The Gameboy Advance is dead. RIP little buddy

[Purkeynator]

Well it has finally happened. The Gameboy Advance is done. No more Gameboy Advance systems are being manufactured. No more games are coming out for the system. The DS/GBA thread is about 95% DS talk now. But oh what a ride it was! I remember picking up an import system a couple weeks before they came out in the U.S. My friend was very envious when I whipped out my GBA and had an early released copy of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2. "It looks just like the Playstation version" my friend gasped. Well it didn't exactly look like the Playstation version. But it looked damn good, a lot better than any Gameboy or Gameboy Color game. The system was amazing. It was like having a portable Super NES in the palm of my hand. The system introduced us to some great series like Advance Wars and Fire Emblem. It also brought back some memories with classic games such as the Mario Advance Series and the Legend of Zelda Link to the Past. The system only got better with the release of the SP and the SP with backlight. Final production of the GBA SP halted sometime late last summer from what I can tell and no stores have got any new systems in. As far as I can tell the last game ever released in the U.S. was Pet Hamsterz 2 on November 13, 2007 (very exciting). Well here's to ya little buddy. Its been a great 6 or so years of portable gaming! (Oh and if you haven't bought a GBA yet you might as well forget about getting a new one, they are impossible to find and $140 on ebay) What are some of your favorite memories of the GBA?

[laaj]

(Oh and if you haven't bought a GBA yet you might as well forget about getting a new one, they are impossible to find and $140 on ebay)

Only reason to get GBA now is for GBC and link cable support. EVen then I doubt GBA will be in demand as GBC goes for around $20 now.

[Vinny]

I've wanted to get an NES Classic SP and figured they'd continue to drop in price (they hit as low as $50 for complete ones). Boy, did I figure wrong.

[FurryCurry]

Only reason to get GBA now is for GBC and link cable support. EVen then I doubt GBA will be in demand as GBC goes for around $20 now.

I'm waiting for a stupid cheap Lite Brite GBA SP. Just so I can play my GBC games. Not that I ever will. Only GBC game that's like "OMG TOO GOOD" to me still is Project S11 and Metal Gear Ghost Babel. I may like Ghost Babel more than Solid 2. No wait, I do.

[SL4IN]

The GBA & family was officially dead months ago. Nintendo said they were done supporting it.

Anyway, the system had a great almost 7 year run and is the only handheld to ever out sell the original Gameboy. Nintendo's pouring heavily into the DS right now, but I doubt the "Advance" line of the Gameboy will be the last we see of the pioneer of handheld gaming.

[laaj]

I'm waiting for a stupid cheap Lite Brite GBA SP. Just so I can play my GBC games. Not that I ever will. Only GBC game that's like "OMG TOO GOOD" to me still is Project S11 and Metal Gear Ghost Babel. I may like Ghost Babel more than Solid 2. No wait, I do.

Going rate for GBC is less than $20. That's isn't cheap enough for you? Other good GB/GBC games people might like are: 3 Zeldas, first 3 Dragon Quests, Tetris DX (hate the NIntendo theme on DS version), and Metroid 2.

Now only if Square-Enix were to announce DQ4-6 DS for US... I'll have entire DQ collection.

Edit>Haven't checked GBC prices in months. Is less than $20 now.

[FurryCurry]

Going rate for GBC is less than $20. That's isn't cheap enough for you?

The handheld Zeldas are all sooooo good. Cept Phatom.

I like playing games in the dark too ;) So I'll never own a GBC again.

[Purkeynator]

I just need to find time to install my GBA afterburner in my old school GBA. My GBA SP is awesome but over time all lithium ion batteries die out. AA batteries FTW.

[laaj]

My GBA SP is awesome but over time all lithium ion batteries die out. AA batteries FTW.

Nintendo still sells replacement batteries for SP

[soonersfan60]

Get the Gameboy Player for your GC and you never have to worry about batteries.

