Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4742 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Nintendo
• Model: Advance
• Released on: 2005-12-09
• Platform: Game Boy Advance
• Subtitled in: German
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 2.00" h x 5.00" w x 8.00" l, .31 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Game Boy Advance features power that would have been unthinkable back when the original Game Boy was launched. Its 32-bit RISC CPU runs circles around the former machine's 8-bit workhorse, allowing it to process program instructions much faster. What that means to everyday gamers is more intricate visuals, more simultaneous movement on the screen, and better sound. In fact, the often-annoying bleeps and bloops of old-school Game Boy titles are being replaced with digitised stereo sound. When you first pick up the system, you'll notice how lightweight it is. It's a little less than 150 grams, but a little larger than a deck of playing cards. The GBA's wider shape fits better into a wider range of hands, and the screen is fitted with antiglare technology--you need pretty good light to play by, but you won't be craning your neck and tilting the unit to see around the reflection of the light bulb in your screen.

You'll also notice the graphics. Essentially sporting redesigned SNES technology, you'll see things on the GBA that the big consoles do, such as scaling (making objects larger or smaller) and rotation effects--technological advances that will affect the look of everything from crossing a finish line to scoring a goal to crawling through a dungeon. The extra processing muscle also means you can network up to four Game Boy Advance units together, via the communication cable, for multiplayer fun from one shared cartridge. Because the Game Boy Advance system is backward-compatible, it will play not only its own line of colourful games--including such launch titles as Super Mario Advance, F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, and Kuru Kuru Kurin--but also almost all of the monochrome and colour games that have already been released for the previous Game Boy systems. It seems that Nintendo have wisely struck a balance between size, price, and power consumption. And considering how well the old 8-bit system weathered the decade's technological storms, the Game Boy Advance seems here to stay. --Porter B Hall

Manufacturer's Description
The Game Boy Advance is the next step in portable gaming. If you thought Game Boy Color made a radical leap in hand-held entertainment, just wait until you feel the power of Game Boy Advance's 32-bit color graphics and intense new horizontal design. The screen is bigger, but it's just as compact as Game Boy Color. The addition of L and R Buttons add increased control, taking your gameplay experience to the next level. There's virtually nothing that Game Boy Advance can't do. It is fully compatible with all pre-existing Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. Four, not two, FOUR Game Boy Advances can link up for incredible multiplayer action. Game Boy Advance represents the future of hand-held gaming, and that future is almost here.

Customer Reviews

Just buy one.
I got mine on the day of release. Clear blue, compact and light. First impressions were maybe a little dissapointing. It REALLY is light, even with batteries and game in, and feels a little more flimsy that the old GB. The battery compartment in particular feels likely to break. I guess time will show how sturdy these things are. I've also been told the screen is prone to scratching, but if you take care of it you should be OK.

On the subject of the screen, it IS dark. You'll notice this when playing games such as Tony Hawks, or Castlevania, and you'll maybe start off by squinting at the thing. Having said that, you DO get used to this pretty fast, and you can get add on light packs that help a great deal. In reality, it's not much darker than the old GB. Maybe they could have made a backlit screen, but this was sacrificed in the name of battery power. The batteries (2xAA) are reported to last up to 15 hours - 50% longer than the GB. the machine is also pretty small, about the size of a DVD case maybe, and as such you may find fault if you have giant hands. The shoulder buttons can be tricky to use, although I've not found it TOO much of a problem.

So - The graphics and sound. Well, prepare to be impressed. This machine is capable of producing some quite nice little tunes from it's small speaker, and you can plug headphones in to get the superb stereo effect. Games like Castlevania, Mario and Tony Hawks will impress with their samples. The graphics are superb. I've been told the machine is faster at 2D than the PSone, which is easy to believe when you look at the likes of Tony Hawks. It's just a shame that the dark screen doesn't always do them justice.

The games - Well, in essence, this system is a handheld SNES. For those of you old enough to remember the SNES, you'll know that the games on it were some of the best ever. This is a real return to simple, hardcore fun gaming. Take a look at Kuru Kuru Kururin, where you guide a spinning stick through mazes without touching the sides - simple, but highly addictive. Expect to see a large number of SNES conversions appearing soon. I'm looking forwards to maybe conversions of the older Final Fantasy games, many of which are better (story and gameplay wise) than the recent ones. It'd also be nice to see the classic Tales Of Phantasia in a handheld version - The GBA could certainly do it.

This machine is perfect for those dull bus rides home after work, and will even impress those with no interest in games. One more thing - It seems to have the capacity to alter time, too. I started playing Kuru Kuru last night at seven, and I guess I played for half an hour, but when I looked at the clock it was almost eleven! Very mysterious..... ;)

GBA console
If you are looking for a hand-held console that you can take anywhere, and don't want to compromise with quality, then this is the product for you! Has a wide selection of games, and has brilliant graphics. The only bad thing is that sometimes with some games the screen is difficult to see in poor light. This is only a minor point, though and overall I would reccomend this to all gamers.

Like a PS1 but only smaller.
I decided to buy a GBA after having ago on one of my friends. So far I only have Super Mario Advance but it is clear that the gameplay is excelent. The GBA is 32-bit so it can be compared to the Playstation 1 except that it is a fraction of the size and weight.

The screen may be difficult to see in poor light but holding it up to a window or artificial light and you can easily see the screen. If the GBA had a backlight it'd eat through batteries and probably weight 3 times the weight.

Definately great for us if travelling, in a queue or in a lecture at uni. The choice of games looks good and can only get better and its a great purchace.