Shadow1980 said:
Game Boy (original & Pocket)
CPU: 4.19 MHz 8-bit custom Sharp LR35902 Memory: 8 kB SRAM, 8 kB VRAM Cartridge Capacity: 1 MB max. Screen Resolution: 160 x 144 px Colors: 4 shades of "grey" Sound: 2 pulse wave generators, 1 PCM 4-bit wave sample (64 4-bit samples played in 1×64 bank or 2×32 bank) channel, 1 noise generator, and one audio input from the cartridge. Mono speaker, but compatible with stereo headphones.
Game Boy Color
CPU: 8 MHz 8-bit Zilog Z-80 Memory: 32 kB RAM, 16 kB VRAM Cartridge Capacity: 4 MB max. Screen Resolution: 160 x 144 px Colors: 56 simultaneous colors max., depending on game Sound: 2 pulse wave generators, 1 PCM 4-bit wave sample (64 4-bit samples played in 1×64 bank or 2×32 bank) channel, 1 noise generator, and one audio input from the cartridge. Mono speaker, but compatible with stereo headphones.
Game Boy Advance
CPU: 16.8 MHz 32-bit ARM7TDMI Memory: 256 kB WRAM (outside the CPU) 32 kB + 96 kB VRAM (internal to the CPU) Cartrdige Capacity: 32 MB max. Screen Resolution: 240 x 160 px Colors: 511 simultaneous colors in character mode; 32,768 simultaneous colors in bitmap mode Sound: Dual 8-bit DAC for stereo sound (called Direct Sound), plus all legacy channels from Game Boy. Mono speaker, but compatible with stereo headphones.
The GBA was a considerably larger leap over the GBC than the GBC was over the original Game Boy. The GBC was still essentially in the same generation as the original Game Boy, with both having 8-bit CPUs, the same screen resolution, and the same audio. It had some improvements beyond a color display, but it wasn't a truly massive leap like the GBA was. The GBA was Nintendo's first true "next-gen" handheld. The GBC was not. The GBA could play games that were roughly the same quality as SNES games, something the GBC was incapable of.
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