[Purkeynator]

Nintendo still sells replacement batteries for SP
I realize that but I am looking at long term when they don't sell the batteries anymore. Also you can't stock up on batteries because time wears them out and not usage.

[Shadows916]

i beleive there was a small artical in GI a few issues back talking about nintendo working on a new advanced system. Nintendo has claimed that the ds is not the replacement of the gba, but a diffrent system altogether. anyone else now of anything on the supposed new gba system? or did nintendo shelf this?

[Krymner]

I still have my Arctic White GBA that I got years ago. I never did get an SP, but I do have a Micro, and I love that little bitch to death. I take it to work with me everyday and play it on my lunch break. It's my little buddy.

[VioletArrows]

I never did get a GBA. I've just been using my DS to play those games. I've only got a handful, and I never know what to look for when I see huge stacks of them at the flea markets. I've already got a bunch of Zelda and Mario games. I should leave them alone and work on my current gen collections.

[SL4IN]

i beleive there was a small artical in GI a few issues back talking about nintendo working on a new advanced system. Nintendo has claimed that the ds is not the replacement of the gba, but a diffrent system altogether. anyone else now of anything on the supposed new gba system? or did nintendo shelf this?

Nintendo's been working on Game Boy Evolution since 2006 E3. Since the DS has been such a hit, it's been pretty quiet about information from the big N about it.

[laaj]

I realize that but I am looking at long term when they don't sell the batteries anymore. Also you can't stock up on batteries because time wears them out and not usage.

How long term? I think Nintendo still will be selling SP batteries ten years from now. Only portable system they dropped support on is the original GB. They still support GB pocket.

[addicted2games]

Holy crap. I did not know these Gameboy Advance SP systems were going for so much. Here is an auction that went for $135 plus shipping. Most auctions are going for around this price. My Walmart has about 20 of these for $79.96.

http://cgi.ebay.com/PINK-SP-SYSTEM-NEW-SEALED-Gameboy-ADVANCE-HANDHELD-NIB_W0QQitemZ140211043308QQihZ004QQcategoryZ62054Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[SecondTomorrow]

I still have my original arctic purple or whatever the color was called, the clear one. No battery cover latch...magic use of duct tape, hehe (the latch to lock it in place broke off). Aside from a pin hole in the start button too...it's in incredibly good condition too. Unfortunately they aren't in demand because the SP had lighting for the screen. Shame. I also, for some reason, have only 1 wireless adapter for it..hm.

[maigoyume]

How long term? I think Nintendo still will be selling SP batteries ten years from now. Only portable system they dropped support on is the original GB. They still support GB pocket.probably trying to clear out extra stock they have lying around

[Vinny]

How long term? I think Nintendo still will be selling SP batteries ten years from now. Only portable system they dropped support on is the original GB. They still support GB pocket.

I'm guessing if there's a strong enough following, some generic ones will pop up. I mean, look at how many people sell NES connector pins, replacement power cables, etc. for older systems.

[rcpettit]

Best memory - being able to play my SP at at bar and put it up to my ear like a cell phone so I don't look like a total dork - even though i probably did.

[jputahraptor]

I love the system so much I've decided to collect all the games for it, there's close to a thousand and I need another 100. There is a lot of crappy THQ and kiddy games but I feel it's the second best system pound for pound only second to the original PS in terms of games.

The GBA does have some really good original games and dumbed down ports of games from current consoles on it. Probably the last system to really cater to 2-D.

[Vinny]

I love the system so much I've decided to collect all the games for it, there's close to a thousand and I need another 100. There is a lot of crappy THQ and kiddy games but I feel it's the second best system pound for pound only second to the original PS in terms of games.

The GBA does have some really good original games and dumbed down ports of games from current consoles on it. Probably the last system to really cater to 2-D.

Damn!! You need to show us pictures man!

