Game Boy Advance

From RWP Wiki

Game Boy Advance
Codename	Project Atlantis
Released	North America: June 11, 2001 Europe: June 22, 2001 Japan: March 21, 2001 Australia: June 22, 2001 China: June 8, 2004
Online Service
Discontinued	2008
Predecessor	Game Boy Color
Successor	Game Boy Advance SP

The Game Boy Advance (or GBA) is a handheld video game console developed by Nintendo. It is latest in the Game Boy series of handheld consoles, and the successor to the acclaimed Game Boy Color. It was released in North America on June 11, 2001.

History

The codename during development was Project Atlantis. The original Game Boy Advance sold at a base price of $100 USD when it was released in North America. The first edition of the GBA was criticized for not adopting a backlit screen. This model, as of 2005, has been discontinued. In 2003, Nintendo upgraded the Game Boy Advance giving it a front-light that can be turned on or off, a rechargeable battery, as well as a folding case. The new Game Boy Advance SP was designed to address the main complaints of the original GBA.

On October 2, 2005, Nintendo released a second redesign of the Game Boy Advance, called the Game Boy micro. The Game Boy micro offers the user to switch between several faceplates to allow customization, a feature which Nintendo advertised heavily. Unlike other Game Boy Advance redesigns, the micro does not allow the player to play Game Boy Color or Game Boy games. The micro sold the least well out of GBA models, and with the DS being released soon, the micro's lifespan was cut short.

Role with Rare Ltd.

Except for Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Country 3, which were published by Nintendo, all of Rare's GBA games were published by THQ. Most of these games, such as It's Mr. Pants and Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge received generally good reviews and good responses from fans, they did not do well because of the lack of advertising.