Nintendo estimated that around 60 games would be made available for the system by the end of 2001. ===Project Atlantis=== In 1996, magazines including Electronic Gaming Monthly, Next Generation, issues 53 and 54 of Total!, and the July 1996 issue of Game Informer featured reports of a successor to the original Game Boy, codenamed Project Atlantis.
Although Nintendo's expectations of releasing the system in at least one territory by the end of 1996 would make that machine seem to be the Game Boy Color, it was described as having a 32-bit ARM processor, a 3-by-2-inch (7.6 cm x 5 cm) color screen, and a link port — a description that more closely matches the Game Boy Advance.
Nintendo suspended the Atlantis project sometime in 1997, since the original Game Boy's 80% of the handheld market share was considered too high to merit the release of a successor. During a panel discussion at 2009's Game Developers Conference, a cancelled "Game Boy Advance predecessor" was shown on-screen, which looked like a bulky Game Boy Color.
The Game Boy Advance was designed by the French designer Gwénaël Nicolas and his Tokyo-based design studio Curiosity Inc. News of a successor to the Game Boy Color (GB/GBC) first emerged at the Nintendo Space World trade show in late August 1999, where it was reported that two new handheld systems were in development.
On September 1, 1999, Nintendo officially announced the Game Boy Advance, revealing details about the system's specifications including online connectivity through a cellular device and an improved model of the Game Boy Camera.
Nintendo teased that the handheld would first be released in Japan in August 2000, with the North American and European launch dates slated for the end of the same year.
On August 21, 2000, IGN showed off images of a GBA development kit running a demonstrational port of Yoshi Story, and on August 22, pre-production images of the GBA were revealed in an issue of Famitsu magazine in Japan.
The GBA was then featured at Nintendo Space World 2000 from August 24 to 26 alongside several peripherals for the system, including the GBA Link cable, the GameCube - Game Boy Advance link cable, a rechargeable battery pack for the system, and an infrared communications adaptor which would allow systems to exchange data.
It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2001, and in mainland China as iQue Game Boy Advance on June 8, 2004.
In March 2001, Nintendo revealed details about the system's North American launch, including the suggested price of $99.99 and the 15 launch games.
Nintendo estimated that around 60 games would be made available for the system by the end of 2001. ===Project Atlantis=== In 1996, magazines including Electronic Gaming Monthly, Next Generation, issues 53 and 54 of Total!, and the July 1996 issue of Game Informer featured reports of a successor to the original Game Boy, codenamed Project Atlantis.
According to Triton Labs, the Afterburner achieved considerable success during the lifespan of the GBA, with many gamers buying it though the kit voids the system's warranty, and the company had minor trouble keeping up with demand for the accessory during the 2002 holiday season. Worm Cam: This device by Nyko attaches to the top of the Game Boy Advance and connects into the link port of the GBA.
The original model does not have an illuminated screen; Nintendo addressed that with the release of a redesigned model with a frontlit screen, the Game Boy Advance SP, in 2003.
The Japan-only Rhythm Tengoku, the first game in what would eventually become known outside Japan as the Rhythm Heaven/Rhythm Paradise series, is the final first-party-developed game for the system, released on August 3, 2006. ===Compatibility with other systems=== An accessory for the GameCube, known as the Game Boy Player, was released in 2003 as the successor to the Super Game Boy peripheral for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
This camera's strange shape prevents it from being used with the GBA SP. Glucoboy: This is a blood glucose monitor with built-in games released in Australia in 2007 for children with diabetes. ==Revisions== ===Game Boy Advance SP=== In early 2003, Nintendo introduced a new form-factor for the handheld, known as the Game Boy Advance SP (model AGS-001).
It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2001, and in mainland China as iQue Game Boy Advance on June 8, 2004.
Its successor, the Nintendo DS, was released in November 2004 and is backward compatible with Game Boy Advance software. ==History== Contrary to the previous Game Boy models, which have the "portrait" form factor of the original Game Boy (designed by Gunpei Yokoi), the Game Boy Advance was designed in a "landscape" form factor, putting the buttons to the sides of the device instead of below the screen.
