Editing Game Boy Advance (section)

== Hardware ==
[[File:Game Boy Advance motherboard front.jpg|thumb|The Game Boy Advance motherboard<br />([[commons:File:Game Boy Advance motherboard front.jpg|annotated version]]) ]]
The Game Boy Advance uses a custom [[system on a chip]] (SoC), integrating the CPU and other major components into a single package, named the ''CPU&nbsp;AGB'' by Nintendo. Manufactured by the [[Sharp Corporation]], the SoC contains two processors: the ''[[ARM7TDMI]]'' running at a [[clock rate]] of 16.776 [[megahertz]]&nbsp;(MHz) for GBA games, and the ''Sharp SM83'' running at 4.194&nbsp;MHz or 8.389&nbsp;MHz for [[backward compatibility]] with Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. The system operates in two modes: GBA mode using the ARM7TDMI, and the backward-compatible CGB mode using the SM83.<ref name="Copetti 2019">{{Cite web |last=Copetti |first=Rodrigo |date=August 18, 2019 |title=Game Boy Advance Architecture - A Practical Analysis |url=https://www.copetti.org/writings/consoles/game-boy-advance/ |access-date=May 2, 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

The ARM7TDMI is a hybrid [[16-bit computing|16-bit]] and [[32-bit computing|32-bit]] [[RISC]] processor based on the [[ARM architecture family|ARM architecture]], designed maximize performance under power and storage constraints, making it more suitable for use in a handheld device. It features sixteen 32-bit registers and a 32-bit bus connected to 32&nbsp;[[kilobyte]]s&nbsp;(KB) of "working" RAM on the SoC, and 16-bit buses interfacing with the 256&nbsp;KB of "working" RAM on the motherboard and the [[Game Boy Game Pak|Game Pak]]. In addition to the 32-bit ARM instruction set, the CPU supports the 16-bit THUMB instruction set, which is used when executing instructions over the 16-bit buses.<ref name="Programming Manual">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/NintendoGbaManualV1.1 |title=AGB Programming Manual |date=April 2, 2001 |publisher=[[Nintendo]] |access-date=March 1, 2025 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

The SM83 is a hybrid between two other [[8-bit computing|8-bit]] processors: the [[Intel 8080]] and the [[Zilog Z80]]. The SM83 has the seven 8-bit [[Processor register|registers]] of the 8080 (lacking the alternate registers of the Z80) but uses the Z80's programming syntax and extra [[bit manipulation]] instructions, along with adding new instructions to optimize the processor for certain operations related to the way the hardware was arranged. Like the Game Boy Color, the SM83 in the Advance could be commanded to operate at either 4.194&nbsp;MHz when playing games compatible with the original Game Boy or at 8.389&nbsp;MHz when playing games designed for the Game Boy Color.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Javanainen |first=Joonas |date=April 23, 2024 |title=Game Boy: Complete Technical Reference |url=https://gekkio.fi/files/gb-docs/gbctr.pdf |website=gekkio.fi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=January 2, 2013 |title=The Nintendo Game Boy, Part 1: The Intel 8080 and the Zilog Z80. |url=https://realboyemulator.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/the-nintendo-game-boy-1/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220510190547/https://realboyemulator.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/the-nintendo-game-boy-1/ |archive-date=May 10, 2022 |access-date=August 29, 2017 |publisher=RealBoy}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=CPU Comparison with Z80 |url=https://gbdev.io/pandocs/CPU_Comparison_with_Z80 |access-date=April 29, 2024 |website=Pan Docs |language=en}}</ref> The SoC also contains a 2&nbsp;KB "bootstrap" ROM which is used to start up the device in CGB mode.<ref>{{Cite web |last=GameBoy Development Wiki |date=November 12, 2009 |title=Gameboy Bootstrap ROM |url=http://gbdev.gg8.se/wiki/index.php?title=Gameboy_Bootstrap_ROM&oldid=192 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818180456/http://gbdev.gg8.se/wiki/index.php?title=Gameboy_Bootstrap_ROM&oldid=192 |archive-date=August 18, 2010 |access-date=October 24, 2010}}</ref>

The CPU&nbsp;CGB incorporates an updated version of Nintendo's venerable ''Picture Processing Unit'' (PPU), which was used in the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]]. The PPU is essentially a basic [[GPU]] that renders visuals using 96&nbsp;KB of [[Video RAM]] located inside the CPU&nbsp;CGB. Inside the PPU itself is 1&nbsp;KB of object attribute memory and 1&nbsp;KB of palette RAM, which are optimized for fast rendering.<ref name="Copetti 2019" /> The display itself is a 2.9-inch (diagonal) [[thin-film transistor]] (TFT) color [[liquid-crystal display]] (LCD), measuring {{Convert|61.2|mm|sp=us}} wide by {{Convert|40.8|mm|sp=us}} high. The screen is 240 [[pixel]]s wide by 160 pixels high in a 3:2 [[aspect ratio (image)|aspect ratio]]. 

