Nintendo GameBoy Advance

...the year of 1999 the Nintendo Gameboy Advance was born and introduced to the UK, boasting a 32 Mb processor. With a vast array of titles and support for their older Gameboy systems, the GBA was sure to stay and has done so till today, where it still remains the most powerful handheld games console to date, selling over 110 million systems.



~Packaging~

The GBA sits snugly in it’s small laminated box, ...
...the connectivity possibilities with the Nintendo Gamecube system.


On opening the box you will find a warning and maintenance information sheet and 2 instruction booklets - each one covering various languages. An additional sheet is included in the box displaying a small range of games available for the GBA besides screen shots of each game. The reverse of the leaflet show the possibilities of the GBA Link Cable.

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I thought it was about time I put my newly acquired gadget down and write an op on it! So here are my views on the great little device from Nintendo:

~Memory Lane~

During the last decade many large gaming companies such as Sega, Atari and Neo Geo have contributed their feeble attempts to the market, failing miserably in one way or the other.

The Atari Lynx was the successor many years ago, but faded away due to it’s small range of games and low battery life. The Sega Game Gear was to follow, with it’s vast range of titles, but soon died a slow death over the years, due to it’s poor “Master System” processor, which couldn’t cope with the ever-increasing progress of technology. Then came Neo Geo Handheld, which appeared on the shelves a couple of years back, then disappeared almost straight afterwards, due to a lack in interest from software developers.

In the year of 1999 the Nintendo Gameboy Advance was born and introduced to the UK, boasting a 32 Mb processor. With a vast array of titles and support for their older Gameboy systems, the GBA was sure to stay and has done so till today, where it still remains the most powerful handheld games console to date, selling over 110 million systems.

~Packaging~

The GBA sits snugly in it’s small laminated box, which measures approximately twice the size of the GBA in terms of mass. The front of the box shows an angled view of the system, with the word “Gameboy” shown on the screen in an un-realistic way. The picture is displayed an attempt to convince people that the screen is well lit - this is not the case, as the GBA system DOES NOT feature an internal light!

The colour of the GBA corresponds to the colour of the system contained within the box to prevent confusion. The reverse of the box describes the features of the system in three different languages as well as a small picture showing the connectivity possibilities with the Nintendo Gamecube system.

On opening the box you will find a warning and maintenance information sheet and 2 instruction booklets - each one covering various languages. An additional sheet is included in the box displaying a small range of games available for the GBA besides screen shots of each game. The reverse of the leaflet show the possibilities of the GBA Link Cable.

~Gameboy Advance Design~

The main difference between the GBA and standard Gameboy / Gameboy Colour, besides the 32 Bit capabilities, is the horizontal orientation. The large 2.9 inch TFT colour LCD screen lies prominently in the centre of the unit, which boasts a 50% increase in size in comparison the older Gameboy system. The direction pad, start button and select button to the left of the screen. The “A” & “B” buttons, speaker and power light are located at the right of the screen, with “Left” and “Right” shoulder buttons at the top of the unit. The shoulder buttons adopt the same principle as console game pads, which adds more flexibility to game play, especially in the case of driving games, such as F-zero.

The extension port and accessory fixation slots also reside at the top of the unit, with the volume dial, headphone jack and power switch located at the bottom of the console. The extension port is used to connect up to 4 GBA’s together for multi player gaming and the accessory fixation slots are used to attach such things as (much needed) lights and screen magnifiers.

Weighing 140g the GBA unit measures 135mm in width, 80mm in height and 25mm in depth. Unlike many other handheld consoles the GBA has a sturdy feel, which feels solid whilst held in the hand - peace of mind if you happen to be a little clumsy! The console adopts the classic square handheld device shape, which happens to look better, rather than “feel” better.

I have found after prolonged gaming, my fingers begin to ache and the “pins and needles” feeling sets in soon after, forcing me to put the console down. It’s times like this I yearn for the comfortable feel of a Sony Playstation or Megadrive game pad with a screen in the middle! The unit may feel more comfortable to those with smaller hands, such as children which the console is generally aimed towards. Fortunately this problem can be overcome by the attachment of the “hand grip” accessories, which fit on either side of the GBA, giving it a more bulky feel.

The 240 by 160 pixel (38,000 pixels) screen is capable of displaying 32,768 colours simultaneously. To put this into more basic terms, the quality of the picture is that of a high definition television! The original Gameboy fails miserably in comparison to the GBA. No longer do we have to put up with blurred dots in high speed games, as the GBA handles graphics in a crisp, fluent manner.

As mentioned earlier the screen does not incorporate a light, which incidentally happens to be the systems biggest drawback. Without the assistance of an external light/magnifier accessory or internal "afterburner" light, it is rather difficult to see the screen in all it’s glory. Even under a bright light the GBA must be aimed at the correct angle to obtain full viewing capabilities. If you intend to play your GBA at night or in dim light, it’s really essential that you purchase this accessory.

Personally I think Nintendo should have though twice before releasing this console without a light. The main reason for the system’s non-existent light is battery consumption, but in my opinion I’d rather sacrifice a couple of hours battery life for improved screen viewing, and after all, most GBA owners use a re-chargeable battery pack.

There are many GBA colours available including: clear, clear blue, clear pink, purple, black and platinum, as well as many other snazzy designs from companies on the Internet. Whatever your choice of colour, you are sure to find accessories in the same colour to match your console.

~Music to the Ears~

The GBA offers 4 channels of crisp quality sound through it’s built in speaker. The quality of sound is excellent in comparison to the older Gameboy systems. Instead of various pitches of “beeps” our ears are now greeted with fully fledged music and speech. Classic games such as Street Fighter 2 let out the cries and chants from players when executing special moves, much like original arcade version and most football games feature live commentary, adding extra realism to the games.

