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Game Boy Advance Video

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Game Boy Advance Video
A Game Boy Advance Video Pak. The light grey coloring serves to distinguish it from regular Game Paks.
Media typeROM cartridge
Capacity32 MB (TV episodes)
64 MB (movies)
Developed byMajesco, Nintendo
UsageHome video, feature films
ReleasedMay 12, 2004
Discontinued2007

Game Boy Advance Video is a discontinued format for putting full color, full-motion videos onto Game Boy Advance (GBA) ROM cartridges. These videos are playable using the Game Boy Advance system's screen and sound hardware. Each cartridge contained up to 45 minutes of animated series episodes or, in select cases, a 90-minute film. A total of 35 Game Boy Advance Video Paks were published between 2004 and 2006.

The Game Boy Advance Video Paks were primarily published by Majesco, with the exception of those based on Pokémon, which were published by Nintendo. Majesco's releases used compression technology developed by DC Studios, Inc.,[1][2] while Pokémon and "Movie Pak" cartridges used the Mobiclip codec developed by Actimagine.[3]

History

[edit]

In a May 2003 press release, Majesco and DC Studios announced Game Boy Advance Video and would be showcasing the technology at E3 2003; the press release confirmed they were in discussions with multiple studios and planning to launch in Q4 of that year.[4][5] At the same event, 4Kids Entertainment announced their own line of cartridges containing episodes from their anime properties, known as "GBA-TV", and targeting the same launch window, though none were ever released.[6] In March 2004, Majesco announced Nickelodeon and 4Kids as the first two licensors for the GBA Video line.[7][8][9]

GBA Video Paks first became available in North America in May 2004, and initially retailed for a MSRP of US$19.99.[10] By the end of that month, Majesco had announced licensing deals with companies such as Cartoon Network, and Funimation to further expand the library of available shows.[11][12] In conjunction with the line, Majesco manufactured headphones that could connect to the Game Boy Advance SP through its EXT2 port, as the system lacked a standard headphone jack.[10][13][14]

By October 2004, 20 different GBA Video paks had been released.[15] At that time, Majesco reported an increase in revenue of nearly US$30 million over their previous year, with 79% of all sales attributed to GBA Video.[16] In November 2004, Majesco announced a licensing deal to release several Disney animated series for the platform.[17] In July 2005, Majesco announced that three animated films from DreamWorks Animation would receive GBA Movie Pak releases.[18] The final GBA Video release was a compilation cartridge containing two of these films.[19]

Features

[edit]
SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Pizza Delivery" on Game Boy Advance Video. The heavy compression resulted in artifacting and color bleeding.

Game Boy Advance Video Paks offer the same 240×160 resolution as standard Game Boy Advance games.[20] While playing a video, players can pause, fast forward, rewind, skip between different chapters, adjust the brightness of the footage, or lock the controls to prevent interruption of playback.[21][22]

Most GBA Video Paks have a storage capacity of 32MB (megabytes); Movie Paks use a special chipset to allow 64MB of memory, larger than any other commercially-released GBA game.[19] Due to this small capacity and the length of the video content, GBA Video Paks are heavily compressed, with significant video artifacting.[21] The Shrek & Shark Tale Movie Pak also had to reduce the screen resolution to 240×112 to fit both films on one cartridge.[19]

Attempting to play a Game Boy Advance Video Pak using the GameCube's Game Boy Player accessory displays an error message, in order to prevent piracy of its contents using a VCR or other recording device.[21][23]

List of published titles

[edit]

A total of 35 Game Boy Advance Video Paks were released. Most contain 2–4 episodes of an animated series, totalling about 40-45 minutes, while some contain full 90 minute films. The following titles and episodes were released on Game Boy Advance Video.[24]

