Game Boy Advance SP
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Nintendo_Game_Boy_Advance_SP.jpg
The Game Boy Advance SP, released in March, 2003, is an upgrade to Nintendo's Game Boy Advance. The "SP" stands for "Special"—not "Special Project" as some assume.[1] (http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/gameboyadvance_sp/faq.jsp#sp)
Improvements over the original Game Boy Advance include an internal frontlight, a rechargeable lithium ion battery and a clamshell design. The GBA SP is approximately half the width of the GBA when closed and roughly the height of Nintendo's Game Boy Color when open. The clamshell design also protects the screen from scratches and dust. Due to form factor limitations, Nintendo removed the headphone jack, which had been included on all previous Game Boy models. Headphones can only be attached with an optional adapter that plugs into the same port as the charger/AC adapter. It can be found at Nintendo's North American Online Store (http://store.nintendo.com), and is available for purchase in brick and mortar stores in Japan and Europe.
The battery is similar to that of most mobile phones and lasts approximately 18 hours with the light off and 10 hours with it on.
Nintendo claimed that technological advances made it possible for the SP to include an internal light and a rechargeable battery and launch at the same price as the original had launched at in 2001 ($99.99 USD). An additional motivation may have been a need to respond to Triton Labs' Afterburner aftermarket internal light kit, which proved that the original GBA could support an internal light with an acceptable drop in battery life.
GBASP_HeadphoneAdapter.jpg
In September 2004, Nintendo announced that the Game Boy Advance SP's price would drop to $79.99 USD.
The GBA SP has been accompanied in the marketplace by the Nintendo DS; Nintendo has described the latter system as a "third pillar" alongside its home console line and the Game Boy range (with the GBA's marketplace successor to follow at a later date).
See also
fr:Game Boy Advance SP nl:Gameboy Advance SP ja:ゲームボーイアドバンスSP zh:Game Boy Advance SP