Though the sound quality of the GBA is very impressive, the system only features one speaker, which gives you monaural sound and the volume is rather low, even when turned up to maximum. To get the most from the GBA sound system, it is advisable to purchase some quality headphones to enjoy the full aural experience.

~Game overview~

There are literally hundreds of games available for the GBA, from puzzle games to beat em’ up’s. Many classic games such as Mario Kart and Mario World have been re-vamped to take full advantage of the GBA’s capabilities. The overall quality of the games is truly amazing - quality which is not expected to that of a handheld gaming device. In the case of the original Gameboy, the games were usually played “on the move” and had little lasting appeal for home play, especially when you had a TV console which provided more depth and playability.

When the GBA was first launched I assumed the system was basically a handheld Super Nintendo, but boy was I wrong! In the case of the GBA you will find yourself pulled in to games which can even match the performance of games found on the Nintendo 64 system. Boasting Mode 7 (rotation FX), multi-scrolling and superb animation, GBA games rarely fall short of N64 quality, though a small handful of games have suffered miserably - looking less impressive than a older Super Nintendo game.

The small (and I mean small) amount of poor games usually arise from a conversion. For example the 3D worlds of Tony Hawks Pro Skater and Dave Mirraz BMX, are slimmed down to a 2.5 scrolling landscape, as opposed to multi camera angles. Nevertheless, some of these conversions have made their mark as great games on the GBA system.

All games come in the GBA’s small cartridge form and feature a save facility, for saving your progress in long games. The quality if the games is truly amazing, when you take the size of the cartridge into consideration. Each cartridge measures approximately 6cm in length and 3cm in width! - now hows that for technology!

Games can be purchased from £15.00 to £40.00 depending on the size and age of the game. There are some great bargains to be had at Play.com, where you will find a vast selection of GBA games at the lowest possible prices. Other web sites may offer you reduce prices on used game as well as accessories for your GBA.

Shop around before you buy and most of all contact me and I’ll give you my short opinion on the game before your buy!

~Connectivity possibilities~

One great feature of the GBA is the ability to connect it to a maximum of 3 more GBA consoles for multi player gaming. This is achieved by using the “Multi player Link” or a combination of Multi Player Links, in the case of 3 or 4 players playing a game. The Multi Player link works via the extension port of the GBA from which information is transmitted and received between the systems. Some games require that each player has the game cartridge plugged into their GBA for multi player, whilst other special games, require that only one person needs to own the original game cartridge, from which the game information is sent to the other players. Though this is an excellent feature, the single cartridge multi player games, often only offer a limited amount of game usage, for example you may only race on one track in a racing game, and all players must use the same car. Being able to do this is a great little bonus, even though the game access is limited - after all the GBA is a games console not a multi-tasking PC!

The future is set to release games for the GBA which work in unison with the Nintendo Gamecube (and vise-versa) via the GBA’s extension port. In effect the GBA works as an extra Gamecube controller from which tactics and moves can be planned on the GBA screen, out of view from the other player!

~Gameboy compatibility~

Owners of the original Gameboy / Gameboy Colour will be pleased to hear that the GBA supports these games too! Of course original Gameboy games are not converted to GBA colours, but you have the option to change the shades of grey to a single different colour!

~Power up!~

The GBA is powered by 2 AA batteries, which last approximately 15 hours, though I have powered my console for over 17 hours on the Maxell batteries which were supplied with it. For those of you who do now want to fork out the cash for new batteries every week, third-party re-chargeable battery packs are available for various companies at very low prices. This battery can be charged via a mains adaptor at 3 volts, to provide hours of un-interrupted gaming.

~Gameboy Advance Accessories & Extras~

There are many accessories available for the GBA, both from Nintendo and third party companies. Official Nintendo accessories tend to be a little more expensive than those offered by other companies. It is important to note that if you use third party accessories with your GBA your warranty may be voided, if it is evident to Nintendo that you have used such products.

I recommend the first accessories you purchase should be some form of light / magnifier, which allows you to play your GBA in dimly lit rooms or in the dark and a re-chargeable battery pack, to save on disposable battery costs. Other less important accessories include: speakers, multi links, hand grips, clip on buttons, protective lens films (prevent scratches), snap-on covers, in-car adaptors, carry cases, hard GBA cases, TV tuners and digital cameras - most of which are available in various colours to match to the colour of you GBA.

Lastly, but by no means least, the “Flash 2 Linker” which allow you to connect your GBA to your PC via the GBA extension port and PC parallel port to send and receive games to a blank cartridge! These cartridges are available in 64mb, 128mb and 256mb, all of which allow you to store a certain amount of game / game save information, depending on the capacity of the cartridge. The linker also allows you to send information and save it to your PC, which is very useful for saving games. Of course the Flash Linker can only be used to make a “back-up” copy of games that you have purchased and any miss-use may be illegal! ;o)

~Prices~

The Gameboy Advance console can be purchased in high street shops for around £70.00, but I recommend searching various suppliers on the Internet before parting with your cash. Not only do these companies offer cheap new GBA’s they sell used systems at great prices too, not to mention a wide variety of games.

~Warranty~

Nintendo offers a 90 day limited warranty for all newly purchased Gameboy Advance systems from the date of purchase, after you call the following number: 02380 623200. Any defective GBA parts will be repaired or replaced free of charge during the 90 day period.

~Comments~

Please contact me if you have any questions on the GBA, or if you would like a quick opinion on a game before you buy!

Many thanks for reading!

Copyright evansuk Ciao! 2002

 

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