Game Boy Advance

Game Boy Advance
The model of the Game Boy Advance.
Manufacturer	Nintendo
Release Date	March 21, 2001 June 11, 2001 June 22, 2001 March 8, 2002 File:KO.png April 7, 2003
Console Generation	Sixth generation
Processor	ARM7TDMI, 16.78 MHz
GPU	Custom 2D core
Resolution	2.9-inch reflective TFT color LCD
Media	Game Boy Advance cartridges
Codename	Project Atlantis
Size	23.2 by 5.6 by 1 inch (82 by 144.5 by 24.5 mm)
Shipped	81.41 million (incl. GBA revisions)
Bestseller	Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire

The Game Boy Advance is a 32-bit Nintendo portable system initially released in Japan on March 21, 2001. A part of the sixth generation of video games, the Game Boy Advance was noted as the final Game Boy iteration. A couple of redesigns were released including the Game Boy Advance SP and the Game Boy Micro. It was succeeded by the Nintendo DS line. The Game Boy Advance systems quickly became Nintendo's best selling system of all time within a few years, accumulating a total of 81.41 million sales worldwide, including 43.49 million SP units and 2.42 million Micro units. In 2008, the Nintendo DS surpassed this and continued on its path of domination by managing to move a total of 130 million units worldwide.

The Game Boy Advance was initially known as Project Atlantis according to reports released years before the handheld was even formally announced. Early reports made claims of a system capable of producing graphics on par with those the Super Nintendo Entertainment System could produce. Indeed those reports proved to be correct, as the GBA managed to not only meet these claims but surpass them as well. The only exception was the fact that the screen was unable to handle every single bit of the colors the SNES produced, resulting in all of it's ports featuring watered down colors.

In 2007, its production has ended, but the people still play it. Actually, the models just discontinued at different times. The old model was discontinued in 2005, and the SP and Micro were discontinued in 2007.

Technical Specifications

• Length: approximately 14.45 cm (5.69 in).
• Width: approximately 2.25 cm (0.96 in).
• Height: approximately 8.2 cm (3.2 in).
• Mass: approximately 140 g (4.9 oz).
• Screen: 2.9 inch reflective thin-film transistor (TFT) color LCD.
• Power: 2 AA batteries.
• Battery life: approximately 15 hours on average while playing Game Boy Advance games (also dependent on the Game Pak being played, volume setting and any external peripherals being used - e.g. a screen light)
• CPU: 16.8 MHz 32-bit ARM7TDMI with embedded memory. 8 or 4 MHz 8-bit Z80 coprocessor for Game Boy backward compatibility.
• Memory: 32 kilobyte + 96 kilobyte VRAM (internal to the CPU), 256 kilobyte DRAM (outside the CPU).
• Resolution: 240 × 160 pixels (3:2 aspect ratio).
• Color support: 15-bit BGR (5 bits depth per channel), capable of displaying 512 simultaneous colors in "character mode" and 32,768 simultaneous colors in "bitmap mode".
• Sound: Dual 8-bit DAC for stereo sound (called Direct Sound), plus all legacy channels from Game Boy. The new DACs can be used to play back streams of wave data, or can be used to output multiple wave samples processed/mixed in software by the CPU.

Games

Top Ten Best Selling Games

1. Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
2. Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
3. Pokémon Emerald
4. Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2
5. Super Mario Advance
6. Mario Kart: Super Circuit
7. Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
8. Namco Museum
9. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team
10. Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3

Related

• Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP
• Nintendo Game Boy Micro

See also

• List of Game Boy Advance games