Sure, the GBA isn't backlit, but does this mean that it is impossible to see what you're playing? With all the light peripherals out there, shouldn't you be content with the system as it is? I've come to think you should. Many of the games are dark, most of us have come to grips about that. But, just because a few games happen to be dark, does that mean the system has to be backlit? Lets all think back to the days of the Sega Game Gear, which happens to be the only non-Nintendo system I ever bought, and what a mistake it was, indeed! The Sega Game Gear, the 8-bit, color handheld with a backlit screen, took an EXTREMELY large amount of batteries, 8 Double A's in all, and it lasted a few measly hours. Now compare this to the GBA, which takes only 2 Double A's, and lasts 15-20 hours in all. This comparison in itself should have bought, batteries are very expensive, and also, the room! Even if you manage to make the 8 Double A's last 15 hours, how will they fit in the very small, sleek GBA? It would have to be much bigger, more like the Game Gear, which had a very uncomfortable size. Also, even if you bought a battery pack for the 8 Double A slot, think of how bulky it would have to be. This is yet again adding to what would now be a large, heavy, battery-sapping Game Boy Advance. Below is a comparison of Game Gear and Game Boy Advance. Having to be so big because of all that battery space, the Game Gear doesn't look too pretty, does it?

     So I guess backlighting isn't as good as everyone expects it to be. So what about all of these different light peripherals that came out at launch with the GBA? Are they worth the time? I wouldn't say so. Half of these are just money wasters. The ones which use their own batteries usually add 2 more Double A's to have to put in when you play your GBA, and that means having to buy more batteries. Not very good. But, atleast those seem to be better than the lights which take batteries from your system, which seem to bring the GBA's battery life down to about 3-5 hours. I'd say find a good light somewhere in the house or put your back to a window and play. If you have trouble finding good light at nighttime, your best choice for now would probably be a Worm Light, but these still aren't an amazing accessory, so don't spend too much money just to get one.

     The complaining that seems to be the talk of the GBA lovers on the internet is that the GBA's screen seems to be "too dark". I'd like to mention that the GBA's screen isn't dark at all. If you try playing an old Game Boy/Game Boy Color game on it, it plays perfectly. The Development Kits that Nintendo itself sends out to all the companies are actually the problem of this dark screen. The Dev Kits have the dark setting in them, and for the launch games, it was suggested by Nintendo. But, this was just something for the launch games. This may be possibly because Nintendo was having a problem with GBA at the time. Who's knows? I'll I can say is that, more than likely, the future GBA games could be light or dark, depending on the game. This gives many possiblities for GBA games in the future. Hopefully this is thought out by Nintendo, especially since there has been so many complaints. I play my Game Boy Advance whenever I have the chance, and I have yet to see a problem with the lighting. If you have read many things saying that the screen is too dark, etc., and this is stopping you from by a GBA, don't even think about it! This should not stop you at all, it's not a big problem, and not buying one now is something you will regret later, trust me.

     All in all, the "dark screen" is not something to be worried about. I don't understand why people try to hype it up this much when it's not a real problem. The GBA has perfect battery life, and a nice small, sleek structure, and I think it's perfect as it is. The light accessories out right now are horrible, so I would like to suggest you don't buy one until a better, battery-saving, non-dim light arrives on the market. Until then, no one should worry about the screen, and there won't be any problems, the games are amazing even with no backlight. Well, there's my two cents. Thanks for reading, and look out for more editorials and reviews by me in the future!

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