Similar to the original DS and DS Lite, all of the Virtual Console releases are single-player only, as they do not emulate multiplayer features enabled by Game Link cables. ==Accessories== ===Official=== Nintendo released various addons for the Game Boy Advance, which include: Wireless Adapter: Released in 2004, this adapter hooks up to the back of the Game Boy Advance.
First released in North America in May 2004, these cartridges included cartoons such as Dragon Ball GT, Pokémon, SpongeBob SquarePants, Sonic X, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Yu-Gi-Oh!.
In 2004, the system's sales in the United Kingdom surpassed one million units. On December 1, 2006, Nintendo of America released launch-to-date information indicating that the company had sold 33.6 million units of the Game Boy Advance series in the United States.
A newer revision of the redesign was released in 2005, with a backlit screen.
The switch that controls the light now toggles between "normal" (which itself is already brighter than the original Game Boy Advance SP's screen), and "bright", an intense brightness level similar to an LCD television. ===Game Boy Micro=== In September 2005, Nintendo released a second redesign of the Game Boy Advance.
While most GBA games employ 2D graphics, developers have ambitiously designed some 3D GBA games that push the limits of the hardware, including first-person shooters like a port of Doom and racing games like GT Advance Championship Racing. In Japan, the final game to have been released on the system is Final Fantasy VI Advance on November 30, 2006, which is also the final game published by Nintendo on the system.
The Japan-only Rhythm Tengoku, the first game in what would eventually become known outside Japan as the Rhythm Heaven/Rhythm Paradise series, is the final first-party-developed game for the system, released on August 3, 2006. ===Compatibility with other systems=== An accessory for the GameCube, known as the Game Boy Player, was released in 2003 as the successor to the Super Game Boy peripheral for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
The Play-Yan was initially available in Japan only, but was released in Europe as the Nintendo MP3 Player on December 8, 2006, with the MPEG4 functionality removed.
In 2004, the system's sales in the United Kingdom surpassed one million units. On December 1, 2006, Nintendo of America released launch-to-date information indicating that the company had sold 33.6 million units of the Game Boy Advance series in the United States.
This camera's strange shape prevents it from being used with the GBA SP. Glucoboy: This is a blood glucose monitor with built-in games released in Australia in 2007 for children with diabetes. ==Revisions== ===Game Boy Advance SP=== In early 2003, Nintendo introduced a new form-factor for the handheld, known as the Game Boy Advance SP (model AGS-001).
In North America, the last game for the system is Samurai Deeper Kyo, released on February 12, 2008.
Lastly, in Europe, 2 Games in 1: Columns Crown & ChuChu Rocket! is the last game for the system (and also the last one released on the system overall), released on November 28, 2008.
In a Kotaku article published on January 18, 2008, Nintendo revealed that the Game Boy Advance series had sold 36.2 million units in the United States, as of January 1, 2008.
Nintendo suspended the Atlantis project sometime in 1997, since the original Game Boy's 80% of the handheld market share was considered too high to merit the release of a successor. During a panel discussion at 2009's Game Developers Conference, a cancelled "Game Boy Advance predecessor" was shown on-screen, which looked like a bulky Game Boy Color.
Around the same time, the final redesign, the Game Boy Micro, was released. As of June 30, 2010, 81.51 million units of the Game Boy Advance series have been sold worldwide.
The Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL do not have backward compatibility with the GBA and a few DS games that use the GBA slot. ===Virtual Console=== As part of an Ambassador Program for early adopters of the Nintendo 3DS system, ten Game Boy Advance games, along with ten Nintendo Entertainment System games, were made available free for players who bought a system before the price drop on August 12, 2011.
Satoru Iwata stated Game Boy Advance games will be available on the Wii U's Virtual Console sometime during April 2014.
On April 3, 2014, the first of the announced GBA games, Advance Wars, Metroid Fusion, and Superstar Saga, were released for the Wii U's Virtual Console.
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