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GBA Getting Bluetooth

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the i-got-no-strings-to-hold-me-down dept.

Tofuhead writes "nReach recently announced their development of a Bluetooth adapter for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. P2P wireless gaming, internet gaming (via a USB adapter to a net-connected PC), and messaging are featured, as well as service "hot spots" that will be set up in game stores and malls. Release date: Q2 2002." Countless children shall go blind soon after. I can't imagine a harder to see screen then my cursed GBA.

9 of 137 comments (clear)

  1. Just buy the GBA to TV Adaptor if its hard to see. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    I forget who makes it, but it's available. It around $70 and basically snaps to the bottom of the GBA and has 3 RCA plugs out that are for Video/Stereo output.

  2. Here is a link. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    http://www3.goldenshop.com.hk/AI-trad/gba/tvadapte r.htm

    This isn't the main page, but it'll do so people know it exists .. And I did see a company based in the USA and NOT imported who makes these things.

  3. Backlit screen by SealBeater · · Score: 5, Informative

    Regarding the visability of the GBA, there is a project to modify it with a
    clear screen that serves the purpose of a backlight. You can visit the page
    and view screenshots here.
    Basically, people are just waiting for the guy to finish negotiations with the
    suppliers. He expects the cost to be about the price of a game, all said and
    done.

    SealBeater

    --
    -- Its survival of the fittest...and we got the fucking guns!!!
  4. Re:Lack of Bluetooth on PCs by Refrag · · Score: 5, Informative
    And here we see the problem that I think Bluetooth is still facing - there just isn't enough market penetration on PCs. What I would really like to see is something bluetooth-style on the desktop (rather than USB) so that I didn't have to mess with all those cables all the time.
    You would still have cables, unless all of your devices were battery powered. That is the one thing people keep forgetting when they talk about Bluetooth and PCs. FireWire and USB both carry power, allowing you to connect most devices with only one cable -- which you'd be doing anyway even with Bluetooth.

    Bluetooth only belongs on devices with their own power source, it isn't a replacement for FireWire or USB.
    --
    I have a website. It's about Macs.
  5. Re:GBA woes... by DGolden · · Score: 2, Informative

    Older Gameboys weren't backlit. Didn't stop millions of people buying them and playing them.
    All in all, I'm quite happy with my GBA, and can see it fine during daylight ("daylight, what's that?" cry 10,000 slashdot geeks) or with any electric lights at approx 60 watt tungsten-filament-bulb equivalent or above - i.e. anywhere I'd normally care to play it - and for those places where I wouldn't normally play it, there's GBA-compatible (with cable-pass-through) white-led worm lights available now (at least here in Ireland), which work fine for me.

    Honestly, you didn't expect to play older gameboys in the dark without a light, why should the GBA be different? Historically, backlit color handhelds didn't do well in the marketplace, because their battery life was so short, and seeing as the GBA is targetted at kids, who will mainly be using it in daylight anyway, one would hope.

    Now, if you live inside the artic circle, I suppose that the constant darkness in winter could make it a little more difficult... ;-)

    --
    Choice of masters is not freedom.
  6. Re:for thoses who dont like broken links by vrmlknight · · Score: 2, Informative

    for those who dont like broken links
    http://www3.goldenshop.com.hk/AI-trad/gba/tvadapte r.htm

    --
    This must be Thursday, I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
  7. Re:GBA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

    its very easy to program for. you can goto www.lik-sang.com and download a 128meg cart for it and the hardware to write to that cart. You can write c programs for it and compile etc...

  8. Re:GBA woes... by Mwongozi · · Score: 3, Informative

    Here in the UK (And probably elsewhere as well) they sell a neat little light for the GBA that's called the "GBA Floodlights". (Or something similar.)

    They work really well, take a look at photos of mine.

    I like the sound of the Bluetooth adapter, if only for multiplayer gaming without the damned wire...

  9. Re:GBA by rbeattie · · Score: 3, Informative
    hackability factor of the GBA? Good question!

    I just got my GBA for Christmas (yes, I'm 30 years old... what's your point?) and the first thing I started thinking about was how to start programming for it. Here's some of the stuff I found:

    And of course a Google search will bring up a bunch more, but these are the nicest I've found so far. The last link is great because it has "demo" programs that include the code - which is key for learning how the insides of this thing work. There's an asteroids example that's really nice.

    One thing that I just realized is that the GBA is based on a ARM/Thumb processor and includes a "Z80 like" processor also for when you insert GBC games. This is pretty wild. I think I'll submit an article to /. on how many companies are using ARM-based processors now. I just read that Simbian has just been ported to the ARM, PocketPCs use them exclusively, etc.

    -Russ

    --
    Me