7 Things Everyone Should Know About the Game Boy Advance

Fifteen years ago this month, Nintendo released the Game Boy Advance in the US. And to be honest, I had no intention of celebrating this anniversary. But just 15 hours ago, I was on a road trip in the desert and everything changed.

It was just past two in the afternoon, and the air was still and hot. As I sped down the desert highway, my fuel light came on, and I pulled my truck up to an old gas station.

As the gasoline began to flow, I heard a familiar melody gently floating through the air. It was deep and mellow, and for a moment, I almost forgot I was standing in 103 degree heat.

I followed the sounds as they danced hauntingly around the corner. There, behind the station sat an old man on a cushion. His wrinkled hands cradled a delicately carved wooden flute; they flexed like supple leather as they fingered the pleasant melody. When he saw me, he stopped.

"Sit down, son." He motioned for me to join him.

"Do you know what song I was playing?"

He was a complete stranger to me, but his gentle manner put me at ease. I squatted down, balancing on my feet.

"It sounded like something from a video game," I said.

"Ah! Yes. But what video game?"

I shook my head. "Maybe something with Mario?"

He let out a high, thin laugh that pierced the thick air.

"No! Metroid Fusion," he cackled. "One of the greatest games for the Game Boy Advance."

"The Game Boy Advance?" I asked, slightly confused. "You mean that thing with the blurry green screen? I had one of those as a kid."

He shifted uncomfortably on his seat.

"No, no.. that was the Game Boy. In 1989! Here, grab a cushion and I will tell you about the Game Boy Advance."

"Thanks, but I really have to get going," I said, standing up.

He put down his flute and motioned for me to stay. "This will only take a minute," he said, then switched to a low mumble. "Young people run from one thing to the next all day long. You should take advantage of wisdom when you see it."

"Well," I hesitated, "I guess I could stay for a minute." I pulled up a rusty lawn chair that had been propped up against the gas station and sat down.

"You see," he began, "There are seven things everyone should know about the Game Boy Advance. If you are curious, I will teach them to you."

"Only seven things?" I asked.

"Yes. Well, of course there are more things that other people—maybe enthusiasts or historians—should know about the console," he chuckled. "But these seven things will give folks like you, who are on the run, the general idea," he replied.

"I'm not on the..."

He cut me off, and for the next 10 minutes, he spoke non-stop. His lesson ended with a song—a soulful rendition of the theme from "Mario Kart: Super Circuit"—and I drove off much wiser than I had been before.

What you are about to see is what I learned from the old man in the desert. So sit down and enjoy. I don't have a flute, but I do have a slideshow.

1. #1: It was on the Market for 7 Years in the US

The Game Boy Advance hit the market on March 21, 2001 in Japan and on June 11 of that same year in the US. Its launch was met with excitement from the press and consumers alike, who were ready for a next-generation handheld experience. Early reviews were often critical of the GBA's dark, non-backlit screen, but that drawback was balanced by long battery life, and sales took off rather quickly. Due to its success, the GBA stayed on the market until 2008 in the US, and until 2010 in some territories.

(Photo: Nintendo)

2. #2: It Was Nintendo's Third Handheld Game Platform

With the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo built off its earlier experiences designing best-selling portable video game consoles (and dedicated handheld electronic games -- such as the Game & Watch series -- before that).

In 1989, Nintendo released its first handheld system, the Game Boy, a monochrome unit which received several hardware revisions, and in 1998, the firm released the Game Boy Color, its first handheld with a color screen. The Game Boy Color could produce gaming experiences similar to its earlier NES home console, but in the age of the Nintendo 64 and Sony Playstation, those games felt somewhat behind the curve.

(Photos: Nintendo)

3. #3: It Was Released in 3 Major Hardware Variations

Nintendo released three major console revisions of the GBA during its lifespan: (1) the original unit, (2) the clamshell, front-lit Game Boy Advance SP (which later had a sub-revision that switched to a backlit display), and (3) the Game Boy Micro (also backlit), which was the smallest of the three. All three hardware revisions received many different color variations, some of which were branded with characters such as Mario, Link, and Pikachu.

During its lifespan, one could also play GBA games on other Nintendo consoles: First, using the Game Boy Player (2003) attachment on the GameCube, then using a Nintendo DS (2004). Later, players could officially download emulated versions of GBA games on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS Virtual Consoles.

(Photos: Nintendo)

4. #4: It Played Games Comparable to the Super NES

The Game Boy Advance shipped with a color LCD screen, a 32-bit bit CPU, and custom video hardware that could render games of comparable graphical and technical quality to (and sometimes slightly beyond) the earlier Super NES home console. As a result, the GBA received many ports of (and play-alike sequels to) Super NES-era games such as Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and F-Zero.

(Photos: Nintendo, Evan Amos)

5. #5: It Supported a Huge and Successful Software Library

During its lifespan, over 1,070 licensed games were released for the Game Boy Advance worldwide. The console launched with 17 titles in North America, and overall, its highest-selling game was Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Versions (often counted together since they were minor variations of the same game) with 16.22 million units sold worldwide. Its best-selling non-Pokémon game was Mario Kart: Super Circuit, with 5.91 million units sold.

Additionally, the GBA could take advantage of Nintendo's earlier handheld library, because it was backwards compatible with Game Boy (1989) and Game Boy Color (1998) games.

(Photos: Nintendo, hit-japan)

6. It Inspired Innovative and Unusual Peripherals

A wide variety of peripherals were available for the Game Boy Advance, including some bizarre ones. Among the most mainstream were the GameCube–Game Boy Advance Link Cable that facilitated a connection between a GBA and a GameCube, the e-Reader card reader accessory, and a multiplayer link cable. Among the bizarre were a blood glucose reader (Glucoboy, 2007) and the iCard (2004), a wireless auto racing information peripheral.

(Photos: Nintendo, Glucoboy)

7. It Sold 81.51 Million Units Worldwide

Between its initial introduction in 2001 and its complete discontinuation worldwide in 2010, Nintendo sold 81.51 million units of the Game Boy Advance series consoles across all territories, with 36.2 million of those units shipping in the United States.

During most of its lifespan, the GBA maintained the majority market share for handheld consoles in the US and Japan, especially against competitors such as the SNK Neo Geo Pocket Color, the Bandai WonderSwan, and the Nokia N-Gage.

Overall, the Game Boy Advance was a wildly successful product line, and its technological and cultural impact can still be felt today.

(Photos: Nintendo)