Nintendo Exposes Gameboy Micro Details

[BigBlue]

Nintendo executives were long on innuendo and short on details as they unveiled a tiny new portable game player, the GameBoy Micro, at this year's E3 conference. The company also provided scant details on the new Revolution console, due out in 2006, unveiled a name and a few details on hotly-anticipated Legend of Zelda game, and presented an otherwise lackluster lineup of new titles due this fall.

runSlideShow(); The diminutive handheld signals the company's belated recognition that style, along with functionality, sells hardware today. About the size of an iPod classic, the Micro features a 2" backlit screen, which the company claims is the brightest screen ever on a GameBoy. The screen is designed for both indoor and outdoor play, and includes – for the first time in a Nintendo handheld – a most revolutionary control. From the press release, "for the first time, users can adjust the brightness of the screen to adapt to indoor lights or outdoor sunshine."

The Micro is not a new platform. It will play all past GameBoy and GameBoy Advance titles, claims the company. A truly tiny player, the device measures 4" wide, 2" tall and .7" deep, and weighs just 2.8 ounces,. And like a cell phone, the Micro will support removable faceplates to let users customize it with different styles and colors. It includes both a built in speaker, along with a headphone jack. The company refused to provide pricing or battery technology details, but did promise that the Micro will be available this fall.