Nintendo @ E3: Hands on with the Game Boy Micro
By Peter Rojas 
posted May 18th 2005 9:59PM
posted May 18th 2005 9:59PM
They didn't have a Nintendo Revolution lying around, but we did have a chance to get up close and personal with the brand new Game Boy Micro. Very slick little package, but that squint-inducing LCD screen is definitely pushing the limits of how small a screen on a portable game console can get and still be useable.
Wow that is Small
wow... that's one tiny screen
I want one.
Those are stupid
Wow I want one of these bad. I'm going to see if I can trade in my SP for one of these when they come out. :) I would get the black one that you guys showed earlier, that is if they ever come out with one like that; 'cause then it could match my PSP. :D
I agree with everything here.
the screen is way too small... pretty useless...
It's so small, I could eat it in one bite...
I'd rather have an SP so screen doesn't get scratched. I just wish they added 2 more buttons so I could play games just like on the super nintendo.
I'm not too familiar with the SP, but does it (and this) have two shoulder buttons? It looks like it does, but I don't know for sure.
If it does, is it possible to hold that and be able to hit the shoulder buttons and the A B buttons at the same time? It seems too small to me, but I guess I have to see it in person.
what is the price point? This is one Nintendo product I actually desire.
What a load of crap. How many advance handhelds do we really need? The screen size is just lame, and the controls at such a small scale are probably awkward... well, at least not for small children. But then again, that's been Nintendo's preferred demographic since the beginning.
This is kind of cool I guess. The screen size could end up being a problem, but it seems like Nintendo's shooting for a very low price point.
Hell, I'd pick one up for $50-$60 range.
at leaast its got a headphone port. Way to go NintenDO!
Like some have said, if it was cheap enough I would get one. I don't know why, but I would. Maybe my PSP can have sex with it.
This thing would have come out a long time ago, but I had to hide this uncomfortable hunk of metal in my @$$ for 5 years.
It looks about the size of a psp screen.
"it looks about the size of a PSP screen". NO! The PSP's screen is the finest in the industry in quality and size. I bet you could fit 2-4 Micro screens in the PSP's.
"Maybe my PSP can have sex with it."
hahaha
"It looks about the size of a psp screen."
You're crazy.....have you seen the psp, look at his thumb compared to the micro....
I think thehebrewhammer meant that the entire unit is about the same size as a PSP screen.
Easy Zach.
He meant the entire system looks about the size of the PSP screen.
And I refuse to get into PSP screen quality issues.
zach..
*slow clap.. nice one.. you picked up on sarcasm..
I REALLY hope Nintendo listens to people on this.. it looks uncomfortable with the shoulder buttons, like.. it might be TOO SMALL..
Nin, no one really asked for a 2 oz Gameboy or whatever this is.. release it ONLY if it's comfortable to play and that screen is feasible.
The bottom line is most people on here have cell phones with small screens, and no one squints. Okay? I'm looking at my cell phone, a Siemens..looks to have about a 1.5" screen (diagonal).. This GB is a 2" diagonal...
dS has 3 inch, and PSP has 4 inch.. AFAIK
so the biggest worry is the l and r buttons, are they comfortable?
Nintendo wants people to shell out for their 3rd GBA system in almost as many years. The Micro will be obsolete when the GBA 2 arrives.
I don't think the screew ill be that bad, I mean, if you look at the comparison with the Treo, and then compare a Treo to another Gameboy model I'd say the Micro's screen is not too bad. It's bigger than a cellphone's screen, and you all have to admit that you've played cellphone games.
And you will be able to hit the shoulder buttons while pressing the other buttons, just like the SNES controllers. Your other fingers will support it, as well your thumb pressing the button will help as well.
That guy has HUGE hands on the first and last pic, it didn't look that small in the IGN hands on pic
http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/615/615202p1.html
Either that or it's the guy who took the pictures fault for tilting the unit, and getting it an angle.
