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Games Entertainment

Gamecube Finally Plays GBA Games 364

Posted by timothy from the what's-your-fetish dept.
ytzombe writes "Gamespot News is reporting that for about 5000 yen an attachment will be available to play GBA games on the Gamecube. The serial port underneath the system will be the gateway to the device and will include a port to enable multiplayer games. This will finally allow me to play the Castlevania games without fusing my naked retina to the screen."
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Gamecube Finally Plays GBA Games More

Gamecube Finally Plays GBA Games

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  • Metroid Prime (Score:5, Interesting)

    by BigBir3d ( 454486 ) on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @02:32AM (#4713540) Journal
    A kick ass game (just got it today), and it will be using this feature too.

    • Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE. (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Viewsonic ( 584922 ) on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @02:50AM (#4713637)
      Hands down best console game EVER. My jaw was on the ground for the 7 hrs I played it today. If there was EVER a game to buy a single console for, this game is IT. Also, when you win the GBA Metroid Fusion, and link it to the Metroid Prime, you get the ORIGINAL Metroid game unlocked to play on the GameCube. It REALLY looks like Nintendo hit a virtual goldmine with the GBA to GameCube connectivity features. Wait till you see ZELDA in a few months.
      • Metroid Prime IS fucking incredible. I started playing 4pm my time, it's not 2:05am. I just not got around to putting the controller down and picking my jaw up off of the ground.

        Tomorrow, I'm going to go buy a GBA and Metroid Fusion.

        I guess when this thing comes out I won't have to play Metroid Fusion on a wee-tiny little nearly invisible screen, which is fine by me.

      • Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE. (Score:5, Funny)

        by Jayde Stargunner ( 207280 ) on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @04:21AM (#4713899)
        Even better... According to my sources, if you grab an NES and plug the ORIGINAL Metroid game into it, you can even play it as well!

        No word if this works with Metroid II or Super Metroid... Hopefully those stealthy code-crackers will figure that one out soon. ;-)

        -Jayde
      • I haven't played a recent console game in awhile, but the last one that blew me away was Metal Gear Solid for the playstation. The quality of the game at the time was astounding, and put nearly all other playstation games to shame. I never owned a playstation, but I borrowed it from a friend just to play that game. It was much like when Final Fantasy 7 was released, which was the only reason my brother bought a playstation. Simply amazing!

        Hoping you have played MGS and/or FF7 when they were first released, would you consider your initial reaction to Metriod Prime to be similar? If it is really that good, then maybe I should seek out a GameCube for the same reason. :)

        Interestingly, I also bought a DreamCast for only one game: Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Granted, that game is not nearly as cool as any of these other games we are talking about (I mean, come on, it is a fighting game), but it sure is addictive. Considering the arcade scene is pretty competitive down here in Orange County, I've probably spent more hours on MvC2 than any other game ever ...

        Anyone else buy a console for just one game?
      • I picked up a Platinum Gamecube with Metroid Prime (and a used memory card) last night for only $202.

        One of the most polished games that I have played for years. I can't believe that the little GameCube is capable of such breathtaking graphics.

        Make no mistake... This is Metroid. Everything about it is Metroid, only in 3D. It is the most perfect transistion that I have ever seen a 2D platformer make. And there is *so much* story here too. It isn't an all-out frag fest like most FPS games. It is about exploration and puzzles. I think that the monsters are only in there to keep you on your toes.

        This is a platform/aventure game in the first person. It is the perfect way to resurrect a series that many of us started playing about 15 years ago.

        • Re:No doubt! (Score:3, Insightful)

          by BigBir3d ( 454486 )
          I doubt I have ever read a /. comment/reply that I have agreed with more.

          MP is the perfect transition from 2D to 3D.

          I love the action of games like Quake3, but playing MP last night I remembered why the old school Nintendo games (Metroid, Zelda etc) were/are so addicting; you need to use your brain to figure stuff out. They are not just spray and pray games.

          That is why I decided on the GC instead of PS2 or the XBOX, playable games. MP was the hook though, as were Madden 2002/2003 to a lesser degree.

    • Re:Metroid Prime (Score:5, Informative)

      by Osty ( 16825 ) on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @03:03AM (#4713686)

      A kick ass game (just got it today), and it will be using this feature too.

