A rare collector's item has just surfaced online, as a lucky fan seemingly accidentally purchased what may be a prototype version of the Game Boy Advance SP. The sale went for just $30, but the item may be worth much more.
Reddit user u/dermowli posted an image on r/retrogaming, sharing his interesting find with the community. The image of the Game Boy Advance SP highlights a few key differences from the standard handheld console. For one thing, the logo/words Game Boy Advance on the front of the console is missing the "SP." This is intriguing since it could indicate that Nintendo hadn't yet decided on a name yet, or at least made it public.
On the back of the console, there are two indicators that this version of the Game Boy Advance SP was a prototype, or some version of a noncommercial product. The wording "Pre-Production" can be found, making it entirely possible that this item was a preview console sent out to publications for early impressions.
The words "Game Boy Advance DX" are also found on the labeling, which obviously is not the name of the final release of the system. DX is often used in replacement of the word deluxe, and Nintendo released a few DX versions of Game Boy titles in the late '90s, including Tetris DX and The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening DX (which was recently remade for Switch).
This Game Boy Advance "DX" - i think I may have bought a rare prototype for around 30$. What do you think about this piece? (details in the comments) from retrogaming
The Reddit community was happy to attempt to assist u/dermowli, who thus far hasn't been able to find out anything else in regards to the mystery console. Unfortunately, the handheld will not turn on, even after several attempts to power up the battery (which traditionally lasted much longer than the battery of the Nintendo Switch). While the user has opened up and worked with retro consoles before, they are afraid to do so with this one, as it could devalue it or make the issues worse.
Where exactly this handheld console came from remains a conundrum. One possibility is that this model was sent out as a dev kit, or even something that Nintendo staff was given and never supposed to let go of. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer was playing the Xbox Series X in 2019, long before it was available to the public. Imagine if in 15 years that model were to pop up in a thrift store for $30. With the SP launching in 2003, so much time has passed that it could be hard to uncover the answers.
The Game Boy Advance SP is arguably one of the best handhelds ever designed. Its simple yet classic clamshell layout makes it a perfect on-the-go console. It also fixed some issues with the original Game Boy Advance, including finally featuring a backlit screen. Even without the mystery of the "Pre-Production" and "DX," the SP is a great piece of hardware. But hopefully, the answers to this enigma present themselves sometime soon.