Despite the early shipment of the Game Boy Advance SP, the Headphone Adapter is nowhere to be found. Here's why ...

Update: We've been contacted by people from both Nintendo of America and Nintendo Australia, and both companies are choosing to NOT distribute the Headphone Adapter in retail channels. Much like the Component Video Cable, this means that they will only be available Online through Nintendo's store.

Retailers around the US are receiving their Game Boy Advance SP shipments, but a key accessory is strangely missing. When Nintendo redesigned the Game Boy Advance, they lacked the room to include a headphone jack in the case. An accessory was developed that uses the same port you use to recharge the unit to attach a headphone jack for stereo sound.

The adapter is supposed to retail for under $10 ... if you can find it. We haven't found a single retail chain that has the headphone adapter in stock, not even Nintendo's own company store. This echos the situation in Japan, where the Headphone Adapter wasn't available for launch.

Fans waiting to hear their favorite Game Boy Advance games in full Stereo sound are going to be waiting a little while longer.

Rick says: I really don't know what the hold up was in Japan, but it's a bit distressing to see a repeat performance happening stateside as well.

Mike S says: This is really disturbing. It's just plain crazy that the headphone adaptor isn't avaliable right away..


Rick says: With this more recent information, I can't help but say ... what the hey? Unlike the Component Video Cable, which is a niche item and would be understandably costly to distribute, the Headphone Adapter is a piece of equipment that should have been included in the package with the SP. Now they make the decision not to distribute the adapter through retail at all, which means that many people won't even be aware that it exists. This is an extremely disappointing move.