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The Game Boy Advance[a] (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2001, and in mainland China as iQue Game Boy Advance on June 8, 2004.
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 Original Game Boy Advance in Indigo | |
| Also known as |
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|---|---|
| Developer | Nintendo R&D |
| Manufacturer | Nintendo |
| Product family | Game Boy[1] |
| Type | Handheld game console |
| Generation | Sixth |
| Release date | |
| Introductory price | US$99.99 (equivalent to $170 in 2023)[6] |
| Discontinued | Worldwide: 2010 |
| Units sold | 81.51 million[7] |
| Media | |
| System on a chip | Nintendo CPU AGB |
| CPU | ARM7TDMI @ 16.8 MHz Sharp SM83 @ 4.2 / 8.4 MHz |
| Memory | 288 KB RAM, 98 KB VRAM |
| Display | Reflective TFT LCD, 240 × 160 px, 61.2 × 40.8 mm (2.41 × 1.61 in)[8] |
| Power | 2 × AA batteries |
| Dimensions | 82 × 144.5 × 24.5 mm (3.23 × 5.69 × 0.96 in) |
| Best-selling game | Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (16.22 million)[9] |
| Backward compatibility | |
| Predecessor | Game Boy Color |
| Successor | Nintendo DS |
| Related | |
The GBA is part of the sixth generation of video game consoles. The original model was followed in 2003 by the Game Boy Advance SP, a redesigned model with a frontlit screen and clamshell form factor. A newer revision of the SP with a backlit screen was released in 2005. A miniaturized redesign, the Game Boy Micro, was released in September 2005.
As of June 2010[update], 81.51 million units of the Game Boy Advance series have been sold worldwide.[7] Its successor, the Nintendo DS, was released in November 2004[10] and is backward compatible with Game Boy Advance software. It was discontinued in 2010.[11]
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Project Atlantis
When the original Game Boy was first introduced in 1989, many people questioned why Nintendo had chosen to develop a monochrome handheld, considering competitors like the Lynx and Game Gear boasted color screens. However, Nintendo's gamble paid off. The rivals' color displays, while visually impressive, were criticized for their poor battery life and bulky size. The Game Boy, in contrast, offered superior portability and longevity, propelling it to immense popularity.[12][13] Publicly, Nintendo pledged to develop a color Game Boy only when technology addressed the limitations of existing color handhelds.[14]
Internally, however, a team led by Satoru Okada, who played a key role in the original Game Boy's design, was already experimenting with color displays. Their early-1990s prototype, codenamed "Project Atlantis," featured a color screen and a powerful 32-bit processor designed by Advanced RISC Machines (ARM).[15][16][17] The team was not satisfied with the outcome and shelved further development by 1997.[18][19][20]
However, Nintendo was under pressure from other companies who were introducing next-generation handhelds, including the Neo Geo Pocket and WonderSwan. To maintain consumer interest in the Game Boy, the company decided to pair the color screen they had been testing for Project Atlantis with a faster version of the existing Game Boy's 8-bit processor.[19] The Game Boy Color launched in 1998.[14]
Game Boy Advance
Still under pressure from its competitors more technically advanced handhelds, Nintendo quickly started developing a successor to the Game Boy Color, with news of the project emerging at the Space World trade show in late August 1999. The project, codenamed the Advanced Game Boy (AGB), would bring the 32-bit processing power envisioned in Project Atlantis to market.[21]
Nintendo officially announced the Game Boy Advance on September 1, 1999, revealing details about the system's specifications and teasing that the handheld would first be released in Japan in August 2000, with the North American and European launch dates slated for the end of the same year.[22] On August 21, 2000, IGN showed images of a GBA development kit running a demonstrational port of Yoshi's Story,[23] and on August 22, pre-production images of the GBA were revealed in Famitsu magazine in Japan.[24] Unlike the Game Boy and Game Boy Color, which have the "portrait" form factor (designed by Gunpei Yokoi), the Game Boy Advance has a "landscape" form factor, putting the buttons to the sides of the device instead of below the screen. It was designed by the French designer Gwénaël Nicolas and his Tokyo-based design studio Curiosity Inc.[25][26]
Nintendo revealed the Game Boy Advance to the public on August 24, 2000, along with the Japanese and North American launch dates and 10 launch games.[27] The GBA was then featured at Space World 2000 from August 24 to 26[28] alongside several peripherals for the system, including the GBA Link cable, the GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable,[29] a rechargeable battery pack for the system, and an infrared communications adaptor which would allow systems to exchange data.[30] In March 2001, Nintendo revealed details about the system's North American launch, including the suggested price of $99.99 and the 15 launch games. Nintendo estimated that around 60 new games would be released by the end of 2001.[31][32]
