Game Boy Advance: Difference between revisions

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{{trope}}
{{Useful Notes}}
[[File:250px-Gameboy_Advance_On.png|frame]]
[[File:Gameboy Advance On.png|thumb]]


''Life Advanced''
''Life Advanced''
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Just a few years after the [[Game Boy Color]] made the NES portable, the parts to make a portable [[SNES]] became viable, and allowing the same paradigm (size, durability, cost, and battery life). So rather than waiting, Nintendo went ahead with the Game Boy Advance.
Just a few years after the [[Game Boy Color]] made the NES portable, the parts to make a portable [[SNES]] became viable, and allowing the same paradigm (size, durability, cost, and battery life). So rather than waiting, Nintendo went ahead with the Game Boy Advance.


It was Nintendo's last dedicated 2D system, and man, did it go out with a bang. It was the second bestselling system of the 6th generation, which likely led Sony to [[Play Station Portable|try to get in on that market]].
It was Nintendo's last dedicated 2D system, and man, did it go out with a bang. It was the second bestselling system of the 6th generation, which likely led Sony to [[PlayStation Portable|try to get in on that market]].


Although the system was a hit, 16 bit-level graphics [[Back That Light Up|proved too much to effectively show on screen without some kind of light]]. Thus Nintendo quickly went ahead with the SP revision, which added a front light to the system. It didn't look as good as a backlight, but it worked. The system sold even faster after that. It also dropped the AA batteries in favor of a rechargeable one.
Although the system was a hit, 16 bit-level graphics [[Back That Light Up|proved too much to effectively show on screen without some kind of light]]. Thus Nintendo quickly went ahead with the SP revision, which added a front light to the system. It didn't look as good as a backlight, but it worked. The system sold even faster after that. It also dropped the AA batteries in favor of a rechargeable one.
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Early in the Game Boy Advance's life, one of the common criticisms was the handheld's audio. While the Game Boy Advance was similar to the [[Super Nintendo]] in its specs, the Advance's sound chip was made differently since the Super Nintendo's sound chip was produced by Sony and Nintendo could not use the same chip or a similar one without paying royalties to Sony, so Nintendo had to produce one of their own. When Nintendo ported several of their SNES titles to the Game Boy Advance and Square-Enix ported a few of their Final Fantasy titles from the SNES, there was criticisms over how the sound effects and music were inferior to the original versions of the games. However, these criticisms faded over time when more titles were made with the Game Boy Advance's sound chip in mind.
Early in the Game Boy Advance's life, one of the common criticisms was the handheld's audio. While the Game Boy Advance was similar to the [[Super Nintendo]] in its specs, the Advance's sound chip was made differently since the Super Nintendo's sound chip was produced by Sony and Nintendo could not use the same chip or a similar one without paying royalties to Sony, so Nintendo had to produce one of their own. When Nintendo ported several of their SNES titles to the Game Boy Advance and Square-Enix ported a few of their Final Fantasy titles from the SNES, there was criticisms over how the sound effects and music were inferior to the original versions of the games. However, these criticisms faded over time when more titles were made with the Game Boy Advance's sound chip in mind.


The multiplayer aspect of the handheld was pushed more than the past Game Boy systems; as people only ever seemed to use the link cables on the old systems for trading Pokémon, the GBA link cable added an extra port in the middle that, when combined with 2 other link cables, allowed 4-player play (which, while not new, was only supported by a few games and required a whole separate accessory for the link cables) and introduced the idea of single-card play, games with a multi-player mode that only required one player to have a copy, allowing others to load the game into ram and play, eliminating one of the bigger boundaries to handheld multi-player.
The multiplayer aspect of the handheld was pushed more than the past Game Boy systems; as people only ever seemed to use the link cables on the old systems for trading Pokémon, the GBA link cable added an extra port in the middle that, when combined with 2 other link cables, allowed 4-player play (which, while not new, was only supported by a few games and required a whole separate accessory for the link cables) and introduced the idea of single-card play, games with a multi-player mode that only required one player to have a copy, allowing others to load the game into ram and play, eliminating one of the bigger boundaries to handheld multi-player.