Game Boy Advance Video Paks
Title Release date Episodes Ref
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius: Volume 1 June 30, 2004
  • "Brobot"
  • "The Big Pinch"
  • "Granny Baby"
  • "Time is Money"
 [25]
All Grown Up!: Volume 1 May 27, 2004
  • "Susie Sings the Blues"
  • "Coup DeVille"
 [10]
Cartoon Network Collection: Volume 1 July 6, 2004
[26]
Cartoon Network Collection: Volume 2 October 15, 2004
  • Courage the Cowardly Dog — "Courage the Fly"
  • Johnny Bravo — "Balloon Platoon"
  • The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy — "Mandy the Merciless"
  • Codename: Kids Next Door — "Operation T.U.R.N.I.P."
 [27]
Cartoon Network Collection: Premium Edition November 10, 2004
  • Courage the Cowardly Dog — "The Shadow of Courage"
  • Ed, Edd n Eddy — "A Glass of Warm Ed"
  • Johnny Bravo — "Cookie Crisis"
  • Dexter's Laboratory — "Double Trouble"
 [28]
Cartoon Network Collection: Special Edition November 30, 2004
  • The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy — "Billy and the Bully"
  • Dexter's Laboratory — "Dexter's Rival"
  • Ed, Edd n Eddy — "Oath to an Ed"
  • Johnny Bravo — "Beach Blanket Bravo"
 [29]
Cartoon Network Collection: Limited Edition December 31, 2004
  • Courage the Cowardly Dog — "The Queen of the Black Puddle"
  • Ed, Edd n Eddy — "Key to My Ed"
  • Dexter's Laboratory — "The Big Sister"
  • Codename: Kids Next Door — "Operation M.I.N.I.G.O.L.F."
 [30]
Cartoon Network Collection: Platinum Edition April 15, 2005
  • Courage the Cowardly Dog — "Cowboy Courage"
  • Ed, Edd n Eddy — "The Luck of the Ed"
  • The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy — "A Grim Surprise"
  • Codename: Kids Next Door — "Operation T.O.M.M.Y."
 [31]
Codename: Kids Next Door: Volume 1 July 6, 2004
  • "Operation N.O.-P.O.W.U.H."
  • "Operation R.E.P.O.R.T."
  • "Operation B.R.I.E.F."
  • "Operation D.O.G.F.I.G.H.T."
 [26]
Disney Channel Collection: Volume 1 December 24, 2004
[32]
Disney Channel Collection: Volume 2 April 4, 2005
  • Lilo & Stitch — "Poxy"
  • Kim Possible — "Rufus in Show"
  • Brandy & Mr. Whiskers — "To The Moon Mr. Whiskers"
 [33]
Dora the Explorer: Volume 1 May 14, 2004
  • "Three Little Piggies"
  • "The Big River"
 [10]
Dragon Ball GT: Volume 1 September 9, 2004
  • "A Grand Problem"
  • "Pan's Gambit"
 [34]
The Fairly OddParents: Volume 1 May 14, 2004
  • "Foul Balled"
  • "The Boy Who Would Be Queen"
  • "Information Stupor Highway"
 [10]
The Fairly OddParents: Volume 2 May 14, 2004
  • "Father Time"
  • "Apartnership"
  • "Ruled Out"
  • "That's Life!"
 [10]
Nicktoons Collection: Volume 1 June 22, 2004
  • All Grown Up! — "Chuckie's In Love"
  • The Fairly OddParents – "The Big Problem"
  • SpongeBob SquarePants — "Pizza Delivery"
 [10]
Nicktoons Collection: Volume 2 September 20, 2004
  • Rocket Power — "Big Air Dare"
  • The Fairly OddParents — "Odd Ball"
  • SpongeBob SquarePants — "Nature Pants"
  • SpongeBob SquarePants — "Opposite Day"
 [35]
Nicktoons Collection: Volume 3 April 4, 2005
  • Danny Phantom — "Attack of the Killer Garage Sale"
  • The Fairly OddParents — "Tim Visible"
  • SpongeBob SquarePants — "Squeaky Boots"
 [36]
The Proud Family: Volume 1 March 15, 2005
  • "Tween Town"
  • "Twins to Tweens"
 [37][38]
Pokémon: Volume 1 June 21, 2004
  • "A Hot Water Battle"
  • "For Ho-Oh The Bells Toll!"
 [39]
Pokémon: Volume 2 June 21, 2004
  • "Playing with Fire"
  • "Johto Photo Finish"
 [39]
Pokémon: Volume 3 September 27, 2005
[40]
Pokémon: Volume 4 September 27, 2005
  • "Beach Blank-Out Blastoise"
  • "Go West, Young Meowth"
 [40]
Shark Tale October 26, 2005 Feature film [41]
Shrek[a] October 31, 2005 Feature film [41]
Shrek 2[a] October 31, 2005 Feature film [41]
Shrek & Shark Tale September 8, 2006
  • Shrek
  • Shark Tale
 [19]
Sonic X: A Super Sonic Hero May 20, 2004
  • "Chaos Control Freaks"
  • "Sonic to the Rescue"
 [43]
SpongeBob SquarePants: Volume 1 May 14, 2004
  • "Hall Monitor"
  • "Jellyfish Jam"
  • "Jellyfishing"
  • "Plankton!"
 [10]
SpongeBob SquarePants: Volume 2 May 14, 2004
  • "Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy"
  • "Pickles"
  • "Bubblestand"
  • "Ripped Pants"
 [10]
SpongeBob SquarePants: Volume 3 November 30, 2004
  • "Texas"
  • "Walking Small"
  • "Hooky"
  • "Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy II"
 [44]
Strawberry Shortcake: Volume 1 May 20, 2004
  • "Meet Strawberry Shortcake"[b]
  • "Spring for Strawberry Shortcake"
 [46]
Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!: Volume 1 April 4, 2005
  • "Depths of Fear"
  • "Planetoid Q"
 [47]
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Things Change July 21, 2004
  • "Things Change"
  • "A Better Mousetrap"
 [48]
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Yugi vs. Joey July 21, 2004
  • "Friends 'Til the End, Part 3"
  • "Friends 'Til the End, Part 4"
 [48]

