4 ms·

"the Game Boy Advance only lasted 3yrs before it got replaced with the Nintendo DS" I assume most did not believe Nintendo's statement on the matter. https://

by 83457 4y ago

"the Game Boy Advance only lasted 3yrs before it got replaced with the Nintendo DS" I assume most did not believe Nintendo's statement on the matter. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-ds-not-game-boy-advances-successor/1100-6086771/ https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-ds-not-game-boy-a...

gs17 4y ago
I remember arguing with my friends about this as a kid. A lot of the target audience was naïve enough to believe it, even when it was clear first-party games had moved to DS.
- MBCook 4y ago
  It’s clear that’s what they wanted to do, but I think they really weren’t sure it would work and had a backup “it was GBA all along” plan.
  - monocasa 4y ago
    I don't blame them either with the scars of the VirtualBoy still fresh in their minds.
    - MBCook 4y ago
      Exactly. The late time they “strayed from their lane” they got slapped hard. Easy to see why they were gun shy.
  - Wowfunhappy 4y ago
    I disagree! I think Nintendo wanted both consoles to coexist in order to provide an additional revenue stream. When you want to play traditional games, you grab your Gameboy Micro or the still-highly-pocketable GBA SP. When you want a stylus and dual screens to play Nintendogs, you grab your bulkier Nintendo DS. It didn’t really work and Nintendo pivoted—possibly also to compete with the PSP—but I see the Gameboy Micro as evidence of their strategy. Compare an original model DS and the Gameboy Micro side-by-side—the size difference isn’t entirely unlike that of an iPhone versus an iPad Mini. It’s not the first time Nintendo tried to create a third category between console and handheld—see also the Virtual Boy.
minimaul 4y ago
They said the same thing about the Switch and the 3DS as well :)
bombcar 4y ago
The GBA was still sold for four+ years after the DS came out, and games were still popular. The DS being able to play GBA games was a huge selling point, as people forget how "radical" the dual screens were and how uncertain it was that people would adapt, so having the GBA fallback was nice. Also, the DS was a better GBA than the GBA.
- goosedragons 4y ago
  Depends on the GBA. The original model, sure. With the backlit SP it's less clear. The DS is more comfortable but less pocketable, can't play GBC or GB games and doesn't have a link cable port so no multiplayer and no trading Pokemon. IMO a backlit SP is the best stock GBA you can get.

by 83457 4y ago

gs17 4y ago

I remember arguing with my friends about this as a kid. A lot of the target audience was naïve enough to believe it, even when it was clear first-party games had moved to DS.

MBCook 4y ago
It’s clear that’s what they wanted to do, but I think they really weren’t sure it would work and had a backup “it was GBA all along” plan.
- monocasa 4y ago
  I don't blame them either with the scars of the VirtualBoy still fresh in their minds.
  - MBCook 4y ago
    Exactly. The late time they “strayed from their lane” they got slapped hard. Easy to see why they were gun shy.
- Wowfunhappy 4y ago
  I disagree! I think Nintendo wanted both consoles to coexist in order to provide an additional revenue stream. When you want to play traditional games, you grab your Gameboy Micro or the still-highly-pocketable GBA SP. When you want a stylus and dual screens to play Nintendogs, you grab your bulkier Nintendo DS. It didn’t really work and Nintendo pivoted—possibly also to compete with the PSP—but I see the Gameboy Micro as evidence of their strategy. Compare an original model DS and the Gameboy Micro side-by-side—the size difference isn’t entirely unlike that of an iPhone versus an iPad Mini. It’s not the first time Nintendo tried to create a third category between console and handheld—see also the Virtual Boy.

minimaul 4y ago

They said the same thing about the Switch and the 3DS as well :)

bombcar 4y ago

The GBA was still sold for four+ years after the DS came out, and games were still popular. The DS being able to play GBA games was a huge selling point, as people forget how "radical" the dual screens were and how uncertain it was that people would adapt, so having the GBA fallback was nice. Also, the DS was a better GBA than the GBA.

goosedragons 4y ago
Depends on the GBA. The original model, sure. With the backlit SP it's less clear. The DS is more comfortable but less pocketable, can't play GBC or GB games and doesn't have a link cable port so no multiplayer and no trading Pokemon. IMO a backlit SP is the best stock GBA you can get.