Hmm I'd still get it if it was ranged in the 45-50 dollars
If it could make phone calls I'd be interested... Otherwise it's just a rehash of old tech. I'll stick with my scratched up on the outside, clean on the inside SP.
if it's really really really cheap, i'll buy it...lol
yes!! that is small but i don't think the screen is any smaller than the game boy color?? i still have my game boy color and i measured the screen and its the same size.i bet it's going to retail around $60 to $75. dose anybody know if this game boy has a rechargable battery?
Virtuous,
It is already made obsolete by the DS. The micro is not ment to be the next big thing, just something neat to spend $50-60 on.
Crafty Japanese with their small hands, thinking their better than us...
ketch,
Those are my hands, fool! And believe you me, they're not actually that big; the Micro is actually pretty micro.
Best,
Ryan
Thank you for that "crafty japanese" comment,klinko.Yeah we make it so small that you americans can't play it!! LOL *crafty*
the important thing is - how is the screen? sharper than the SP? or as good as the SP? backlit? how heavy is it? how's the tactile response of the buttons? and are they attached to girl's hips like psps? ;D
So how does it feel when you play it, Ryan? Feel like your hands would get cramped up after extended play time?
From the IGN article:
-EXT port on top for charging the internal battery (btwn the L and R shoulder buttons) and "as a plug-in for the link cable dongle that will be made for the unit."
-smaller screen than the GBA/GBA SP
-brighter, more vibrant screen than the SP ("text is completely legible even at the slightly smaller size")
-allows your hands to spread out a little more than the SP.
seaotter,
It's pretty good, but not the best I've ever seen. The backlight is great, and it's very light. The buttons felt pretty decent, but that's kind of one of those things you have to play for a while to really know.
Lars,
Let's just say this: I'll probably be buying one.
Best,
Ryan
I would be a Nintendo whore for one of these!
Nice. I think it's a neat little gadget. May not be intended for hours of use, but great for a quick game fix. If it's like 60 bucks or so I'd get one, even though I have an SP and a DS. Screen looks pretty sturdy.
it would be great if the thing had a wirless link capability built in
I think the button layout is lame.
How many of you here would rather have 4 buttons up front without the lame shoulder buttons???
This thing is just asking to be made into a belt buckle!
Kos: "How many of you here would rather have 4 buttons up front without the lame shoulder buttons???"
Uhm.... no.
cool! i was responded :P
anyhow, any idea on the pricing from the people at the nintendo booth? this is the one i can buy and slip into a jeans pocket and wont feel anything!
videos of the gameboy micro in action:
http://e32005.textamerica.com/?r=2535490
Lots more pics/videos at the rest of the MoBo as well...
http://e32005.textamerica.com/
Dude, to imagine, the controllers we all used to use with NES' now can play games by themselves. I am forsure going to get one of those.
Xbox360 is nice, PS3 is awesome, and yeah Revolution could be revolution. But I don't think I'll buy them soon after it's been released.
Gameboy Micro is just there with a decent design. It's not great, not fast, outside next-generation war... but... I'm getting one. Instead of buying one of powerful game consoles, I'm getting this tiny classy-named portable where highest fun is guaranteed on lowest risk. Hell, even this company has stupidly(by good mean) been offering oldest games with latest supports. I think that's why Nintendo is standing on the game industry so strong.
Does anyone remember the iPod shuffle ad with the shuffle next to the pack of gum? They should do one with the new gameboy. Don't eat THIS, either.
Imagine attaching an e-reader to that! :)
If they release that Play Yan thing in the US, this would rock as an mp3 player.
Hey, I need a new keering! They'lle be giving these away in cereal packets soon...
I think this thing is going to make a fortune for Nintendo. If they get it to fall into the $50 price range, it's going to lure every 5-10 year olds parents away from making the leap to get a whole console. Also, think of the two-three kid households where the kids fight over the GBA- parents will scoop up one of these and be heroes of the household.