      No, the article is about a way to play GBA games on your NGC sans GBA. Metroid Prime uses the link cable with the GBA to do two things -- beat Metroid Prime and link to Metroid Fusion, and you can play the game using Samus' new Fusion suit. Beat Metroid Fusion and link the two, and you can play the original Metroid on the GameCube. (I may have those reversed on what you have to do to get each, but those are the two things you get.) Since you need to have the Prime disk in the NGC to access these features, and you have to use an emulator disk with this peripheral, I don't believe you're going to be able to connect the NGC back to itself via the GBA link cable. It'd be kinda sweet if you could, but that would mean the peripheral itself would just be a GBA that sits under the cube and hooks into the cube's A/V outputs, which it's not.

      • You got it wrong. There is no "emulator" disc. (Score:5, Informative)

        by Viewsonic ( 584922 ) on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @03:19AM (#4713745)
        There is a boot disc that makes the Gamecube AWARE of the device, it's more of a device driver, but the actual GBA functionality is all hardware based. Games like Metroid Fusion that can talk to GameCube games will NOT need to have this disc loaded beforehand. The games are aware of the GBA carts in the add-on and can and will read directly from the memory of the GBA game in question. Again, NOTHING is being "emulated" with the Gameboy Player, you will just need to load the device driver disc to play the games beforehand. But you WILL NOT need to use it when using Gamecube games that use GBA linkups because thats already in the Gamecube software itself.
    • I just peeled myself away from the game so I can get some homework done... I think I might have to drop out of school this quarter. The game is unbelievable.

      A 3D metroid had all the markings of a poor crossover. However just like Mario and Zelda, Nintendo (& Retro) have shown they know exactly how to cross the 2D/3D barrier without taking away the essence of a classic game.

    • Metroid Prime doesn't use this feature at all. It uses the GBA->GCN link cable if you have Metroid Fusion for the GBA. If you beet Fusion and link it to Prime you can play the original Metroid on your GCN. If you beat Prime and link with Fusion you can play Prime in the Fusion outfit. This actually won't be possible with this new add-on since you will already have the GBA Emulator GOD in the GCN.

  • Which in turn means... (Score:4, Funny)

    by writertype ( 541679 ) on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @02:34AM (#4713550)
    Will run a MAME port, so you can run Super Mario Bros. on a machine that can play Super Mario Advance connected to a machine that can play Super Mario Sunshine. Or maybe I'm the one eating magic mushrooms.

  • interesting... (Score:5, Funny)

    by frenetic3 ( 166950 ) <houston@alum.mHO ... minus herbivore> on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @02:35AM (#4713559) Homepage Journal
    but as far as console addons go, i don't think anything can hold a candle to my trusty Sega 32X for Genesis. man, that was sweet.

    • Re:interesting... (Score:5, Funny)

      by nofx_3 ( 40519 ) on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @03:24AM (#4713761)
      OMG it was you that bought the other 32X. One of my friends had one and tried to call sega for support, but they said they couldn't offer support for it becuase they only sold 2 units. Well at least the sales were better than Virtual Boy, when are they gonna let people play all their virtual boy games on the game cube, though they will have to bring the price down from 7 cents though if they want to sell any of em.

      -Kaplan

  • Yaknow... (Score:5, Funny)

    by AsbestosRush ( 111196 ) on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @02:36AM (#4713562) Homepage Journal
    ... games without fusing my naked retina to the screen.

    You really should get that looked at. It can't be heathy.

    Maybe this is only funny becuase it's so late on the East Coast of the US.

  • umm... (Score:5, Funny)

    by H0NGK0NGPH00EY ( 210370 ) on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @02:38AM (#4713569) Homepage
    The unit is scheduled to hit stores worldwide in early-to-mid 2003 and is currently scheduled to sell for around 5000 yen, or approximately $41.34.

    Hmm... I think someone isn't quite clear on the use of the word approximately.
    • Well, since currency exchange rates are constantly fluctuating, the more specific you are, the more approximate you are really. For instance when I just did the conversion it came out to like $40.80. But you're right, they really should have just said "about $40."

      -Sokie

  • TV Adapter (Score:5, Informative)

    by radon28 ( 593565 ) on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @02:38AM (#4713573)
    i already bought the GBA "cybernetic upgrade" [lik-sang.com] tv adapter on a trip to hong kong.. it's not licensed by nintendo though, it makes your GBA big and bulky, requires it's own power source, and costs about the same..i just installed it on a second GBA that i had laying around (they're very cheap in asia). look into it if you don't have a gamecube but you are as annoyed with the GBA screen (w/no afterburner) as many other people are.

