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Description
Despite Nintendo's game-only approach, there are always enterprising folk who love to release nifty peripherals for any and all systems, including Nintendo's own Game Boy Advance. In this case, it happens to be a Video/MP3 player and text reader called the Movie Advance.

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*Apologies for poor image quality. The SP wasn't available nor was the direct rays of the sun.

Overall: 8/10
Utilizing Compact Flash memory, the device slides into the game port of the system and requires both a game cartridge and the memory to be inserted for its special menu screen to load. There is a nifty switch built on the side that allows players to choose Movie (all of the functions) or Game (skip their menu and boot up the inserted title). To get files to work with the player, two small conversion programs have to be installed onto your PC, one for video and the other for MP3. The conversion process is quick and painless with the programs being pretty cut-and-dry, allowing for any level of user to operate it with ease. The player is a little bulky and adds considerable weight onto the system, especially when considering the extras (game and memory) that have to be inserted for it to work properly. However, there is a great trade-off for the additional bulk.

Despite being touted as a movie player, it isn't a very good one. It isn't that the player doesn't work, as it does a decent job aside from some syncing problems with larger files. It's just that the Game Boy itself isn't made to show video above a semi-grainy quality. Nevertheless, since compact flash memory is such a cheap medium, it's entirely possible to watch entire episodes of your favorite shows or of free downloadable movies made for Pocket PCs. It's best to keep files small and short in length, as the voices sync better that way.

Audio conversion software: And yes, you're damn right that's the classic "I'll Be Holding On".

The real point of interest is the unit's ability to play MP3s. Having a 3rd generation iPod, I can tell you that having 8 (playing) and 12 (not playing) hours of battery life sucks. Despite it being a great portable MP3 player, having to constantly recharge gets annoying. Well, with the Game Boy Advance, the player can get hours and hours of listening pleasure out of just 2 AA batteries. And, unlike using it to read or watch movies, the unit can be easily stored - even though it's bulky - in pockets, making it much more convenient and functional.

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Essentials: Card ($44.90) + Reader ($26.90)

There are a few additional downsides to the unit. Audio out of the Game Boy speakers isn't too hot, so headphones are a must. Another problem is that purchasers will need to have a Compact Flash card reader if their system didn't come with the means to read that form of media; this means that an additional $30 will need to be spent on the reader, plus the $25 for a 128MB card - if someone is wondering, this is how the files are transferred from your PC's hard drive to the CF card. A software complaint I have is that, since videos get separated into audio and video, the MP3 player will not only have the intended songs, but also the audio from the videos, with no way to separate the two. This can get pretty annoying, and it's also worth noting that there are no play lists or anything of the sort; it's just a list of files. Name your files carefully, because only 8 or so characters can be read, which encompasses all audio in the memory.

Size and functionality are issues, but the unit also does exactly what it claims to do, and the MP3 function is a surprising selling point. For those who already have a 6-in-1 or CF card reader and some memory lying around, they can have a pretty convenient and battery-efficient MP3 player on their hands for around $30. Keep in mind that the features for all functions are bare; there's basically repeat, forward, back, etc. For those going in with no memory or means of reading the cards, look to spend about $120 to get everything needed, including the player itself. Still, for those who want to beef up their GBA, especially those wanting a portable MP3 player, this is a solid offering.

Unit provided by: Lik-Sang.com