If there was ever a golden age of Portable gaming for Nintendo, it would have to be the eras of both the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS. Both systems are highly regarded among gamers and Nintendo fans for the robust libraries, superb third party support, and innovative features. The Game Boy Advance, launched in 2001 was the first real successor to the original Game Boy hardware following various revisions and the upgraded half-step that was the Game Boy Color. Basically an enhanced SNES in terms of power, the GBA finally moved the handheld gaming forward out of the simple 8-bit realms of past Game Boy systems, in favor gameplay and visuals that were a little more contemporary. Filled with SNES ports, RPGs, Mode 7 racers, Platformers, sports, etc. The Game Boy Advance was a 2D powerhouse at the time. It also boasted some important innovations for Nintendo handhelds such as its link cable now supporting up to 4 players, a multi-boot function that allowed supported games to have multiplayer off of one game cartridge, and connectivity to Nintendo's home console at the time, the Nintendo GameCube.
If the Game Boy Advance perfected was a handheld game console could do, then the Nintendo DS completely upended it. Released in 2004, the DS was initially positioned as a "third pillar" of Nintendo's product line, it ultimately became Nintendo's flagship handheld hardware brand for the next 14 years, replacing the Game Boy line. DS was a radical departure from previous handheld hardware, boasting two screens, touch input, full 3D, a microphone, and wireless connectivity, including local connection with up to 16 systems, and Wi-fi support which was a big deal at the time. Though it faced uncertainty and a sluggish start against Sony's newly minted PlayStation Portable, the DS eventually prevailed at over 152 million units sold, making it the second best selling game system of all time behind the PlayStation 2.
Between the hardware, library, and impact of these two consoles, which was your favorite?
