Ask yourself: when was the last time you saw a Game Boy Advance on a shelf? Or heard about a new Game Boy Advance game? Or even heard Nintendo mention the console, even in passing?

Exactly. Never. So, fearing for the health of the poor little guy, we contacted Nintendo to see whether the console had been quietly killed off in the middle of the night, its years of loyal service rewarded with naught but an unmarked grave somewhere outside Nintendo HQ.

Nintendo's response was a surprising one. Turns out the Game Boy Advance is not dead. Shipments of the console are still being made to distributors and retailers across the world, and last fiscal year, the GBA sold 420,000 units worldwide, with the vast majority of those sales being made in the Asian and developing markets.

So, there you have it. Reports of the Game Boy's death have been greatly exaggerated!

MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo does, lamenting the symbolic passing of the Game Boy Advance. He calls it "the first portable I cared about," a feeling I'd wholeheartedly echo. While I, like Totilo, had invested in a Game Boy Color—as well as an original Game Boy, Sega Game Gear, and Neo Geo Pocket Color—no portable system I'd played to that point felt as much like a unique, standalone piece of hardware capable of playing such deep, memorable software.

It felt less hampered by technical limitations, a generational shift on par with the NES to the Super Nintendo.

I no longer have my original Game Boy Advance, though I never invested in a GBA SP. My first GBA, purchased near launch with a copy of Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, is resting comfortably in a landfill somewhere. It, along with a copy of Sega's Phantasy Star Collection and a save file that sapped many hours of my free time, were left in a trash can as part of a poorly thought out "joke." Oops!

Like Totilo, one of the Game Boy Advance title's that resonated with me most was the original Advance Wars a game that thankfully didn't make it into the garbage. By the end of the GBA's lifespan, I'd logged over two hundred fifty hours across both Advance Wars releases. Nothing else on the system, even personal favorites like Metroid: Zero Mission, Astro Boy: Omega Factor, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Wario Land 4, consumed as much of my time.

Not even Dotstream, another obsession of mine, came close to absorbing me as much as the Advance Wars series did.

Right now, my Game Boy Advance hardware of choice is the Game Boy micro, the handy, extremely portable limited release. Playing games on my old Nintendo DS—and certainly not on my faulty Nintendo DS Lite—feels somehow wrong. So I probably won't lament the removal of the GBA slot from the Nintendo DSi as much as others do.

I'll just make sure to keep a pocket free.

Any Game Boy Advance era waxing you feel like doing in the comments? Recommendations and hidden gems that you feel might need more attention are welcome. And don't miss MTV Multiplayer's post on the "passing" of the GBA.

Funeral For The Game Boy Advance [MTV Multiplayer]

Wired have published a series of charts provided by the NPD Group, which show the games that finished 11-20 on the monthly sales charts, as well as the ten best selling games for each platform. Including the Game Boy Advance. As a bonus, you'll even find at the end the ten best-selling peripherals or accessories.

Top 20 Games Overall, February 2009

1. WII FIT WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA
2. STREET FIGHTER IV* 360 CAPCOM USA
3. STREET FIGHTER IV* PS3 CAPCOM USA
4. WII PLAY W/ REMOTE WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA
5. KILLZONE 2 PS3 SONY
6. MARIO KART W/WHEEL WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA
7. CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR* 360 ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
8. MARIO KART DS NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
9. NEW SUPER MARIO BROS NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
10. GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR* WII ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
11. F.E.A.R. 2: PROJECT ORIGIN 360 WARNER INTERACTIVE
12. SKATE 2 360 ELECTRONIC ARTS
13. LEFT 4 DEAD 360 ELECTRONIC ARTS
14. NBA 2K9 360 TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
15. HALO 3* 360 MICROSOFT
16. CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR PS3 ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
17. LEGO STAR WARS: COMPLETE SAGA WII LUCASARTS
18. GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR* 360 ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
19. MY FITNESS COACH WII UBISOFT
20. FALLOUT 3* 360 BETHESDA SOFTWORKS

Top 10 Wii

1. WII WII FIT NINTENDO OF AMERICA
2. WII WII PLAY W/ REMOTE NINTENDO OF AMERICA
3. WII MARIO KART W/WHEEL NINTENDO OF AMERICA
4. WII GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR* ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
5. WII LEGO STAR WARS: COMPLETE SAGA LUCASARTS
6. WII MY FITNESS COACH UBISOFT
7. WII JILLIAN MICHAELS FITNESS ULTIMATUM 2009 MAJESCO
8. WII NASCAR KART RACING ELECTRONIC ARTS
9. WII SUPER SMASH BROS: BRAWL NINTENDO OF AMERICA
10. WII TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 09 ELECTRONIC ARTS

