GBA SP Game Changer
Written by Byron Blunk on 12/13/2003 for
GBA
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GBA SP Game Changer
Somewhere along the line, someone must have decided it was a huge pain in the butt to have to change games by hand with the GBA SP. Radica grabbed this bull by the horns and offered up a device to silence the cries of those pained by the hardship that is changing a game. By attaching the Gamester to your GBA SP, you’ll be able to plug in three games (or if you only have three games, your entire collection) and switch between them using a toggle on the side. It does just what it promises, but personally I’m not convinced this is something any of us would need.
Take a look at your GBA SP. Finally, Nintendo got it right. It folds up nice and neat, it has a sleek/thin design, it fits easily into your pocket and you don’t look like a complete nerd bringing it out at the airport or waiting for a meal. (Maybe still a partial nerd, but we’re all cool with that around here.) However, hook up the Gamester to it, and you’re whipping out a much bulkier piece of hardware that might boost your nerd image back to unacceptable levels. Thanks to the added bulk, your GBA SP is no longer an easy fit for your pocket. Also, without the Gamester you’d be able to pocket more than three games at a time.
Slots one and three keep their game neatly tucked away and blended into the edge of the unit, while slot two on the back leaves the game hanging out about a half of an inch outside of the unit. Handled incorrectly, say using it as a weapon in the woods versus a wild bear, you may be able to snap a game off that’s hanging out that far. Once your GBA SP is seated into the Gamester, the power switch is also much stiffer, making the unit more difficult to turn on.
So who would be interested in such a device? Well, I took it on two flights over the Thanksgiving holiday and can attest that it’s not the traveler. The convenience of not switching games didn’t make up for its added bulk that kept it out of my pocket and instead in my carry-on bag. Where it is more useful is on the can. If you keep your GBA near your porcelain throne to see if you can place #1 in Mario Kart while you’re dropping a #2, then the Gamester offers a solid alternative to keeping stray games, that could happen into your bowl, lying around your bathroom.
Take a look at your GBA SP. Finally, Nintendo got it right. It folds up nice and neat, it has a sleek/thin design, it fits easily into your pocket and you don’t look like a complete nerd bringing it out at the airport or waiting for a meal. (Maybe still a partial nerd, but we’re all cool with that around here.) However, hook up the Gamester to it, and you’re whipping out a much bulkier piece of hardware that might boost your nerd image back to unacceptable levels. Thanks to the added bulk, your GBA SP is no longer an easy fit for your pocket. Also, without the Gamester you’d be able to pocket more than three games at a time.
Slots one and three keep their game neatly tucked away and blended into the edge of the unit, while slot two on the back leaves the game hanging out about a half of an inch outside of the unit. Handled incorrectly, say using it as a weapon in the woods versus a wild bear, you may be able to snap a game off that’s hanging out that far. Once your GBA SP is seated into the Gamester, the power switch is also much stiffer, making the unit more difficult to turn on.
So who would be interested in such a device? Well, I took it on two flights over the Thanksgiving holiday and can attest that it’s not the traveler. The convenience of not switching games didn’t make up for its added bulk that kept it out of my pocket and instead in my carry-on bag. Where it is more useful is on the can. If you keep your GBA near your porcelain throne to see if you can place #1 in Mario Kart while you’re dropping a #2, then the Gamester offers a solid alternative to keeping stray games, that could happen into your bowl, lying around your bathroom.
Practical for the toilet gamer, but not much else. Unless you're big on playing games on the number 1 slot while dropping the number 2, you should probably pass on it.
Rating: 5 Flawed
* The product in this article was sent to us by the developer/company.