Along with this ability to load data into RAM, Nintendo also touted the Game Boy Advance to [[Game Cube]] cable, which allowed players to hook up their GBA to the Gamecube and use it as if it were a controller with a screen; a similar idea had been used before by Sega, with the VMU controllers for the [[Sega Dreamcast]]. Several games used this feature to allow multi-player while keeping important data on the GBA screen and thus private from the other players (selecting a football play, for example). While an innovative idea, games that required this mechanic (''[[Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles]]'' being the prime example) while fun, had the added drawback of the price of 4 of these cables making the whole setup really expensive. ([http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2003/8/25/ Although one would hope everyone would at least bring their own GBA]). It seems to be this backlash that has prevented Nintendo from jumping right into doing a similar setup with the DS and Wii, despite the fact that cables are no longer an issue in that situation. Another factor for this could be to avoid a repeat of ''[[Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles]]'' where everyone needed a handheld in order to play, which would add the cost to the consumers and a DS wasn't exactly cheap at the time it was released.
Along with this ability to load data into RAM, Nintendo also touted the Game Boy Advance to [[Game Cube]] cable, which allowed players to hook up their GBA to the Gamecube and use it as if it were a controller with a screen; a similar idea had been used before by Sega, with the VMU controllers for the [[Sega Dreamcast]]. Several games used this feature to allow multi-player while keeping important data on the GBA screen and thus private from the other players (selecting a football play, for example). While an innovative idea, games that required this mechanic (''[[Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles]]'' being the prime example) while fun, had the added drawback of the price of 4 of these cables making the whole setup really expensive. ([http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2003/8/25/ Although one would hope everyone would at least bring their own GBA]). It seems to be this backlash that has prevented Nintendo from jumping right into doing a similar setup with the DS and Wii, despite the fact that cables are no longer an issue in that situation. Another factor for this could be to avoid a repeat of ''[[Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles]]'' where everyone needed a handheld in order to play, which would add the cost to the consumers and a DS wasn't exactly cheap at the time it was released.
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Despite early statements by Nintendo higher-ups that the Advance was one of company's three main pillars, along with the DS and the Wii, the release of the DSi and its lack of a GBA slot, and that there are apparently no plans on continuing the Advance line, contribute to the inevitable fact that this kind of gaming system is slowly dying out...
Despite early statements by Nintendo higher-ups that the Advance was one of company's three main pillars, along with the DS and the Wii, the release of the DSi and its lack of a GBA slot, and that there are apparently no plans on continuing the Advance line, contribute to the inevitable fact that this kind of gaming system is slowly dying out...


... until Nintendo's [[Authors Saving Throw]] for potentially-disappointed customers who bought the [[Nintendo 3DS]] before a price cut came surprisingly early (hence the potential disappointment) revealed that [[And the Fandom Rejoiced|the GBA will soon join the ranks of Nintendo's other portable systems in the]] [[Virtual Console]].
... until Nintendo's [[Author's Saving Throw]] for potentially-disappointed customers who bought the [[Nintendo 3DS]] before a price cut came surprisingly early (hence the potential disappointment) revealed that [[And the Fandom Rejoiced|the GBA will soon join the ranks of Nintendo's other portable systems in the]] [[Virtual Console]]. This was continued in the [[Nintendo Switch]] Online service.


----
----


Specs:
==Specs:==
<tabber>

== Processors ==
Processors=
* [[CPU]] is a 32 bit, 16.8 MHz, ARM processor.
* [[CPU]] is a 32 bit, 16.8 MHz, ARM processor.
* The original GBA and SP have the Game Boy Color CPU included to ensure full backwards compatibility. This can be used as tone generators in regular Game Boy Advance games.
* The original GBA and SP have the Game Boy Color CPU included to ensure full backwards compatibility. This can be used as tone generators in regular Game Boy Advance games.
|-|

== Memory ==
Memory=
* 256 KB of RAM
* 256 KB of RAM
* 96 KB of [[Video RAM]]
* 96 KB of [[Video RAM]]
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* Carts can be up to 32 MB in size.
* Carts can be up to 32 MB in size.
** Carts can also display FMVs, although few games had those. It was mainly used by special carts to play video with. The compression format is barely passable quality, but it still showed movie playback had advanced to fitting in affordable carts. This would be important for the DS.
** Carts can also display FMVs, although few games had those. It was mainly used by special carts to play video with. The compression format is barely passable quality, but it still showed movie playback had advanced to fitting in affordable carts. This would be important for the DS.
|-|

