I haven't had time to really sit down and play with my Micro for hours and hours and hours, but I did run a variety of games through it to get a sense of how it handled them.

First, I tried Mario Pinball to see what the fast-paced action of the game would look like on the Micro and how the shoulder buttons would handle the constant punishment.

This is when I first figured out that you can't top on the outer corners of the buttons, like you do the GBA SP, instead you have to tap them in the middle.

The graphics appeared much crisper and I had no trouble keeping up with the action on the small screen, it didn't feel cramped at all. Again, this was only after about five minutes of game play, so my feelings may change in the next week or two.

I tried a Game Boy Video next. I won't bore you, or embarrass me, with the actual name of the video I watched, but it looked just fine on the Micro. The sound was a bit tinny, but headphones quickly resolve that problem.

Astro Boy handled well, though I found the shoulder buttons to become a bit annoying when I continued my gameplay while lying in bed. My wife pointed out, with much sighs and sheet tugging, that the Micro's buttons are a little noisy in a quiet environment and the screen is damn bright in a dark room.

Finally, I checked out Fire Emblem. This game gave me a good chance to check out how lots of tiny text, visuals and maps handle on the Micro's minuscule screen. I didn't have any problems at all playing the game, and I'm not really concerned about tiring out my eyes with lots of play. The screen is so bright and images so sharp that it didn't seem to be an issue.

I still think the $100 price tag is a bit much, but overall I'm impressed with this device. I'd have to think a bit about plunking down $100 for a Micro when I already own a DS and GBA SP, but I wouldn't give it a second thought if it were a tad cheaper. While the Micro only really changes the form factor of the GBA SP, the change is enough to make me want to spend the money for this step up.

Holding the Micro in my hand and playing games with it, you really get a sense that you could take it anywhere and play discretely on a device that won't garner a lot of attention unless you want it to.

I'll be writing up a more in-depth review of the Micro for the Rocky before I leave on my vacation to Australia. By then I should have had enough time playing on the device to get a good sense of how well it will hold up and whether any hand-cramping issues crop up.

Check back a bit later for a tone of pictures of the device, including some comparing it to the DS, GBASP and PSP and my mammoth Q&A with you, the readers.

Micro [Nintendo]