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VisualBoyAdvance
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<h2 id="history">History</h2> <p>The VisualBoyAdvance project was started by a developer under the <a href="/facts/User_(computing)/zQRzG0KG">online alias</a> "Forgotten".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a>[<i>better source needed</i>] When this person left the development of the emulator, the project was handed over to a team named "VBA Team", led by Forgotten's brother. Development on the original VisualBoyAdvance stopped in 2004 with version 1.8.0 beta 3, and a number of <a href="/facts/Fork_(software_development)/D6khxhpr">forked</a> versions were made by various developers in the years since then, such as VisualBoyAdvance-M.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> </p><p>VBA was a crucial component of <a href="/facts/Twitch_Plays_Pok%25C3%25A9mon/UvKWtBFI">Twitch Plays Pokémon</a>, a social experiment in which thousands of button inputs collected from the viewership of the streaming website <a href="/facts/Twitch_(service)/mpXWXcTj">Twitch</a> were fed into an emulated version of <i><a href="/facts/Pok%25C3%25A9mon_Red/e4SmW7Ta">Pokémon Red</a></i>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> Viewers typed commands into the chat function, which was then fed into the VBA emulator via an <a href="/facts/IRC_bot/jUcLU6JF">IRC bot</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> They succeeded after 16 days of continuous play, with a peak concurrent viewership of 121,000 and over 1.1 million unique participants.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="visualboyadvance-m">VisualBoyAdvance-M</h2> <p>VisualBoyAdvance-M, or simply VBA-M, is an improved <a href="/facts/Fork_(software_development)/D6khxhpr">fork</a> from the inactive VisualBoyAdvance project,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> adding several features as well as maintaining an up-to-date codebase. After VisualBoyAdvance became inactive in 2004, several forks began to appear such as VBALink, which allowed users to emulate the linking of two Game Boy devices. Eventually, VBA-M was created, which merged several of the forks into one codebase. Thus, the <i>M</i> in VBA-M stands for <i>Merge</i>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> VBA-M is <a href="/facts/Backwards_compatible/FbHFBu5y">backwards compatible</a> with <a href="/facts/Game_Boy/GlyN6e2W">Game Boy</a> and <a href="/facts/Game_Boy_Color/ewfPtCNQ">Game Boy Color</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> </p><p>VBA-M's GBA emulation core was ported into <a href="/facts/RetroArch/to2vVkUL">RetroArch</a>/<a href="/facts/Libretro/to2vVkUL">Libretro</a>, without the GB, GBC and SGB cores.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a> as well as a modified version called VBA-Next.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> </p><p>VBA-GX is a port of VBA-M to <a href="/facts/Nintendo_Wii/BxUgl2da">Nintendo Wii</a>. It enables <a href="/facts/Motion_controls/qAjuP2uh">motion controls</a> for emulated Game Boy Advance games.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="reception">Reception</h2> <p>The VisualBoyAdvance became the most popular GBA emulator for the Unix platform<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a> and the emulator contributed "greatly" to the late years of GBA game development by providing a suite of development and visual debugging tools for developers who wanted to create games that surpassed even Nintendo's own.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a> A port from VBA's code was used as the foundation of the Visual Boy Zune, an emulator of the <a href="/facts/Zune_HD/NLY8Eqra">Zune HD</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21"><sup>21</sup></a> </p><p>Wesley Akkerman from the Dutch computer magazine <i><a href="/facts/Computer!Totaal/oQth1E63">Computer!Totaal</a></i> named the VisualBoyAdvance as one of the best Game Boy emulators alongside the mGBA, owing to its variety of features and customization options.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22"><sup>22</sup></a> In a review on the tech blog <i>Techilife</i>, VisualBoyAdvance has been named the oldest and most reliable Game Boy Advance emulator and has been praised for its ease of use.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23"><sup>23</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="features">Features</h2> <p>VisualBoyAdvance has many features that would require more work to do on the actual GBA. VisualBoyAdvance supports Fullscreen support, can take advantage of cheat codes from <a href="/facts/GameShark/t8xy7EUu">Gameshark</a> and <a href="/facts/Action_Replay/F2xWThL6">Action Replay</a>, and can take screenshots while playing the game.