== Graphics ==
Graphics=
* Like the SNES, sprites are up to 64x64, with up to 128 on screen, but no flicker if too many on the same line. Sprite combination for bigger objects is also improved.
* Like the SNES, sprites are up to 64x64, with up to 128 on screen, but no flicker if too many on the same line. Sprite combination for bigger objects is also improved.
* The GBA can also transform sprites and backgrounds in real-time without additional hardware, unlike the SNES, which can only transform 1 background layer with Mode 7, and needed an extra chip in the cartridge to be able to scale, rotate, and otherwise transform sprites properly..
* The GBA can also transform sprites and backgrounds in real-time without additional hardware, unlike the SNES, which can only transform 1 background layer with Mode 7, and needed an extra chip in the cartridge to be able to scale, rotate, and otherwise transform sprites properly..
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* Still 32,768 colors total, but the total on screen is 512: 256 for the sprites and 256 for the backgrounds. Each object and tile can use either a 16- or 256-color palette. Of course, there are transparency effects that override this on-screen color limitation.
* Still 32,768 colors total, but the total on screen is 512: 256 for the sprites and 256 for the backgrounds. Each object and tile can use either a 16- or 256-color palette. Of course, there are transparency effects that override this on-screen color limitation.
* Resolution is 240×160.
* Resolution is 240×160.
|-|

== Sound ==
Sound=
* The GBA added in two 8-bit PCM channels, in addition to the original GB/GBC sound hardware, giving a total of 4 GB-era synth channels and 2 PCM channels.
* The GBA added in two 8-bit PCM channels, in addition to the original GB/GBC sound hardware, giving a total of 4 GB-era synth channels and 2 PCM channels.
* Most, if not all games didn't directly play samples on the PCM channels - games instead utilized the then-fast CPU to mix audio, along with sound effects.
* Most, if not all games didn't directly play samples on the PCM channels - games instead utilized the then-fast CPU to mix audio, along with sound effects.
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* Due to the fact that audio is mixed in software, audio quality varies with software. For the PCM channels, games can either only support mono output, or can support mono and stereo output. The sampling rate and amount of instruments and sound effects at one time also varies greatly - it can range from about telephone-quality to 44kHz, sometimes higher.
* Due to the fact that audio is mixed in software, audio quality varies with software. For the PCM channels, games can either only support mono output, or can support mono and stereo output. The sampling rate and amount of instruments and sound effects at one time also varies greatly - it can range from about telephone-quality to 44kHz, sometimes higher.
* However, the PCM audio is always in 8-bit quality, resulting in background noise.
* However, the PCM audio is always in 8-bit quality, resulting in background noise.
|-|

== Batteries ==
Batteries=
* The original model uses 2 AA batteries, for 15 to 20 hours.
* The original model uses 2 AA batteries, for 15 to 20 hours.
* The other models use a rechargeable battery, which runs around the same without a light, and around 10 hours with it on.
* The other models use a rechargeable battery, which runs around the same without a light, and around 10 hours with it on.
</tabber>


So aside from the color depth and resolution, the GBA is actually more powerful than the NeoGeo. It took 11 years (1990 launch to 2001 launch), but all the power got squeezed into a handheld.
So aside from the color depth and resolution, the GBA is actually more powerful than the [[Neo Geo]]. It took 11 years (1990 launch to 2001 launch), but all the power got squeezed into a handheld.
----
----
=== Games include, but are not limited to: ===
== Games include, but are not limited to: ==
* ''[[Ace Combat Advance]]''