[jputahraptor]

I will. Right now I have all the boxes, manuals, and everything else in these plastic containers from Target. I have about six of them. I fit about 150 in each one, and since there pretty light I stack them in there. The cartridges I keep either in drawers or when I ran out of them on the top of furniture in my room. Now I have so many I'm reduced to a plastic bag that is half full. There a hard thing to easily store. Not like a DVD style I can line up on a bookcase, although I could put the boxes out but I hate opening them because I always seem to be to hard on them.

[Gothic Walrus]

I realize that but I am looking at long term when they don't sell the batteries anymore. Also you can't stock up on batteries because time wears them out and not usage.

The Game Boy Player is a good option, then. It isn't portable, but seeing as it connects to the GameCube it should have a much longer lifespan than the GBA would.

[leveskikesko]

Great system.

I wonder when the DS is gonna die out. Nintendo seems to be shifting a lot of its focus to the Wii, but I'd say thanks to 3rd party support it has at least another 4 years to go with new DS models before we see the next N handheld.

What will it be like. CD-based maybe...3D graphics that don't look like pixelated poo? I just hope they keep the two screens and touchscreen because they rock, just make them bigger this time around....too many headaches.

[Purkeynator]

The Game Boy Player is a good option, then. It isn't portable, but seeing as it connects to the GameCube it should have a much longer lifespan than the GBA would.

Yeah I have a Gameboy player too. It looks great through my Gamecube component cable. I am in serious retro nirvana now because I got the Hori Digital controller too! :)

[HuppSav]

First one with no light was the biggest piece of sHITE I've ever seen. Worthless

[Puffa469]

Im still looking to pick up one of the backlit SP's. I better step up my search.

I love GBA games, and Im just as likely to be playing one in my DS as I am a DS game.

[HuppSav]

Im still looking to pick up one of the backlit SP's. I better step up my search.

I love GBA games, and Im just as likely to be playing one in my DS as I am a DS game.
Yeah, I don't know why they even bothered with that front lit garbage.

[addicted2games]

Yeah, I don't know why they even bothered with that front lit garbage.

To always have something bigger and better come along and sell more and more systems. Sometimes Nintendo changes the specs of the system (slimmer, brighter/bigger screen,etc) or just changes the color (Crimson Red/Cobalt Blue DS's) to sell even more systems. How many of us have the first version of a Nintendo system and then later, get the improved one. I bet there are more than you think that have multiple DS's, Gameboy Advances, SP's, etc. because of this. Its Nintendo's cash cow way of selling.

[Ruahrc]

Could be that, or just that it was the technology at the time. Battery technology was really the limiting factor, and a device with a permanent backlight like the GBA SP or Micro would have been too hard on the battery and you would get crappy battery life. Also, the backlit screens of the time were probably too expensive to make the GBA's price point. It was not until later that the power consumption (and cost) of backlit displays got lower, and litium polymer battery technology (and cost) advanced to the point where they could be used in a device costing around $120. I remember getting the m505 PDA a while back (probably around the time of the original GBA) that had a backlit color display (optionally you could turn the backlight off for front lit operation too) and a lithium polymer battery but that was in a primo $400 device.

Re: the end of the GBA- well I guess it was inevitable but had a great run. I like the system, and somehow own 3 copies of the hardware (GBA, DSLite, GBPlayer). For this reason alone (the fact that one can get GBA hardware without hardly even trying) I think the GBA will still "live on" for a while in terms of people still playing their old GBA systems and/or games.

Ruahrc

[theflicker]

Yeah, I don't know why they even bothered with that front lit garbage.

Probably the same reason Sony bothered with a PS2 before releasing a PS3.

[Puffa469]

Yeah, I don't know why they even bothered with that front lit garbage.


At the time that 'garbage' was a godsend. I had long ago tossed my nolit launch gba into a drawer and stopped buying games for it because it was essentially unplayable.

When the original SP came out I finally got to beat Castlevania CotM, and many other games I had given up on.

