Gamecube Finally Plays GBA Games

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."

Comments

Metroid Prime

[BigBir3d]

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

Re:Metroid Prime

[Anonymous Coward]

prime definitely gets my vote for best console game, to date.

Re:Metroid Prime

[Osty]

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.

Re:Metroid Prime

[dimator]

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.

Re:Metroid Prime

[Viewsonic]

how do you rationalize it playing like crap then? there is no speed or freedom of movement whatsoever. this game is riddled with so many design flaws -- it's unbelievable. it would make a B+ quake clone on the PC, but combined with the completely inadequate precision x/y controls on the gamecube, combat just makes for a button mashing contest.

This is a troll .. There is full freedom of movement. There is nothing on rails like some XBox fanboys were trying to rumor. It plays at a solid 60fps in full 3D, and it is by FAR the best 1st person controlled game ever. Nintendo & Rare got the controls down so slick. Really, it is insane. You obviously haven't played it, and I will assume you're just upset you got locked out of the XBox Live because your modchip got you canned.

Re:Metroid Prime

[Anonymous Coward]

you have offered NO real reasoning to your argument. ok, it runs at 60 fps. so? that is COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT to the point i was making. I own the game. i honestly wanted to enjoy it. the controls though, are complete crap. you have to press at least 4 different buttons to force samus to 'look' at something for christs sake. the aiming controls were such complete trash that they had to force the game to aim for you. what are you left with? button mashing contests to shoot monsters first. because of the horribly shoddy first person perspective, you cannot see small monsters at your feet, or where you are walking at all, for that matter. it takes a good 11 seconds to do a 180 degree turn. you cannot look up or down and walk at the same time. the movement is completely robotic and could have avoided 90% of its problems by assuming a decent 3rd person view, a la zelda 64 -- or even samus' freakin ball mode for chrissakes. i've played as much of the game as possible in that mode, just to keep the hideous hud from blinding me. please stop trying to redirect blame with some completely random xbox bullshit. the game wasnt even made by rare, so don't start going off about me not owning it.

Re:Metroid Prime

[edwdig]

It's made by Retro Studios, not Rare.

But yeah, the controls are nice. Especially jumping.

The people who complain about the controls are people who expect it to be another Halo or GoldenEye. If you play it from the same frame of mind as you would play any other Metroid game, then the controls are perfect. If you play it expecting another Halo, then you'll hate the controls and won't like the game at all.

Re:Metroid Prime

[CeruleanSilver]

you have to press at least 4 different buttons to force samus to 'look' at something

Or you can just move the analog joystick in the direction you'd like to look... that always works for me. If you're referring to the manual aiming mode, then yes, you must press the R button and then use the analog stick. I'm not sure where you got 4 from though.

button mashing contests to shoot monsters first

Not exactly. Sometimes if there's a horde of beetles or wasps or something, then it does get frantic. But most of the time this is not the case. In fact, most of your time isn't really spent dispatching enemies in a frag-fest like most FPS. It's more like Metroid on the SNES, where you have to take out some creature roaming around on a platform you'd like to jump onto. Exploration and platforming are key to Metroid Prime.

you cannot look up or down and walk at the same time

This is true, but it hasn't been a problem for me. The jumping/platforming in Metroid is quite good and not nearly as frustrating as it normally is in a FPS-- probably because it isn't like most FPS.

just to keep the hideous hud from blinding me

You can adjust the HUD's opacity in the options menu.

Re:Metroid Prime

[h0mer]

Well yeah, except it came out yesterday. Best Buy and other large retailers like Wal-Mart are getting it today. Generally only Toys R Us and mall game shops like Electronic Boutique get games the day after they ship.

Re:Metroid Prime

[Repugnant_Shit]

Today? EB and KBToys had it in yesterday.

Re:Metroid Prime

[GweeDo]

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.

Re:Metroid Prime

[Anonymous Coward]

28. The leftist of the oversocialized type tries to get off his psychological leash and assert his autonomy by rebelling. But usually he is not strong enough to rebel against the most basic values of society. Generally speaking, the goals of today's leftists are NOT in conflict with the accepted morality. On the contrary, the left takes an accepted moral principle, adopts it as its own, and then accuses mainstream society of violating that principle. Examples: racial equality, equality of the sexes, helping poor people, peace as opposed to war, nonviolence generally, freedom of expression, kindness to animals. More fundamentally, the duty of the individual to serve society and the duty of society to take care of the individual. All these have been deeply rooted values of our society (or at least of its middle and upper classes [4] for a long time. These values are explicitly or implicitly expressed or presupposed in most of the material presented to us by the mainstream communications media and the educational system. Leftists, especially those of the oversocialized type, usually do not rebel against these principles but justify their hostility to society by claiming (with some degree of truth) that society is not living up to these principles.

