West Midlands Technical Support

Nintendo DS Lite VS Game Boy Advance

Two great products and manufactured by the same company! Nintendo, who since September 1889 (seriously, that's not a typo) have amazed us with the greateast inventions and entertainment products, started off with a card game called Hanafudu and today mass produce the fantastic gaming concept, The Wii.

How do their handhelds compare? Find out below...

The Game boy advance, often shortened to GBA, has been available to the average consumer since March 2001 - this is 5 years older than the DS which has only been available since March 2006. Both were lauched, as would be expected, by a company in Japan; but within a few months the consoles were smashing sales in the EU.

Which one has actually sold the most?

Total Units Sold Worldwide (by March 31 2008)

Nintendo DS Lite - 51.78million

Game Boy Advance - 81.06million (all versions combined)

As can be seen from the figures above, the DS-lite, which has been out for 2 years, has sold pro-rata more than the GBA in it's 7 years. This goes to show how popular the DS actually is! So what is it that the DS offers that the GBA doesn't?

Could it be that technology is growing and offering more to its gamers than what it did 7 years ago?

Lets compare the two specs and see what the differences actually are

GBA Specs

CPU -ARM7TDMI, 16.78MHz

Media -Cartridge

Storage - NONE

Connectivity -Wireless adapter

Screen Type -2.9" TFT colour LCD

Weight -140g Apx (5oz)

Power -Mains & 2AA Batteries

Battery life -15hrs Apx while playing

DS-Lite Specs

CPU -67 MHz ARM946E-S & 33MHz ARM7TDMI

Media -GBA Cartridges & Nintendo DS Game Cards

Storage -Cartridge Save, 4 MB RAM

Connectivity -Wi-Fi, LAN

Screen Type -3.5" - 3.8" LCD (2 screens top and bottom)

Weight -218g (7.69oz)

Power -Mains & Lithium Ion rechargeable 1000mAh battery

Battery life -15-19hrs Apx while playing

By comparing the specs above we can see that the DS is by far a much more advanced piece of technology than the GBA. It offers gamers of today exactly what they want out of their handheld experience including the ability to play GBA games. Its no wonder that sales for the DS within last 2 years have been as tremendous as shown above.

When comparing the features listed below it becomes extremely clear who is going to win this battle!

GBA features

* Wireless Adapter

* Infra-Red Adapter

* MP3/MPEG4 player (cartridge) with SD Card Slot

* E-Reader

* Worm Cam

* TV-Tuner

* Halo Light

DS-Lite features

* Rumble Pack

* Headset

* Browser

* Wi-Fi USB Connector

* Camera

* Paddle Controller

* Guitar Grip Controller

* Stylus Pen

The Nintendo DS Lite offers superior CPU, Media Storage, Screen Size and battery life plus countless advanced features.

WINNER = NINTENDO DS LITE