Slashdot Mirror
GBA Getting Bluetooth
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.
Blasphemy, though it is hard to see. Get a friggin' light.
The only surefire protection against Microsoft infections is abstinence. - The Onion
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.
If CmdrTaco hates his GBA so much, why doesn't he autograph it and sell it on eBay? That should net VA Software some revenues at least...
I have a website. It's about Macs.
I bought my wife a GBA because she really wanted it. As soon as we brought it home we realized it was missing something! Backlighting. DUH. I'm spoiled but I guess I just thought that the people at Nintendo weren't stupid. Guess I was wrong.
So I went back to the store and picked up a "Shark Lite". What a poor product! Whenever she tried to play with the Shark Lite, it would be in her way or it would cause a reflective glare.
Back to the lamp behind her head while she plays. Oh the whole GBA backlight problem gives me post-purchase depression.
What a nuisance it is to try and play a game on the GBA when you need to position yourself in a contorted manner just to get to see what you're doing in the game.
Who knows, maybe my 1 year old daughter will find a use for it.
internet gaming (via a USB adapter to a net-connected PC)
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.
For 'network games' you could run a server on the PC (or a multiplexer for internet games), then just sit around on couches playing, rather than all huddling up withing controller-cable distance, or getting off your lazy arse to go untagle medusa-the-controller-herd.
Ahh for time to play games (flash is responsible for all sorts of evils on the web, and time-wasting games numbers among them I say. I've just taken out a few minutes from flash-games on the web to write a slashdot comment, while my girlfriend takes off ahead on the laptop - I think she's about 3 levels ahead of me now dammit. Must stop slashdotting......)
http://www3.goldenshop.com.hk/AI-trad/gba/tvadapte r.htm
.. And I did see a company based in the USA and NOT imported who makes these things.
This isn't the main page, but it'll do so people know it exists
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!!!
Grrrrrreat. Can't wait until I have to sit through 5 minutes of ads aimed at 10-year-olds just so I can play MarioKart Advance with a friend.
He who refuses to do arithmetic is doomed to talk nonsense.
I see nothing wrong with the GBA screen other than the dependency on lighting. Which I'm willing to accept because it means highly increased battery life. Other than that it's a vast improvement on past gameboys.
As for this internet connection thing. It's pretty cool and all. But I'm so not buying into it. First of all, it's not an officially licensed Nintendo product. 3rd party hardware and peripherals suck. Also, if I'm going to play a game online, why would I sit next to a computer with a little GBA and a USB cable? I have a COMPUTER, I'll play me some (insert 3d online multiplayer game). Now what would be amazing would be if I could be driving in my car and playing against a kid in his car in California, with absolutely no wires attatched to my GBA. That I would buy no matter who made it.
The GeekNights podcast is going strong. Listen!
"Honey, the movie starts at 7 and the babysitter isn't here yet!"
"Let's just drop the kids off at Wal-Mart. It's open 24 hours right? And they have one of those Game Boy Blue Advanced Teeth things to keep the kids connected to their peers!"
"Good idea! Those Game Boys were such a smart investment!"
bleah on that!
stupid advertisement
www.angstmonster.org
"Just buy the GBA to TV Adaptor if its hard to see."
:)
Wouldn't that somehow eliminate the main reason for having a handheld and portable gaming system in the first place?
...P2P wireless gaming,...
I can't real time action games working like this. What's going to happen if you are playing while riding in a car or bus and go out of range? What happens to your game? Not to mention the latency problems with P2P vs. a dedicated server.
Now children as well can experience a dying, overhyped, 2 year old technology still looking for a market!
It hurts when I pee.
..who will be the first one to port linux to it? ;)
Can't you imagine all the games you'll be able to play? With all those hackers around I already see some Quake port for the GBA ;)
Picture this: Keeping fragging your friends at work while you're sitting on the throne... Well some games are better played with a mouse anyway
But still I see great future for this bluetooth addon. Like Instant Messaging is something I've always been looking forward to. Especially on mobile agents. And bluetooth could also give the GBA some video / audio capabilities. How about listening to your MP3s on the GBA?
I may be dreaming here. But hey who's not...
Instant GBA Messenger? Over 50-100m? Blegh. GBA/Net? Blegher. One non-blegh is if you could buy "game sets" with 30 or so lo-tech games to Bluetooth to your phone and store a game on the phone... A phone is much more portable than a GBA.
