Game Boy Advance

The Game Boy Advance is a 32-bit handheld game console by Nintendo. It was created as the successor to both the Game Boy and Game Boy Color, and was released in 2001. The Game Boy Advance is backward compatible with both Game Boy and Game Boy Color titles. Aside from higher technical specifications, the Game Boy Advance is different in that it has a rectangular screen, which is located between the buttons and not above them. A few Metroid games have been released for the Game Boy Advance.

The system received two remodels. The first remodel, the Game Boy Advance SP, was released in 2003, and its main selling point is its backlit screen. It also features a clamshell design, so unlike the original model, the screen is located above the buttons. In 2005, a variation of the Game Boy Advance SP was released, the AGS-101, which has an even brighter backlit screen. The second remodel is the Game Boy micro, released in 2005, around the same time as the Game Boy Advance SP's AGS-101 model. The Game Boy micro has a bright screen like the AGS-101 Game Boy Advance SP model, although its screen and button placement is similar to original Game Boy Advance units.

The Game Boy Advance has a few accessories. Like its predecessors, the Game Boy Advance has its own Game Link Cable, which is used for multiplayer modes in select games. There is also the e-Reader, a card scanner compatible with select Game Boy Advance (and sometimes the Nintendo GameCube, via the Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance Cable). While no Metroid titles make use of the e-Reader, there is a Samus's Suit card for the first Animal Crossing that can be scanned using the

Game Boy Advance SP
In early 2003, Nintendo introduced the Game Boy Advance SP (model AGS-001), with an internal front-light that can be turned on or off, a rechargeable lithium ion battery, as well as a folding case approximately half the original size. It was designed to address some common complaints with the original Game Boy Advance which was criticized for being somewhat uncomfortable, especially due to an overly dark screen. The Game Boy Advance SP also came with a new and much brighter LCD screen for improved playability.

Around the same time as the release of the Game Boy micro, Nintendo released a new backlit version of the SP (model AGS-101) in North America (commonly referred to as the "GBA SP+"). 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 set.

Game Boy Micro
In September 2005, Nintendo released a second redesign of the Game Boy Advance. This model, dubbed the Game Boy micro, is similar in style to the original Game Boy Advance's horizontal orientation, but is much smaller and sleeker. The Game Boy Micro also allows the user an ability to switch between several colored faceplates to allow customization, a feature which Nintendo advertised heavily around the Game Boy Micro's launch. Nintendo also hoped that this "fashion" feature will help target audiences outside of typical video game players, much like its new Wii. Unlike the previous Game Boy Advance models, Game Boy Micro is unable to support Game Boy and Game Boy Color titles. The Game Boy Micro did not make much of an impact in the video game market, as it was overshadowed by Nintendo's other portable, the Nintendo DS.

Games
Only three Metroid games were released for the Game Boy Advance. The first one is Metroid Fusion, released in 2002, around the same time as Metroid Prime. The second game, Metroid: Zero Mission, was released in 2004, and it is a remake of the original Metroid for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It even includes the original version of Metroid as an added bonus. A few months later, the original version was released as a standalone Classic NES Series title.

Outside the Metroid franchise, Samus Aran and other Metroid-related elements have been featured in the Game Boy Advance's two WarioWare titles, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! and WarioWare: Twisted!, specifically within a few of 9-Volt's microgames.