After I got my DSlite I traded in that SP (it had a bunch of dead pixels). Now I have a DSlite, a Micro, and I still have that original launch gba. But I want a backlit SP for the GB and GBC support. I only own 2 GBC games, but one is Bionic Commando, so its worth getting a new SP just to play that imo.

[jedi_liz]

boy am I glad I got my GBA SP December 2006 @ Best Buy. I still play it once in awhile, mostly when I needed to link it to my old style GBA to trade pokemon between my games. I think Nintendo will still sell batteries for the GBA SP for awhile longer. They still sold old phat Nintendo DS Batteries (I got a new battery cause I thought my old one wasn't lasting as long between charging). I'm glad the DS Lite's battery lasts a lot longer. :p

[Hibiwa]

Aw. This is sad. GBA SP2 is/was the bestest pick up anytime classic game system. Never touched my glacier blue and black GBAs after seeing the light. They are lost somewhere at home. Did hate NOA for not coming up with the SP2 from the start. Good run.

Love the long battery life and never having to wait for load times. Pop the cart in and play. I think the form factor reigns supreme between the Micro and DSL. Can't stand playing GBA games on the DSLite. It just doesn't feel or look right. Much joy with the micro, but it can get hand crampy at times.

I hope they keep selling the SP2 replacement batteries though. I don't ever want to see it go dark.

[Chacrana]

The GBA was the first portable to have legitimate games, so it was a damn good system... and it had a long life span, too.

[siderealshift]

Like I've always said: Combine the Game Boy Micro with the first Fire Emblem game and you have God's gift to portable gaming.

I think the GBA has been one of my favorite systems -- it was like an SNES (one of my other favorite systems) in your pocket. The SP is perfectly suited for on-the-go gaming -- anytime I know that I'm going to be forced to sit around for more than about 20 minutes (e.g., concert set changes) I throw that thing in my pocket and know that I'm all set.

I need to track down a cheap SP2 just so I have a backup GBA SP. And if I ever see another GB Micro, I'll buy that shit on the spot.

I can't wait to see what the next version of the Game Boy will be. If they manage to beef up the graphics to compete with the PSP, add wireless and all that, and KEEP A SOLID-STATE GAME FORMAT (I hate the load times on the PSP), I'll be a happy man.

[Kerig]

How many of us have the first version of a Nintendo system and then later, get the improved one... Its Nintendo's cash cow way of selling.

Defnitely true for the multiple colors, but for the GBA SP2 story in particular, it was more a combination of convenience and fan service.

The official story (no links, just CAG-generated info) goes that Nintendo acquired the new brighter backlit screens for the DS Lite, and ended up getting such a good deal on them they decided to throw them into the existing (final) runs of GBA SP's as well (now called SP2), without so much as a price increase and hardly any advertising. The only real way to tell which were which was the little printed "now brighter screen!" on the box. I remember beginning to see it being mentioned in the Sunday ads as almost a sidenote weeks after the release, most stores probably didn't realize the major difference until it was pointed out to them.

As for buying multiples: I eBayed my trusty ol' SP1 for $20 less than the price of a brand new SP2.

I fondly remember on day one of the SP2 turning it on side-by-side with my SP1 and hitting the light button to "super-bright": Myself and anyone I showed it to were blown away by the eye-searing brightness and improved clarity. One might be so bold as to say SP1 is to SP2 as DVD is to BD.

[Darkside Hazuki]

The GBA was the first portable to have legitimate games, so it was a damn good system... and it had a long life span, too.

I would argue that the Lynx beat it to the punch (hell, so did the Neo Geo Pocket Color), but I suppose that depends on your definition of legitimate...

[Blackout]

At the time that 'garbage' was a godsend. I had long ago tossed my nolit launch gba into a drawer and stopped buying games for it because it was essentially unplayable.

When the original SP came out I finally got to beat Castlevania CotM, and many other games I had given up on.

