I love my Gameboy Advance. And after watching ‪@MetalJesusRocks‬ and ‪@The_RadicalOne‬ do their GBA buying guide last week, I felt inspired to talk about the system as well. I show off different ways you can play GBA games, share some of my hardware that I own, and chat about some of my favorite games for the console.

The Nintendo Game Boy Advance (GBA) is like the Swiss Army knife of handheld consoles—it does everything, and it fits right in your pocket. With its sleek, horizontal design and a vibrant screen that was a major upgrade from its predecessors, the GBA was the cool kid on the block. It was as if Nintendo took a look at the old Game Boy and said, “Let’s give this thing a glow-up.” And oh boy, did they succeed. The GBA was your ticket to a world where you could battle Pokémon, save princesses, and race go-karts—all while pretending to listen during class.

Playing the GBA felt like holding a portal to endless adventures, all powered by a couple of AA batteries. It was the device that made waiting in line at the DMV slightly more bearable and family road trips a bit less torturous. With games like “The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap” and “Advance Wars,” the GBA was a powerhouse of fun packed into a tiny frame. It was like having a miniature arcade in your hands, minus the sticky floors and the guy who always hogged the Street Fighter machine.