  • Conversion (Score:5, Funny)

    by flatface ( 611167 ) on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @02:42AM (#4713592)
    5,000 yen =

    $40.85 USD
    $5,000 Canad..Whoops, $64.61 Canadian

  • wow (Score:5, Insightful)

    by outsider007 ( 115534 ) on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @02:46AM (#4713615)
    An adapter that lets me play sweet retro-looking 16 bit games on my tv *drool*
    - oh wait I can just dust off the snes in the attic!

    • Compare the prices of new games for the SNES and the same games for the GBA.

      A new copy of Breath of Fire for SNES will cost you at least $75 (on a good day) on eBay. It's also available for GBA for $30. New system buyers who don't buy old or used stuff just to be "retro" are better served by this adapter. For people who buy used, the SNES is probably the better system to have, but you won't have any new games.

      < tofuhead >

  • Afterburner (Score:5, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @02:48AM (#4713620)
    This will finally allow me to play the Castlevania games without fusing my naked retina to the screen.

    Or, if you're feeling particularly ambitious, you can install Triton Labs' [tritonlabs.com] Afterburner lighting kit.

    Sure, you'll have to open up your GBA and do some (very easy) soldering, but if you're reading Slashdot, chances are that you either
    A) Can solder in your sleep
    B) Are smart enough to find someone who can solder if you're not up to the challenge, rather than fuck up your GBA by trying anyway.

    The end result is worth it. Clear visibility in any lighting, even complete darkness! Sure, there's a modest drain on the batteries, but you'd get the same drain using an (inferior) external lighting solution. Plus, you can opt to install the potentiometer (included) to allow you to dim or turn off the light when not needed.

    Sure, you can buy the attachment to play GBA games on the GC, but why? The main reason to buy a Gameboy is portability. If you want to play the games on a large screen, get an emulator.
    • I'd love to hear from someone who has done this, cause triton's site makes it sound simple as pie.. well not really, but they made it sound okay until I read this [portablemonopoly.net] on portable monopoly's site: "you've read the horror stories and seen the results of installations done by others " and okay, I'm scared now!

      • Re:Afterburner (Score:3, Informative)

        by Kanon ( 152815 )
        http://www.xyramax.co.uk in the UK will fit one for you or you can buy a GBA from them pre-fitted.

        Best thing I ever did to my GBA.
      • It's a must upgrade IMHO, although there are two caveats. (1) MAJOR you've got too be extremely careful about dust getting in there (2) while the soldering is easy, the proper application of the film and boring out of a hole for the Afterburner in the case is not as straightforward.
        That said, it's a fun little project/upgrade and really makes a huge difference to the GBA.

  • Cheap alternative? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @02:56AM (#4713661)
    Why buy a GBA, GC and GBA to GC adapter (AUS$600+ plus games @ AUS$70 each)when you can pick up a used SNES for AUS$30 and Classic Games for AUS$12 each? All the good games Nintendo have released for GBA are ports/remakes of the greatest games ever! Just plug a SNES into your TV... so easy!
    • "Why buy a GBA, GC and GBA to GC adapter (AUS$600+ plus games @ AUS$70 each)when you can pick up a used SNES for AUS$30 and Classic Games for AUS$12 each? All the good games Nintendo have released for GBA are ports/remakes of the greatest games ever! Just plug a SNES into your TV... so easy!"

      You mean Metroid Fusion is available for the SNES? And nobody told me!?!? I suppose next you'll tell me that the Zelda: Oracle games were available for the NES as well...

  • Not an unprecedented idea... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Samir Gupta ( 623651 ) on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @03:06AM (#4713696) Homepage
    The idea of allowing portable games to be played on the big screen is not new. Nintendo has had a device called Super Game Boy [cvgnet.com] which allowed you to play Game Boy games on the Super NES/Famicom. Some Game Boy games even could take advantage of Super Game Boy features such as limited color ability, etc. SEGA also had a handheld system called Game Gear, which had an adapter to allow its games to be played on the Genesis/MegaDrive.
    • Forgot to mention the one really great *reverse* system. The Turbographics (turbographix?) portable. That played every system game to full compatibility in full color and full resolution. So far ahead of it's time...poor turbographics. I loved that system, it had far better graphics than anything available at the time.
      • TurboGrafx, and it couldn't play the CD-ROM games. Which the console also first brought to market. By the way, most people have fogotten that system was by NEC, you know the people brought us the Earth Simulator.

