Nintendo Game Boy Advance Gray Console
- Processor: 16.78 MHz
- Display: LCD TFT (Active Matrix)
- Platform: Game Boy Advance
- Console Type: Handheld
- Gaming Type: LAN Gaming
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A 100% REAL, AUTHENTIC REVIEW BY A GAME BOY ADVANCE OWNER!
Pros
Great graphics and games! Smaller unit, very powerful
Cons
Poor lighting, no backlight
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
An excellent system! Great graphics and sound. Lots of great games, backwards compatible with GBC games.
Normally, hand held games aren?t my thing, as I find that games simply don?t translate well to a small screen. However, I can honestly say that the Nintendo (and it?s no secret that I am not too crazy about this company), has really outdone themselves with the Game Boy Advance creating yet another machine that not only works great, but will mostly likely crush anything that the competition dares to create (so what else is new?). So, after months of waiting, I finally was able to get one of the Nintendo (GBA) and a few games to get me started, making it Christmas in June.
As always, with Nintendo, delays are part of the deal, and the GBA was no different. Released on June 11, 2001, the GBA also included a plethora of games, which is always a great way to launch a console. Add onto that, game cases, lights and screen covers, and you have just about everything you need for a successful launch. Plus, there was no shortage, ala the Playstation 2 meltdown that took place last fall.
Details - The GBA is a 32 bit machine, dubbed a ?portable Super NES? which came out in the early 1990?s, and is available in blue, white and ice. The first thing you notice about the GBA, is that the unit itself is very small and quite thin, measuring in at 82mm (L) x 144.5 (W) x 24.5 (D) and unlike the Game Boy Color (GBC), the GBA is held horizontally. The buttons (D-pad, A, B) are still found on each side of the much larger (twice the size of the GBC), screen, and there are left and right ?shoulder buttons? found at the top of the unit for added control options. The GBA is powered by two AA batteries (which come with the unit), and battery life is around 15 hours and the unit itself retails for $99.99.
Gameplay - As I mentioned, there are a whole slew of games that were released with this launch. Some of the ?must have? games (ones that I picked up at least), are ?Super Mario Advance?, ?Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2?, ?Castlevania?, and ?Super Dodge Ball Advance?.
After taking the GBA for a short test ride (okay, I admit, I spent the entire day yesterday playing this), the big issue that I have is that the screen is very difficult to see, even when using a lamp or a light from the ceiling. Therefore, I highly, highly, highly recommend getting a light that plugs into the GBA, such as a Worm Light to remedy this. Why Nintendo didn?t improve the lighting issue on this unit or use a backlight, is beyond me. Still, that is my only complaint, and for $9.99, the cost of a plug in light, the issue is easy resolved.
Graphics - Simply put, the graphics for the GBA are amazing! For a machine that is so small and compact, it is really hard to believe that it can produce such great graphics and images, but it does. Graphics are clear and crisp, and the larger screen (which measures 40.8 mm x 61.2 mm), greatly improves gameplay by 100%. Unlike the GBC?s graphics, which were a bit ?cartoony? and childish, the GBA graphics are much more detailed and offer more depth, as it has the capacity to display nearly 38,000 colors.
Sound - The small speaker is found in the lower right-hand corner, as it was with all of the Game Boys in the past, and offers stereo sound. The overall sound experience is much improved with the GBA, as games such as ?Castlevania? and ?Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2? demonstrate. There is a headphone jack for private listening, and using this does provide a more ?stereo? effect.
Other details - For those who are into multi-player games, rejoice, as the GBA supports up to four players, connecting them with a Game Link Cable. Unlike previous multi-player Game Boys, not all players using the Link Cable need to have the same game, as some games can be shared. Supposedly, the Game Cube (due to launch this winter, or whenever Nintendo feels like it), is going to be able to use the GBA as a controller.
The cartridge size of the GBA has also changed, and is about half the size of the original, making it look like a memory stick. Backwards compatibility with the GBC games works great, giving the GBA a few hundred more games to its library right out of the gate. However, as the GBA has a larger screen, games that were originally made for the GBC will display as a ?letterbox format?, as the simply use the entire screen. Still, they play quite nicely, and the graphics are great using this system.