They'll also be able to re-market their games, and make more profit without having to develop any new software. Seems like a great business move.
One another token- do you think Revolution will have downloadable version of portable games as well? And would it be a stretch for them to release, in the future, a gameboy system that would also be able to download from this massive library...?
I thought it was pretty comfortable to hold but the screen was a little hard on the eyes especially if you plan on playing rpgs on it.
i will probably pick one up.
this would be perfect if it was also a cellphone and mp3 and video player! lol
mp - it wouldn't be too much to believe that, since it's been announced that the ds can wirelessly link up to your revolution, and since there are wireless adapters out for the gba sp, you could probably be able to download handheld games onto your revolution then onto your gameboy...this would be awesome...
no matter what anyone says/predicts, micro is going to be sweet, and no i dont think that the buttons would be to close to the L/R for it to be uncomfortable (lest us not forget dinosaur type finger formation you get from PS2) try holding the cornerd of a remote control, its kinda comfortable, and squinting eyes is all about lighting and distance, you get sore eyes from a pocket pc screen cause its too close to the eyes, i dont think nintendo would make something that isnt fully functional.
Of course the screen will be sharper, for obvious reasons it must have the same pixel count as the SP, but in a smaller space.
Also, keep in mind that this is the only device released at E3 that has already been hacked! ;)
My gawd man! I can't even fit that in my hands!
Seeing the new photo's I think I'll pick one of these fella's up - damn that thing is slick.
Nintendo are maybe finally realising that style is important, it doesn't really mattter to me (I've not got a problem with my platinum Cube) but both new bits of Hardware are kick ass.
Let's just hope the Revo prototype only changes in size, and the Micro isn't much more than the price of a game.
I personally think its awsome. I mean, the screan is definatly bigger than almost all cell phones, and I know that almost all of us play games on our cell phones. Wouldnt be awsome to play GBA games on that small a device? I think so.
Check out the size of those thumbs!! They are huge!
Get used to the design -- because in a year you'll see the same form factor with a second screen. Hello, DS SP.
It's so small it should only cost $30 retail.
... and look at that thumb. it will accidentally press A and B at the same time by mistake.
Wow.. this is small... but there's a certain cool factor about it. I still want one, even with it's obvious size limitations.
Some obvious questions that I don't remember seeing answers to yet:
- will it work with pre-GBA carts?
- price point?
- battery life?
As for the price point, it would be pretty crazy to sell this for the same price or more than the current GBA SP. My guess would be $49.95. At that price, it should fly off store shelves. At the same time, this pretty much guarantees no foreseeable price reductions on the current GBA SP.
As for the obvious, I think their target consumer is someone who already has a GBA and wants something smaller to take everywhere. I don't see a lot of first time GB users buying this one. Almost like the iPod Shuffle as a more portable option than the iPod 20gb.
looks like it was made for Japanese hands...
My phone plays NES games on its 2.2" screen and I can't imagine playing on something smaller, let alone trying to use the shoulder buttons.
Hello everybody!
I just wondered if anyone know how to make the buttons on the Treo 650 look like the picture? And what does the icon in the top middle mean?
Kindest regards
Andr?
I don't know what kind of tiny little freak hands you people have. The hands aren't big, the stupid thing is small.
That is dead sexy
I thought the Micro would be too small for my hands (8.75 inches from bottom of palm to middle finger tip 10 inch span pinky to thumb), but it fits just fine. I played as long as the chick holding them could stand me. The whole while I was playing the screen although small, was clear because it's backlit. My hands didn't hurt at all.
It has all the buttons of the SP AND the top is VERY tough. The lady said that it can stand up pretty well inside a pocket without getting scratches.
You can put the dang thing on your keychain!! It's made of metal and very solid.
I should have asked about battery life, but I bet it is on par or will surpass the SP life (12~16 hours).