Top 10 Xbox 360

1. 360 STREET FIGHTER IV* CAPCOM USA
2. 360 CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR* ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
3. 360 F.E.A.R. 2: PROJECT ORIGIN WARNER INTERACTIVE
4. 360 SKATE 2 ELECTRONIC ARTS
5. 360 LEFT 4 DEAD ELECTRONIC ARTS
6. 360 NBA 2K9 TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
7. 360 HALO 3* MICROSOFT
8. 360 GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR* ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
9. 360 FALLOUT 3* BETHESDA SOFTWORKS
10. 360 GEARS OF WAR 2* MICROSOFT

Top 10 PlayStation 2

1. PS2 GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR* ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
2. PS2 NBA 2K9 TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
3. PS2 GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
4. PS2 GUITAR HERO AEROSMITH* ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
5. PS2 MADDEN NFL 09 ELECTRONIC ARTS
6. PS2 CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
7. PS2 RESIDENT EVIL 4 CAPCOM USA
8. PS2 KINGDOM HEARTS RE: CHAIN OF MEMORIES SQUARE ENIX INC
9. PS2 WWE SMACKDOWN VS. RAW 2009 THQ
10. PS2 LEGO BATMAN WARNER INTERACTIVE

Top 10 PlayStation 3

1. PS3 STREET FIGHTER IV* CAPCOM USA
2. PS3 KILLZONE 2 SONY
3. PS3 CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
4. PS3 F.E.A.R. 2: PROJECT ORIGIN WARNER INTERACTIVE
5. PS3 GUITAR HERO III LEGENDS OF ROCK ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
6. PS3 GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR* ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
7. PS3 SONIC'S ULTIMATE GENESIS COLLECTION SEGA OF AMERICA
8. PS3 NBA 2K9 TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
9. PS3 RESISTANCE 2* SONY
10. PS3 MORTAL KOMBAT VS. DC UNIVERSE* MIDWAY

Top 10 Game Boy Advance

1. GBA UNO 52 DESTINATION SOFTWARE INC.
2. GBA SHREK 2/MADAGASCAR OPERATION PEN ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
3. GBA BIG MUTHA TRUCKERS DESTINATION SOFTWARE INC.
4. GBA PUPPY LUV: SPA & RESORT ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
5. GBA MADAGASCAR ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
6. GBA ASTEROIDS/PONG/YARS DESTINATION SOFTWARE INC.
7. GBA DRILL DOZER NINTENDO OF AMERICA
8. GBA GOLDEN NUGGET CASINO MAJESCO
9. GBA SPYHUNTER/SUPERSPRINT DESTINATION SOFTWARE INC.
10. GBA VAN HELSING ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

Top 10 Nintendo DS

1. NDS MARIO KART DS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
2. NDS NEW SUPER MARIO BROS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
3. NDS CLUB PENGUIN: ELITE PENGUIN FORCE DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS
4. NDS LEGO STAR WARS: COMPLETE SAGA LUCASARTS
5. NDS SUPER MARIO 64 DS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
6. NDS FIRE EMBLEM: SHADOW DRAGON NINTENDO OF AMERICA
7. NDS MARIO PARTY NINTENDO OF AMERICA
8. NDS KIRBY SUPER STAR ULTRA NINTENDO OF AMERICA
9. NDS POKEMON RANGER: SHADOWS OF ALMIA NINTENDO OF AMERICA
10. NDS BRAIN AGE 2: MORE TRAINING IN MINUTES A DAY NINTENDO OF AMERICA

Top 10 PSP

1. PSP GRAND THEFT AUTO: LIBERTY CITY STORIES TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
2. PSP MIDNIGHT CLUB: LA REMIX TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
3. PSP GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY STORIES TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
4. PSP IRON MAN SEGA OF AMERICA
5. PSP LOCOROCO 2 SONY
6. PSP MADDEN NFL 09 ELECTRONIC ARTS
7. PSP WWE SMACKDOWN VS. RAW 2008 THQ
8. PSP LEGO BATMAN WARNER INTERACTIVE
9. PSP WWE SMACKDOWN VS. RAW 2009 THQ
10. PSP CRISIS CORE: FINAL FANTASY VII SQUARE ENIX INC

