Lately it seems like a new Game Boy system is being released every year or so, and that has certainly been the case as of late. In 2001, Nintendo released the Game Boy Advance, which was followed up with the Game Boy Advance SP in 2003. The main advantages to the SP were that it was more compact because it was foldable, and it featured a frontlit screen for playing Game Boy Advance games in the dark.

Less than two years after the release of the Game Boy Advance SP, Nintendo brought forth the next generation handheld, the Nintendo DS. The acronym in this system's title stands for 'dual screens' which give players two screens to play on, one of which is a touch screen. Although not officially titled a Game Boy by Nintendo, many people consider it to be one, since it is a Nintendo-produced handheld, and it does have the ability to play Game Boy Advance cartridges.

The fourth handheld with Game Boy Advance compatibility was released by Nintendo in September 2005 and titled Game Boy Micro. What makes this particular Game Boy so attractive is its miniscule size (2 x 4 x 0.7 inches) and illuminated screen. Unlike the screen in the Game Boy Advance SP, the Nintendo Game Boy Micro (GBM) screen is backlit, and users have the ability to adjust the brightness to adapt to a variety of lighting conditions.

Although many complain about Nintendo releasing new Game Boy Advance handhelds so frequently, the company only trying to stay on the cusp of trends. Technology is advancing at such a rapid rate that every year or so it's possible for Nintendo to shrink its handhelds considerably. However, what it comes down to in the end is how image-conscious the consumer is and the level of portability they require. If both of these factors are important, then the Nintendo GBM is certainly worth every penny of its sub-$100 price tag.