Continuing off the success of their first handheld system, it was reported that Nintendo had started “Project Atlantis”. Originally speculated to be the GameBoy Color, the description of the device resembles that of a GameBoy Advance. The device was meant to be a SNES on the go. Although “Project Atlantis” was mentioned in several video game magazines in 1996, the GameBoy Advance didn’t hit store shelves until 2001. The Game Boy Advance was a huge leap in technology from the Game Boy Color. Where the Game Boy was created using cheap parts and left over material, more thought was put into the Advance as the hardware was, well, more advance

Being a 32-bit handheld and having a fully colored LCD screen, fans and non-fans alike rushed to buy the newest edition to the Nintendo family. The landscape design made it easier to put both hands on it and matched the scheme of the SNES even more than the original Game Boy. The colored screen was the real selling point. At the time, this type of technology was unheard of for mobile hardware. To have a sharp picture while maintaining gameplay wasn’t even a requirement. With 24 launch titles during the Japanese release on March 21, 2001 and 16 for the North American on June 11 of the same year, buyers had several reasons to obtain the GBA. Didn’t have the money to buy any of the newer games? Just bust out your old Game Boy and Color games because the GBA was backward compatible. Even though most games were ports, original titles like Castlevania: Circle of the Moon just showed how promising investing into the system was. Konami created the game within a year and it was hailed as a masterpiece to many. People didn’t have to imagine what the future would hold for the GBA for long. At E3 02’, Nintendo unveiled several planned games and peripherals

The Game Boy Advance swallowed competitors whole. They all stood absolutely no chance as Nintendo had everything and more for a price that’s friendly to wallets. Third-party support also made the GBA the chosen one. A mob of video games were rushed out to hop on the hype of the newest best selling gaming instrument

Of course, not everything is perfect. The Game Boy Advance had one flaw; it lacked a backlight to play in dark environments. This was quite major seeing as how the Game Boy and Game Boy Color both had the same problem. The problem was rectified in when Nintendo delivered the new and improved version of their star, The Game Boy Advance SP. This illustration was more loved than the original. Nintendo opted to go back to the portrait styled design, however, you could fold the system in halve, so it could actually fit in your pocket!

The final version of the Game Boy Advance to be made was the Micro. This alternative was more cost-efficient for Nintendo. That was the only plus side to this rendition. Unable to play titles from the Game Boy and Game Boy Color libraries, people do not like it. Comparing the success of the SP to the Micro's struggles, reviewers and gaming new outlets deemed it a failure

In the end, the GBA became a staple in pop culture. Even though games were being pirated, the GBA still stole like hot cakes along with it’s gamesSpecificationsCPU: 16.8 MHz 32-bit ARM7TDMIResolution: 240 × 160 pixelsRAM: Video RAM: 96 kilobyteDisplay: 2.9 inches reflective thin-film transistor, color LCD.Sound: Dual 8-bit DACPower: 2 AA batteries/li>Game LibraryMario & Luigi - Superstar SagaPokémon Ruby & SapphireKingdom Hearts - Chain of MemoriesMegaman ZeroCastlevania: Aria of Sorrow Wario Ware TwistedPhoenix Wright: Ace AttorneyF-Zero Maximum VelocityAccessoriesWireless AdapterNintendo GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cablee-ReaderGame Boy Advance VideoPlay-YanGBA TV Tuner