When the trend is to move to High-definition with BIG viewing area why would Nintendo run to do the opposite. Sure portability is great- but most true gamers will lug around their desktop if they have too, to get great quality. This will be of the shelf as soon as these get on. When they figure out how to project the display image into a holographic screen thats 15x15 then we will start looking at this type of portable gaming.
This could also be a great (albeit tiny) media player. The size of the cartriges are just big enought to fit one of those 4gb mini hard drives or can incorporate an sd slot. Put in a few movies or a bunch of mp3s and you can play, watch or listen.
Too bad it will never happen.........
Awesome idea bigjoe, movies on a 2 inch screen very well thought out.
It looks cool, but i dont know the screen is TINY!! but i think it would be good for extreme boredom. Does it even hav L & R buttons!?!?! Well if NINTENDO lets a good low enough price i'll be getting one.
Even if I only ever play WarioWare on this thing it'll be worth it. Kinda reminds me of those old digimon tamagotchi style things.
Oh, and come on, the smaller a bit of tech gets, the cheaper it AINT. Americans seem damn stingy in terms of price tags of electronics. The sp had an rrp of $160 in the uk up till a couple months ago so imagine our situation! We'll be expected to pay about 50 (say $100)when it comes out here! btw, gba cartridges still cost roughly $75 here so boo hoo. I'm gonna go away and cry now.
Show the top side already!!!!
Man does nintendo have some fools up in thier pocket. People are actually going to buy a third...THIRD GBA??? WTF? A.I have an SP with a bigger screen B.I have a PSP with a really big screen...oh yeah and much better graphics C. If I really need to I can play any of the multitude of GBA games on my PC...which has a really really big screen. Why the hell would I waste more money on another GBA. Come on people...is the GBA 2 really so far off you can't wait? Oh well...I guess peoples attention spans really are about 2 minutes.
That is a joke. It has a cellphone screen for chrissakes!
If they expect to kick Sony's balls with that thing, they are in for a rude awakening.
Nintendo needs to get their heads out of their asses before they find themselves on the outside looking in. But that's just my humble opinion.
Can anyone tell what game they're playing?
Its small...thats it. Sorry nintendo Too Late i bought a PSP it may b bulky bit i like something i can hange onto. not a ritz cracker that plays old games. GG nintendo give up on the GBA and make something new that doesnt suck as bad as the DS. Just because u repackage old crap that people "liked" doesnt mean the masses are gonna buy it. I admit its cool but NO sale for me.
pretty small indeed. i must say though, it would have been a better idea to give the DS a makeover rather than teh SP. The DS is so clunky and odly shaped. Kind of a surprise coming from Nintendo's usual designs and standards.
you guys are all nerds.
how much will the micro cost?
you guys are all n*rds!
i hate the ds. im glad that they made the micro. i will defenatly be bying one.
i think thee ds is worthless. it looks like a ancient toy compared to the psp. the micro is cool. but if nint4endo doesnt stop making new game boy so help me!
NERDS!
NERDS!
Nintendo is going to be selling buttloads of these Game Boy Micros. That my friend is smart business whether you haters like it or not. I think the haters are just afraid that maybe Nintendo has come up with another winning product that will sell tens of millions.
There are SOO many "iPod killers" out there that comes with a hugh color display, video capabilities, fm radio & all that mumbo jumbo; but guess what, they don't even come close to outselling the iPod. People are visual, so if a product is small,slim, & sexy, its flying off the shelves. That is the reason why the iPod mini (which is expensive in terms of gig) is outselling all other iPods right now. I forsee the same for the micro. It will be inexpensive, slim & sleek, & she will put out for hours in terms of battery life(Nintendo has never let us down in this dept). It's what I & many have been waiting for, a true portable. Storyline & Gameplay is way more important than graphics.
mabey it might be $10 $20. so ha ha to you rich people who think your the only ones that can buy one.
kevin, u are a bigger nerd, the micro looks great but i dont think its enuff, the next ten years will see a slow painful death for nintendo, like what happened to sega, its ashame because i love them both, R.I.P. sega, R.I.P. nintendo, soon to be gone but not forgotten
I am not a Nintendo hater. I'm a huge platformer fan and I love Zelda games. I still have my NES and N64 because I can't bear to part with them.