Foreground objects are [[Sprite (computer graphics)|sprites]] with up to 128 per frame, sized from 8×8 to 64×64 pixels, and with 16 or 256 colors. Backgrounds can be rendered in one of six different modes. The first three are the "character modes," which use traditional [[tile map]] graphics: Mode 0 offers four static layers, Mode 1 has three layers with one [[affine transformation]] layer (which can be rotated and/or scaled), and Mode 2 has two affine layers. The other three are the "bitmap modes" which allow for rendering [[Video game graphics#3D|3D geometry]]: Mode 3 has a single full-sized, fully-colored (32,768 colors) frame, Mode 4 provides two full-sized frames with 256 colors each, and Mode 5 provides two half-sized (160×128 pixels), fully-colored frames. Having two bitmaps allows "page-flipping" to avoid the artifacts that can sometimes appear when re-drawing a bitmap. While the bitmap modes were considered cutting-edge, most games avoided using them because they cost a lot of CPU resources.<ref name="Copetti 2019" /><ref name="gbatek">{{Cite web |last=Korth |first=Martin |title=GBATEK: LCD I/O Display Control |url=http://nocash.emubase.de/gbatek.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090621131721/http://nocash.emubase.de/gbatek.htm |archive-date=June 21, 2009 |access-date=January 2, 2014}}</ref>

For sound, the Game Boy Advance features two [[Pulse-code modulation|PCM]] sample player channels, which work in combination with the ''Audio Processing Unit'' (APU), a [[programmable sound generator]] first used by the legacy Game Boy. The APU has four channels: a [[pulse wave]] generation channel with frequency and volume variation, a second pulse wave generation channel with only volume variation, a wave channel that can reproduce any [[waveform]] recorded in RAM, and a [[white noise]] channel with volume variation.<ref name="Copetti 2019" /><ref name="GBA Service Manual">{{Cite web |title=Game Boy Advance Service Manual |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IpKe2BRdcZLUURvhrvxnleMZf3MEI6tc/ |access-date=May 27, 2024 |publisher=[[Nintendo]] |page=3 |language=en |edition=2nd}}</ref>

The Game Boy Advance features a [[D-pad]] (directional pad) and six action buttons labeled 'A,' 'B,' 'L,' 'R,' 'SELECT,' and 'START.' The top of the console has a link port that allows it to be connected to other Game Boy devices using a [[Game Link Cable]] or a [[Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter|Wireless Adapter]], or the [[GameCube]] home console with a special [[GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable]].<ref name="Connecting to the Cube" />

