Game Boy Advance Console in Glacier

by Nintendo

Product Features

• It features a more powerful processor than any previous portable system, for faster, smoother gameplay
• The high-resolution, full color screen makes the game jump out at you -- 50% bigger than Game Boy Color
• Two new buttons, L & R, bring you more control & game options
• Extended battery life lets you play for up to 15 hours on a pair of AA batteries
• Compact Game Paks let you store your game progress & are smaller then Game Boy Color Paks

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00005B8G1
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 1 x 3.2 inches ; 5.1 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: June 11, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (325 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,478 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Game Boy platform (which includes the original unit, the Game Boy Pocket, and the Game Boy Color) came to market when most video game consoles had a life expectancy of just a few years. More than a decade later, the system is still going strong. How did the Game Boy successfully compete--and in some cases bury--an onslaught of faster, more powerful handheld and home console systems? Let us count the ways: affordability, a huge library of games that consistently made the most of the hardware's limitations, smart power management that extended battery life, and uncluttered controls. But perhaps it was the system's ultraportable design that allowed devotees to play video games around their schedule, making it the must-have system for kids and adults alike.

Now the Game Boy Advance (or GBA as people are already calling it) comes to us with power that would have been unthinkable back in the day. The portable's 32-bit RISC CPU runs circles around the former'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 beeps and boops of old-school Game Boy titles are being replaced with digitized stereo sound. The extra processing muscle also means you can even network up to four Game Boy Advance units together, via the communication cable, for multiplayer fun off of one shared cartridge. Only two Game Boy Color units could link together, and each unit had to have its own copy of the game.

What's not being replaced, however, is the wide selection of Game Boy games. Because the Game Boy Advance system is backward-compatible, it will play its own line of colorful games--including such launch titles as Super Mario Advance, F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, Army Men Advance, High Heat Major League Baseball 2002, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2--as well as all of the monochrome and color games that have already been released for the previous Game Boy systems (nearly 500 in total). Players can view the older games in their smaller, originally square dimensions, or, with the touch of the shoulder button, expand the game to fit the GBA's larger screen. We tried enlarging the screen on a Game Boy Color edition of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 and found that Mr. Hawk was much easier to see.

When you first pick up the system, you'll be amazed at how lightweight it is. At fewer than 5 ounces and a little larger than a deck of playing cards, the system easily fits into a shirt pocket without any sag. The GBA's wider shape fits better into a wider range of hands. The former design too often pushed the left and right thumb knuckles together during gameplay. The new layout should be comfortable for all ages, and the center screen orientation makes it easy to see.

Game Boy Color owners will find the GBA's larger screen somewhat darker than they're used to, but that's because the screen is outfitted with antiglare technology. Like the old Game Boy Color, the color LCD is not backlit, so you need pretty good light to play by. Unlike that system, though, you won't be craning your neck and tilting the unit to see around the hot-spot reflection of the light bulb in your screen.

But you'll also notice the graphics. Sporting what's basically a 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 throwing a touchdown pass to crawling through a dungeon.

Some might argue that Nintendo could have tried to put even more power into this Game Boy Advance. After all, the 32-bit video game had its heyday more than five years ago. Perhaps, but after handling this new handheld, we're inclined to think that Nintendo 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, we think the Game Boy Advance is here to stay, and we're glad. --Porter B. Hall

Unit Specifications

• CPU: 32-bit RISC CPU with embedded memory
• Screen: 2.9-inch reflective TFT color LCD
• Display Size: 1.6 by 2.4 inches (40.8 by 61.2 mm)
• Resolution: 38,000 pixels in a wide-screen aspect ratio (10,000 per square inch)
• Colors: 512 simultaneous colors from a palette of 32,768
• Size: 3.2 by 5.6 by 1 inch (82 by 144.5 by 24.5 mm)
• Weight: Approximately 5 ounces (140 grams)
• Power Supply: 2 AA alkaline batteries
• Battery Life: Approximately 15 hours continuous play

Product Description

Game Boy Advance has been the buzz of the video game world since it came out, and a quick look at what it comes with shows you why! Connect up to four GBA's together for a new world of multiplayer action PCM Sound System with Headphone Jack for powerful, realistic sound All these great new features, plus the biggest game library of any portable system! Color - Glacier Limit one per customer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Portable System!, August 22, 2002

By 

Alan Friesen (Rural Alberta) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Game Boy Advance Console in Glacier (Video Game)

I'm primarily a PC gamer, so my foray into the vast unknown metaverse known as "console gaming" is not very deep. The only other "console" I've owned is a Gameboy color (which I still have). After trying out a few GBA games on my computer, I decided to take the plunge and buy a Gameboy Advance, and am I ever glad that I did! The screen is large and bright, the buttons are well-placed (even in my massive hands), and the games that are out for the GBA (and soon to be released) look very impressive.