Cancelled titles

[edit]

Four additional Game Boy Advance Video Paks were advertised, but never saw release:

Cancelled Game Boy Advance Video Paks
Title Episodes Ref
Dragon Ball GT: Volume 2 Unknown [49]
Sonic X: Chaos Emerald Chaos
  • "Missile Wrist Rampage"
  • "Chaos Emerald Chaos"
 [10]
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Shredder Strikes
  • "The Shredder Strikes, Part 1"
  • "The Shredder Strikes, Part 2"
 [50]
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Noah's Final Threat
  • "Noah's Final Threat, Part 1"
  • "Noah's Final Threat, Part 2"
 [50]

Other unreleased series mentioned in marketing material include Kirby: Right Back at Ya![6] and The Powerpuff Girls.[51]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. 1 2 Shrek and Shrek 2 were also released in a physical bundle containing both cartridges.[42]
  2. ↑ Majesco and DC Studios also included the GBA Video version of "Meet Strawberry Shortcake" as a bonus feature in the Special Edition re-release of Strawberry Shortcake: Summertime Adventure (2004).[45]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Harris, Craig (May 6, 2004). "GBA Video by DC Studios". IGN. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Search Patents - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  3. ↑ Maragos, Nich (November 15, 2005). "Nintendo Selects Actimagine Video for GBA and DS SDKs". Game Developer. Archived from the original on January 14, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Majesco to Showcase Innovative Game Boy Advance Video Pak at E3 2003". Majesco (Press release). May 14, 2003. Archived from the original on October 10, 2003. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
  5. ↑ Harris, Craig (May 17, 2003). "E3 2003: GBA Show Wrap-up". IGN. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Cartoons Come to Nintendo's Game Boy Advance as 4Kids Entertainment Launches GBA-TV" (PDF). 4Kids Entertainment (Press release). New York City: KCSA Public Relations Worldwide. May 13, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 14, 2006. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Majesco Secures 'Game Boy Advance Video' Rights to Popular Nickelodeon Properties". Majesco (Press release). March 1, 2004. Archived from the original on August 6, 2004. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
  8. ↑ Calvert, Justin (March 12, 2004). "4Kids properties for GBA Video". GameSpot. Retrieved October 8, 2026.
  9. ↑ Harris, Craig (March 11, 2004). "More GBA Video". IGN. Archived from the original on October 4, 2026. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "GBA Video Premiere". Nintendo Power. No. 181. July 2004. p. 82–85.
  11. ↑ Calvert, Justin (April 15, 2004). "GBA Video deal for Cartoon Network". GameSpot. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Dragon Ball Z Cartoons on GBA". IGN. May 21, 2004. Archived from the original on June 16, 2023. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Majesco Sounds Off". IGN. April 6, 2004. Archived from the original on July 17, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  14. ↑ Orland, Kyle (September 17, 2016). "Remember that time Nintendo got rid of the headphone jack?". Ars Technica. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Take Your GBA to a Higher Power Level". Nintendo Power. Vol. 181. October 2004. pp. 98–99 – via Archive.org.
  16. ↑ "GBA Video Strikes Gold!". Game Informer. No. 142. February 2005. p. 52.
  17. ↑ Surette, Tim (November 29, 2004). "Majesco nabs Disney GBA video rights". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 6, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  18. ↑ Adams, David (July 25, 2005). "Shrek Set for GBA Video". Archived from the original on 4 February 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Diaz, Ana (September 4, 2021). "Before Netflix, you could watch Shrek on the Game Boy Advance". Polygon. Archived from the original on July 22, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  20. ↑ Cole, Michael (April 28, 2004). "Hip Interactive Brings GBA Video to Canada". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
