market is that it is disproportionately skewed toward children (which is only understandable). Thus, I'm not sure how many adults will want to play games like "That's So Raven" or one of the Barbie titles (or at least admit to playing them). Still, though, there are a number of excellent titles in a vast array of gaming genres, although the just-above SNES computing power of the Game Boy Advance consoles limits some genres more than others (3D perspective racing comes to mind).

It is both unfortunate and understandable that Nintendo has decided to only port over the Mario-series platformers. On one hand, you can only expect Nintendo to at least make one Mario platform game unique to the Advance series, but conversely, it makes sense from a game-development cost standpoint that only pre-existing titles would be ported from previous versions. That said, the Mario titles have been top-notch, and are some of the must-have cartridges for this console. Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island is really a breathtaking display of what this system is capable of, and if you're like me, you missed it the first time it was released in the twilight days of the SNES.

Future development of the Advance console and games is questionable, as no one is really quite sure when Nintendo will cease to support the ageing format. One can only hope they release a few more must-have titles prior to moving on to their primary focus (DS) and future developments. Currently, one benefit of the ageing console is that many games are being placed into lesser price categories (like the Player's Choice, a.k.a. 'greatest hits', collection). Games like Yoshi's Island are now only $20 new, which seems like a steal for such a wonderful game.

Overall

As a newcomer to the Game Boy Advance console, I've found the Micro to be an exceptional portable gaming device. The layout is natural and comfortable in my hands, and the build quality is quite good as well. The diminutive size of the aptly-titled Micro makes it supremely portable - as it can rest in a pocket with very little disturbance. I cannot strongly recommend the Micro for young children, as it does feel somewhat unprotected and vulnerable to damage. The clamshell design of the SP still makes it the most durable iteration of the Advance lineup. For an adult looking for a real gaming experience on the go (as compared to cell-phone games) that is extremely portable and affordable, the Game Boy Micro is second to none.

Some of the harshest criticism of the Micro that I've encountered has come from PSP (PlayStation Portable) owners - because, yes, the PSP offers capabilities and graphics well beyond any other portable currently offered. The entire Micro console is in fact smaller than the PSP's screen. While I admire the PSP's capabilities, design, and graphical prowess - I cannot justify the price, especially considering my status as just a "part-time" gamer. Comparing the PSP to the Micro is a matter of apples and oranges, as the two provide two distinctly different gaming experiences and really serve different purposes entirely. The PSP offers multimedia capabilities right out of the box, and has a stunning, huge LCD screen with which watching movies on the go actually makes sense. That said, it offers less battery life and is somewhat less portable due to its size. These aren't necessarily negative qualities - they're just a few of the factors that should be considered to determine which portable gaming system is right for you. Both the PSP and Game Boy Micro should be able to coexist peacefully.

Bottom Line

If you enjoy Game Boy Advance games or are looking for the most portable Game Boy ever made, the Micro comes highly recommended (for adults or "older" children). 5 stars.