Game Boy Micro to be portable media player?
By Barb Dybwad 
posted May 28th 2005 12:50PM
posted May 28th 2005 12:50PM
A recent interview with Nintendo's VP George Harrison suggests the company is thinking of marketing the
Game Boy Micro as a portable media device
by bundling it with the Play-Yan adapter — the device
that lets you play MP3s or MP4 videos stored on SD cards on your Game Boy Advance SP or Nintendo DS. The Play-Yan
module is going for about $70 in Asia right now, and it seems like bringing it to wider distribution in the States
would be a smart idea regardless. Bundling it with the Game Boy Micro could position that device as more of a direct a
competitor to the PSP, although there's still
no getting around that 2-inch screen.
[Via I4U]
[Thanks, James for the pic]
Well, they still have time to redesign it with a bigger screen. If there's enough bad press about the screen size, maybe it will grow a little.
Wishful thinking though.
are they serious? I mean come on this is rediculous. 70 dollars to buy the module that is able to play the SD cards for multimedia content on a 2in. screen!!!! Horible waist. Get a PSP if you want a gameplayer/multimedia device.
Actually the Play-Yan is $50.00 in asia and $70.00 if you want to import it... It fits into a Nintendo DS and al models of GBA, plays Mp3, Mp4 and gives more battery life than the PSP... having said all that.. is just a cool add on, but the interfase is kinda lame. It would be good if they have added touch screen suport... This is not gonna be competitor for a good MP3 player, but this and a GBA micro is a nice Multimedia player for kids. Sorry for my english.
dude, mp3 player? the video content is nice, but if you've ever had any special portables (PSP, PDA, Smartphones) you would know that video on the go is just a gimmick.
there aren't many moments where you can sit quitely and watch a video.
but the size of gameboy micro makes it PERFECT for a portable mp3 player ... that plays GBA games!
I say, Nintendo, bundle it and make it cheap and then we'll buy it like sheep!
Agreed with tjmasco. It's a cool idea, and it wouldn't be too bad for music, but I can't imagine using this for watching video.
I would also really hesitate to saying this brings it closer to being as competitor to the PSP. GBA has always been about gaming, not audio or video. In fact, my PSP is rarely used for non-gaming applications...
I guess it's good to have the option to play audio/video on your handheld of choice, but this convergence thing is getting a bit crazy. I have my iPod that is about the size of the GBMicro and holds much more. My laptop will play movies either on DVD or off the hard drive, with a bigger screen. I want my handheld game devices to play games!
I actually don't mind the 2" screen if that means I can take it with me where ever I go without it pulling my pants down. I've got enough stuff to lug around as it is (keys, wallet, N-GageQD, iPod), I only have enough room left in my pockets for the smallest stuff. Now if Nintendo and Nokia and Apple would get together and make the Game Boy N-Gage iPod with built-in wallet and keychain, that would be perfect for me.
IF they manage to keep this extremely, extremely affordable i think its a smart move. i don't really see the micro catching on unless its pretty cheap (which would be the only reason why i'd buy it...considering i already own a DS). hmm, as of now im a bit weary about the micro. i guess we'll see.
In response to shin; I actually use the video feature on my PSP a decent amount; I watch my anime whenever I have 20mins+ to kill, while I have tonyhawk in the UMD drive to just kill a few minutes seeing as its gameplay is non-linear. Just depends on who you are... but I still cant imagine watching A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G on that screen.. video, or even gaming.. just would rather play on a cell phone at that rate...
Nintendo should've put an SD card on the device itself. What a missed opportunity.
I just envy children who can nad this gorgeous gameboy.
I couldn't imagine this kind of thing come out with affordable price ten years ago.
I have a little bit more of a revision to my first post. I happen to have an Iriver H320 which has a 2in screen and it is somewhat viewable but nothing compared to the PSP's screen which I have also watched. As for mp3's, I don't know what sound quality the mini gameboy will have but judging on the gameboy andvance and even the DS, it won't be CD quality sound, this point my be not true depending on what sound quality it is capable of. For size, the mini gameboy has an advantage over PSP, but then again, my Iriver is about the same size and has nice 20gig hardrive in it.
