Game Boy Advance facts for kids
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Original Game Boy Advance in Indigo
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| Also known as |
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| Developer | Nintendo R&D |
| Manufacturer | Nintendo |
| Product family | Game Boy |
| Type | Handheld game console |
| Generation | Sixth |
| Introductory price | US$99.99 (equivalent to $170 in 2022) |
| Discontinued |
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| Media |
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| Power | 2 × AA batteries |
| CPU | ARM7TDMI @ 16.8 MHz Sharp SM83 @ 4.2 / 8.4 MHz |
| Memory | 288 KB RAM, 98 KB Video RAM |
| Display | Reflective TFT LCD, 240 × 160 px, 61.2 × 40.8 mm (2.41 × 1.61 in) |
| Dimensions | 82 × 144.5 × 24.5 mm (3.23 × 5.69 × 0.96 in) |
| Backward compatibility |
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| Predecessor | Game Boy Color |
| Successor | Nintendo DS |
| Related articles | |
The Game Boy Advance (often called GBA) is a cool handheld game console made by Nintendo. It first came out in Japan on March 21, 2001, and then in other countries in June of the same year. Later, in 2004, it was released in China as the iQue Game Boy Advance.
The GBA was a big step up from the Game Boy Color. It had a much stronger processor and better graphics. You could even play older Game Boy and Game Boy Color games on it!
The GBA was part of the "sixth generation" of video game consoles. It had some rivals like the Nokia N-Gage and Bandai WonderSwan. Nintendo later released updated versions: the Game Boy Advance SP in 2003, which folded like a small laptop and had a lit screen. A brighter version of the SP came out in 2005. Then, in September 2005, the tiny Game Boy Micro was released.
By June 2010, the Game Boy Advance family sold over 81.51 million units worldwide! That's a lot of consoles. Its next console, the Nintendo DS, came out in November 2004 and could also play GBA games. Nintendo stopped selling GBA consoles by 2010.
Contents
The Story of the Game Boy Advance
Early Ideas: Project Atlantis
When the first Game Boy came out in 1989, it only had a black and white screen. Other handhelds, like the Atari Lynx, had color screens. But these color consoles used up batteries very fast and were big. The Game Boy was popular because it was easy to carry and its batteries lasted a long time.
Nintendo wanted to make a color Game Boy, but only when the technology was good enough. A team led by Satoru Okada secretly worked on a color prototype in the early 1990s. This project was called "Project Atlantis." It had a color screen and a powerful 32-bit processor. But the team wasn't happy with it, so they stopped working on it in 1997.
Later, other companies made color handhelds like the Neo Geo Pocket. So, Nintendo decided to use the color screen technology from Project Atlantis. They combined it with a faster processor from the original Game Boy. This led to the Game Boy Color, which launched in 1998.
Creating the Game Boy Advance
Even with the Game Boy Color, Nintendo felt pressure from other companies. They started making a new handheld, the successor to the Game Boy Color. This project was called "Advanced Game Boy" (AGB). It would use the powerful 32-bit technology from the old Project Atlantis.
Nintendo officially announced the Game Boy Advance on September 1, 1999. They shared details about its features. They planned to release it in Japan in August 2000, and in North America and Europe later that year. In August 2000, gaming websites and magazines showed pictures of the GBA.
The GBA had a new design. Unlike older Game Boys that were tall, the GBA was wide, like a landscape picture. The buttons were on the sides of the screen, which was a new and comfortable way to play. A French designer named Gwénaël Nicolas helped create this look.
On August 24, 2000, Nintendo showed the final design of the GBA. They announced its release dates for Japan and North America, along with the first ten games. They also showed cool accessories like cables to link with other GBAs or even the GameCube. By March 2001, Nintendo confirmed the price of $99.99 and announced 15 games for its launch.
Nintendo stopped making all Game Boy Advance models in the Americas in 2008. Globally, they stopped by the end of 2010.
How the Game Boy Advance Works
Inside the GBA
The Game Boy Advance had a special "brain" called a system on a chip (SoC). This chip held the main processor (CPU) and other important parts. Nintendo called it the CPU AGB. It was made by Sharp Corporation.