"I can't imagine a harder to see screen then my cursed GBA"
Ever use a Virtual Boy? Now THAT was a screen to make you go blind (four actually IIRC).
sin(6cos(r)+5A)
for those who dont like broken linkse r.htm
http://www3.goldenshop.com.hk/AI-trad/gba/tvadapt
This must be Thursday, I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
Alright, this is kind of off-topic. So shoot me... Everyone buys the GBA's to play Mario, Metroid, Zelda and the 5 billion Pokemons. NOT because it's tiny and can carry it around. You just sit on your couch in front of the TV to play it anyways. Actually, as far as I'm concerned, if you sit in front of your TV and play it you are using it because it's portable. Personally, sometimes I'd rather just sit down on the couch and watch TV while I'm playing (sometimes with a laptop nearby... I'm the ultimate couch potato!). That's the advantage of handheld gaming systems, you can play them anywhere without being tied to a specific room or the TV.
If you need to interpret my post, then you don't get it.
Why doesn't someone find out what kind of LCD/LCD controller are in the Gameboy (I've heard two names mentioned as manufacturers - Sharp and Mitsubishi), find that company's backlit model of the same combination, and put it in the GBA? I am not an LCD manufacturer (IANALCDM - a new one, instead of IANAL), but it only makes sense to me that many of the components used between a backlit and non-backlit controller/LCD setup would be the same, for manufacturing cost-effectiveness reasons. My not-so-educated guess leads me to believe that one could find the backlit equivalent, siphon some power from the GBA's circuitry and have a backlit GBA. The battery life would go down, but it seems GBA owners are more than ready to do that. Are there technical things I'm overlooking here? Is the GBA hardware so unique that there is no backlit model of the same LCD from that manufacturer?
I hate to be the guy posting this, but it's "THAN". When comparing two things you say THAN. I see people posting on here all the time, annoyed by the sub-3rd grade literacy on every news posting. If you can't write, have someone who can read over it and fix it before you post.
Jeez. The screen is fine, folks. You need to learn how to turn on the lights!
In fact, the screen is better than GBC's, and *loads* better than the original Game Boy's. (Dig yours out and see if you like the pale green and shadowing better..) Yet, these systems are very popular and successful. (Did you know that Nintendo had the #1 revenue in video games last year, despite the PS2 and Dreamcast release? Nearly twice Sony's earnings, and it was mostly the GBC.)
It would be nice if there were a back-lit version (I wouldn't buy it unless it had a long battery life, though), or if developers didn't make games with such dark graphics (castlevania...), but seriously, there are much worse things to complain about. How about a highly portable laptop that lasts more than 3 hours on battery? An input device that doesn't give you RSI? A car that doesn't pollute?
"Now what would be amazing would be if I could be driving in my car and playing against a kid in his car in California, with absolutely no wires attatched to my GBA."
:)
Is it just me, or did this sound really dangerous?
The patent pending nReach Bluetooth Adapter .... Bluetooth is supposed to be open. But I guess attaching a wireless link to a game box that already has a wired and IRDA link is novel and non-obvious. :-)
[Insert pithy quote here]
Lik-snag has some info about it.
see it.
For now on NTSC only. It requires some handywork to replace the back shell.
oddly enough, the screen is pretty damn good outside (natural light). which is where its portability comes in useful. (outside)
Make no mistake, their market is retailers who want to flood kids with ads. I'm sure that their patent application will emphasize the link to their "hot spots" and delivery of targeted marketing materials.
Save Maine's economy: write stuff down. All comments are exclusively my own, not my employer.
check this out
the guy ahead of the above site is trying to piece together a frontlight kit for people to install in their own gba.
give it a look & your support.
uhh, people are going to buy the GBA because it's last bastion of hope for us 2d Platformer, RPG, and side-scroller fans
You god-damned pixelated rasterbaters make me sick
--- Do you believe in the day?
I'm still waiting for someone to do a Linux/XFree86 port for the GBA.
Yes, I'm trying to be silly but no doubt someone will or has already done it.