* ''[[Ace Combat Advance (Video Game)|Ace Combat Advance]]''
* ''[[Nintendo Wars|Advance Wars]]''
* ''[[Nintendo Wars (Video Game)|Advance Wars]]''
* ''[[Aladdin (Capcom)|Aladdin]]''
* ''[[Aladdin Capcom (Video Game)|Aladdin]]''
* ''[[Astro Boy Omega Factor]]''
⚫
* ''[[Backyard Sports]]''
* ''[[Astro Boy Omega Factor (Video Game)|Astro Boy Omega Factor]]''
⚫
* ''[[Banjo-Kazooie]]: Grunty's Revenge''
⚫
* ''[[Backyard Sports (Video Game)|Backyard Sports]]''
⚫
* ''[[Boktai]]'' series:
⚫
* ''[[Banjo-Kazooie (Video Game)|Banjo-Kazooie]]: Grunty's Revenge''
⚫
* ''[[Boktai (Video Game)|Boktai]]'' series:
** ''Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand''
** ''Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand''
** ''Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django''
** ''Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django''
** ''Boktai: Sabata's Counterattack''
** ''Boktai: Sabata's Counterattack''
* ''[[Car Battler Joe (Video Game)|Car Battler Joe]]''
* ''[[Car Battler Joe]]''
* ''[[Castlevania (Video Game)|Castlevania]]'' series:
* ''[[Castlevania]]'' series:
** ''[[Castlevania Circle of the Moon (Video Game)|Castlevania Circle of the Moon]]''
** ''[[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon]]''
** ''[[Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance (Video Game)|Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance]]''
** ''[[Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance]]''
** ''[[Castlevania Chronicles of Sorrow (Video Game)|Castlevania Aria Of Sorrow]]''
** ''[[Castlevania: Chronicles of Sorrow|Castlevania Aria Of Sorrow]]''
* ''[[Chu Chu Rocket (Video Game)|Chu Chu Rocket]]''
* ''[[Chu Chu Rocket]]''
* Classic NES Series:
* Classic NES Series:
** ''Bomberman''
** ''Bomberman''
** ''Castlevania''
** ''Castlevania''
** ''[[Donkey Kong]]''
** ''[[Donkey Kong]]''
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** ''[[Metroid]]''
** ''[[Metroid]]''
** ''[[Ice Climber]]''
** ''[[Ice Climber]]''
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda]]''
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|The Legend of Zelda]]''
** ''[[Pacman]]''
** ''[[Pac-Man]]''
** ''[[Super Mario Bros]]''
** ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''
** ''Xevious''
** ''Xevious''
** ''[[Zelda II the Adventure of Link (Video Game)|Zelda II the Adventure of Link]]''
** ''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link|Zelda II the Adventure of Link]]''
* ''[[Crash Bandicoot (Video Game)|Crash Bandicoot]]'' series:
* ''[[Crash Bandicoot]]'' series:
** ''The Huge Adventure'' (''XS'' in Europe)
** ''The Huge Adventure'' (''XS'' in Europe)
** ''2: N-Tranced'' (like the first used worlds previously seen in ''[[Crash Bandicoot 2 Cortex Strikes Back|Cortex Strikes Back]]'', the second did the same with ''[[Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped|Warped]]'')
** ''2: N-Tranced'' (like the first used worlds previously seen in ''[[Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back|Cortex Strikes Back]]'', the second did the same with ''[[Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped|Warped]]'')
** ''Crash Nitro Kart'' ([[Spiritual Successor]] to ''[[Crash Team Racing]]''; the GBA version played like ''[[Mario Kart|Super Circuit]]'' [[X Meets Y|meets]] ''Crash'')
** ''Crash Nitro Kart'' ([[Spiritual Successor]] to ''[[Crash Team Racing]]''; the GBA version played like ''[[Mario Kart|Super Circuit]]'' [[X Meets Y|meets]] ''Crash'')
** ''[[Crash Bandicoot Purple Riptos Rampage (Video Game)|Crash Bandicoot Purple Riptos Rampage]]'' (as the name implies, an [[Intercontinuity Crossover]] with the ''[[Spyro the Dragon]]'' series via ''[[Spyro Orange the Cortex Conspiracy (Video Game)|Spyro Orange the Cortex Conspiracy]]''; simply known as ''Crash Fusion'' in Europe)
** ''[[Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage]]'' (as the name implies, an [[Intercontinuity Crossover]] with the ''[[Spyro the Dragon]]'' series via ''[[Spyro Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy]]''; simply known as ''Crash Fusion'' in Europe)
* ''[[Digimon Battle Spirit (Video Game)|Digimon Battle Spirit]]''
* ''[[Digimon Battle Spirit]]''
* ''DK: King of Swing''
* ''DK: King of Swing''
* ''[[Drill Dozer (Video Game)|Drill Dozer]]''
* ''[[Drill Dozer]]''
* ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (Video Game)|Final Fantasy Tactics Advance]]''
* ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics Advance]]''
* ''[[Fire Emblem (Video Game)|Fire Emblem]]''
* ''[[Fire Emblem]]''
** ''[[Fire Emblem Elibe (Video Game)|The Sword of Seal]]'' ([[No Export for You|only in Japan]])
** ''[[Fire Emblem Elibe|The Sword of Seal]]'' ([[No Export for You|only in Japan]])
** ''[[Fire Emblem Elibe (Video Game)|The Sword of Flame]]'' ([[Sequel First|first game in the series to get an international release]], it dropped the subtitle for its overseas release)
** ''[[Fire Emblem Elibe|The Sword of Flame]]'' ([[Sequel First|first game in the series to get an international release]], it dropped the subtitle for its overseas release)
** ''[[Fire Emblem the Sacred Stones (Video Game)|The Sacred Stones]]''
** ''[[Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones|The Sacred Stones]]''
* ''[[Fire Pro Wrestling (Video Game)|Fire Pro Wrestling A (Fire Pro Wrestling in the US)]]''
* ''[[Fire Pro Wrestling|Fire Pro Wrestling A (Fire Pro Wrestling in the US)]]''
** ''Final Fire Pro Wrestling (Fire Pro Wrestling 2 in the US)''
** ''Final Fire Pro Wrestling (Fire Pro Wrestling 2 in the US)''
* ''[[Game and Watch (Video Game)|Game and Watch]] [[Compilation Rerelease|Gallery]] 4''
* ''[[Game and Watch]] [[Compilation Rerelease|Gallery]] 4''
* ''[[Golden Sun (Video Game)|Golden Sun]]''
* ''[[Golden Sun]]''
* ''[[Gunstar Heroes (Video Game)|Gunstar Super Heroes]]''
* ''[[Gunstar Heroes|Gunstar Super Heroes]]''
* ''[[Hamtaro Ham Ham Heartbreak (Video Game)|Hamtaro Ham Ham Heartbreak]]''
* ''[[Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak|Hamtaro Ham Ham Heartbreak]]''
* ''[[Kirby and The Amazing Mirror (Video Game)|Kirby and The Amazing Mirror]]''
* ''[[Kirby and The Amazing Mirror]]''
* ''[[Kuru Kuru Kururin (Video Game)|Kuru Kuru Kururin]]''
* ''[[Kuru Kuru Kururin]]''
* ''[[Lunar the Silver Star (Video Game)|Lunar Legend]]''
* ''[[Lunar: The Silver Star|Lunar Legend]]''
* ''[[Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga (Video Game)|Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]''
* ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]''
* ''[[Mario Kart (Video Game)|Mario Kart]] Super Circuit''
* ''[[Mario Kart]] Super Circuit''
* ''[[Mario Party (Video Game)|Mario Party]] Advance''
* ''[[Mario Party]] Advance''
* ''[[Mario Golf (Video Game)|Mario Golf]] Advance Tour''
* ''[[Mario Golf]] Advance Tour''
* ''[[Mario Tennis (Video Game)|Mario Tennis]]: Power Tour''
* ''[[Mario Tennis]]: Power Tour''
* ''[[Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Video Game)|Mario vs. Donkey Kong]]''
* ''[[Mario vs. Donkey Kong]]''
* ''[[Max Payne (Video Game)|Max Payne]]''
* ''[[Max Payne (series)|Max Payne]]''
* ''[[Medabots (Video Game)|Medabots]]''
* ''[[Medabots]]''
* ''[[Mega Man and Bass (Video Game)|Mega Man and Bass]]''
* ''[[Mega Man and Bass]]''
* ''[[Mega Man Battle Network (Video Game)|Mega Man Battle Network]]''
* ''[[Mega Man Battle Network]]''
** ''Mega Man Battle Network 2''
** ''Mega Man Battle Network 2''
** ''Mega Man Battle Network 3''
** ''Mega Man Battle Network 3''
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** ''Mega Man Battle Network 5''
** ''Mega Man Battle Network 5''
** ''Mega Man Battle Network 6''
** ''Mega Man Battle Network 6''
* ''[[Mega Man Zero (Video Game)|Mega Man Zero]]''
* ''[[Mega Man Zero]]''
** ''Mega Man Zero 2''
** ''Mega Man Zero 2''
** ''Mega Man Zero 3''
** ''Mega Man Zero 3''
** ''Mega Man Zero 4''
** ''Mega Man Zero 4''
* ''[[Metroid (Video Game)|Metroid]]: Fusion''
* ''[[Metroid]]: Fusion''
** ''[[Video Game Remake|Metroid: Zero Mission]] ''
** ''[[Video Game Remake|Metroid: Zero Mission]] ''
* ''[[Mother 3 (Video Game)|Mother 3]]''
* ''[[Mother 3]]''
* ''[[One Piece (Video Game)|One Piece]]''
* ''[[One Piece (video game)|One Piece]]''
* [[Pokémon (Franchise)|Pokémon]]
* [[Pokémon]]
** ''[[Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (Video Game)|Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire]]''
** ''[[Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire]]''
*** ''Pokémon Emerald''
*** ''[[Pokémon Emerald]]''
** ''[[Pokémon Red and Blue (Video Game)|Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen]]''
** ''[[Pokémon Red and Blue|Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen]]''
** ''[[Pokémon Pinball (Video Game)|Pokémon Pinball]]: Ruby and Sapphire''
** ''[[Pokémon Pinball]]: Ruby and Sapphire''
** ''[[Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team (Video Game)|Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team]]''
** ''[[Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team|Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team]]''
* ''[[Rayman (Video Game)|Rayman]] Advance''
