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Many people from all over want to know why Nintendo decided to remove the GBA slot when everyone was loving it. Gamers from all over the world were using it, and Nintendo it seemed for a moment just decided to do their own thing and stop caring about the gamers and what they wanted. Well, in this article we will go over everything you need to know about Nintendo and the GBA slot and why Nintnedo removed it from the Nintendo DS.
So why did Nintendo remove the GBA slot?
Nintendo removed the GBA slots because they wanted to promote the DSI slot instead. A DSI slot was the 3rd generation slot on the Nintendo DS. The problem was that the fans of Nintendo really didn’t like the decision. This is the reason why Nintendo got so much backlash while making this decision.
If you want to know more about the GBA slot, you will want to keep reading this article. You can also watch this short video to learn about the GBA slot and the DSI slot.
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Can you play Gameboy Advance games on the Nintendo DS?
If you already have GBA games with you and the second generation of the Nintendo DS, you can play them on your DS. Nintendo decided to move forward and produce new games that are more advanced and appealing than previous ones. In order to do this, they needed to change the GBA slot to the new DSI slot.
The GBA (Game Boy Advance) was released on June 11, 2001, and was discontinued in May, 2006. Although many people stipulate why it was discontinued, Ultimately it was because of the release of the next generation console from Nintendo.
Below we will break down the technical specifications of the original GBA, which are provided by Nintendo:
GBA Technical Specifications
Listed below are the technical specifications for the GBA. Make sure you read the details carefully so that you understand everything clearly.
| Size | approximately 14.45 cm (5.69 in) x 2.45 cm (0.96 in) x 8.2 cm (3.2 in) (LxWxH), 140 g (4.9 oz) |
| Weight | approximately 5 oz (140 g) |
| Screen | 2.9 inches reflective thin-film transistor (TFT) color LCD. |
| Display Size | 40.8 mm (1.61 in) by 61.2 mm (2.41 in) |
| Power | 2 AA Batteries |
| Battery Life | The average battery life of the GBA was 15 hours. The battery life of the GBA was highly dependent on which game pack you are playing, and how many extra peripherals are connected. |
| CPU | 16.8 MHz 32-bit ARM7TDMI with embedded memory. 8.4 or 4.2 MHz Sharp LR35902 (8080-derived). Additionally, coprocessors were available for backward compatibility |
| Memory | 32 kilobyte + 96 kilobyte VRAM (For the Internal CPU), 256 kilobyte DRAM (For outside the CPU) |
| Resolution | 240 × 160 pixels (3:2 aspect ratio). |
| Color Support | 15-bit RGB, capable of displaying 512 Colors in Character mode and Bitmap mode |
| Sound | Dual 8-bit DAC for stereo sound |
Now that you know the technical specs of the Gameboy Advance, you will also want to know the technical specifications of the Nintendo Switch Lite. By looking at the specifications below, you will be able to get to know what the difference is between the two.
Nintendo Switch Lite Technical Specifications
| Size | Approximately 3.6 inches high, 8.2 inches long, and .55 inches deep |
| Weight | Approximately 0.61 lbs |
| Screen | Capacitive touch screen with 5.5 inch LCD and 1280×720 resolution |
| CPU/GPU | NVIDIA Custom Tegra processor |
| Storage | The system comes up with 32Gbs of storage, but you can extend the memory by using the SD card. The device supports cards up to 2TB. |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac |
| Speakers | Stereo |
| Buttons | Left Stick, Right Stick, A/B/X/Y/L/R/ZL/ZR/+/- Buttons + Control Pad, Power Button, Volume Button, HOME Button, Capture Button |
| USB Connector | USB Type-C Used for charging only |
| Game card slot | Nintendo Switch game cards |
| MicroSD card slot | Compatible with microSD, microSDHC and microSDXC memory cards |
| Battery Life | Model number: HDH-001 Approx. 3.0 to 7.0 hours |
| Charging Time | Approximately 3 hours |
Now that you know the technical specifications of the Nintendo GBA and the Nintendo Switch Lite, you can see exactly what the difference is and you will notice that the GBA slot is no longer available.
Best games to play using the GBA slot.
If you have a second generation Nintendo DS though you can still play GBA games using the GBA slot. Below are the games that many people play using the GBA slot.
- The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
This game is ranked in first place for a number of reasons. The endless charm, brilliant overworld and dungeon design, and a lot of other reasons. You will have to deal with the monster in the game and you’ll have to beat that monster in order to move to the next stage.
Every stage is going to be more difficult than the previous one. The key to success when playing this game is concentrating fully on the screen and playing it with intelligence. Once you understand the concept of the game, there’s no stopping you.
- Golden Sun
If you like fighting games, then Golden Sun is one of the best games of all time. Golden Sun was considered the best fighting game ever made. The object of the game is to take the hero and have him kill all the enemies that get in the way. The aim of the main character is to save the world from extremists.
There are few battles and summons as well in the game. You have to deal with “Attacks from the enemies” in order to move up and unlock the features of the game. If you somehow missed playing Golden Sun, try to find a way to play it because this game has a lot of sequels that you can play on Nintendo’s 3rd and 4th generation consoles.
You can get the game on the internet at a reasonable price, but ask friends before buying it because cartridges can be used on more than one device.
- Metroid Fusion
There’s no doubt that the game “Metroid Fusion” was developed by the team that has developed “Super Metroid.” The game was designed in such a way that you could explore the world, complete the given tasks, uncover the hidden secrets and deal with the obstacles.
Not only is Metroid Fusion considered as one of the best games ever produced on GBA, but also the best 2D game ever made.
Conclusion
Now that you know about Nintendo removing the GBA slot to improve the game consoles they designed, you can decide for yourself if it was a good move or not. Some people like only having the new Slots, while many hardcore gamers who own GBA games wanted the GBA slot left. You also now know the specs between two Nintendo consoles and what the difference is. No matter which Nintendo console you prefer to play, if you are one of the ones that owned Gameboy Advance games and now can no longer play them on the newer consoles, you are extremely sad.
Even though Nintendo is doing this to create a better playing experience for the new games, there are still many older games that many people prefer to play, and as time goes on it will be harder and harder to play those games now that the GBA slot is gone.