Final thoughts - Honestly, this is one of the best gaming systems I have played in years, offering great graphics, games, and portability, all in one package. I highly recommend picking up a GBA and a few games to go with it, and a Worm Light. And of course, if you are a parent, it goes without question that this is the gaming system that kids are now wanting, and for good reason, it?s a great system, one that will be around for years to come.
As always, thanks for reading!
As always, with Nintendo, delays are part of the deal, and the GBA was no different. Released on June 11, 2001, the GBA also included a plethora of games, which is always a great way to launch a console. Add onto that, game cases, lights and screen covers, and you have just about everything you need for a successful launch. Plus, there was no shortage, ala the Playstation 2 meltdown that took place last fall.
Details - The GBA is a 32 bit machine, dubbed a ?portable Super NES? which came out in the early 1990?s, and is available in blue, white and ice. The first thing you notice about the GBA, is that the unit itself is very small and quite thin, measuring in at 82mm (L) x 144.5 (W) x 24.5 (D) and unlike the Game Boy Color (GBC), the GBA is held horizontally. The buttons (D-pad, A, B) are still found on each side of the much larger (twice the size of the GBC), screen, and there are left and right ?shoulder buttons? found at the top of the unit for added control options. The GBA is powered by two AA batteries (which come with the unit), and battery life is around 15 hours and the unit itself retails for $99.99.
Gameplay - As I mentioned, there are a whole slew of games that were released with this launch. Some of the ?must have? games (ones that I picked up at least), are ?Super Mario Advance?, ?Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2?, ?Castlevania?, and ?Super Dodge Ball Advance?.
After taking the GBA for a short test ride (okay, I admit, I spent the entire day yesterday playing this), the big issue that I have is that the screen is very difficult to see, even when using a lamp or a light from the ceiling. Therefore, I highly, highly, highly recommend getting a light that plugs into the GBA, such as a Worm Light to remedy this. Why Nintendo didn?t improve the lighting issue on this unit or use a backlight, is beyond me. Still, that is my only complaint, and for $9.99, the cost of a plug in light, the issue is easy resolved.
Graphics - Simply put, the graphics for the GBA are amazing! For a machine that is so small and compact, it is really hard to believe that it can produce such great graphics and images, but it does. Graphics are clear and crisp, and the larger screen (which measures 40.8 mm x 61.2 mm), greatly improves gameplay by 100%. Unlike the GBC?s graphics, which were a bit ?cartoony? and childish, the GBA graphics are much more detailed and offer more depth, as it has the capacity to display nearly 38,000 colors.
Sound - The small speaker is found in the lower right-hand corner, as it was with all of the Game Boys in the past, and offers stereo sound. The overall sound experience is much improved with the GBA, as games such as ?Castlevania? and ?Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2? demonstrate. There is a headphone jack for private listening, and using this does provide a more ?stereo? effect.
Other details - For those who are into multi-player games, rejoice, as the GBA supports up to four players, connecting them with a Game Link Cable. Unlike previous multi-player Game Boys, not all players using the Link Cable need to have the same game, as some games can be shared. Supposedly, the Game Cube (due to launch this winter, or whenever Nintendo feels like it), is going to be able to use the GBA as a controller.
The cartridge size of the GBA has also changed, and is about half the size of the original, making it look like a memory stick. Backwards compatibility with the GBC games works great, giving the GBA a few hundred more games to its library right out of the gate. However, as the GBA has a larger screen, games that were originally made for the GBC will display as a ?letterbox format?, as the simply use the entire screen. Still, they play quite nicely, and the graphics are great using this system.
Final thoughts - Honestly, this is one of the best gaming systems I have played in years, offering great graphics, games, and portability, all in one package. I highly recommend picking up a GBA and a few games to go with it, and a Worm Light. And of course, if you are a parent, it goes without question that this is the gaming system that kids are now wanting, and for good reason, it?s a great system, one that will be around for years to come.
As always, thanks for reading!