        Sega also made a system called the Nomad that played Genesis games but was hand held. It came about pretty late in the life of the Genesis (it has 6 buttons on the controller) and was orginally a Toy-R-Us exclusive.
    • Actually the limited color ability is what the Color Game Boy does exactly with orginal Game Boy and Super Game Boy enhanced games.

      I know of no adaptor to play the Game Gear games on the Genesis/Mega Drive. There was the Master Gear (a 3rd party product) that let you play Master System games on the Game Gear, and the Power Base Converter that let you play the Master System games on the Genesis. But I don't know of the converter that you are talking about. Any links?

    • You got it backwards (Score:3, Informative)

      by Guppy06 ( 410832 )
      "SEGA also had a handheld system called Game Gear, which had an adapter to allow its games to be played on the Genesis/MegaDrive."

      No, they had an adapter to let you play Master System games on the Game Gear. AFAIK, there is no Super Game Boy equivalent for the Genesis.

      On the other hand, Nintendo released a "Super Game Boy 2" in Japan for the Super Famicom. Just like the original only with a game link port. It was released a little after Pokemon (go figure).

  • An alternative to a SNES (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Ayanami Rei ( 621112 ) <rayanami AT gmail DOT com> on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @03:11AM (#4713706) Journal
    Posts aside about this adapter being the functional equivalent of pulling an SNES out from the closet, the point is there are NEW, addictive games for the GBA that deserve an occaisonal big screen treatment. And it's not like we forget the GBA is portable, you take the game with you when you can't sit in front of the console any longer.

    Here'd be another neat trick, getting the SNES cartridges to work with the GBA with a smart dongle. Then you'd have the full monte.

    • Re:An alternative to a SNES (Score:4, Informative)

      by edwdig ( 47888 ) on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @03:32AM (#4713785)
      The GBA and the SNES are completely different hardware. They're roughly equivalent in power (each has some strongpoints over the other), which is reason they get compared so much.

      I forget the exact model number, but the SNES processor is a 16 bit version of the 6502 (the chip in the NES). The GBA uses an ARM processor (and also has a Z80 in there to run the old GB/GBC games).

      • The SNES uses a 65c816, same as an Apple //gs, even clocked the same, IIRC (3.58 MHz).

        Regarding the 65c816, there's an interesting anecdote involving the SNES, the Apple //gs, Mac OS, fabricated accounts of Zip disk intrigue within Nintendo, and legal action against emu coders, but that's a story I've told too many times already. :)

        < tofuhead >

      • "They're roughly equivalent in power"

        I have to question this statement. Given that the GBA VDP has features roughly comparable to the SNES ("mode 7" on the GBA has to be simulated, though), and the GBA has a CPU roughly 4 times faster (3.8 mhz vs 16), it seems to me that the GBA is clearly the winner, in terms of raw performance. At least, IMHO.
  • So if you get this and then use the gameboy advanced web server [slashdot.org], that gets you one step closer to a Game Cube Web server, right?
    Required Beowulf Cluster line: Imagine a beowulf cluster of those...

  • Some quick thoughts... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by SmittyTheBold ( 14066 ) <[deth_bunny] [at] [yahoo.com]> on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @03:24AM (#4713762) Homepage Journal
    It will also feature some form of link cable support for multiplayer gaming.
    You know, the GBA has four controller ports on it, coincidentally the same number the GBA link cable supports...and a TV has enough screen real-estate for four GBA screens. You'd probably have to scale down the resolution a bit, so somegames could start to look rather nasty...but I bet it could be a decent feature for a lot of games.

    The product will also come with a disc, presumably used to boot up the GameCube and prepare it for use with the peripheral.
    LAAAAAAME. Extra hassle is never good, and in this case a user has to put in a disc (which can get lost or broken) and a game pak. Extra steps are never fun.

    The unit will not have full compatibility with the entire back catalog of Nintendo portable software, but no specific incompatibility problems have been announced at this time.
    Double LAME. I would expect the inner-workings of the GB series to be understood well enough to emulate perfectly.
    • The games it will not be compatable with are the VERY early Gameboy games. You know, the 4 color monochrome ones from what? 1989? The same was said when the GBA was released, it wouldnt work with those same games. But you know what? I dont think ANYONE knows of a SINGLE game that hasn't worked on these. It's more of a safeguard if someone digs up "Bobs Whacky Gameboy Adventure" from some 1997 alpha release that got leaked.. The boot disc is a device driver CD so the Gamecube can recognise the hardware and use it. The actual Gamecube games that use GBA game data for extra features will not need this disc loaded beforehand because the Gamecube game itself will have that software built-in already. And really, a tiny 2" boot disc isnt that rough. It's not like its as bad as going to the fridge to get a beer or something! Sheesh...

