Nintendo's successor to the Game Boy Color was its Game Boy Advance system. This device was leaps and bounds ahead of the GBC, as it was on par with Nintendo's 16-bit console, the Super Nintendo. The Game Boy Color, though, could play games that looked as if they were originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

One of the most attractive features of Nintendo Game Boy handhelds is their backwards compatibility. If someone who owned a GBC were to upgrade to the Nintendo Game Boy Advance, he could still play all of his older Nintendo Game Boy games on the GBA handheld. The one downside to the original Nintendo Game Boy Advance system, though, was its lack of lighting.

The Game Boy Advance SP remedied this problem. The Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP was a redesigned version of the Game Boy Advance system. The screen could flip open and shut, making it more portable than the original GBA system. The GBA SP also featured an integrated front light, which made it possible for gamers to play their Game Boy games in little-to-no light situations.

The Nintendo Game Boy Advance also featured a serial port which was used to connect to other GBA handhelds for multiplayer gaming. Cords aren't the preferred way for gamers to play multiplayer games, so Nintendo introduced a wireless adapter. This allowed GBA handhelds to be linked together without the use of cords. Unfortunately, for gamers to obtain the wireless adapter, they had to purchase Pokemon FireRed. Plus, only a small number of games supported the wireless adapter; it was not compatible with all multiplayer games like the GBA cable link was.