** ''[[Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire]]''
* ''[[Rayman]] Advance''
* ''[[River City Ransom (Video Game)|River City Ransom]] EX''
* ''[[Robopon (Video Game)|Robopon]] 2''
* ''[[River City Ransom]] EX''
* ''[[Sabre Wulf (Video Game)|Sabre Wulf]]''
* ''[[Robopon]] 2''
* ''[[Sigma Star Saga (Video Game)|Sigma Star Saga]]''
* ''[[Sabre Wulf]]''
* ''[[Sigma Star Saga]]''
⚫
* ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (Franchise)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' series:
** ''[[Sonic Advance Trilogy (Video Game)|Sonic Advance Trilogy]]''
* ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' series:
** ''[[Sonic Battle (Video Game)|Sonic Battle]]''
** ''[[Sonic Advance Trilogy]]''
** ''[[Sonic Battle]]''
** ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Game)|Sonic the Hedgehog]] [[Updated Rerelease|Genesis]]''
⚫
** ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (video game)|Sonic the Hedgehog]] [[Updated Rerelease|Genesis]]''
** ''Sonic Pinball Party''
** ''Sonic Pinball Party''
* ''[[Spyro the Dragon (Video Game)|Spyro the Dragon]]'' series:
* ''[[Spyro the Dragon]]'' series:
** ''[[Spyro Season of Ice (Video Game)|Spyro Season of Ice]]''
** ''[[Spyro: Season of Ice]]''
** ''[[Spyro 2 Season of Flame (Video Game)|Spyro 2 Season of Flame]]''
** ''[[Spyro 2: Season of Flame]]''
** ''[[Spyro Attack of the Rhynocs (Video Game)|Spyro Attack of the Rhynocs]]''
** ''[[Spyro: Attack of the Rhynocs]]''
** ''[[Spyro Orange the Cortex Conspiracy (Video Game)|Spyro Orange the Cortex Conspiracy]]''
** ''[[Spyro Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy]]''
* ''[[Super Robot Wars Advance (Video Game)|Super Robot Wars Advance]]''
* ''[[Super Robot Wars Advance]]''
* ''[[Super Robot Wars Destiny (Video Game)|Super Robot Wars Destiny]]''
* ''[[Super Robot Wars Destiny]]''
* ''[[Super Robot Wars Judgment (Video Game)|Super Robot Wars Judgment]]''
* ''[[Super Robot Wars Judgment]]''
* ''[[Super Robot Wars Original Generation (Video Game)|Super Robot Wars Original Generation]]''
* ''[[Super Robot Wars Original Generation]]''
* ''[[Super Robot Wars Reversal (Video Game)|Super Robot Wars Reversal]]''
* ''[[Super Robot Wars Reversal]]''
* ''[[Sword of Mana (Video Game)|Sword of Mana]]''
* ''[[Sword of Mana]]''
* ''[[Tactics Ogre the Knight of Lodis (Video Game)|Tactics Ogre the Knight of Lodis]]''
* ''[[Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis]]''
* ''[[Tales of Phantasia (Video Game)|Tales of Phantasia]]''
* ''[[Tales of Phantasia]]''
* ''[[Tekken (Video Game)|Tekken]] Advance''
* ''[[Tekken]] Advance''
* ''[[Tetris Worlds (Video Game)|Tetris Worlds]]''
* ''[[Tetris Worlds]]''
* ''[[The Legendary Starfy (Video Game)|The Legendary Starfy]]''
* ''[[The Legendary Starfy]]''
* ''[[The Legend of Zelda a Link To T He Past (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda a Link To T He Past]]''
* ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|The Legend of Zelda a Link To T He Past]]''
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda Four Swords (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda Four Swords]]''
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda Four Swords]]''
* ''[[The Legend of Zelda the Minish Cap (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda the Minish Cap]]''
* ''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap|The Legend of Zelda the Minish Cap]]''
* ''[[Wario Land (Video Game)|Wario Land]] 4''
* ''[[Wario Land]] 4''
* ''[[Wario Ware (Video Game)|Wario Ware]], Inc.: Mega Microgames!''
* ''[[Wario Ware]], Inc.: Mega Microgames!''
** ''[[Wario Ware (Video Game)|Wario Ware]]: Twisted!''
** ''[[Wario Ware]]: Twisted!''
* ''[[Wings (Video Game)|Wings]]''
* ''[[Wings (video game)|Wings]]''
* ''[[Yggdra Union (Video Game)|Yggdra Union]]''
* ''[[Yggdra Union]]''
* ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh Reshef of Destruction (Video Game)|Yu-Gi-Oh Reshef of Destruction]]''
* ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction|Yu-Gi-Oh Reshef of Destruction]]''


