Game Boy Advance Console in Glacier

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

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.


Gameboy Advance the best ever.   November 12, 2002
23 out of 24 found this review helpful

Gameboy Advance is the best handheld gaming system out there. The screen does not need a back light at all, just get yourself the nyko wormlight advance or just sit in good light. It helps to have a case because the screen can easily be scratched. The games are also very good with many titles from snes. The system itself has a much better layout than gameboy color. The game cartrideges are now half the size they used to be. The batteries usually last about 18 hours and it only takes two! I bought my gameboy advance with super mario world (in my opinion this is the best game on this system.) So if you love nintendo and want a portable gaming system with excellent graphics and much much more buy it today from amazon! Once again I give this system two thumbs up.


Great Portable System!   August 23, 2002
Alan Friesen (Rural Alberta)
18 out of 18 found this review helpful

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.


Style, sound, and hours of fun.   September 28, 2001
Maggie the Lizard Tamer (NY, NY)
21 out of 22 found this review helpful

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.


Right amount of fun for parents; Why no backlight?   April 27, 2002
15 out of 15 found this review helpful

The Game Boy Advance is the only viable handheld gaming platform on the market. The new design is much better than the old Gameboy, and new games offer the right amount of distraction without requiring the time commitment of more complex traditional console games. For that reason, I actually think GBA is perfect for adults, especially parents, who want a little gaming in their lives.

Only problem: the device desperately needs a backlight. It's essentially impossible to use without an accessory light in any conditions. In well-lit rooms, the glare off the screen requires the user to tip the unit at an angle, which disrupts gameplay. In darkness, games with low contrast colors are hard to play. Even more unfortunate, Nintendo doesn't sell an official light accessory, and the third-party lights are bulky, inconvenient, and just plain ugly. I have to wonder how Nintendo felt comfortable putting a product to market that so desperately needs an accessory they themselves don't provide.