New hardware model is slimmer and more stylish, while software and firmware updates provide new features for owners of the original model.
Lik-Sang.com has announced the upcoming availability of a new version of the GBA Movie Player (also known as Movie Advance). This new model is considerably slimmer, since it no longer requires (or allows for) a GBA cartridge to be inserted. The hardware now closely resembles Nintendo's own am3 Advance Movie Adapter, released only in Japan, which plays video content purchased on smart cards. As with the original model, the GBA Movie Player's advantage over the official hardware is that it can play any video content loaded onto a Compact Flash card, so you aren't limited to the official offerings, and you can add new content from your computer. The new model of GBA Movie Player is currently on pre-order at Lik-Sang.
For owners of the original model (which scored very well in our review), there are also free software and firmware updates, which can be downloaded at the above link. Along with various bug fixes and cosmetic changes, the new firmware allows you to view bitmap images and emulate the Famicom on your GBA, with the pocketnes emulator. This latter feature is intended for use with homebrew games only. If you have development tools for the Famicom, now you can easily save your project to a Compact Flash card and test it out on the road.