It was six years ago today that Nintendo launched the Game Boy Advance handheld to North America and proved that Nintendo could do better than simply making their decade-old Game Boy in color. I remember it quite well – it was the first game system I actually went and lined up for. Sure, I only got there 20 minutes after Target opened, but the fact is I finally lined up for one of these things. Got the last glacier-colored one, too.

I had been waiting for the GBA for a while by then. It had released in Japan in March earlier that year, and I remember wishing I could have imported one in time for my school trip to Washington, D.C. that spring. I had read all about it on NintendoNation and IGN and all those sites. I seriously remember sitting on the plane before takeoff and thinking to myself, “I wish I had that new Game Boy Advance right about now.” Not to play during the museum and sight-seeing tours, of course, but it would have been nice to have for the plane ride. It certainly would have turned a few heads. Alas, I didn’t get mine until that summer, but it was probably worth the wait – I spent that afternoon playing Super Mario Bros. 2 and F-Zero.

With this year being considered as the final one for the Game Boy Advance, it’s nice to think back and remember, regardless of where your GBA may be right now. What are your memories?