The Japanese Game Boy Advance SP comes in an incredibly tiny box. The system itself fits perfectly in one half of the box, and the other half contains the AC adapter. The adapter uses a really simple but slick swivel-out plug so that it can be stored flat in the box or your pocket. The box also contains a fairly thick manual full of hilarious safety illustrations.

But enough about the packaging! My first impression was that GBA SP is incredibly tiny. Take your surprise at the original GBA’s size and multiply that times three. The SP is roughly the same size and shape as a credit card, though slightly taller. It’s a bit thicker than the original GBA when folded up, but once you unfold the unit for playing, the part you actually hold is quite thin. A note about the black model: it’s not as black as the “Jet” GameCube or its controller. The SP’s shade of black is closer to a dark charcoal, and the paint coating has tiny little flecks of gray/silver, though they don’t make the paint shiny. The system still looks great, but I wish it matched my GameCube’s color exactly.

The screen is fantastic. The default light setting is on, so at first I thought, “Well, that looks nice, but nothing mind-blowing…” Then I tried switching off the light, and the different is huge. It’s so much easier to play the GBA when you don’t have to worry about holding it at certain angles and at a certain distance from your face. Now I can play GBA however I want; the freedom is not unlike what I felt when first playing GameCube with a WaveBird. An unexpected bonus is that the screen seems larger because it isn’t surrounded by the rest of the system, although academically, I know the actual size is unchanged. So far, my only complaint about the screen is that the front-light can throw an odd segmented look onto the screen while displaying certain colors. It’s kind of hard to explain, but basically it looks like the screen is divided up into several horizontal strips. The problem is subtle and probably not something that will annoy me after a few days of playing, but it seemed worth mentioning. Until a smoother method of light distribution comes along, the SP’s screen is probably one of the best available on any portable device.

Here’s a big surprise: the speaker is a great improvement over previous Game Boy models. It’s now centrally placed, which surely makes a difference, but it’s also considerably louder than the GBA’s speaker. I even checked with the two systems side-by-side at full volume. The GBA SP is louder and fuller, though unfortunately still in mono. Stereo speakers wouldn’t work well on such a small device, but the separation will be missed until I can get my hands on a headphone adapter (which is sold separately, one of my only gripes about the system). Since headphones will be more trouble to use with the SP, especially for early importers, the inclusion of a better speaker is a really welcome improvement that is long overdue.

Perhaps the most important topic of discussion is how the SP feels to hold and play. While personal preferences will certainly be divided, I think most people, myself included, will prefer how the SP fits into the hands. The square shape is actually easier to hold, since the unit is now tall enough to fill the entire palm. I no longer feel like I’m holding the system with only my fingers, which was usually the case with the original GBA. The redesigned D-pad of the SP is bigger and flatter, an improvement as far as I’m concerned. The buttons are more recessed but otherwise pretty much unchanged. They might be a little sturdier, but that could be me comparing the brand new SP to my very much “broken in” GBA. And what about the tiny new L and R shoulder buttons? I love them. Now that I’m holding the system with my entire hand, L and R fit snugly into my knuckles. Unlike the old triggers, these don’t have to be pressed straight in to work; you can use a combination of pressing in and sideways, which is the natural motion of your fingers when curled. The new triggers also don’t feel as “clicky” (though they still make a “click” sound), and they have more range of motion.

To test the SP’s durability, I took it with me to school today. The system’s paint coating feels more fragile than the pre-colored plastic we’re used to, so I don’t recommend just tossing it into any old pocket or pouch. In particular, it’s probably a bad idea to store it with any other items; Billy’s unit apparently got a few scratches from being stored in a bag with a couple of cartridges. For my experiment, I wore cargo pants and kept the SP in one of the large thigh pockets. It’s very lightweight and didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. In fact, I would often feel down there just to make sure it hadn’t fallen out (however unlikely that disaster may be), because it’s not so heavy or big that you can always feel its presence in your pocket. The system is also small enough to fit into all sorts of backpack and jacket pockets, and it should also be fine with any old GB/A carrying cases you might already own.

It’ll take me a few days to thoroughly test out the lithium-ion rechargeable battery, so look for an analysis of that component in my review. However, right now I can comfortably say that the GBA SP is an improvement over the original in every way. It’s already got me playing games that I gave up on long ago, because playing GBA is now so much easier, more comfortable, and more carefree.