- on the couch
- in the bedroom
- in the bathroom
- on the bus to work
- on the train to work
- with a halogen lamp over my shoulder
- with the plugin light my girlfriend got me with it (causes glare)
In EVERY SINGLE SITUATION the ability to see the screen has been poor to awful. I remember reading that Nintendo chose long battery life over backlighting. Quite frankly, this was a horrible mistake. With backlighting this would have easily been the best game system of the year AFAIC. I have no use for Xbox, PS2, or gamecube, but GBA is exceptionally small and has some fun games. But with a screen I can't see it's absolutely useless. Honestly, I got a set of rechargeable NiMH batteries (6 AA, 2 AAA, 2 C, 2 D) plus the charger for $30, so I don't care about battery life. 2 hours, fine. if it took 4 batteries instead of 2, fine. If I have to plug it into an AC adapter sometimes, fine. But in its current state, it's essentially useless. Unfortunately, it's the only game in town for portable gaming.Anyhow, how you can say "other than that it's a vast improvement on past gameboys" really confuses me. I was under the impression that the improved screen was one of the main selling points for the GBA. I've been playing Castlevania (which is great) and other than being much more comfortable to hold, how is this different from old skool gameboy/color? Please don't tell me that the graphics are so much better because I can't see them.
rooooar
OMG mod this guy up! :) Damn, and I just used my mod points 2 days ago too!
People have been throwing around comments regarding Quake. Well, Doom has already been ported to GBA, so why not Quake?
And as for Bluetooth, sure, being able to play Advance Wars against some snot-nosed kid in Outer Mongolia is wonderful, but IMO the most practical use of this is setting up a network in your house, so you can play against your friends without being confined to a short length of semi-flexible cord.
Oops!
I shouldn't reply to this troll, but for anyone who doesn't know much about consoles, I humbly offer this information:
1)You paid $2000 for a "gaming system" that will be obsolete in 2 years? Proves the point that most hardcore PC gamers are rich, stupid, or both.
2)FPS's aren't the center of the gaming universe. They will probably always be better on PCs. However, Dreamcast has a keyboard and mouse, and PS2 supports USB peripherals. I've had lots of fun playing Unreal Tournament online with the Dreamcast and my broadband adapter-no aimbots, or transparent walls-just healthy competitive gaming.
3)Phantasy Star Online (an ONLINE CONSOLE GAME) moved over a million copies worldwide. The modem is built into the Dreamcast, so Dreamcast sale=modem sale.
4)PS2's are $299, while GBA is $99. That's $200 difference, not $100.
Pay attention to my sig. It describes your post perfectly.
(-1, Raw and Uncut is the only way to read)
For me the major annoyance is the lack of a Bluetooth solution for the TRGpro (Palm III style case plus CF slot). I've got the Ericsson T28 compatible Bluetooth wireless handsfree kit, and as a wireless handsfree kit it rocks, but I really want to be able to check my email from my Palm without taking my mobile out of my pocket. Does anyone know how a BT TRGpro/Handera solution is coming along? Maybe I'll be able to wirelessly check my email on a GBA before I'll be able to do it on the Palm I specifically purchased for that activity.
If you want to play it when you're not sitting right next to a lamp, there is a solution. Portable Monopoly has details of a backlight hack for the GBA, and so far it's working extremely well. It uses white LEDs, can be switched on and off as you like, and consumes very little power.
Well, I was in #gbadev on efnet a week or two ago when someone came in commenting on how bright his new GBA's screen was compared to the old one. He had received a new one from Lik Sang that was made in Japan, over the one he bought at a retail store that was made in China. He took a screenshot showing the difference between the two, and I must say it was absolutely amazing (I don't want to paste the address because I think it'd be kinda mean to slashdot his images). I can only hope newer GBA's will have the same brighter screen.. and I definitely know where I'm buying mine if/when I get a gba (lik sang!). For all the other GBA's out there though, there's always Portable Monopoly.
-DrkShadow
What about all of us who decided not to purchase the Gameboy Advance, and merely play it with our emulator and roms?
I have VisualBoyAdvance for one reason: homebrew. It's a heck of a lot faster to test software that I just wrote and compiled on an emulator than to wait for a transfer over the MBV2 netboot cable.
Will I retire or break 10K?
PS2 supports USB peripherals.
But why doesn't the Sony PS2 support PS/2 peripherals?
Will I retire or break 10K?
there is no GBA(or Xbox, or PS2) docking station that lets me plug in a nice monitor
TV de Advance fits onto the back of your GBA and feeds the video to a nice TV. Think of it as Super Game Boy Advance.
keyboard, and mouse for my FPSs.
As Gizzmonic said, first-person shooters aren't the be-all and end-all of video games. But if you really want to play Doom Advance on your PC, use this docking station: Visoly Flash Advance Linker + VisualBoy Advance.