Top 10 Portable Games Overall

1. NDS MARIO KART DS NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
2. NDS NEW SUPER MARIO BROS NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
3. NDS CLUB PENGUIN: ELITE PENGUIN FORCE NDS DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS
4. NDS LEGO STAR WARS: COMPLETE SAGA NDS LUCASARTS
5. NDS SUPER MARIO 64 DS NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
6. NDS FIRE EMBLEM: SHADOW DRAGON NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
7. NDS MARIO PARTY NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
8. NDS KIRBY SUPER STAR ULTRA NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
9. NDS POKEMON RANGER: SHADOWS OF ALMIA NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
10. NDS BRAIN AGE 2: MORE TRAINING IN MINUTES A DAY NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA

Top 10 Accessories

1. WII NUNCHUK CONTROLLER NINTENDO OF AMERICA
2. WII REMOTE CONTROLLER W/ JACKET NINTENDO OF AMERICA
3. PS3 DUALSHOCK 3 WIRELESS CONTROLLER SONY
4. 360 LIVE 1600 POINT GAME CARD MICROSOFT
5. 360 LIVE 1 MONTH GOLD CARD MICROSOFT
6. 360 LIVE 12 MONTH GOLD CARD MICROSOFT
7. WII REMOTE CONTROLLER NINTENDO OF AMERICA
8. WII CHARGE STATION NYKO
9. WII WHEEL GRIP NINTENDO OF AMERICA
10. 360 HEADSET MICROSOFT

Yes, the Game Boy Advance! So great it numbs the pain of seeing those PSP charts. Really, Iron Man outselling LocoRoco 2?

February 2009's Top 10 Game Sales By Platform [Game|Life]

No surprise that Game Boy hardware and software sales are tanking.

Here's the raw data:

Hardware

• Japan
Apr. - Dec. '07: 110,000 units
Apr. - Dec. '08: 60,000 units
Life-to-date: 16,950,000 units

• The Americas
Apr. - Dec. '07: 550,000 units
Apr. - Dec. '08: (0) units
Life-to-date: 41,640,000 units

• Other
Apr. - Dec. '07: 600,000 units
Apr. - Dec. '08: 320,000 units
Life-to-date: 81,440,000 units

• Total
Apr. - Dec. '07: 1,260,000 units
Apr. - Dec. '08: 380,000 units
Life-to-date: 140,030,000 units

Software

• Japan
Apr. - Dec. '07: 300,000 units
Apr. - Dec. '08: 220,000 units
Life-to-date: 72,940,000 units

• The Americas
Apr. - Dec. '07: 7,590,000 units
Apr. - Dec. '08: 350,000 units
Life-to-date: 217,240,000 units

• Other
Apr. - Dec. '07: 1,700,000 units
Apr. - Dec. '08: 20,000 units
Life-to-date: 87,060,000 units

• Total
Apr. - Dec. '07: 9,590,000 units
Apr. - Dec. '08: 590,000 units
Life-to-date: 377,240,000 units

Nintendo funded studio Brownie Brown had a hand in developing Mother 3. Brownie Brown President Shinichi Kameoka said a DS port is possible — though, this is not an official announcement in any regards.

"If we were asked to make one [a DS version of Mother 3]," Kameoka said, "then we would definitely like for fans abroad to play the game."

Brownie Brown "Looking Into" Wii Development [Siliconera via Earthbound Central Thanks, Sarah!]

Gamasutra sat down with Mandelin, whose day job includes translating games like Kingdom Hearts II and anime like Dragon Ball, who estimates that some two hundred thousand Earthbound fans downloaded the Japanese to English patch.

In the interview, Mandelin talks about his ROM hack translation past, the differences between professional and fan localization and what's next for the hobby. A solid read. And in English too!

You Say Tomato: A Pro on Fan-Translating Nintendo's Mother 3 [Gamasutra]

Mother 3 Fan Translation [via Phantom Leap]

The transformations from pleased as punch to enraged were most noticeable in Kirby's journeys to America, going from happy go lucky to in a lather in games like Kirby Squeak Squad. Kirby Super Star Ultra changes all that, as Kirby's gay old times are back, with nary a furrowed brow to be seen.

