The next version of Nintendo Co Ltd’s hugely popular Game Boy handheld console will have online features that take it beyond the realm of a simple gaming device. The Game Boy Advance (GBA), which is described by Nintendo as a personal communications terminal, will be able to access the internet when it is linked to a mobile phone. Users of the GBA will be able to use email, play online games and even view the face of their opponent via a new digital camera that is developing for the console. The GBA will have an improved color display and use a 32-bit processor designed by ARM Holdings Ltd.
Nintendo has also said that it is entering into a joint venture with Konami to develop software for the GBA, as well as its next full-size console, the Dolphin. The Game Boy is expected to launch in Japan by next summer and before the end of the year in the US and Europe. Nintendo will probably try to launch the machine in the same price bracket as the current color Game Boy, which retails at $79. In the ten years since its launch Nintendo has sold over 60 million of the original monochrome display Game Boy consoles.