  21. 1 2 3 Metts, Jonathan (June 26, 2004). "Game Boy Advance Video Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on September 22, 2026. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  22. ↑ Shoemaker, Brad (June 10, 2004). "Majesco shows off GBA video player". GameSpot. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Game Boy Advance Video FAQ". Nintendo. Archived from the original on December 14, 2010. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Nintendo GBA Video". GBA-Video.com. Nintendo. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  25. ↑ Golze, Benjamin (July 1, 2004). "Jimmy Neutron episodes ship for GBA". GameSpot. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  26. 1 2 Calvert, Justin (July 7, 2004). "Majesco ships Cartoon Network GBA-Videos". GameSpot. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Game Boy Advance Video: Cartoon Network Collection Volume 2". IGN. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Game Boy Advance Video: Cartoon Network Collection — Premium Edition". GameSpot. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Game Boy Advance Video: Cartoon Network Collection — Special Edition". IGN. November 24, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Game Boy Advance Video: Cartoon Network Collection — Limited Edition". GameSpot. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Game Boy Advance Video: Cartoon Network Collection — Platinum Edition". GameSpot. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  32. ↑ "GBA Video: Disney Channel Collection Volume 1". IGN. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  33. ↑ "GBA Video: Disney Channel Collection Volume 2". IGN. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  34. ↑ Harris, Craig (September 7, 2004). "Dragon Ball GT Strikes GBA Video". IGN. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  35. ↑ "Game Boy Advance Video: Nicktoons Collection — Volume 2". GameSpot. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  36. ↑ "GBA Video: Nicktoons Collection Volume 3". IGN. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  37. ↑ "The Proud Family — Volume 1". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 12, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  38. ↑ "GBA Video: The Proud Family Volume 1". IGN. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  39. 1 2 "New Game Boy Advance Video Puts Popular Animation in the Palm of your Hand" (Press release). April 20, 2004. Archived from the original on January 31, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  40. 1 2 Harris, Craig (September 25, 2004). "Pokemon Vol. 3 and 4 Ship". IGN. Archived from the original on June 16, 2023. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  41. 1 2 3 "The Big News. In Short". Nintendo Power. No. 196. October 2005. p. 17.
  42. ↑ "Game Boy Advance Video: Shrek / Shrek 2". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 10, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  43. ↑ "GBA Video: Sonic X Volume 1". IGN. Archived from the original on November 27, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  44. ↑ "GBA Video: SpongeBob SquarePants Volume 3". IGN. Archived from the original on September 22, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  45. ↑ Majesco (2005). Strawberry Shortcake: Summertime Adventure — Special Edition (instruction manual). pp. 27–28.
  46. ↑ "GBA Video: Strawberry Shortcake Volume 1". IGN. Archived from the original on July 17, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  47. ↑ "GBA Video: Super Robot Monkey Team Volume 1". IGN. Archived from the original on July 17, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  48. 1 2 Harris, Craig (July 21, 2004). "Turtles and Yu-Gi-Oh, Video Style". IGN. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  49. ↑ Majesco (2004). Cartoon Network Collection: Limited Edition (instruction manual). p. 12.
  50. 1 2 Majesco (2004). Sonic X: A Super Sonic Hero (instruction manual). p. 7.
  51. ↑ Majesco (2004). Dragon Ball GT: Volume 1 (instruction manual). p. 12.
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