If you'd like to fondly remember Kirby's more bitter box art outings, hit the jump.

Nintendo's quarterly earnings show that, while they're hardly raking in the big bucks, both consoles are still selling units and still making money well into 2008. While nobody in Japan, Europe, Asia or Australia bought a new GameCube between April and June, somewhere, somehow, 40,000 Americans did. As for the GBA, well, none were sold in the US, but globally, 180,000 of them found new homes. 180,000! If you ever wonder why Nintendo have never publicly proclaimed the death of the little handheld, that's probably why.

Built of foam core, plastic and decals, the mini-cab prototype featured back door access for Game Boy Advance SP placement, making for a hunched over arcade authentic experience. It even had a working light up marquee! He also shared with us a cocktail table protoype, which is after the jump.

Merely a digital prototype, sadly, but clever and adorable just the same. Thanks for the tip, Brian!

Reader William was there to capture the tragedy, for this we thank him.

Fulfilling your life long dream of playing Pac-Man on the Game Boy Advance using nothing but your feet is within your grasp. Thanks to the folks at Instructables, who provide a step-by-step tutorial on how to hack together such a contraption, fat kids everywhere will be able to combine their two favorite things: eating (dots) and shedding pounds by frantic shuffling. They call this a "win-win."

How to modify your DDR pad to play with your Gameboy Advance [Instructables via Wonderland]

Anyway, apparently someone thought it was a good idea to make Elf Bowling into a movie. Then they convinced a couple other people this was also a good idea. Surely dozens, if not hundreds, of people with varying opinions on the idea were sent to work on it, resulting in the direct to video release Elf Bowling the Movie: The Great North Pole Elf Strike. It's coming to DVD this October. I predict it will perform far better than DOA: Dead or Alive.

Thanks for the tip, Matt!Michael McWhertor

I picked up the bit Generations entry Dialhex, completing the collection, and Kuru Kururin Paradise for the Game Boy Advance, both of which I'll be becoming familiar with for my upcoming trip. On Monday night, I'll be heading to Seattle for the Nintendo media briefing, meaning you'll be hearing about some new Nintendo announcements hitting next week.

I've also got a Stuntman: Ignition event to attend Sunday, one that should offer plenty of motion sickness and hands-on time with the THQ game. Busy!

So, what are you playing this weekend? Check in with us in the comments. Michael McWhertor

Nintendo previously partnered with Sega on F-Zero AX which was released on the joint venture Triforce arcade board that featured beefed-up GameCube hardware.

I've already got a copy of the GBA version, but would, without a doubt, rebuy it for other platforms. Could a Wii version be far off?

Full scan of the magazine article, posted by creamsugar, is available at NeoGAF. Michael McWhertor

Rhythm Tengoku Arcade Version [NeoGAF]

While the Triforce GBA saw a limited run, the Shiggy scrawled version was limited to a mere thirty and sold only at the grand opening of the Nintendo World Store in New York City.

You know, I really wish I hadn't continued to play the signed Nintendo DS I scored from Mr. Miyamoto in 2005, resulting in a barely recognizable "OTO" Sharpie marking. The auction probably could've put me in some new shoes. Michael McWhertor

Rare Limited "Zelda Triforce" Nintendo Gameboy Advance [eBay via Game|Life]

The PlayStation 2 took second place in hardware race with 280,000 units sold, outselling new console competitor, the Wii, which shifted some 259,000 units to nab third. Solid, but down 22% from February. Behind the Wii was the Xbox 360, just a hair shy of 200,000 units sold (down 12% from the previous month) and the PSP with 180,000.

The bad hardware news for Sony came from their new PLAYSTATION 3, which saw 130,000 consoles fall into new customer hands, seeing a 2% sales increase over the previous month. That's well below the performance of Nintendo's Game Boy Advance which was still going strong to the tune of some 148,000 handhelds.

Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Aime said of his company's solid hardware performance, "The message delivered by both Wii and Nintendo DS is the same one; Innovation is compelling both current gamers and new gamers to experience a new way to play. Nintendo is bringing gaming back to the masses."

Response from Sony after the jump.

David Karraker, senior director of corporate communications at SCEA, said of the figures, "According to NPD data, March 2007 showed a 24% increase in retail dollars generated year-over-year for the PlayStation brand in North America with total sales of $447 million, due in part to the addition of the PS3 platform as well as the strong launch performance of God of War II for PS2 at retail."

