The Game Boy Color uses an 8-bit processor, which means the technology powering it is about 10 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. I just put down "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater" for the GBA, and I'm still in awe of the detail in the character models. That's because 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 when the GameCube is released in November, you'll also be able to hook them to that as well and use the GBA as a controller.

Imagine playing "Madden 2002" on the GameCube and having your GBA hooked to it as a controller. You could call your plays on the GBA screen so that your opponents couldn't see. If you have four GBAs plugged into the GameCube for a little 2-on-2 action with three of your friends, when you call a play, a message will appear on your teammate's GBA alerting him or her to get ready.

To say we liked the GBA is an understatement. Everyone I've talked to on "Extended Play," and everyone who's played it in the lab, has said they're going to pick one up when it comes out. 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, and from the look of the launch titles, the developers aren't going to let us down. 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. I know I'll be picking one up myself as soon as Nintendo sends its squad of militant Pikachus to pry our test copy from my hands.

Summary: Handheld gaming for the new millennium has finally arrived. The Game Boy Advance is the future of mobile gaming.

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

Cons: Poorly lit screen.

Company: Nintendo
Product Name: Game Boy Advance
Price: $99.95
Available: Now