This chip had two processors:
- One processor ran at 16.776 megahertz (MHz) for new GBA games.
- Another processor ran at 4.194 MHz or 8.389 MHz. This one was for playing older Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. This meant your GBA could play games from previous consoles!
The GBA had a 2.9-inch color screen. It was a liquid-crystal display (LCD) that showed 240 pixels wide by 160 pixels high. This was a big improvement for handheld gaming.
For sound, the GBA had special channels that could play digital sounds. It also kept the older sound channels from the original Game Boy. This allowed for a mix of classic and new game sounds. You could hear sound through a built-in speaker or use headphones.
Buttons and Connections
The Game Boy Advance had a D-pad (directional pad) for moving characters. It also had six action buttons: 'A', 'B', 'L', 'R', 'SELECT', and 'START'.
At the top of the console, there was a port to connect with other devices. You could use a Game Link Cable to play multiplayer games with friends. There was also a Wireless Adapter for wireless play. You could even connect it to a GameCube home console with a special cable!
GBA Technical Details
- Size: 82 mm (height) x 144.5 mm (width) x 24.5 mm (depth)
- Weight: 140 grams (about the weight of a small apple)
- Screen: 2.9-inch color LCD, 240 x 160 pixels
- Colors: Could show up to 32,768 colors
- Battery: Uses 2 AA batteries, lasting up to 15 hours
- Sound: Stereo sound through headphones, mono speaker
Game Boy Advance Colors
The Game Boy Advance came in many cool colors and special editions. When it first launched, you could find it in Arctic (white), Black, Fuchsia (translucent pink), Glacier (translucent blue), and Indigo (purple). Japan even had an Orange version!
Later, more colors and special designs were released. These included Red, Platinum, and even a Gold version in Japan. There were also fun themed editions like Hello Kitty, The King of Fighters, Chobits, Battle Network Rockman EXE 2, Mario Bros., and Yomiuri Giants editions.
Many Pokémon-themed GBA systems were also made, especially for Pokémon Center stores in Japan. These included Gold Pokémon, Suicune, Celebi, and Latias/Latios editions, each with unique colors and Pokémon art.
Games for the Game Boy Advance
The Game Boy Advance was powerful, almost like the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It had many types of games, including platformers, role-playing video games (RPGs), and updated versions of older games. This included the Super Mario Advance series. Plus, you could play all your old Game Boy and Game Boy Color games on it!
Most GBA games used 2D graphics, which looked great. But some developers pushed the limits and made impressive 3D games. These included first-person shooters like Doom, racing games like V-Rally 3, and even platformers like Asterix & Obelix XXL.
Some game cartridges had special colors, often for Pokémon games (like Pokémon Emerald being clear emerald green). Others had cool built-in features like rumble (Drill Dozer), tilt sensors (WarioWare: Twisted!, Yoshi's Universal Gravitation), and even solar sensors (Boktai).
The last official game released for the GBA in Japan was Final Fantasy VI Advance on November 30, 2006. In North America, it was Samurai Deeper Kyo on February 12, 2008. Europe's last game was The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night on November 2, 2007. A game called Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution, which was originally planned for 2004, was finally released for the console in 2025!
Launch Games
When the Game Boy Advance first came out, there were many games available right away. Japan had 25 launch games, North America had 17, and Europe had 15. Here are some of them:
| Title | JP | NA | EU | Notes |
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| Army Men Advance |  |
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A top-down shooting game. |
| Castlevania: Circle of the Moon | |
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A spooky platform game from the Castlevania series. |
| ChuChu Rocket! | |
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A puzzle game that was first on the Dreamcast console. |
| F-Zero Maximum Velocity | |
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A super-fast racing game, the first F-Zero on a handheld. |
| GT Advance Championship Racing | |
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Another exciting racing game. |
| Konami Krazy Racers | |
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A fun kart racing game with Konami characters. |
| Kuru Kuru Kururin | |
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A unique puzzle game. |
| Pinobee: Wings of Adventure | |
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An adventure game. |
| Rayman Advance | |
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A port of the classic platform game. |
| Super Mario Advance | |
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A remake of Super Mario Bros. 2 and Mario Bros.. |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 | |
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A portable version of the popular skateboarding game. |
Playing GBA Games on Other Systems
Nintendo released an add-on for the GameCube called the Game Boy Player in 2003. This cool device let you play Game Boy Advance, Game Boy, and Game Boy Color games on your TV using the GameCube! However, some games that needed special features, like tilting the console, might not have worked perfectly.