{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Videogame Systems]]
[[Category:Videogame Systems]]
[[Category:Nintendo (Creator)]]
[[Category:index]]
[[Category:index]]
[[Category:Game Boy Advance]]
[[Category:Game Boy Advance]]
[[Category:Trope]]
[[Category:Nintendo]]
[[Category:Pages with working Wikipedia tabs]]

Latest revision as of 03:39, 18 April 2024


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    /wiki/Game Boy Advancework

    Life Advanced

    Just a few years after the Game Boy Color made the NES portable, the parts to make a portable SNES became viable, and allowing the same paradigm (size, durability, cost, and battery life). So rather than waiting, Nintendo went ahead with the Game Boy Advance.

    It was Nintendo's last dedicated 2D system, and man, did it go out with a bang. It was the second bestselling system of the 6th generation, which likely led Sony to try to get in on that market.

    Although the system was a hit, 16 bit-level graphics proved too much to effectively show on screen without some kind of light. Thus Nintendo quickly went ahead with the SP revision, which added a front light to the system. It didn't look as good as a backlight, but it worked. The system sold even faster after that. It also dropped the AA batteries in favor of a rechargeable one.

    Early in the Game Boy Advance's life, one of the common criticisms was the handheld's audio. While the Game Boy Advance was similar to the Super Nintendo in its specs, the Advance's sound chip was made differently since the Super Nintendo's sound chip was produced by Sony and Nintendo could not use the same chip or a similar one without paying royalties to Sony, so Nintendo had to produce one of their own. When Nintendo ported several of their SNES titles to the Game Boy Advance and Square-Enix ported a few of their Final Fantasy titles from the SNES, there was criticisms over how the sound effects and music were inferior to the original versions of the games. However, these criticisms faded over time when more titles were made with the Game Boy Advance's sound chip in mind.

    The multiplayer aspect of the handheld was pushed more than the past Game Boy systems; as people only ever seemed to use the link cables on the old systems for trading Pokémon, the GBA link cable added an extra port in the middle that, when combined with 2 other link cables, allowed 4-player play (which, while not new, was only supported by a few games and required a whole separate accessory for the link cables) and introduced the idea of single-card play, games with a multi-player mode that only required one player to have a copy, allowing others to load the game into ram and play, eliminating one of the bigger boundaries to handheld multi-player.

