NINTENDO ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF GAME BOY ADVANCE SP

Nintendo unveils the latest incarnation of the Game Boy Advance, the Game BoyAdvance SP. Guaranteed to meet the needs of the hippest gamers who demandpremium quality both in design and technology, this sleek new addition to therange is set to launch in Europe on 28 March 2003.

Infamous for pioneering the genre of handheld gaming, from the very first Game &Watch games of the 1980s to the hugely successful Game Boy Advance launchedin 2001, Nintendo has now given the console a completely new ultra stylishdesign to appeal to the most style conscious consumers of handheld technologyworldwide.

The Game Boy Advance SP is a truly pocket-sized gadget, at only 84.6mm fromfront to back, 82mm wide, and an incredibly svelte 24.3mm thin. Nintendo hasintroduced further innovations to suit its new image, including a flip-topscreen with an integrated front screen light, plus a rechargeable lithiumbattery similar to those found in mobile phones, offering gamers over 10 hoursof continuous illuminated game-play. When the front light is turned off, thecontinual play increases to approximately 18 hours.

The console will be available in 3 premium metallic finishes, silver, black andblue, and the Game Boy Advance SP has the same powerful capabilities whichhave propelled the success of Game Boy Advance across Europe.

All current and future Game Boy Advance games are compatible with the newsystem. And similarly, Game Boy Advance SP is backwards compatible, allowinguse with virtually all games and accessories previously released in the GameBoy line. In 2003 there will be over 60 new games hitting the shelvesincluding Formula One, and Rayman 3 Hoodlum Havoc from Ubi Soft,and Super Monkey Ball jr from Infogrames, all of which will find aperfect home on the Game Boy Advance SP.

David Gosen, Managing Director, Nintendo of Europe stated,“With the launch of Game Boy Advance SP, Nintendo will be able to placetheir gaming expertise into the hands of new users who value outstanding designas highly as technology. There’s an incredible range of games already available,and an ever-increasing number designed for players who may not have held aconsole since the days of Tetris. Following the incredible success of theGame Boy Advance, this is a very exciting time for Nintendo and an exceptionalstart to 2003.”

Game Boy Advance SP will be available across Europe from March 28th 2003,priced at around €129 – €139.

• New pocket size and foldable with flip-top screen that enables an even more compact size
• Dimension are 82mm Wx 84.6H x 24.3D and it weighs approximately 143g
• New integrated self-contained LCD screen light
• New built in rechargeable Lithium Ion battery that enables approximately 10 hours of continual game play with approximately 3 hours of recharging time
• When the front light is turned off, the continual play increases to approximately 18 hours.
• Three premium metallic colour variants (silver, black and blue)
• Up to 32,000 simultaneous colours
• Display Size: 40.8mm x 61.2mm
• Resolution: 240 x 160 dot
• 32-bit CPU with embedded memory
• Multiplayer mode for up to 4 players with Game Link cable
• Compatible with virtually all existing Game Boy & Game Boy Advance games

News page content input by Dominic Robinson, 2003.