But I'm not partisan when it comes to videogames or systems either. I see no problem with owning as many different consoles or devices as you need, in order to enjoy all the games you want to play.
I love Nintendo, but I think they have been barking up all the wrong trees lately with their handhelds. The DS was kinda disappointing, and this thing to me just looks weak and trivial in the face of such innovative new gear as the PSP.
I certainly hope their new "Next Gen" console will be something to get excited about!
cmon guys... lets think here for half a second
game boy micro
+
http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=252&products_id=3983&
= ultimate portable media center
plus theres all the great exitsing gba games
God.. that screen looks way too small, like my eyes need to get any worse!! Im happy with my GBA SP!
I admit the thing looks cool, but the SP is small enough so no sale for me... besides chances are Nintendo will probably remake the Micro with a slightly bigger screen anyway, just like they remake everything else 50 million times!! Seriously,Nintendo has to stop re-releasing the same old crap over and over again!
logically and economically this is how i think of it. economically it will probably be pretty cheap and at a good price which makes it a good product at that. logically is all up to you. the screen is too small, the buttons arent right, it looks uncomfortable or it looks cool, sleak. i personally am gonna get one just because i dont need a ds or a psp or advance sp and it will be my first gaming handheld. its for the suburban or city kid who gets bored easily and doesnt want to carry around a bulky thing like a ds or psp and wants something cheap and affordable. im gonna get one because the screen doesnt bother me and it looks nice and will probably be cheap.
you all might want to read this for release date info, dimensions, and the hardware of this.
http://www.theregister.com/2005/05/18/nintendo_unveils_micro/
I don't think that the screen is small, the buttons, or anything else. i have an sp, but i don't like it cus it's way way way too big. i'm lookin forward to somthin the size of my hand, that i can hide from people (especially my cousins) just by holdin it behind my hand.
Man that thing looks SICK!!! I'm definitley gonna buy one of these suckers!
I don't think that the screen is small, the buttons, or anything else. i have an sp, but i don't like it cus it's way way way too big. i'm lookin forward to somthin the size of my hand, that i can hide from people (especially my cousins) just by holdin it behind my hand.
Man that thing looks SICK!!! I'm definitley gonna buy one of these suckers!
I'll probably be getting one if the screen doesn't bother me too much, and if its pretty cheap. Besides, i'll mostly be playing sonic advance 3 and that game isnt hard to see. Its gotta be better than playing on a crappy nokia n-gage, ive seen that thing at eb games and you need a freaking magnifying glass to see it!!!
I think that the game boy micro looks AWESOME!! I loved the feel and handle of the gba but the sp got uncomfortable and your hands got crampy after awhile. Now the feel is back and looks even more comfortable. The look of the gbm (game boy micro) is so cool and stylish. Also I love that it is that small so it fits perfectly in your pocket and it's great for a quick fix or an 8-hour long game run. One other thing that I thought was really smart and cool is the brightness adjuster so you can make it somewhat bright in the afternoon or you can have it as bright as it gets at night or in the car taking a road trip. I personnaly would like it to be max brightness. Well thats all I have to say thanks for reading.
I think that the game boy micro looks AWESOME!! I loved the feel and handle of the gba but the sp got uncomfortable and your hands got crampy after awhile. Now the feel is back and looks even more comfortable. The look of the gbm (game boy micro) is so cool and stylish. Also I love that it is that small so it fits perfectly in your pocket and it's great for a quick fix or an 8-hour long game run. One other thing that I thought was really smart and cool is the brightness adjuster so you can make it somewhat bright in the afternoon or you can have it as bright as it gets at night or in the car taking a road trip. I personnaly would like it to be max brightness. Well thats all I have to say thanks for reading.