Game Boy Micro gets dated and priced
by Ross Miller 
{ Aug 16th 2005 at 4:00PM }
UPDATE: According to Reuters, the GBM will retail in the United States for $99. Thanks Michael McGuire.
There have been many arguments against the Game Boy Micro's existence: the screen is too small, it's unnecessary, the technology's dated, and so on and so forth. Then again, many thought that the Nintendo DS was suicide for the company, so I guess it could go either way. We'll find out soon enough, as Nintendo has announced that its third iteration of the Game Boy Advance is set to hit store shelves in just over a month, on September 19. However, no price point has been mentioned, but hopefully it is right around the price of the current GBA model, which is $80 at GameStop. It could go higher, but if it gets near the range of the Nintendo DS's $120, this little guy may never make the cut.
With just one month away and a casual gaming audience to convince, Nintendo had better do some serious advertising soon. How much would you be willing to spend for a Game Boy Micro?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Thryon @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
$50 (Canadian)...no a penny more. I already own a GBA.
Donlo @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
They should just take out the slot, and put in a chip that has 10 GBA games on it. Make 3-4 different versions/colors maybe a NES games version and sell them for $40-$50
JamesP @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
I'd pay $40 and not a cent more for something like that, as I can get a used gba for 20 at the local gamecrazy.
ster @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
i would spend $70 or less. anything above that, i'll just wait for a price drop.
Blake @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
Nothing since the SP is so rockin'.
Mike @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
anything more then $50 is insane.
Donlo, good idea.
Obvious @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
30 bucks. Tops. It would be kinda cool to have a lighter-sized GB, tho... Whip that puppy out while waiting for public transportation, turn the sound off and use it in lengthly (boring) meetings. Kinda useless for long bouts of gaming, but just the thing to fill dull moments with a bit better distrction than cruddy cell phone games. :)
Shane @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
Saw this at E3, the screen trumps the GBA SP (Cause its back lit, though it is a bit smaller). The system itself though really needed some flip cover I thought, the clamshell designs rock for protecting the screen. And ya this thing is tiny!
Id pay probably 50$ (its the price of any good console game), but not more since nintendo keeps fooling me into buying the same hardware over and over again (GBA, GBA SP, DS, now this?)
PvpMan @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
The Micro can get in a cash flow if it keeps it at a good price, lets say atmost 80 dollars becuase it is ridiculous to price it at $100 when so much time has passed especially becuase the last gameboy advance, SP, was that price. I am probably not gettin it until maybe a price drop to around 60 unless they convince me otherwise. Until then my papercraft micro that was recently made from njoy will keep me satisfied.(that and i own a DS)
pspimp @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
I will bet this is going to be on the high end of what every one is guessing. Maybe >100.
Nintendo isn't going to want to lose any money on each of these sold, and most people who buy them prolly have GBA games already, so it wont be a huge boost to game sales.
I think they will be looking to make a slight profit on the micro hardware and a slight boost to game sales. If they expect more, they are stupid. They should have stuck an mp3 player in it at least to make it interesting...
Michael McGuire @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
How much would I be willing to spend? Probably nothing since I already own a GBA SP and a DS. However, I think the thing is gonna run at _least_ $80. I'm thinking $99 is what Nintendo is gonna shoot for. I remember reading an interview somewhere that said they were expecting it to cost _more_ than the GBA SP.
strider_mt2k @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
Under 100 dollars US and I'll get around to buying one.
Under 80 dollars US and I'll get one right away.
Under 60 dollars I'll buy a second one for the wife-right away.
chill @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
$0....cause I dont feel like squinting....
Vagabond Artist @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
at the most, $50
but since I already own one....
pass.
Michael McGuire @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
Yeah, I was right (if Reuters is to be believed)
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticleSearch.aspx?storyID=248757+16-Aug-2005+RTRS&srch=nintendo+ds
From the Reuters article:
"The company also said its upcoming Game Boy Micro, a cell phone-size handheld, will ship at the end of September and sell for $99 in the United States. It will also be released in Japan and Europe in time for the holiday season."
Sam Stringer-Hye @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
How can they think to sell a game boy with a tinier screen for more than the current one. 50 Dollars is what this thing should be priced, sure it's small, but If you already own an sp or ds then there's no point.
Andrew @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
What's the real purpose of the Gameboy Micro?
It has none, Really. The only thing it has going for it is that it's small. That really isn't a good thing.
batman @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
I think that nintendo is going the wrong way with the micro, instead of marketing as though it were better than the SP, they should market it as though it's of lower grade, and charge no more than $50 for it.
However, if they want to charge a bundle for it ($50-100) they should just bundle it with a play -yan that has one gig of memory and sell it as an altenative to the shuffle, that also plays games!
X @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
I dont have a GBA....so if it has PLay YAn bundled....under 99, and i'll buy it
Imp @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
I could get alot of goddam use out of this thing no matter it's price.