The GBA was the last Nintendo handheld to have "Game Boy" in its name. GBA games couldn't be played on older Game Boy systems. But, the GBA could play older Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. You could even choose to play them in their original size or stretched to fit the GBA screen.
Game Boy Advance cartridges also worked with some Nintendo DS models. The original DS and the Nintendo DS Lite had a special slot for GBA games. You couldn't use multiplayer or GBA accessories on the DS, but you could unlock special content in some DS games! The Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL did not have this slot, so they couldn't play GBA games.
Digital Versions of GBA Games
Many Game Boy Advance games have been re-released digitally on newer Nintendo consoles. This means you can play them through emulation.
In 2011, Nintendo offered ten GBA games for free to early buyers of the Nintendo 3DS as part of an Ambassador Program. These games ran directly on the 3DS.
In April 2014, Nintendo started releasing GBA games on the Wii U's Virtual Console. Games like Advance Wars, Metroid Fusion, and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga became available. These digital versions were usually for single-player only.
In February 2023, Nintendo added Game Boy Advance games to the Nintendo Switch Online service for those with the Expansion Pack. For the first time, players could enjoy multiplayer GBA games online! This service even made games that supported GameCube controller rumble work with the Switch controllers' vibration.
Cool Accessories for the GBA
Official Nintendo Accessories
Nintendo made several helpful add-ons for the Game Boy Advance:
- Advance Movie: Released only in Japan, this let you watch movies and cartoons from special cards.
- e-Reader: This device scanned special cards. These cards could let you play classic games like Donkey Kong or unlock extra content in GBA games like Super Mario Advance 4 and Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire.
- Game Boy Advance Video: These were special cartridges that had full movies like Shrek or two episodes of TV shows like Pokémon and SpongeBob SquarePants.
- GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable: This cable connected your GBA to a GameCube. It let you use your GBA as a controller for some GameCube games or unlock special features.
- Mobile Adapter GB: Only released in Japan, this connected the GBA to a mobile phone for online play. It wasn't very popular and the service ended in 2002.
- Play-Yan: This was an MP3 (audio) and MPEG4 (video) player for the GBA. It had a headphone jack and an SD card slot. It came out in Japan and Europe.
- Wireless Adapter: This attached to the back of the GBA and let you play multiplayer games without a cable. It was often bundled with Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.
Other Cool Accessories
Some other companies also made accessories for the GBA:
- Afterburner: This was a kit that added a light to the GBA screen. It made the screen much easier to see in the dark, similar to the later Game Boy Advance SP.
- Glucoboy: This was a special blood glucose monitor with games built-in. It was released in Australia to help children with diabetes manage their health.
- WormCam: A camera made by Nyko that attached to the GBA. You could take pictures and transfer them to a computer.
Game Boy Advance Family
Game Boy Advance SP
In early 2003, Nintendo released a new version called the Game Boy Advance SP (model AGS-001). This redesigned console folded up like a small laptop, making it very compact. It had a rechargeable battery and a much brighter screen with a light that you could turn on and off. This new design fixed some complaints about the original GBA's dark screen and shape.
Brighter Screen Model (AGS-101)
On September 19, 2005, Nintendo released an even better version of the SP, model AGS-101. This one had a super bright, backlit screen. The switch for the light now let you choose between two brightness levels.
Game Boy Micro
In September 2005, Nintendo released a second redesign of the Game Boy Advance, called the Game Boy Micro. This model was super small and sleek, keeping the wide shape of the original GBA. A cool feature was that you could change its faceplates to customize its look! Nintendo hoped this "fashion" feature would attract more people.
However, the Game Boy Micro couldn't play older Game Boy or Game Boy Color games. It also didn't sell as well as Nintendo hoped because the Nintendo DS had already come out and could play GBA games too.
See also
In Spanish: Game Boy Advance para niños
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