Addressing PS3 sales, Karraker wrote "While PS3 saw a month-over-month increase of 2% with sales of 129,638 units, we continued to find ourselves supply constrained in March due primarily to the shift in manufacturing focus to the PS3 PAL version to support the launch of the system in Europe."

Finally, on the recently price-reduced PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2: "PSP also witnessed gains in March, up 2% over February with sales of 179,796 units. The price of the PSP Core system was dropped from $199 to $169 in early April, which has received very positive retailer and consumer response. PS2 continued to be a strong performer in March, with unit sales of 279,866. On the software front, we were pleased to see sales increases from February for both the PSP and PS2. PS2 software showed a 29% increase with the launch of God of War II and PSP software demonstrated a 13% jump."

Interesting take. Where exactly was the PS3 "supply constrained" again? I've been under the impression that the console was rather easy to get your hands on (unless you're bedridden or trapped in a well).

Here are the full hardware and software numbers released by NPD in easy-to-read list format.

Hardware Sales For March

1. Nintendo DS - 508K
2. PlayStation 2 - 280K
3. Wii - 259K
4. Xbox 360 - 199K
5. PlayStation Portable - 180K
6. Game Boy Advance - 148K
7. PlayStation 3 - 130K
8. GameCube - 22K

Top 10 Software Sales For March

1. (PS2) God of War II - 833K
2. (360) Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter - 394K
3. (360) Guitar Hero II w/ guitar - 291K
4. (WII) Wii Play w/ remote - 273K
5. (PS3) Motorstorm - 199K
6. (NDS) Diddy Kong Racing - 189K
7. (NDS) Spectrobes - 165K
8. (360) Major League Baseball 2K7 - 165K
9. (PS2) MLB '07: The Show -164K
10. (360) Def Jam ICON - 148K

Wow. 833,000 copies of God of War II in a month? I guess that pretty much confirms God of War III is on its way.

UPDATE: David Karraker from Sony Computer Entertainment contacted us to clarify what the term "supply constrained" actually means. Here's the official explanation.

The industry standard for a product to be considered to be in an "in-stock" position for a store is 30 units per store. This would be the level you would see for a PS2 or Xbox 360. At this level, retailers will feature a product in their weekly advertising circulars. If you are not at this level, retailers can't guarantee consumers will find one if they go into the store and they most likely won't support your product in weekly ads. Although you can indeed find PS3s in stores currently, we are no where near an "in-stock" position. 300,000 PS3s were sold into retailers the final week of March, so you should see increased marketing support from retailers in April.

So, there you go. Thanks, David.

April should be an equally interesting month, as notable releases such as Super Paper Mario and Pokemons Diamond and Pearl will most likely push Nintendo hardware, with the Xbox 360 Elite and new PS3 shipments looking to affect retail sales. Michael McWhertor

However, this one contains the Gamecube multiplayer hit Pac-Man Vs.! Originally designed as a showcase for Game Boy Advance connectivity, the four-player game was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and sold as a bonus with a number of Namco Gamecube games.

Multiplayer wi-fi battles can be waged with a single DS cart. Oh, it includes Dig Dug and Xevious and some other stuff, but no one cares about that! Pac-Man Vs.!!! Michael McWhertor

Charmed Labs has come out with a homebrew GameBoy Advance insertable called the Xport 2.0. The naked widget plugs into the cartridge slot of the Game Boy Advance and:

[...] allows the Xport hardware to be tailored to your target application, and the 64 digital I/O signals provide programmable I/O for interfacing to practically any hardware device.

The website has some awesome .WMVs of the GBA-bots in action, demonstrating basic wandering and barrier-avoidance (complete with event-triggered They Might Be Giants audio samples from the bot itself), holonomic motion (frisbee-like spinning while scooting across the floor), and a video entitled "Teach" in which the GameBot is shoved around like a toy car being played with, and then released. It then autonomously repeats the movements it was "taught" just a few seconds ago. Outstanding! Eliza Gauger

Gameboy + LEGO = Robot [Charmed Labs]

The lovely Kou Shibasaki gets all emotional in an ad for the Game Boy Advance title Mother 3. I dig Shibasaki. I dig Mother. But, this dreary commercial in which she talks about the RPG's emotional power is the pits.

Learn About Kou [Unofficial Page]