All Game Boy Advance models were discontinued in the Americas in 2008, and globally by the end of 2010.[7][11]
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(Annotated version)
The Game Boy Advance uses a custom system on a chip (SoC), integrating the CPU and other major components into a single package, named the CPU AGB by Nintendo and manufactured by the Sharp Corporation. The CPU AGB contains two completely different CPUs: the ARM7TDMI running at a clock rate of 16.7772 megahertz (MHz) for Game Boy Advance games and the Sharp SM83 running at either 4.194 MHz or 8.389 MHz for backward compatibility with Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. As such, the console has two operating modes: GBA mode using the ARM7TDMI and the backward-compatible CGB mode using the SM83.[33]
The ARM7TDMI is a 32-bit processor developed by Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) that maximizes performance under power and storage constraints, making it more suitable for use in a handheld device. Like all processors using the ARM architecture, the ARM7TDMI uses a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) design with sixteen 32-bit registers. Although the console was marketed as a 32-bit system, to reduce costs, Nintendo mixed 16-bit and 32-bit buses between the different modules within the CPU AGB. As a result, the majority of the console's memory is only accessible through a 16-bit bus.[33]
The SM83 is a hybrid between two other 8-bit processors: the Intel 8080 and the Zilog Z80. The SM83 has the seven 8-bit registers of the 8080 (compared to 14 on the Z80), but uses the Z80's programming syntax and extra bit manipulation instructions. Like the Game Boy Color, the SM83 in the Advance could be commanded to operate at either 4.194 MHz when playing games compatible with the original Game Boy or at 8.389 MHz when playing games designed for the Game Boy Color.[34][35][36] The SoC also contains a 2 KB "bootstrap" ROM which is used to start up the device in CGB mode.[37]
The CPU CGB incorporates an updated version of Nintendo's venerable Picture Processing Unit (PPU), which was used in the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The PPU is essentially a basic GPU that renders visuals using 96 kilobyte (KB) of Video RAM located inside the CPU CGB. Inside the PPU itself is 1 KB of object attribute memory and 1 KB of palette RAM, which are optimized for fast rendering.[33] The display itself is a 2.9-inch (diagonal) thin-film transistor (TFT) color liquid-crystal display (LCD), measuring 61.2 millimeters (2.41 in) wide by 40.8 millimeters (1.61 in) high. The screen is 240 pixels wide by 160 pixels high in a 3:2 aspect ratio.
Foreground objects are sprites with up to 128 per frame, sized from 8×8 to 64×64 pixels, and with 16 or 256 colors. Backgrounds can be rendered in one of six different modes. The first three are the "character modes," which use traditional tile map graphics: Mode 0 offers four static layers, Mode 1 has three layers with one affine transformation layer (which can be rotated and/or scaled), and Mode 2 has two affine layers. The other three are the "bitmap modes" which allow for rendering 3D geometry: Mode 3 has a single full-sized, fully-colored (32,768 colors) frame, Mode 4 provides two full-sized frames with 256 colors each, and Mode 5 provides two half-sized (160×128 pixels), fully-colored frames. Having two bitmaps allows "page-flipping" to avoid the artifacts that can sometimes appear when re-drawing a bitmap. While the bitmap modes were considered cutting-edge, most games avoided using them because they cost a lot of CPU resources.[33][38]
For sound, the Game Boy Advance features two PCM sample player channels, which work in combination with the Audio Processing Unit (APU), a programmable sound generator first used by the legacy Game Boy. The APU has four channels: a pulse wave generation channel with frequency and volume variation, a second pulse wave generation channel with only volume variation, a wave channel that can reproduce any waveform recorded in RAM, and a white noise channel with volume variation.[33][39]
The Game Boy Advance features a D-pad (directional pad) and six action buttons labeled 'A,' 'B,' 'L,' 'R,' 'SELECT,' and 'START.' The top of the console has a link port that allows it to be connected to other Game Boy devices using a Game Link Cable or a Wireless Adapter, or the GameCube home console with a special GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable.[29]
Technical specifications
| Game Boy Advance[40][41][42][43][44][33] | |
|---|---|
| Height | 82 mm (3.2 in) |
| Width | 145 mm (5.7 in) |
| Depth | 24 mm (0.94 in) |
| Weight | 140 g (4.9 oz) |
| Display | 2.9-inch (diagonal) reflective thin-film transistor (TFT) color liquid-crystal display (LCD), 40.8 mm × 61.2 mm (1.61 in × 2.41 in) |
| Resolution | 240 (w) × 160 (h) pixels (3:2 aspect ratio) |
| Frame rate | 59.727500569606 Hz[45] |
| Color support | 32,768 colors, up to 511 simultaneously in character mode, all may displayed simultaneously in Bitmap mode |
| System on a chip (SoC) | Nintendo CPU AGB |
| Processors | |
