I had intended to wait until a black GBA SP was released in the US, but right now there's no ETA on that. So I picked up a platinum one this weekend. I'm sure the black one will come out eventually, as a Toys R Us exclusive or something... but I can't live my life waiting for Maybes and Sometimes and Toys R Us Exclusives.

And it is amazing. No more positioning the lamp. No more holding the GBA up to catch the headlights of the car behind you. No more wacky tilting and tumbling even when not playing Kirby's Tilt 'n Tumble. Fans take note: this counts as my seventh Game Boy in twelve years... 2 original, 1 pocket, 2 color, 1 advance, 1 SP.

Here's some genuine unretouched pictures of us playing Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker with the SP connected to the GameCube. I must remind you that we were in a totally darkened room, after sundown, with no lights of any kind. Have we ever met before? I must have your complete attention.

Even in lousy first-generation-Hiptop-camera images, you can see the SP's beautifully lit screen! Thank you, Nintendo. And here's one last "fuck you" to everybody who couldn't wait and had to get a certified technician to install an Afterburner in their original GBA: Fuck you.

While we're talking about light, Fourhman.home recently invested in getting rid of it. We put room-darkening shades on the living room windows. They are serious about darkening rooms, too. I can now play even the blackest video games in the middle of the day with zero glare from the windows. To illustrate:

1. Old blinds up, curtains open. 2. Old blinds down, curtains open. 3. Old blinds down, curtains closed. 4. New blinds down, curtains open.

Wonderful stuff. I'd include an image of me playing Fatal Frame at 1:00pm except that I was playing Pokemon Sapphire with the windows open anyway. $40 apiece at countrycurtains.com. Available in white and natural. (We chose natural.)