    Along with this ability to load data into RAM, Nintendo also touted the Game Boy Advance to Game Cube cable, which allowed players to hook up their GBA to the Gamecube and use it as if it were a controller with a screen; a similar idea had been used before by Sega, with the VMU controllers for the Sega Dreamcast. Several games used this feature to allow multi-player while keeping important data on the GBA screen and thus private from the other players (selecting a football play, for example). While an innovative idea, games that required this mechanic (Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles being the prime example) while fun, had the added drawback of the price of 4 of these cables making the whole setup really expensive. (Although one would hope everyone would at least bring their own GBA). It seems to be this backlash that has prevented Nintendo from jumping right into doing a similar setup with the DS and Wii, despite the fact that cables are no longer an issue in that situation. Another factor for this could be to avoid a repeat of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles where everyone needed a handheld in order to play, which would add the cost to the consumers and a DS wasn't exactly cheap at the time it was released.

    Around the time the DS launched, Nintendo introduced the Micro, which made the Advance even smaller. Unfortunately, it also lacked the Game Boy Color chip, so it wasn't as fully featured as the SP. Worse, it actually cost more than the SP, and required new cables/accessories. Plus the SP was finally given a back light at the same time, so there was little reason to get the Micro. It did sell a few million units, but was quietly discontinued.

    Despite early statements by Nintendo higher-ups that the Advance was one of company's three main pillars, along with the DS and the Wii, the release of the DSi and its lack of a GBA slot, and that there are apparently no plans on continuing the Advance line, contribute to the inevitable fact that this kind of gaming system is slowly dying out...

    ... until Nintendo's Author's Saving Throw for potentially-disappointed customers who bought the Nintendo 3DS before a price cut came surprisingly early (hence the potential disappointment) revealed that the GBA will soon join the ranks of Nintendo's other portable systems in the Virtual Console. This was continued in the Nintendo Switch Online service.

    Specs:

    * CPU is a 32 bit, 16.8 MHz, ARM processor.

    • The original GBA and SP have the Game Boy Color CPU included to ensure full backwards compatibility. This can be used as tone generators in regular Game Boy Advance games.

    * 256 KB of RAM

  • 96 KB of Video RAM
  • Another 32 KB are embedded into the CPU.
  • Carts can be up to 32 MB in size.
    • Carts can also display FMVs, although few games had those. It was mainly used by special carts to play video with. The compression format is barely passable quality, but it still showed movie playback had advanced to fitting in affordable carts. This would be important for the DS.

    • * Like the SNES, sprites are up to 64x64, with up to 128 on screen, but no flicker if too many on the same line. Sprite combination for bigger objects is also improved.

  • The GBA can also transform sprites and backgrounds in real-time without additional hardware, unlike the SNES, which can only transform 1 background layer with Mode 7, and needed an extra chip in the cartridge to be able to scale, rotate, and otherwise transform sprites properly..
  • 4 background layers, and increased memory and game size allows even more detail.
  • Still 32,768 colors total, but the total on screen is 512: 256 for the sprites and 256 for the backgrounds. Each object and tile can use either a 16- or 256-color palette. Of course, there are transparency effects that override this on-screen color limitation.
  • Resolution is 240×160.

    • * The GBA added in two 8-bit PCM channels, in addition to the original GB/GBC sound hardware, giving a total of 4 GB-era synth channels and 2 PCM channels.

  • Most, if not all games didn't directly play samples on the PCM channels - games instead utilized the then-fast CPU to mix audio, along with sound effects.
  • Many games use a combination of the old GB/GBC synth and software PCM synth music.
  • Due to the fact that audio is mixed in software, audio quality varies with software. For the PCM channels, games can either only support mono output, or can support mono and stereo output. The sampling rate and amount of instruments and sound effects at one time also varies greatly - it can range from about telephone-quality to 44kHz, sometimes higher.
  • However, the PCM audio is always in 8-bit quality, resulting in background noise.

    • * The original model uses 2 AA batteries, for 15 to 20 hours.

  • The other models use a rechargeable battery, which runs around the same without a light, and around 10 hours with it on.

    • So aside from the color depth and resolution, the GBA is actually more powerful than the Neo Geo. It took 11 years (1990 launch to 2001 launch), but all the power got squeezed into a handheld.

    Games include, but are not limited to:

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