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24"><sup>24</sup></a> Many players would also like to find the ability to customize graphics for a better performance than what was possible on the GBA.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:25" href="#fn:25"><sup>25</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/List_of_video_game_emulators/BY7g6Xvg">List of video game emulators</a></li></ul> Wikimedia Commons has media related to VisualBoyAdvance. <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Visual Boy Advance". The Emulator Zone. <a href="http://www.emulator-zone.com/doc.php/gba/vboyadvance.html" target="_blank">http://www.emulator-zone.com/doc.php/gba/vboyadvance.html</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"Visual Boy Advance Download - VBA Emulator". Visual Boy Advance. Retrieved 2024-06-18. <a href="https://visualboyadvance.org/download/" target="_blank">https://visualboyadvance.org/download/</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"VisualBoyAdvance-SDL". The Linux Game Tome. 15 February 2019. Archived from the original on May 30, 2012. <a href="https://archive.today/20120530084911/http://www.happypenguin.org/show?VisualBoyAdvance-SDL" target="_blank">https://archive.today/20120530084911/http://www.happypenguin.org/show?VisualBoyAdvance-SDL</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"VisualBoyAdvance 1.7.2". Softonic. <a href="http://visualboyadvance.en.softonic.com/mac" target="_blank">http://visualboyadvance.en.softonic.com/mac</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"Visual Boy Advance GX". Google Code. 18 February 2022. <a href="https://code.google.com/p/vba-wii" target="_blank">https://code.google.com/p/vba-wii</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"Visual Boy Advance". NGEmu. Archived from the original on 2009-12-17. Retrieved 2009-11-18. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20091217071710/http://forums.ngemu.com/visualboy-advance-discussion/" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20091217071710/http://forums.ngemu.com/visualboy-advance-discussion/</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Brendan Hesse (2020-11-23). "The best console emulators (NES, SNES, Genesis, and more)". Digital Trends. Retrieved 2021-01-06. <a href="https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/best-emulators/" target="_blank">https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/best-emulators/</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Statt, Nick (2014-03-01). "Twitch Plays Pokemon conquers Elite Four, beating game after 390 hours". CNET. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2014-03-01. Retrieved 2022-10-07. <a href="https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/twitch-plays-pokemon-conquers-elite-four-beating-game-after-390-hours/" target="_blank">https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/twitch-plays-pokemon-conquers-elite-four-beating-game-after-390-hours/</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>McWhertor, Michael (2014-02-14). "How Twitch is crowd-sourcing an amazing Pokémon multiplayer game". Polygon. Retrieved 2022-10-07. <a href="https://www.polygon.com/2014/2/14/5411790/twitch-plays-pokemon-creator-interview-twitchplayspokemon" target="_blank">https://www.polygon.com/2014/2/14/5411790/twitch-plays-pokemon-creator-interview-twitchplayspokemon</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>St. Clair, Michael (December 2015). "Twitch Plays Pokemon, MarI/O, Dreeps". Theatre Journal. 67 (4): 702–706. doi:10.1353/tj.2015.0112. S2CID 194408732. ProQuest 1774950911 – via ProQuest. <a href="https://www.proquest.com/docview/1774950911" target="_blank">https://www.proquest.com/docview/1774950911</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Statt, Nick (2014-03-01). "Twitch Plays Pokemon conquers Elite Four, beating game after 390 hours". CNET. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2014-03-01. Retrieved 2022-10-07. <a href="https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/twitch-plays-pokemon-conquers-elite-four-beating-game-after-390-hours/" target="_blank">https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/twitch-plays-pokemon-conquers-elite-four-beating-game-after-390-hours/</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Chase (1 March 2014). "Victory! The Thundershock Heard Around the World". Twitch. