See the coolest handheld gaming platform ever.

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We've been playing the GBA since its Japan launch in May 2001, and the overwhelming consensus is that it's very cool. The Game Boy Color was an 8-bit system, the GBA is 32-bit; the difference is astounding. Graphics are better, games deeper, and the sound is crisper.

The only thing we didn't like about the GBA is that it lacks a backlit screen. Nintendo did this purposely to save space and power; this means you need almost direct light to play, which can be easily remedied by getting one of the many portable lights available for the system. The GBA takes only two AA batteries, which will give you an unprecedented 15 to 20 hours of gameplay.

Advanced aesthetics

When you see the GBA sitting on the store shelf, the first thing you'll notice is that it looks good. Nintendo spent some time designing this one.

It comes in five basic colors: Indigo, Arctic, Glacier, Fuscia, and Platinum. When you pull out the GBA on the bus, in class, or wherever you happen to game, you won't have to worry about pulling out a stale handheld videogame system. The GBA is definitely pleasing to the eyes.

Nintendo designed the Game Boy and Game Boy Color vertically so that the screen was above your fingers. The GBA has been made horizontal, so that the screen falls in the middle of your hands, with two buttons on the right side of the screen and the directional pad to the left. There are two new buttons on top where your index fingers fit, much like the R1 and L1 buttons on a PlayStation controller.

The second thing you'll notice about the GBA is the size of the screen. The GBA is roughly the same overall size as the Game Boy, but the screen is 50 percent bigger, at 40.8mm by 61.2mm. The whole thing fits comfortably in your hands, but the grip isn't the best, so it has a tendency to slip around. It's definitely more comfortable than the Game Boy Color.

Advanced innards
The Game Boy Color uses an 8-bit processor, which means the technology powering it is about 11 years old. The GBA uses a 32-bit processor, but has no separate 3D processor. That means that while it's similar to the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation in its core, it has the 3D processing power of a Super Nintendo, and then some. So basically, it will have the graphical capabilities of a SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) with the processing power of a PlayStation, and it's 17 times more powerful than the Game Boy Color.

Ultimately, most of the games are going to be in 2D or, as is the case in games like "Mario Kart Advanced," in a kind of faux 3D called Mode 7, pioneered by the SNES game "F-Zero," in which a flat 2D surface can be made to look 3D by always keeping the camera positioned behind your character and rotating the world around.

Advanced graphics and sound

The graphics? Sweeeet. The GBA has made the move to a palette of 32,000 colors (compared to the Game Boy Color's 56), and it has a resolution capable of displaying 240x160 pixels, compared to the Game Boy Color's 160x140. That means more detail and graphical depth.

The advanced graphics become apparent right away. In "Tony Hawk" the skaters look real, albeit tiny, and you can actually make out the tricks the characters are doing. When you pull a melon, it looks like a real skateboarder pulling a melon. When you do a handplant, it looks like a handplant.

The GBA uses a PCM stereo sound generator for noise. The sound quality falls between a SNES and N64. It's not the best sound in the world, but it's quite a step up from the Game Boy Color. Audiophiles will be pleased as well, because the chip allows for Dolby Surround Sound through the headphone jack.

Advanced connectivity

Perhaps the coolest thing about the GBA, and the thing that definitely reminds us that we've crossed over some kind of technological threshold in the land of handheld gaming, is the GBA's connectivity. Not only can you hook four of them together so that you and your friends can play with or against one another, but also with the GameCube. Not only can you use it as a controller, but it's also used to connect GBA games with GameCube games for additional gameplay. Some GameCube games allow you to download games from onto your GBA, games such as, "Animal Crossing."

To say we liked the GBA is an understatement. Pretty much everyone on "Extended Play," and in the lab, owns one. The GBA is truly representative of the next generation of handheld videogame systems. With the cartridges able to store up to 256Mb, the games can be pretty advanced as well. The GBA is 100 percent compatible with old Game Boy and Game Boy Color games, so there's already a huge catalogue of titles available.

Do yourself a favor and get your hands on a GBA. It's cool, and when you pick it up, you're going to be in awe at the graphics, sound, and games.

Pros: SNES in your hands; large game catalogue; interconnectivity.

Cons: Poorly lit screen.

Company: Nintendo
Product Name: Game Boy Advance
Price: $69.95
Available: Now

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