| Memory | |
| Power |
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| Battery life | Up to 15 hours |
| Sound |
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| I/O |
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| Controls |
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Color variants
The Game Boy Advance was available in numerous colors and limited editions throughout its production. It was initially available in Arctic, Black, Orange (Japan Only), Fuchsia (translucent pink), Glacier (translucent blue), and Indigo. Later in the system's lifespan, additional colors and special editions were released, including: Red, Clear Orange/Black, Platinum, White, Gold (Japan Only), Hello Kitty edition (pink with Hello Kitty and logo on bezel), The King of Fighters edition (black with images on bezel and buttons), Chobits edition (translucent light blue, with images on bezel and buttons), Battle Network Rockman EXE 2 (light blue with images on bezel), Mario Bros. edition (Glacier with Mario and Luigi on bezel), and Yomiuri Giants edition (Glacier with images on bezel).
Several Pokémon-themed limited-edition systems were made available in Pokémon Center stores in Japan. These editions include: Gold Pokémon edition (Gold with Pikachu and Pichu on bezel), Suicune edition (blue/grey with greyscale Pikachu and Pichu on bezel, and a Pokémon Center sticker on the back), Celebi edition (olive green with Celebi images on bezel), and Latias/Latios edition (pink/red and purple, with images of Latias and Latios on bezel).
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With hardware performance comparable to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Game Boy Advance represents progress for sprite-based technology. The system's library includes platformers, SNES-like role-playing video games, and games ported from various 8-bit and 16-bit systems of the previous generations. This includes the Super Mario Advance series, and the system's backward compatibility with all earlier Game Boy titles. Though most GBA games primarily employ 2D graphics, developers have ambitiously designed some 3D GBA games that push the limits of the hardware, including first-person shooters like a port of Doom, racing games like V-Rally 3, and even platformers, like Asterix & Obelix XXL.
Some cartridges are colored to resemble the game (usually for the Pokémon series; Pokémon Emerald, for example, being a clear emerald green). Others have special built-in features, including rumble features (Drill Dozer),[46] tilt sensors (WarioWare: Twisted!, Yoshi's Universal Gravitation),[47] and solar sensors (Boktai).[48]
In Japan, the final game to be released on the system was Final Fantasy VI Advance on November 30, 2006, which was also the final game published by Nintendo on the system.[49] In North America, the last game for the system was Samurai Deeper Kyo, released on February 12, 2008. In Europe, the last game for the system is The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night, released on November 2, 2007. The Japan-only Rhythm Tengoku, the first game in what would eventually become known outside Japan as the Rhythm Heaven/Rhythm Paradise series, is the final first-party-developed game for the system, released on August 3, 2006.
While those games were the last to be released at the time, a new one is expected to release in 2025. Titled Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution, it was originally in development until 2004, when work halted due to the lack of a publisher. Development resumed in 2023, using the same code and hardware.[50][51]
Launch games
Compatibility with other systems
An add-on for the GameCube, known as the Game Boy Player, was released in 2003 as the successor to the Super Game Boy peripheral for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. This add-on allows Game Boy Advance, Game Boy, and Game Boy Color games to be played on the GameCube. However, some games may have compatibility issues due to certain features requiring extra hardware; for instance, WarioWare: Twisted! would require the console to be rotated manually due to its nature as a tilt sensor game.
The GBA is the last Nintendo handheld system to bear the Game Boy name. Games developed for it are incompatible with older Game Boy systems, and each game's box carries a label indicating that the game is "not compatible with other Game Boy systems." Conversely, games designed for older Game Boy systems are compatible with the Game Boy Advance, with options to play such games on either their standard aspect ratios or a stretched fullscreen.
Game Boy Advance cartridges are compatible with Nintendo DS models that support them with a dedicated GBA cartridge slot beneath the touch screen (specifically the original model and the Nintendo DS Lite), although they do not support multiplayer or features involving the use of GBA accessories due to the absence of the GBA's external peripheral port on the DS. They can also be used to unlock original content found in Nintendo DS games. The Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL lack a GBA cartridge slot, and therefore do not support backward compatibility with the GBA.