After I got my DSlite I traded in that SP (it had a bunch of dead pixels). Now I have a DSlite, a Micro, and I still have that original launch gba. But I want a backlit SP for the GB and GBC support. I only own 2 GBC games, but one is Bionic Commando, so its worth getting a new SP just to play that imo.

Amen. Those Metroid games were a bitch to play. The SP was like a gift from heaven. 100x better than the original GBA.

[doctorfaustus]

Damn, thanks for the info. I might have to pick one up again; I sold mine with the arrival of the DS lite.

[Gothic Walrus]

I would argue that the Lynx beat it to the punch (hell, so did the Neo Geo Pocket Color), but I suppose that depends on your definition of legitimate...

Fuck that. The original Game Boy had "legitimate" games, with Pokémon Red/Blue and Link's Awakening being two stellar examples of that.

[laaj]

Fuck that. The original Game Boy had "legitimate" games, with Pokémon Red/Blue and Link's Awakening being two stellar examples of that.

Yep. Don't forget many GBC games you can play on GB. I always considered GBA to be a port machine like now PSP is now. How can GBA be considered the greatest when it didn't even get a proper Tetris port.

[Friend of Sonic]

There's seriously no other games coming out for GBA?

[Lost Loser]

(Oh and if you haven't bought a GBA yet you might as well forget about getting a new one, they are impossible to find and $140 on ebay)

Seriously? What model are we talking about? My father is in the military, and they have a nice little store called the BX (Base Exchange). The last time I was in there, they had a stack of brand new SPs and Micros going for something like $70.

[ZForce915]

I was looking at the metacritic rating for the top games on the GBA and it was interesting to note that most of them are just ports of SNES or NES games. Not saying that ports are bad, at the time I really enjoyed being able to play them on the go...but looking at it now it doesn't seem that impressive.

[Puffa469]

There's seriously no other games coming out for GBA?

If there are I imagine they would be movie/cartoon licensed crap and shovelware crap like Nintendogs wannabe pet simulators.

And even those may be done with.

[io]

Wow - the biggest news to me here is that sealed GBA's are going for so much.

I have one of these in my game storage closet:

http://cgi.ebay.com/BLACK-ONYX-SP-SYSTEM-NEW-Gameboy-ADVANCED-HANDHELD_W0QQitemZ140212565332QQihZ004QQcategoryZ6 2054QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I picked it up at GR in Dec 2006 when they had all their new GBA's on clearance for $50. It was supposed to be a backup for the kids' GBA but since they don't even play it any more (and barely play their DS either) I'm considering dumping it.

[LinkinPrime]

I still have my GBA SP Famicom Editon in perfect condition:
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2003/news/07/14/nesgbasp_screen001.jpg

scratch that...I have this one:
http://www.it-france.info/newss/upload/uploads/GBASP_Famicom.jpghttp://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/5/3/1/5/4/8/webimg/102726676_tp.jpg
But always wanted the one on top.

[javeryh]

The original Game Boy was miles better than the GBA. Tetris, and the THREE Zelda games are in the discussion for best games of all time. I don't think the GBA has any original games that we will be looking back on 20 years from now...

I do like my GBA micro though - you can bring that shit anywhere.

[62t]

The GBA has Minish cap, Firem Emblem, Advance Wars, 2 Metroid games, Drill Doozer, Pokemon, and Golden Sun 1 and 2. That just the games I could think off on the top of my head.

[javeryh]

The GBA has Minish cap, Firem Emblem, Advance Wars, 2 Metroid games, Drill Doozer, Pokemon, and Golden Sun 1 and 2. That just the games I could think off on the top of my head.

Those are all in the "good but not great" category for me. Even the Metroid games which I was highly anticipating were a bit of a let down. Minish Cap was also disappointing and is probably one of my least favorite Zelda games. Advance Wars was very very good though and I never played Fire Emblem...

[Purkeynator]

Linkin that is an awesome GBA. If only it came with the SP2's brighter backlight, that would be the ultimate GBA. I don't think they came out with any special edition GBA SP2's which is a shame.