No, the GBA isn't backlit, but I'd rather use two AA batteries for 12 hours than 6 AA's for 6 hours (like Sega's Game Gear did); if you think the screen's too dark, spend ($$$) on a desk lamp, sit on your couch, park the lamp behind your shoulder and voila! instant sun-light :)

The speaker on the GBA also isn't very impressive, but it is more than enough for the games that play on the system -- if you were expecting full speech, sorry, this isn't what you're looking for ;)

Games like Advance Wars and Tactics Ogre compete with PC games in their complexity and sheer addictiveness. Zoocube is an incredibly addictive puzzle game that rivals Tetris (mark my words, Zoocube *will* become the next Tetris!), and with companies like Square promising solid RPG's to come out for the GBA in the future (such as Final Fantasy Tactics and Fire Emblem by Nintendo), you really can't go wrong with the purchase.

One final tip: make sure you invest in a nice hard case for the unit, as the display is supposedly very fragile. I've owned a hard case from day one and covered it with a hankerchief, so I've had no problems, but I think it's worth the ($$$) investment to protect the unit for years to come.

Bottom line: if you're looking for a good, solid system with very playable titles and nice graphics, look no further than the GBA.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It exceeded all my expectations., March 15, 2002

By 

Ben Rowland (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Game Boy Advance Console in Glacier (Video Game)

The GBA is the newest wave in handheld video games, and a sound investment for those who love the old SNES games and the ability to take them anywhere with you. It also comes in verious colors, but I prefer the Glacier.

As most others already mentioned, the display is not backlit. But either my eyes are exceptional, or other people's are really bad, but I can see the games crystal clear. It is a trade off, not having a backlit screen means that your batteries go further. Anyone who remembers the Game Gear from Sega surely can remember how it gobbled batteries up like mad. Given a choice, I would rather go with the non-backlit screen. The old Gameboy and Gameboy color did fine without backlit screens, so the GBA doesn't suffer by not having one.

The best thing about the GBA is the gameplay. Despite the small size, you get amazing depth to your games. With Super Mario World (a handheld version of the SNES classic), every apect of the original is preserved, and the controls are like second nature. The graphics are 32-bit, but on the small screen, they have the look and feel of 16-bit. This is not a bad thing, mind you, but you can't expect Playstation quality on a screen less than 5 inches tall and wide. The graphics are impressive enough, but the sound quality blew me away. The music is amazingly audible, and comes through with excellent clarity.

With an ever expanding library of games, the GBA is likely to live up to it's older brother, the Gameboy, and dominate the handheld video game market. Despite the other complaints about the non-backlit screen, I think you will be suprised at the quality of this little system. If you can afford it, buy the battery pak. You'll save money in the long run.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Style, sound, and hours of fun., September 27, 2001

By 

Maggie the Lizard Tamer (NY, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Game Boy Advance Console in Glacier (Video Game)

I'm way too old for video games and as a rule, I have never bought any. Until now. I remember playing Super Mario on and old Nintendo system when I was a kid about 10 years ago and deep down in my mind there was a longing for something better - then Gameboy Advance came along and I knew I just had to have it.

I am now a proud owner of a Glacier Gameboy Advance with a Super Mario Advance pack and it is quite enjoyable (if not time-consuming). I am considering purchasing Super Mario Deluxe for Gameboy Color, as GBA is completely and utterly backwards compatible, which is a great plus.

Overall, the playing experience is better than I expected for a tiny little game console. It doesn't hurt to hold it for long periods of time, the buttons are in perfect spots, and the extra buttons on top allow you to see more of the world you're in while playing SM2. The batteries are provided with the system, and I'm already halfway through the game and they are still functioning without a problem. The sounds is awesome and doesn't have that weird distorted sound like old beat up electronic equipment tends to have.

The only drawback is lack of a backlight screen. It is very difficult to play in areas without really good light. I heard it gets even worse for "darker" games. Apparently the worm light is a must.

I give GBA 5 stars for the ability to amuse me for long periods of time. It is a great distractions from the troubles of reality and if you're feeling escapist at all or are just after cheap entertainment, GBA is a solution for you.