Game Boy Advance

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The Game Boy Advance, often abbreviated as GBA, is a 32-bit handheld video game console released by Nintendo. Since the console's release, several Sonic the Hedgehog games, compilations, and video cartridges had been exclusively hosted on it.

History

File:GCN GBA Sonic 2001.png

Sonic the Hedgehog with a Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance.

Contrary to the previous Game Boy models, which were all following the "portrait" form that was designed by Gunpei Yokoi, the Game Boy Advance was designed in a "landscape" format and put the buttons to the sides of the device instead of below the screen. The Game Boy Advance was designed by French designer Gwénaël Nicolas and his Tokyo-based design studio Curiosity Inc.

Nintendo's competitors in the handheld market at the time were the Neo Geo Pocket Color, WonderSwan Color, GP32 and the N-Gage. Despite the competitors' best efforts, Nintendo maintained the majority of the market share with the Game Boy Advance.

As of 30 June 2010, the Game Boy Advance series had sold 81.51 million units worldwide. Its successor, the Nintendo DS, was released in November 2004 and was fully compatible with Game Boy Advance software, excluding the later released DSi which had GBA cartridge slot removed.

List of games

Sonic games

Sonic Advance (2001)	Sonic Advance 2 (2002)	Sonic Battle (2003)
File:SPP GBA US.jpg		File:Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis.jpg
Sonic Pinball Party (2003)	Sonic Advance 3 (2004)	Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis (2006)

Compilations

File:Sega Smash Pack (GBA).jpg	File:Sonic Advance Chu Chu Rocket.jpg	File:Sonic Pinball Party Battle.jpg
Sega Smash Pack	2 Games in 1: Sonic Advance & ChuChu Rocket!	2 Games in 1: Sonic Pinball Party & Sonic Battle
File:Sonic Advance Battle.jpg	File:Combo Pack Sonic Advance Sonic Pinball Party.jpg	File:Two Games in one Battle Chuchu.jpeg
2 Games in 1: Sonic Advance & Sonic Battle	Combo Pack: Sonic Advance + Sonic Pinball Party	2 Games in 1: Sonic Battle & ChuChu Rocket!
File:Sonic Pinball Party C Crown.jpg
2 Games in 1: Sonic Pinball Party & Columns Crown

Sonic X videocarts

File:Sonic X a Super Sonic Hero.jpg	File:Sonic X Chaos Emerald Chaos.jpg
Sonic X: A Super Sonic Hero	Sonic X: Chaos Emerald Chaos (unreleased)

Characters introduced

• Mecha Knuckles
• Cream the Rabbit
• Cheese
• Vanilla the Rabbit
• Emerl
• Gemerl
• E-102 Chaos Gamma
• Guard Robo
• E-121 Phi

Revisions

Game Boy Advance SP

In early 2003, Nintendo released a new revision of the Game Boy Advance called the Game Boy Advance SP, with the "SP" standing for "Special". This model includes a clamshell design, a rechargeable battery, and the ability to enable a brighter screen. The headphone jack has been removed and requires the use of a dongle that plugs in to the charger port, making it impossible to charge the GBA SP and use headphones simultaneously. The original AGS-001 models feature a frontlit screen that can be toggled on, or left off, resembling the non-lit screen of the original GBA. The later AGS-101 models, released in 2005, feature a backlit screen with two brightness settings. The cartridge slot is placed on the bottom of the unit as opposed to the top. As such, games with motion sensors will ask the player which device they are using and accommodate the controls accordingly. The e-Reader will still work with the SP, but the Link Cable passthrough connector will be sticking out; the user can still use the Link Cable port on top of the SP instead.

Game Boy Micro

In late 2005, Nintendo released the Game Boy Micro, a smaller, compact redesign of the Game Boy Advance, designed to fit in the palm of one's hand. This model omits Game Boy and Game Boy Color backwards compatibility and features a new charger connector, meaning the connector used for the SP and the original Nintendo DS is not compatible. For multiplayer titles, the system requires the use of its own Link Cable; connecting to devices that use the original Link Cable (Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Advance SP, Game Boy Player) requires the use of an adapter.

Game Boy Player

File:Game Boy Player.jpg

The Game Boy Player accessory.

The Game Boy Player is an add-on for the Nintendo GameCube which allows one to play the entire library of Game Boy games, Game Boy Color exclusive games, and Game Boy Advance games on the television. Certain Game Boy Advance titles do have added Game Boy Player enhancements, allowing for additional features such as rumble support with GameCube controllers. The Game Boy Player does not support Super Game Boy enhancements, so Game Boy games with Super Game Boy enhancements will work but all audio, custom border, and extra color enhancements will not appear. Game Boy Advance games with motion sensors will work, but all motion sensors will need to be done by tilting the GameCube system itself, not the GameCube controllers and using a Game Boy Advance via the GameCube connector will not work either. The Game Boy Player lacks a infrared port so games that use the infrared port will work but features using the infrared port will not work. Link Cables are compatible, and can be linked with other Game Boy Advance systems and other Game Boy Player devices. In addition, the Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance Cable is supported, allowing for the Game Boy Player to be connected to the controller ports of another GameCube or a backwards compatible Wii.

The Game Boy Player itself is region free, but the boot disc required to use it is region locked. The language of the firmware will correlate with the boot disc used, regardless of the region of the accessory. If a user purchased a Game Boy Player from Japan and used it with a North American boot disc, the firmware will still be in English, and vice versa. The accessory was primarily released in four different colors in Japan, each corresponding to the official colors of the GameCube (Indigo, Jet Black, Platinum, Spice Orange). The unit was only available in Jet Black in North America and Europe.

Nintendo designed the Game Boy Player to block compatibility with Game Boy Advance Video cartridges to prevent illegal copying of the video.

Trivia

• In Japan only, the Game Boy Advance is tied with the Nintendo GameCube for the first Nintendo system to have a Sonic game released for it (Sonic Advance and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, respectively), with both games being released on 20 December 2001.
• Some games, such as Sonic Advance, Sonic Advance 2 and Sonic Pinball Party, can use a Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance Cable to link with Sonic Adventure 2: Battle and Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut to access additional features. Namely, players can import Chao back and forth via the Tiny Chao Garden in the GBA titles.
  • Other Sonic Team titles, such as Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg and Phantasy Star Online: Episode I & II, have unlockable minigames based on Sonic Team properties that can only be accessed through use of the link cable. Phantasy Star Online: Episode I & II also allows players to download a Tails Chao to their system, which they can then transfer to the Chao Garden in either Sonic Adventure 2: Battle or Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut.
• In the Sonic Advance 2 trailer (also featured in Sonic Mega Collection), the game is running on a Wide-Boy 64, an accessory for the Nintendo 64, only used by developers and gaming press to play Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance titles on a TV. Game Boy Advance games running on a Wide-Boy 64 have a gray border surrounding the game screen, with the Game Boy Advance logo located below; both of which are present in the Sonic Advance 2 trailer.
  • The Wide-Boy 64 does not have the same checking measures the Game Boy Player has to prevent Game Boy Advance Video cartridges from playing, meaning that Sonic X: A Super Sonic Hero can be played on a Wide-Boy 64.

External links

• Game Boy Advance at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Game Boy Advance SP at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Game Boy Micro at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Game Boy Player at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Video game platforms

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