Will I retire or break 10K?
I'm still waiting for someone to do a Linux/XFree86 port for the GBA.
With only 288 KB of main memory (not counting ROM)? Not likely.
Will I retire or break 10K?
Well, Socket makes a CF Bluetooth card:h tm
l m
:-)
http://www.socketcom.com/product/bluetoothcard.
and IBM's AlphaWorks has a Palm Bluetooth stack:
http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/bluetooth4pa
Theoretically, it should work. Theoretically.
Funny how he only missed first post by a minute, but it's all the way down here...
Anyway, why the fuck does everyone keep bitching about the GBA screen?! It's the same as the Gameboy and Gameboy Color screens, and at least it's GOOD color, unlike Gameboy Color. What the fuck are you trying to do, play it in the dark? Turn on the light, you dipshits. This bitching is starting to piss me off...
Um...that's why you buy one...
how many people actually play multiplayer games on a console machine via the internet? when i pick up a game for the multiplayer experience i want to have a variety of possible scenarios, as well as updatable maps and skin packs. i want the ability to customize the game once it gets tired.
:)
the only system that could really do something like this is the Xbox... given the hard drive. and even still.. if they have to make patches or addons that are large (and most certainly would cost) how good is an 8gig HDD really?
i like the idea of being able to put 120gigs in a PC for $209..
PSO is all well and good.. but how many ppl are playing Q3A online right now? or RTCW? think about it.
consoles are getting close, but they're just not there. sorry for the GBA price error.. they were more expensive at least initially and just went completely off my radar after i played one.
show me a console that can push max payne 1600x1200x32bpp at 70fps
so how's sega doing with the dreamcast now anyway? oh? *cough* hmm..
Hopefully they opt for OLEDs instead of a washy backlit screen. Even a TFT backlit LCD is far from a perfect image. While OLEDs might be too expensive now, I'm sure that for a screen the size of the GameBoy Advance they could make them reasonable within the lifespan of the system.
If they have just a 'backlit' version it isn't worth my money, I'll just use a gameshark advance to copy my gamesaves to PC and run an emulator.
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
Heh, I didn't think you were lying. Actually, today I had a better experience with the game, so maybe it just takes getting used to. But it's been a while since I had to deal with a display this dark, and there isn't even a contrast knob. But I tell you, Castlevania is a much funner way to pass the time on the train than the boring old newspaper. Plus 7 different people can have games stored! Amazing! Anyhow, hopefully with time I will grow more comfortable with the display, though I'm still looking at the backlit display at portablemonopoly.com.
Thanks for your feedback. Glad everybody isn't as glum as I (was).
rooooar
screw GBA i want one of these http://www.gp32.com/English/system/system.html - usb, bluetooth, mpeg support, smart media slot, TFT 3.5" Reflective TFT LCD, plus its open source! matt w Chicks dig it ?, they certainly do
The Dreamcast didn't fail in the US or Europe (although it didn't succeed anywhere near the level of the Playstation). In the US, SEGA sold more Dreamcasts on launch day than they ever sold of the Saturn. Mounting financial problems from the Saturn days finally got to SEGA, and they were forced to abandon the hardware business.
Next time you step out of your downy feather bed to go play Doom 2k2 on your gold plated computer, you might want to open your mind to the possibility of spending that hundred-dollar bill on a Dreamcast and some games instead of using it to light your cigar.
(-1, Raw and Uncut is the only way to read)
> The Dreamcast didn't fail in the US or Europe
maybe i'm the idiot here.. i thought that when a mfg. reduced the price of a product by 70% and started blowing them out like crazy it meant that they were failing at it. sure, perhaps it's because sega lost to sony but that's neither here nor there. no matter where the financial problems came from the fact is that they failed.
and, on the original topic of networking your consoles for multiplayer purposes, it would seem that even the 'fantastic!' multiplayer features and top-selling multiplayer titles couldn't save the dreamcast or sega.
now that the new generation of consoles are being churned out full blast we'll have to see. but sony is the only company that seems to do exceedingly well at anything console-based.
so now, with sony's announced intention to sell a 40GB HDD peripheral, it looks like they're seriously going head-to-head with M$ (maker of the best next-gen console imho)..
with sega out of the picture and nintendo pushing their usual glorified duplo blocks we'll see who the real winner is. and i can assure you it's not going to be based on multiplayer capabilities because, that's right, NOBODY PLAYS CONSOLE GAMES ONLINE!!!