    • Re:Some quick thoughts... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by edwdig ( 47888 ) on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @03:52AM (#4713837)
      Gameboy Advance resolution = 240x160
      Not sure on the original Gameboy, but I'd guess 160x160. So yeah, you could fit 4 GBA screens on TV.

      Nintendo hasn't released enough details to know for sure, but odds are that there's a full Gameboy Advance motherboard in the device. Super Gameboy was basically just a Gameboy motherboard in an SNES cartridge.

      As to games that won't work... Any game that has a tilt sensor in the cartridge won't work. Well, maybe it will, but, i don't think you'd want to subject your GameCube to that torture. It's probably just games like that that have odd cartridges or require additional addons that attach to the Gameboy, and hence wouldn't physically be able to attach to the device.

  • Region coding? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Tsuzuki ( 442471 ) <{komala} {at} {mac.com}> on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @03:34AM (#4713792) Homepage
    One thing immediately springs to mind as a PAL gamer who likes Japanese games...

    Since GBA games aren't region-coded and Gamecubes are region-specific, I wonder if this item would limit the region you could play your GBA games in?
    • I'd doubt it, as so far all the GameCube accessories have been region free. Controllers are interchangable, and so are the modem & ethernet adapters. So this probably will be too.

    • Re:Region coding? (Score:3, Interesting)

      by DarkZero ( 516460 )
      Since GBA games aren't region-coded and Gamecubes are region-specific, I wonder if this item would limit the region you could play your GBA games in?

      You need to put a GameCube disc into the GameCube to play the games, so it appears that the Japanese Gameboy Player will only work with the Japanese GameCube and the US or European Gameboy Players will only work with US or European Gamecubes (respectively), but once you have a GameCube and Gameboy Player of the same region together, you can play a GBA game from any region.

      Why didn't they just make both the GBA AND the GameCube region free?
  • This will finally allow me to play the Castlevania games without fusing my naked retina to the screen.
    You know, there's always emulation. It might not be your TV, but it's free and it's there.

  • This device is a great idea. I'd even say that GBA compatibility adds even more value to the GCN than PSX compatibility adds to the PS2, because GBA software development is currently more active than PSX dev, and is therefore far more lucrative for publishers targeting new system buyers.

    It leverages the strength of the GBA library to increase the value of the GameCube. As well as the GCN is doing worldwide, the GBA is doing even better. People who want to play GBA games on the go will still buy GBAs, but for those that just want access to the games without the portability factor, the GameCube becomes attractive as a means of access to both platforms. 2-D lives! :)

    For those of us who had been using the TV de Advance system, this should prove even better. It's a good thing that I'd hesitated in ordering one of these GBA TV adapters (or the various knock-off versions), since the official Nintendo device will be cheaper, will be officially supported if it breaks, will not require any modifications to my GBA that involve replacing the rear case panel of my GBA with a piece of cheap-looking plastic, and will most likely provide a better image quality. Having seen a TV de Advance in action at a local import retailer, I've been largely unimpressed with the picture, even using s-video.

    < tofuhead >

    • I get the feeling that the GBA market has recently died as far as making money is concerned. Possibly it was killed by too many rubbish games that would have been difficult to praise in the SNES days. There are hundreds and hundreds of SKUs out there (Stock Keeping Units). Possibly the pricepoint or the lack of backlighting didn't help. The point is that developers that banked on GBA are going under at a rapid rate these days, including some really good people.
  • ... games without fusing my naked retina to the screen.
    Should get an Afterburner internal screen light - makes the GBA screen look the way god intended....

  • Emulation or... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by h0tblack ( 575548 ) on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @04:18AM (#4713892)
    The thing I'm interested in is if Nintendo have gone the emulation or addition route. Are they emulating the ARM on the PowerPC (a definite possibility, especially considering the GBA emulators already available for the PPC platform) or have they just thrown much of the hardware of the GBA into this new unit. Arm chips are cheap, the GBA itself is cheap (sells for $US40 in SE-Asia) so why not!