=== Technical specifications ===
{| class="wikitable"
!
! Game Boy Advance<ref>{{Cite web |title=Technical data |url=https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Support/Game-Boy-Advance/Product-information/Technical-data/Technical-data-619479.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117035157/https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Support/Game-Boy-Advance/Product-information/Technical-data/Technical-data-619479.html |archive-date=January 17, 2023 |access-date=July 15, 2020 |website=Nintendo of Europe GmbH |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=GBATEK – GBA/NDS Technical Info |url=http://problemkaputt.de/gbatek.htm#gbatechnicaldata |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160727034359/http://problemkaputt.de/gbatek.htm#gbatechnicaldata |archive-date=July 27, 2016 |access-date=July 26, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=CowBite Virtual Hardware Specifications |url=http://www.cs.rit.edu/~tjh8300/CowBite/CowBiteSpec.htm#Text |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918070039/https://www.cs.rit.edu/~tjh8300/CowBite/CowBiteSpec.htm#Text |archive-date=September 18, 2021 |access-date=July 28, 2021 |website=cs.rit.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=GBA ASM Tutorial |url=https://patater.com/gbaguy/gbaasm.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805121744/http://patater.com/gbaguy/gbaasm.htm |archive-date=August 5, 2016 |access-date=July 26, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=GBA Technical Specifications |url=http://nintendo.com/techspecgba |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051003203011/http://www.nintendo.com/techspecgba |archive-date=October 3, 2005 |access-date=December 23, 2018 |publisher=Nintendo}}</ref><ref name="Copetti 2019" />
|-
! Height
| {{cvt|3.2|in}}
|-
! Width
| {{cvt|5.7|in}}
|-
! Depth
| {{cvt|0.9|in}}
|-
! Weight
| {{cvt|140|g}}
|-
! Display
| 2.9-inch (diagonal) reflective [[thin-film transistor]] (TFT) color [[liquid-crystal display]] (LCD), {{convert|40.8|x|61.2|mm|abbr=on}}
|-
! [[Display resolution|Resolution]]
| 240 (w) × 160 (h) [[pixel]]s (3:2 [[aspect ratio (image)|aspect ratio]])
|-
! [[Frame rate]]
| 59.727500569606 [[Hertz|Hz]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=TASVideos / Platform Framerates |url=http://tasvideos.org/PlatformFramerates.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229184750/http://tasvideos.org/PlatformFramerates.html |archive-date=February 29, 2020 |access-date=February 29, 2020 |website=tasvideos.org}}</ref>
|-
! Color&nbsp;support
| 32,768 colors, up to 511 simultaneously in character mode, all may display simultaneously in Bitmap mode
|-
! [[System on a chip]] (SoC)
| Nintendo CPU&nbsp;AGB
|-
! Processors
| {{Unbulleted list
  | 16.7772&nbsp;MHz [[ARM7TDMI]] ([[32-bit computing|32-bit]])
  | 4.194304&nbsp;MHz / 8.388608&nbsp;MHz Sharp SM83 (custom [[Intel 8080]]/[[Zilog Z80]] hybrid, [[8-bit computing|8-bit]]){{efn|4.194304&nbsp;MHz for Game Boy backward compatibility, 8.388608&nbsp;MHz for Game Boy Color backward compatibility}}
  }}
|-
!Memory
| {{Unbulleted list
  | '''On SoC:''' 32&nbsp;KB&nbsp;[[Random-access memory|RAM]], 98&nbsp;KB&nbsp;[[Video Random Access Memory|Video&nbsp;RAM]] (includes 1&nbsp;KB of object attribute memory and 1&nbsp;KB of palette RAM)
  | '''Internal:''' 256&nbsp;KB&nbsp;RAM
  }}
|-
!Power
| {{Unbulleted list
   | '''Internal:''' 2 × [[AA batteries]]
   | <!-- '''External:''' 0.6&nbsp;W at 3.3&nbsp;V&nbsp;DC from 2.35&nbsp;mm&nbsp;×&nbsp;0.75&nbsp;mm [[coaxial power connector|coaxial connector]] -->
   }}
|-
! Battery life
| Up to 15 hours
|-
! Sound
| {{Unbulleted list
   | '''Channels:''' Dual 8-bit [[digital-to-analog converter|DAC]] for stereo sound (called Direct Sound), plus all legacy channels from Game Boy. The DACs can be used to play back streams of wave data, or used to output multiple wave samples processed or mixed in software by the CPU.
   | '''Outputs:''' Built-in [[Monaural|mono]] speaker, stereo [[3.5mm headphone jack]]
   }}
|-
![[Input/output|I/O]]
|{{Unbulleted list
   | [[Game Link Cable]] (512&nbsp;[[kbit/s]] between up to 4 devices)
   | Game Pak slot
   }}
|-
!Controls
|{{Unbulleted list
   | Eight-way [[D-pad|control pad]]
   | Six action buttons (A, B, L, R, Start, Select)
   | Volume slider
   | Power switch
   }}
|}

=== Color variants ===
The Game Boy Advance was available in numerous colors and limited editions throughout its production. It was initially available in Arctic, Black, Orange (Japan Only), Fuchsia (translucent pink), Glacier (translucent blue), and Indigo. Later in the system's lifespan, additional colors and special editions were released, including: Red, Clear Orange/Black, Platinum, White, Gold (Japan Only), [[Hello Kitty]] edition (pink with Hello Kitty and logo on [[bezel (screen)|bezel]]), ''[[The King of Fighters]]'' edition (black with images on bezel and buttons), ''[[Chobits]]'' edition (translucent light blue, with images on bezel and buttons), ''Battle Network Rockman EXE 2'' (light blue with images on bezel), ''[[Mario Bros.]]'' edition (Glacier with Mario and Luigi on bezel), and [[Yomiuri Giants]] edition (Glacier with images on bezel).

Several ''[[Pokémon]]''-themed limited-edition systems were made available in [[Pokémon Center]] stores in Japan. These editions include: Gold Pokémon edition (Gold with [[Pikachu]] and [[List of generation II Pokémon#Pichu|Pichu]] on bezel), Suicune edition (blue/grey with greyscale Pikachu and Pichu on bezel, and a Pokémon Center sticker on the back), Celebi edition (olive green with [[List of generation II Pokémon#Celebi|Celebi]] images on bezel), and Latias/Latios edition (pink/red and purple, with images of [[List of generation III Pokémon#Latias|Latias and Latios]] on bezel).