DankLogic @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
$99?? that is out of control. It better come bundled with the Play-Yan adapter or something. Why wouldn't people just buy a DS for $30 more. I can't see this being that big of a sucess at $99, no matter how small it is.
ketch @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
And it doesn't play GB original or GBC games...WTF!!! why would anyone pay more than $50.00 for it...
Shaun @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
I'd pay $40. I already own a gba sp but this thing is so damn cute i MUST HAVE IT!!!
andy @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
I think that it has to be priced lower than an SP, otherwise no-one's going to buy it. Casual gamers who don't already have some kind of Game Boy will be playing games on their mobile phones, and handsets are practically given away now. People with GB and GBC carts are not going to buy the Micro because it apparently only plays GBA games. If it's more expensive than a brand new SP, why not just get one of those instead? And there are loads of second hand SPs and GBAs out there. Bottom line is that this has to be super cheap otherwise it won't sell. A new SP on Amazon is £70 [GBP], so I think the Micro needs to be priced at £45 [GBP] or less.
julius @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
I think Nintendo will have plenty of customers in Japan at the $100 mark, but it shows that they don't really understand the US market well at all.
In Japan size is very important. People there love to have tiny phones, tiny mp3 players, tiny everything for their tiny apartments. Here in the US, things should be small, but no smaller than they *need* to be. For example, if a phone has buttons that are too small, people won't buy it.
Here in the US, we need a new reason to buy a new Gameboy, and this isn't really doing it for us. In Japan, haveing a smaller sexier gameboy is reasong enough to shell out $100.
cool dude @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
it looks liek somehting that would come out of a cereal box or something like that. you might as well just go but the GBA or the GBA SP because its cheaper and better.
Rappateng @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
I dunno, $100 is a tad steep for the tiny guy in my opinion. Slap a $50 price tag on it and I'm sold. What lifespan does the GBAsp have left at this point? I would most likely just super glue a copy of Advance Wars in the thing and just leave it in my bathroom for some 'potty break playtime'.
Jim Daschle @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
It's obvious that the Game Boy Advance's days as a platform are numbered. All you need to do is look at its miserable showing at E3 and you'll know what I'm talking about.
I mean, really, what games are there which you can actually look forward to? Yet another Mega Man Battle Network game? Nintendo has clearly turned all the lights and publicity on the new kid in town (the DS) - as it stands, the Game Boy Advance is dead in the water.
I would never buy one for myself. Odds are, this will drive the SP further down in price, and bring the original GBA down to maybe $30. If I can buy three Game Boy Advances at retail for the price of one Game Boy Micro, you can be sure I will.
Maybe they're trying to target the Micro toward the female market. I mean, that pink one looks like the type of thing you could buy for your girlfriend or little sister and she'd go "OMG TEH CUTE", but for $99? That is robbery, especially when you can get an "original" one on eBay for $40. An average guy (or girl) isn't going to purchase one of these unless he/she has some serious money to burn.
In closing, have fun in Japan, Nintendo, but you sure as hell aren't going to turn a profit here.
Tom Tiki @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
I will probably buy one soon after they come out for $100. My son will get my old SP.
You l33t gamers are SO misssing the point. The Micro is not for you. A hardcore gamer will not buy a console with such a small screen, but my 45 year old eyes will appreciate a brighter screen, even if it is smaller. The appeal is to the casual gamer. Add a Play-Yan adapter and you have a iPod mini size device that can play MP3s and movies AND games for the cost of an iPod Shuffle.
Nintendo will sell a million of these things. I have a SP, but it is too big to carry with me. The Micro goes in my pocket. I have it with me all the time. It gets used more. Game over.
Mike @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
Well, the GBM is pretty cool, but I would only pay $59.99 TOPS for it. If it gets bundles with the Play-Yan Adaptor with a higher price, I'll buy it with an even bigger smile.
I love my GBASP, but she has some heavy dust behind her screen, so I think it's time I got a new one. I have a DS, but you can't do multiplayer with it (not that I play multiplayer GBA that much anyway).
I really hope it can do multi! Don't know why. Just do.
It looks okay. I might buy it. PLEASE COME WITH PLAY-YAN!!
^-^
Jonathan @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
Personally i think this GameBoy Micro is a great idea. It fits in your pocket without making a big statement and its a great way to enjoy gameboy games anywhere. This will make it easier to bring from place to place. In the past i would never think about bringing my gameboy whenever i go out, but like a cell phone, while on the bus on train or anywhere dull and boring, its great to crack out its games section. Now the gameboy is the same size, bring it places!
however, for 99 bucks, wtf.. ( pardon my french ) but for its size, no matter what it does, that is far too expensive. 69.99 tops! Don't be thieves.
steve @ Dec 18th 2005 10:08PM
i cant wait for the micro its so awsome, its $99 buck (i think is alittle to much), but its that much cuz its smaller, ppl dont get it, the small it is that more $$$ itll be. im getting one and i hope the play-yan comes out in america, cuz that would be the BEST!!