Programming the Nintendo Game Boy Advance: The Unofficial Guide (Focus on Game Development) [Paperback]

Jonathan S. Harbour (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 2005 | ISBN-10: 1931841780 | ISBN-13: 978-1931841788 | Edition: 1

Develop your own games for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance! Now you can write, compile, and run Game Boy programs right on your Windows desktop! "Programming the Nintendo Game Boy Advance: The Unofficial Guide" will show you how you can use the free HAM SDK to create your own games for the Game Boy Advance. When you?re ready to take the game off of your desktop and run it on a real Game Boy, you?ll get plenty of coverage on your options with multi-link cables and flash linkers as well as details for purchasing either. Staying focused as a true console programming book, "Programming the Nintendo Game Boy Advance: The Unofficial Guide" gives you the tips and skills that you need to develop a career as a console game programmer. All you need to get started is experience programming with C and professional game programming aspirations.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jonathan S. Harbour has been an avid gamer and programmer for many years and holds a degree in Computer Information Systems. He has written many books on the subject of game programming, including Microsoft Visual Basic Game Programming with DirectX®, Microsoft Visual Basic .NET Programming for the Absolute Beginner, Beginner?s Guide to DarkBASIC Game Programming, and Game Programming All In One, 2nd Edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1000 pages
• Publisher: Course Technology PTR; 1 edition (December 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931841780
• ISBN-13: 978-1931841788
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,170,999 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only book for programming the Gameboy Advance., June 1, 2006

By 

Mystic0 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Programming the Nintendo Game Boy Advance: The Unofficial Guide (Focus on Game Development) (Paperback)

The book is unavailable because Nintendo doesn't want it released and probably threatened to sue the publishing company. The company no longer covers the book.

It starts out with basic C++ programming techniques and goes through all the basics of creating games. I would recommend it for an intermediate programmer. You can get the book for free off of the Authors website. You can also buy a CD version. GREAT BUY!

It covers video, audio, and very basic structural programming. Not for programmers afraid to do some math and memory address memorization. I absolutely love it.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nintendo doesn't want this book published, August 9, 2003

By 

David Koontz (Phoenix, Az United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Programming the Nintendo Game Boy Advance: The Unofficial Guide (Focus on Game Development) (Paperback)

This book is taking a long time to come out because the publisher is under pressure from Nintendo not to publish it. Nintendo feels that the section on using a flash cable and flash cart (obtained from Lik-sang) will be used by people pirating games. This is of course rediculous since there is lots of information about this on the Internet that's accessible right now. If you want to see this book published please pre-order it right now so the publisher can see the high level of interest.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introductory textbook, March 20, 2009

By 

Calin Galeriu (Worcester, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Programming the Nintendo Game Boy Advance: The Unofficial Guide (Focus on Game Development) (Paperback)

A very clear exposition of the basics of GBA programming. After reading this book you will be able to use the more advanced TONC book. At the first reading I thought that Harbour's book is a little bit repetitive, with code sometimes no optimized, but after reading the other GBA programming tutorials I have to admit that Harbour's book is by far the best introduction to the topic. Thanks for giving it away for free!