Many gamers know all about Game Boy Advance due to the fact it is one of the most popular, the best-selling and the most desirable handheld consoles of all time. The device is commonly known as GBA and it was developed and manufactured by Nintendo, as Game Boy Color successor. The GBA hit the markets in 2001 in most parts of the world, with few months' differences. However, it became available in China late in 2004 and was sold as iQue Game Boy Advance.
GBA is the 6th generation of the handheld console and during its lifespan, it was sold in over 81.5 million units. Not all versions were the same. The original GBA was basic in design and it did not have illuminated display. Nintendo released Game Boy Advance SP in 2003 that solves this issue. The next biggest change occurred in 2005 when the company released Game Boy Micro. The design was similar but the device was smaller and designed for playing games on the constant go and was aimed for teenagers and children. In 2008 GBA was replaced by Nintendo DS. The new console is compatible with the games developed for Game Boy Advance.
Many people believe that GBA was designed by Gunpei Yokoi who designed the original Game Boy. But, the truth is different. The GBA was designed by Gwénaël Nicolas more precisely by Curiosity Inc., located in Japan. The biggest difference between the GBA and Game Boy were obvious. GBA has controls located on the left and right sides of the screen while Game Boy has them below the screen. The main idea was to provide easier and more focused gaming to gamers without sacrificing any space of the device.
Game Boy Advance was revealed in 1999 and was known as AGB or Advanced Game Boy. One of the most appealing features was wireless gaming which was advertised as a huge improvement over older consoles.
The device is powered by ARM7TDMI CPU operating at 16.78 MHz. It has 32 KB of internal memory and 256 KB external. The VRAM comes in 96 KB. The display is TFT with 240x160 pixels resolution and 40.8x61.2 mm dimensions. The unit is powered by 2 AA batteries located behind the device. GBA is compatible with Game Boy and Game Boy Color games.
Some of the most popular and the most iconic games for the device are Pokemon Fire Red, Yoshi's Island and Super Mario Advance 2. All of these games and many more you can download here in the forms of ROMs.