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2014. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140305005717/http://blog.twitch.tv/2014/03/twitch-prevails-at-pokemon/" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20140305005717/http://blog.twitch.tv/2014/03/twitch-prevails-at-pokemon/</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Brendan Hesse (2020-11-23). "The best console emulators (NES, SNES, Genesis, and more)". Digital Trends. Retrieved 2021-01-06. <a href="https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/best-emulators/" target="_blank">https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/best-emulators/</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>"VBA-M (Archived - Now on Github)". SourceForge. 10 February 2018. Retrieved 2020-10-18. <a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/vbam/" target="_blank">https://sourceforge.net/projects/vbam/</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>Garnett, Alex (September 1, 2011). "How to Emulate the Game Boy/Game Boy Advance on Your PC". PC World. Retrieved September 26, 2022. <a href="https://www.pcworld.com/article/482361/how_to_emulate_the_game_boy_game_boy_advance_on_your_pc.html" target="_blank">https://www.pcworld.com/article/482361/how_to_emulate_the_game_boy_game_boy_advance_on_your_pc.html</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>https://github.com/visualboyadvance/vbam-libretro [dead link] <a href="https://github.com/visualboyadvance/vbam-libretro" target="_blank">https://github.com/visualboyadvance/vbam-libretro</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>"GitHub - libretro/vba-next: Optimized port of VBA-M to Libretro". GitHub. 21 December 2021. <a href="https://github.com/libretro/vba-next" target="_blank">https://github.com/libretro/vba-next</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>Custodio, Alex (2020). Who Are You? Nintendo's Game Boy Advance Platform. United States: MIT Press. pp. 164–166. ISBN 9780262360463. <a href="9780262360463" target="_blank">9780262360463</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>Kohler, Chris (2006). Retro gaming hacks (1st ed.). O'Reilly. ISBN 9781449303907. Retrieved 15 September 2022. <a href="9781449303907" target="_blank">9781449303907</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:20"><p>O'Donnell, Casey (2014). Developer's dilemma: the secret world of videogame creators. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. p. 241. ISBN 9780262028196. Retrieved 15 September 2022. <a href="9780262028196" target="_blank">9780262028196</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:21"><p>Hollister, Sean (May 11, 2010). "Visual Boy Zune brings Game Boy emulation to Zune HD (video)". Engadget. Retrieved September 26, 2022. <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2010-05-11-visual-boy-zune-brings-game-boy-emulation-to-zune-hd-video.html" target="_blank">https://www.engadget.com/2010-05-11-visual-boy-zune-brings-game-boy-emulation-to-zune-hd-video.html</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:22"><p>Akkerman, Wesley (March 18, 2022). "De beste GBA-emulators voor pc". Computer!Totaal (in Dutch). Retrieved September 26, 2022. <a href="https://computertotaal.nl/artikelen/apps-software/de-beste-pc-emulators-voor-de-gameboy-advance/" target="_blank">https://computertotaal.nl/artikelen/apps-software/de-beste-pc-emulators-voor-de-gameboy-advance/</a> <a href="#fnref:22" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:23"><p>Joshua, Alex (June 10, 2020). "A Complete Review On GBA Emulators For Android & Windows PC". Techilife. Retrieved September 26, 2022. <a href="https://www.techilife.com/a-complete-review-on-gba-emulators-for-android-windows-pc/" target="_blank">https://www.techilife.com/a-complete-review-on-gba-emulators-for-android-windows-pc/</a> <a href="#fnref:23" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:24"><p>"How to Load Cheats on VBA". Visual Boy Advance. Retrieved 2024-06-18. <a href="https://visualboyadvance.org/how-to-load-cheats/" target="_blank">https://visualboyadvance.org/how-to-load-cheats/</a> <a href="#fnref:24" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:25"><p>Justinforsure (2021-09-08). Best Visual Boy Advance Settings. Retrieved 2024-06-18 – via YouTube. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDT0m3WN-ac" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDT0m3WN-ac</a> <a href="#fnref:25" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>