    • The thing I'm interested in is if Nintendo have gone the emulation or addition route.

      Probably hardware based, if they designed it like Super Game Boy. The SGB had a complete original Game Boy system with the LCD controller modified to stream the screen to the Super NES, plus some glue hardware and a Super NES ROM for controlling the special features.

      They can't just emulate the ARM and the gbz80 because of one little problem: many games depend on custom hardware inside the cartridge.

  • GBA a bit underpowered....but still holding on (Score:5, Interesting)

    by CodePyro ( 627236 ) on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @04:25AM (#4713905)
    You know what I noticed about GBA and just Nintendo games in general, they might not have the best graphics or the latest type of shading and lighting but they are addictive and fun. For Example for me its SUPER MARIO CART....I can't get enough of that game. Even Mario, I thought I'd get tired of him by now but once I started playing I am just as much addicted now as I was 10 years ago with Super Mario Brothers on Nintendo.

  • Kinda off and kinda on topic (Score:3, Interesting)

    by forgoil ( 104808 ) on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @04:29AM (#4713913) Homepage
    5000 Yen. Spiffy and nice, but I am not good at currency conversion. This is just a dream, but I would love to see this:

    5000

    And then let the browser do the job. Either let it be, translate it to my choice, or give me both the original and in my choice in paranthesis.

    Would be pretty simple, really, as long as you can grab a conversion table from somewhere.

  • Someone hasn't played them... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Arcaeris ( 311424 ) on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @05:03AM (#4713992)
    "This will finally allow me to play the Castlevania games without fusing my naked retina to the screen"

    If you bothered to pick up Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, you'd see that Konami has put some things in the game to combat the lack of backlighting. Large characters/monsters, some bright colors, lighting effects, spell effects that center on the character, and even Juste's "blue-shadow" all contribute a lot to making the game very playable when other games on the sustem aren't.

    You still need decent light, but it's not a total eye-strainer. You can even play Harmony of Dissonance well in moderate indoor lighting, which is a feat on the GBA.

    Still, I'd like to see it on a TV. That'd hopefully fix some issues with the crappy sound (which few people seem to bitch about, but which sucks).
  • i don't see why more people are excited about this, asuming your a nintendo nut you probablly already won a gamecube and possiblly a GBA. this device is awesome cause i can play castlevania, old schoool mario and even the great metal gear on my wega in pretty damn good comfort. i dont think the device was ever ment for the mass audience because not everyone gets tingly seeing castlevania post 2000. the little things like this really are things you really dont see in the industry all the time

  • That's kind of confusing (Score:3, Insightful)

    by NetGyver ( 201322 ) on Wednesday November 20, 2002 @05:19AM (#4714031) Journal
    To my understanding (correct me if i'm wrong) but doesn't the gameboy double as a controller when hooked up to the gamecube?

    If so, then why didn't they build that functionality into the system to begin with? The gameboy already has a connection to the system, how hard would it have to have the gamecube access the gamboy game and pipe it through the GC and out to the tv?

    Maybe it has something to do with it going over a controller port. In any case it would have been a neat feature to add if they thought about this ahead of time and could get it to work right.

    Otherwise this is nothing new. The SNES had a cart/adapter which allowed you to play old gameboy games on your SNES.

    Personally i never saw the point, except it's easier on the eyes which doesn't seem to justify the cost of buying one. I couldn't see people buying this adapter and buy gameboy games without a gameboy either. But hey, options options options!

    • The GBA's link cable is SLOW. It's not designed to transfer more than a few hundred KB, not 8MB roms.

      Also, it's a lot eaiser to just put the GBA hardware sans LCD in a box and plug it into the GC than writing an emulator that is sure to play 100% of all GB, GBC, and GBA games perfectly.
  • Shouldn't THAT be the big news? That Metroid Prime [metroid.com] is released today, Nov. 20th? One of the most anticipated console games ever?!?!

  • It is also:
    • 73.61 Australlian Dollars
    • 25.88 British Pounds
    • 40.67 Euros

    Feel free to use this. [x-rates.com]
  • The serial port underneath the system will be the gateway to the device and will include a port to enable multiplayer games.

    NB: Emphasis on serial port was added by me

    If you look at the unit, you can see that it most likely plugs into the high speed port and NOT the serial port. Which would also mean it would allow you to keep that broadbad adaptor in there. Smart and beautiful design if you ask me.

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