Video on the go is only viable for short content, maybe an hour show at most. This is a perfect size to take anywhere. I, for one, am very excitied at where the price will drop to if bundled together.
http://stateofthearts.blogspot.com/2005/05/film-project-lil-pmp.html
" tjmasco
are they serious? I mean come on this is rediculous. 70 dollars to buy the module that is able to play the SD cards for multimedia content on a 2in. screen!!!! Horible waist. Get a PSP if you want a gameplayer/multimedia device."
Lets see now, 70 dollars plus 100$ gba sp or whatever GBA compatible thing you want to use, versus 250 for PSP and an extra 100$ or so for a decent card. You see, thats where PSP fails to do what Sony wants it to do. It costs too much to do everything and just adds to the price when all somebody wants it for is to play games. Nintendos decision to leave the multimedia support seperate allows for the system itself not to cost an arm and a leg. And if you can't live with the screen put the Play Yan into a GB Player or a DS for a better screen.
The Play-yan has its own stereo-out jack. so sound quality is much better than from the GBA/NDS outs.
I've got a PSP and an Imported Play Yan . The PSP is nice for big movies but the Play Yan just ROCKS for day to day use. First off the cost of SD is half that of the MS pro duo cards. 1 GB of MS pro duo costs the same as a DS. Secondly a PSP is bulky, heavy, fragile and easily stolen all of which mitigate against use during travel. This is further complicated by the limited battery life. On the other hand the DS and SP GBAs have a much better battery life and are far more inconspicuous and rugged. When Traveling I can choose between the lovely screen of the DS or the smaller form factor of the SP (the Play Yan has a nice brightness control which greatly compensates for the limitations of the SP screen as well as an integrated headphone jack and amplifier). The first thing I thought of as the Mini was announced was: "Now I can take my PlayYan eveywhere!"
For regular travel the play yan/SP with a 1 GB SD card verges on the ideal Portable video solution. A Play Yan Mini combo Deal (with a dicount coupon fo the DS or SP) would be a PSP killer.
"70 dollars plus 100$ gba sp or whatever GBA compatible thing you want to use"
so 170 to watch movies. think of this.
sure 250 is more then 170. but also... for 250, you get a bigger screen at a higher resolution. and you have a collection of movies already.
The gba would be good for porn in a tiny bathroom stall.
"70 dollars plus 100$ gba sp or whatever GBA compatible thing you want to use"
so 170 to watch movies. think of this.
sure 250 is more then 170. but also... for 250, you get a bigger screen at a higher resolution. and you have a collection of movies already.
The gba would be good for porn in a tiny bathroom stall.
naysayers: no way! this can't compete with the psp! small screen! $70!
me: it's definantly less than $300 for everything, I give it a thumbs up, great game platform, this is a cool secondary feature, in time, someone will probably hack it to allow software for it, or hack it to run snes game roms & others (assuming you legaly own 'em!) imagine carrying your entire game collection on a card and your micro!
Unintended side effect: Hardcore gangbang porn on a Nintendo system.
I don't care for movies..but I like where this is going...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v115/morningstarrising/20years.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v115/morningstarrising/20years3.jpg
Is that movie playing, Episode III????
nice injection.... I like it
i agree nintendo should have just added the sd slot and some mp3/photo/videothing to the unit itself. maybe if they added the ds slot they could make that clunky play-on a little less bulking and actually fit inside the gba slot.
i didn't mean to say ds slot. i meand to say sd slot.
"Unintended side effect: Hardcore gangbang porn on a Nintendo system."
haha... you'll be lucky to see a nip on that screen. this will only be a novelty. to be honest who would want to watch movies in such tiny screen. smaller than most newer cellphones.
Maybe they should have just build the functionality into the device to begin with, rather than some make-shift thing. Im still interested in the sound and video quality though - Im not expecting much though.
People, people. There is an easy solution to the small screen.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresnel_lens
Mmm, blurry...
I think that would be a great idea. A cheap multimedia device. I am so over paying $250 for a PSP to watch movies. It needs to be cheap enough that I don't care if I don't watch any movies on it.
lik-sang.com gba movie player plays more files and is cheaper.
does anyone have any idea about how much the actual game boy micro console will be?
No one's going to be watching movies on a 2" screen, I think. But then, aren't people all hot and bothered about video on their cell phones? Maybe it's not completely far-fetched.
