I wonder why the original GBA is so damn hard to see. Even the Game Boy Color didn't seem that difficult. I remember playing Mario Kart on a GBA inside someone house in a fully lit room and I still couldn't see anything. My friend has a Game Boy Color that I play occasionally and it isn't even that hard to see.
I'm surprised the GBA was so successful. I never got into GBA back then, since it seemed pointless to have a portable system which required you to sit directly under a floor lamp.