Digital re-releases
 | This section may be confusing or unclear to readers. In particular, Satoru Iwata actually announced the GBA games on Wii U in 2013, and later confirmed them in February 2014, both as part of Nintendo Direct. (February 2024) |
Since the Game Boy Advance was discontinued, many of its games have been re-released via digital distribution on later Nintendo consoles, mainly in the form of emulation. As part of an Ambassador Program for early adopters of the Nintendo 3DS system, ten GBA games, along with ten Nintendo Entertainment System games, were made available free for players who bought a 3DS system before the price drop on August 12, 2011.[52] Unlike other Virtual Console games for the system, features such as the Home menu or save states are missing, since the games are running natively instead of via emulation. In January 2014, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata announced that Game Boy Advance games would be released on the Wii U's Virtual Console in April 2014.[53] The first set of GBA games, including Advance Wars, Metroid Fusion, and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, were released on April 3, 2014.[54] All Virtual Console releases are single-player only, as they do not emulate multiplayer features enabled by Game Link cables.
In February 2023, Nintendo added Game Boy Advance games to its Nintendo Switch Online service, exclusively to those with the Expansion Pack tier. [55] For the first time, players are able to play multiplayer games in their emulated form, online. This application emulates the Game Boy Player, meaning that games that support GameCube controller rumble work with the vibration of the Switch controllers.
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Official
Nintendo released various addons for the Game Boy Advance, which include:
- Wireless Adapter: Released in 2004, this adapter hooks up to the back of the Game Boy Advance. It replaces link cables and allows many people to link together. It was marketed for US$20 (equivalent to $32 in 2023) and came included with Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. Because it was released so late in the Game Boy Advance's life, fewer than 20 games support this hardware. A special version was released for the Game Boy Micro, which has full compatibility with other models.
- Game Boy Advance Infra-Red Adapter: This adapter is only compatible with Cyberdrive Zoids, and was not sold separately. It is not compatible with the Game Boy Micro.
- GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable: Used to connect the Game Boy Advance to the GameCube for interoperability between corresponding games, such as are Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Pac-Man Vs., and The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures.[29] The cable also enables using the handheld as a controller for select games.
- Play-Yan: The Play-Yan is an MP3/MPEG4 player for the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS. The cartridge is slightly broader than a normal Game Boy Advance cartridge and includes a built-in headphone port as well as an SD card slot. Music or videos that users have downloaded from the Internet can be transferred onto an SD card and slotted into the Play-Yan device. Nintendo released several mini-games for the Play-Yan that could be downloaded from their website, although this functionality was later removed through a firmware update. The Play-Yan was initially available in Japan only but was released in Europe as the Nintendo MP3 Player on December 8, 2006, with the MPEG4 functionality removed. The Play-Yan was never released in North America.
- e-Reader: The e-Reader is a scanning device that plugs into the game cartridge slot of the Game Boy Advance. It was released in Japan in December 2001, and North America in September 2002. Specialized cards with codes along the side and bottom are slid through the slot, scanning the card into the Game Boy Advance. e-Reader cards include classic games like Donkey Kong and Excitebike that can be scanned for play on the handheld. Other cards were released that unlock in-game content in compatible GBA titles such as Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 and Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, and in GameCube games like Animal Crossing. The Pokémon Trading Card Game playing cards also adopt the e-Reader codes. The e-Reader works with the Game Boy Player and Game Boy Advance SP, but cannot fit into the Nintendo DS's Game Boy slot (however it can fit into the Nintendo DS Lite's Game Boy slot).
- Game Boy Advance Video: First released in North America in May 2004, these cartridges included two episodes of thirty-minute cartoon programs such as Dragon Ball GT, Pokémon, SpongeBob SquarePants, Sonic X, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Yu-Gi-Oh!. Three feature-length movies, Shrek (2001), Shrek 2 (2004), and Shark Tale (2004) were also released for the format. These cartridges display an error when inserted into a GameCube via a Game Boy Player, to prevent users from attempting to record the episodes onto other media.