A few quick facts, though: we have no idea how much the GBAM will cost; the cost to do video on a PSP is more than $250 (you'll need a memory card, at least 512MB, 1GB preferred); there are plenty of places where watching video would be cool, either in short or long spurts (be it sitting on the can or riding the train to work).
Kind of a funny learn by trial and error story:
So the other day it was nice and sunny on campus. I was coming out of the library and had a couple of hours to kill. I had just gotten my PSP the night before, so I decided to sit out in the nice weather and watch Kill Bill on my PSP. So I whip it out and get it going, or I should say TRIED to get it going. The sun glare on the thing was un-friggin-believable. I ended up having to empty my backpack and put it on my head to block the sun. Luckily I have a fairly big backpack, so it wasn't too uncomfortable. I did start feeling dizzy about the time Uma was kicking ass in the club with Lucy Liu. The good news is that I didn't pass out, but the bad news is that the battery died on me. I played with it after it did its initial charge for a little bit, but the movie watching must suck the juice right out of the thing. I just decided to save the ending for when I get home...on my DVD player.
I've since sent a letter to Sony suggesting that they incorporate a solar panel in their screen, since it seems to do so well reflecting/absorbing light rays.
Is anyone else thinking that this could be used (or something similar) in conjunction with the revolution to download gba games and play on the ds or micro?
Nanoloop or LSDJ anyone? If the audio is any good this seems perfect.
I've been real eager to see the micro in real life for a good taste of what it will be like when I get it. Many people say that the screen is too small or that my hands will get all cramped up but I disagree. With all the kids that text each other on phones and play games on their phones, I think they are being hipocritical. The GBmicro is a great improvement for Nintendo and will really score with the more traveling audience. I also love that it has interchangable faceplates. That is a complete new for Nintendo. I was really suprizes by that one, even though you can go to Decalgirl.com and get stick on decals for any system. I'm just waiting until they anounce whether or not its going to have an extended battery life.
How about keeping the play-yan, sell off the Micro and get a SP or DS which has a larger screen.
How about keeping the play-yan, sell off the Micro and get a SP or DS which has a larger screen.
All i know is that it will have a rechargeable battery. I really hope that it has the play-yan thing.
kp:"How about keeping the play-yan, sell off the Micro and get a SP or DS which has a larger screen."
How about...no. Well ofcourse keep the play-yan. But why would you sell off the micro? Its a great opportunity to get a handheld that is actually "portable". You could carry it around anywhere. Plus the screen is small, but it is way more clear than the SP and DS.
Hey, guys. Maybe some of us don't want to pay $250 to get a psp? Plus, the psp is fricking huge. Might as well just get a tv.
i think thats awsome, you can still see on a 2-inch screen, and it has more battery life that that gay PSP thingy. so then i can watch movie over and over againg, and then hide it real easyly whe im in school. i think it will be awsome.
my cousin who is visitng wowed me with his psp . . i love the screen, video, and wifi (i dont care too much for the games . . that is what halo 2 is for) and i dont like the price, size, and battery life. so somehting like a gb micro or sp would be perfect . . . i was wondering if anyone here has fired up some video on this thing and could post pics or videos . . think . . something that wieght a few ounces, no moving parts, great battery, plays video off of cheap flash memory . . . for around $100 plus cf card if you get an $80 sp with the movie player from liksang.
I have a GBA-micro and really love it, especially with the headphone jack missing on the GBA-SP. (yes, there was a doohickey, easily lost)
However I think Nintendo jumped the shark by disallowing the use of my favorite older GB games. Ever heard of downward compatibility?
Although the contact interface is the same, there are plastic cutouts on GBA cartridges, and square protrusions in the Micro which block GB carts!
I plan to mill an old cart to fit, and if it works in the micro, I will take apart the micro and grind down the protrusions.
It may not work if the software actually checks the type of cartridge, refusing to play old games.
It seems to me to require a class action lawsuit on fake obsolence.
This add-on is sweet. Totally worth $70. The interface is beautiful, navigating directories is a breeze, and in my opinion, much nicer than any iPod. Even though i couldn't read the Japanese instruction booklet, i figured out all the button presses within seconds (eg, L+R puts it the GB micro to "sleep", turning off the screen). MP3s play w/ no problem, but when it comes to video, you'll need something like QuickTime pro to export your videos to MP4 (the only video format it recognizes).