8 Video Game Console Design Flaws That Made Us Rage

2. Game Boy Advance - No Backlight

It's hard to believe in this day and age when even your mum has a backlight that there was a time when it just wasn't standard within the industry.

It was just starting to become commonplace in 2001, when Nintendo made the oh-so-smart decision to release the successor to the Game Boy without a backlight. The screen was so dark it was essentially impossible to play outside (which is, you know, the point of having a handheld in the first place). While the Game Boy got along just fine without a backlight (and without colour for that matter) this was a different era.

The GBA was powered by AA batteries, so it's possible that Nintendo decided against using a backlight in order to maximize its battery life. Nintendo finally released a backlit GBA in the form of the SP in 2004 (with a rechargeable battery to boot), but up until then GBA fans were forced to play classics like Golden Sun either at home in a well-lit room or outside by squinting really, really hard.