Nintendo Flirting with GBA SP Adults

Nintendo Flirting with GBA SP Adults Nintendo Flirting with GBA SP Adults

To celebrate the best year in the 14-year history of the Game Boy video game system, Nintendo announced a new, limited-edition, two-tone version of the popular Game Boy Advance SP. These special models, available starting Feb. 9 at an MSRP of USD 99.99, will have Platinum bases with Onyx lids, for a silver-and-black look that's sleek and unique.

With more than 40 per cent of Game Boy Advance SP players over the age of 18, the system is enjoying an expansion toward an older demographic, said George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. It's easy to see how these celebratory silver-and-black versions will appeal to an older audience. And with a limited supply, they're likely to become collector's items.

November proved to be another very good month for the Game Boy Advance. The Toy Retail Sales Tracking Service (TRSTS) reports that the Game Boy Advance sold more than 1.3 million units. To put that in perspective, that's more than 50 per cent more Game Boy Advance units sold in November than PlayStation 2. As the hottest-selling game system in the world, total U.S. sales for Game Boy Advance in 2003 are expected to top 8 million.