- Mobile System GB: Connects the console to a mobile phone for remote play. It was released in Japan and was compatible with Pokémon Crystal.[56][57][58]
Unofficial
Other accessories for the Game Boy Advance include:
- Afterburner: The Afterburner is an internal front-lighting system manufactured by Triton Labs and released in mid-2002.[59] The installation consists of disassembling the system, removing some plastic from the interior of the case, attaching the lighting mechanism to the screen, and soldering two wires to the motherboard for power. Optionally, a potentiometer or an integrated circuit could be added to allow adjusting the brightness of the light. When the initial version of the Game Boy Advance SP was released, it included a very similar integrated lighting system. This was replaced in the subsequent version of the Game Boy Advance SP with a backlit display. According to Triton Labs, the Afterburner achieved considerable success during the lifespan of the GBA, with many gamers buying it. Though the kit voids the system's warranty, the company had minor trouble keeping up with demand for the accessory during the 2002 holiday season.[59]
- WormCam: This camera by Nyko attaches to the top of the Game Boy Advance and connects to the link port. The snapshots can then be uploaded to a computer with the USB cable and software.[60][61]
- Glucoboy: This is a blood glucose monitor with built-in games released in Australia in 2007 for children with diabetes.[62][63]
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Game Boy Advance SP
In early 2003, Nintendo introduced a new form-factor for the handheld, known as the Game Boy Advance SP (model AGS-001). The redesigned unit features a clamshell design that resembles a pocket-size laptop computer, including a folding case approximately one-half the size of the original unit. It has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, a significantly brighter LCD screen, and an internal front-light that can be toggled on and off. The redesign was intended to address some common complaints about the original Game Boy Advance, which had been criticized for being somewhat uncomfortable to use, especially due to a dark screen.[64][65]
Backlit model (AGS-101)
On September 19, 2005, Nintendo released a new version of the SP, model AGS-101, that features a brighter backlit display. The switch that controls the backlight now toggles between two brightness levels.[66]
Game Boy Micro
In September 2005, Nintendo released a second redesign of the Game Boy Advance. This model, dubbed the Game Boy Micro, is similar in style to the original Game Boy Advance's horizontal orientation, but is much smaller and sleeker. The Game Boy Micro allows the user to switch between several colored faceplates to allow customization, a feature which Nintendo advertised heavily around the Game Boy Micro's launch. Nintendo also hoped that this "fashion" feature would help target audiences outside of typical video game players. Unlike the previous Game Boy Advance models, the Game Boy Micro is unable to support Game Boy and Game Boy Color titles. The Game Boy Micro did not make much of an impact in the video game market, as it was overshadowed by the Nintendo DS, which also played Game Boy Advance games through the GBA cartridge slot.[67]
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Upon its North American release, IGN praised the Game Boy Advance's graphical capabilities and battery life, but criticized the system's shoulder button placement and noted the system's high price tag which "may be a tad bit too high to swallow", ultimately scoring the system with an "8.0" out of 10. They also pointed out the system's lack of a backlight which occasionally got in the way of playing games.[68] ABC News praised the Game Boy Advance's graphics, grip, and larger screen, stating that "You've never had as much fun playing old games."[69]
Reviewing for CNET, Darren Gladstone scored the system with a 7.0 out of 10, praising its graphical performance and backward compatibility, but being considerably critical of the system's lack of a backlit screen, noting that it makes it "nearly impossible" to play in normal lighting conditions. Gladstone ultimately recommended the sleeker and backlit Game Boy Advance SP instead, despite noting that the cheaper price of the original model may "appeal to gamers on a lower budget."[70]
ROM hacks, fan games, and Homebrew games are developed for the GBA.
Sales
Nintendo hoped to sell 1.1 million Game Boy Advance units by the end of March with the system's Japanese debut, and anticipated sales of 24 million units before the end of 2001; many marketing analysts believed this to be a realistic goal due to the company's lack of major competition in the handheld video game market.[71] Within the first week of its North American launch in June, the Game Boy Advance sold 500,000 units, making it the fastest-selling video game console in the United States at the time. In response to strong sales, Nintendo ordered 100,000 units to ship to retail stores, hoping to ship another half million of them by the end of June.[72] The Game Boy Advance also became the fastest-selling system in the United Kingdom, selling 81,000 units in its first week of release and beating the PlayStation 2's previous record of 20,000 units.[73] In 2004, the system's sales in the United Kingdom surpassed one million units.[74]
On December 1, 2006, Nintendo of America released launch-to-date information indicating that the company had sold 33.6 million units of the Game Boy Advance series in the United States.[75] In a Kotaku article published on January 18, 2008, Nintendo revealed that the Game Boy Advance series had sold 36.2 million units in the United States, as of January 1, 2008.[76] As of December 31, 2009[update], 81.51 million units of the Game Boy Advance series have been sold worldwide, 43.57 million of which are Game Boy Advance SP units and 2.42 million of which are Game Boy Micro units.[77]
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