Game Boy Advance

The Game Boy Advance is a portable console produced by Nintendo and the latest in the Game Boy line. The absence of a backlight in its original design drew criticism, as it was the most in-demand feature. Later it got two redesigns: the Game Boy Advance SP (2003) and the Game Boy Micro (2005).

History

Nintendo designed, in the mid-1990s, a portable console under the name Project Atlantis . The console would have a processor 32 bit was on par with the SNES with color LCD 3 × 2 inches. However, this project was scrapped due to increased sales of the Game Boy and its redesigns.

Production of the Game Boys Advance began alongside the Game Boy Color, was first mentioned in 1999 and was known at the time as the Advanced Game Boy . Being finally revealed at Spaceworld 2000 on August 24, 2000. It was discontinued in 2008.

Game Boy Advance Features

• Color screen.
• Compatibility with previous console games.
• Shells of various colors.
• Integrated loudspeaker.
• Battery powered.
• Connection with Nintendo Game Cube.

Technical specifications

• CPU : 32-bit ARM with built-in memory.
• Memory : 32 Kb WRAM + 96 Kb VRAM (On CPU) 256 Kb WRAM (External CPU)
• Display : 2.9 ″ reflective TFT screen, resolution: 240 × 160 pixels, screen dimensions 40.8 mm x 61.2 mm, 32,768 possible colors, 511 simultaneous colors in character mode, 32,768 simultaneous colors in bitmap mode .
• Dimensions : 144.5mm wide x 24.5mm deep x 82mm high.
• Weight : 140g.
• Power supply : 2 AA alkaline batteries.
• Battery life : 15 hours.

Game Boy Advance Models

In addition to the original model, the Game Boys Advance was redesigned twice:

Game Boy Advance SP

Released in 2003, this version of the Game Boy Advance features a flip-up screen, backlight, and rechargeable battery. The only feature removed from the original model was the headphone jack, although a special adapter and headphones for this console came on the market later.

Game Boy Micro

The last console in the Game Boys line was released in 2005, a year after the Nintendo DS . It is characterized by being very small (5 x 10 x 1.7 centimeters) and having the capacity to be used as an MP3 file player.

Cartridges

Game Boy Advance cartridges measure approximately 5.6 x 3.3 centimeters and feature a tab for easy removal from the console port. The color of the cartridges is dark gray, although the color of the cover varies for some games. Other games have translucent cartridges.

Accessories

• Cable Game Link: allows the connection between two, three or four consoles to exchange information and play multiplayer games.
• Wireless connector: released alongside the Pokémon Fire Red Version and Pokémon Leaf Green Version games . This connector allows communication between consoles without the need for cables.
• AC adapter – Allows the console to run without batteries.
• Game Boys Advance Cable: Compatible with select games, connects to the Game Boys Advance and Nintendo Game Cube to exchange information, unlock secret levels or use the Game Boy Advance as a controller.
• Headphone adapter: exclusive for the Game Boy Advance SP, used to connect headphones to the console.
• Nintendo MP3 Player: Exclusive to the Game Boys Micro, it turns the console into a music player .

Featured Game Boy Advance games

The best-selling games for the Game Boys Advance console were:

• Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
• Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
• Emerald Pokémon
• Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2
• Super Mario Advance
• Mario Kart: Super Circuit
• Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3.
• Namco Museum
• Pokémon Mysterious World: Red and Blue Rescue Team
• Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3.

Curiosities

• Its design, with the buttons on both sides of the screen in contrast to the original design of the previous Game Boys, was the idea of ​​the French Gwénaël Nicolas and his Curiosity studio.
• The slim design of the Game Boys Micro is due to the fact that its target audience was people who did not belong to the mainstream group of gamers.