29. Here is an illustration of the way in which the oversocialized leftist shows his real attachment to the conventional attitudes of our society while pretending to be in rebellion against it. Many leftists push for affirmative action, for moving black people into high-prestige jobs, for improved education in black schools and more money for such schools; the way of life of the black "underclass" they regard as a social disgrace. They want to integrate the black man into the system, make him a business executive, a lawyer, a scientist just like upper-middle-class white people. The leftists will reply that the last thing they want is to make the black man into a copy of the white man; instead, they want to preserve African American culture. But in what does this preservation of African American culture consist? It can hardly consist in anything more than eating black-style food, listening to black-style music, wearing black-style clothing and going to a black-style church or mosque. In other words, it can express itself only in superficial matters. In all ESSENTIAL respects more leftists of the oversocialized type want to make the black man conform to white, middle-class ideals. They want to make him study technical subjects, become an executive or a scientist, spend his life climbing the status ladder to prove that black people are as good as white. They want to make black fathers "responsible." they want black gangs to become nonviolent, etc. But these are exactly the values of the industrial-technological system. The system couldn't care less what kind of music a man listens to, what kind of clothes he wears or what religion he believes in as long as he studies in school, holds a respectable job, climbs the status ladder, is a "responsible" parent, is nonviolent and so forth. In effect, however much he may deny it, the oversocialized leftist wants to integrate the black man into the system and make him adopt its values.

30. We certainly do not claim that leftists, even of the oversocialized type, NEVER rebel against the fundamental values of our society. Clearly they sometimes do. Some oversocialized leftists have gone so far as to rebel against one of modern society's most important principles by engaging in physical violence. By their own account, violence is for them a form of "liberation." In other words, by committing violence they break through the psychological restraints that have been trained into them. Because they are oversocialized these restraints have been more confining for them than for others; hence their need to break free of them. But they usually justify their rebellion in terms of mainstream values. If they engage in violence they claim to be fighting against racism or the like.

31. We realize that many objections could be raised to the foregoing thumb-nail sketch of leftist psychology. The real situation is complex, and anything like a complete description of it would take several volumes even if the necessary data were available. We claim only to have indicated very roughly the two most important tendencies in the psychology of modern leftism.

32. The problems of the leftist are indicative of the problems of our society as a whole. Low self-esteem, depressive tendencies and defeatism are not restricted to the left. Though they are especially noticeable in the left, they are widespread in our society. And today's society tries to socialize us to a greater extent than any previous society. We are even told by experts how to eat, how to exercise, how to make love, how to raise our kids and so forth.

Re:Metroid Prime

[3Y3]

No time to report news, playing Metroid Prime.

Re:Metroid Prime

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe you're too used to using a keyboard and mouse for 3d games? I know I am. I only grudgingly tolerate 3d console games and the joystick controls.

Re:Metroid Prime

[Jace of Fuse!]

you still have to hold down a button to look around

Oh, I see, you haven't mastered the art of being skilled, have you?

I admit, it took me about 5 hours to really truely get the hang of using the two buttons in conjunction, learning not to press them in all the way (they do different things at different levels, you know...)...

After I got used to it, I'm absolutely in love with the controls, if not the controller it's self.

Too many times I've fired off missles accidently while only trying to look at the map -- but that's probably just my big hands wrapped around that little controller. Still, I got used to it and the game plays quite well. I say this having played almost everything worth a shit out there, and being an avid Halo fan.

letting go will snap your view back to where it started.

Hint: after looking around with the right trigger, SLIGHTLY press in the left trigger. The screen will lock, and you can move around.

If you had actually taken time to learn the controls you'd realize this game is absolutely brilliant. But since you're an unskilled sack of shit, you're naturally just pissed off because the game wasn't easy enough for you to play.

Gamer's now days. They've got no balls, I swear.

Re:Metroid Prime

[Jace of Fuse!]

This is true, but it hasn't been a problem for me.

You'll be glad to know that it's actually not true. As I said in another post, if you look around with the R button SLIGHTLY press in the left button and let off of the R button, you ccan stay focused in whichever directly you like without having your view snap back. If you let off of the left button it will snap on you. Pressing in on the R button will allow you to make small adjustments.

The key here is to treat the buttons as ANALOG, try different combinations of pressure levels, you'll find you can actually acheive quite a bit with practice.

Re:Metroid Prime

[kingofnopants]

yes i also got metroid prime today and was increadibly pleased with the fact that it wasn't another crappy console first person shooter. i can barely believe that it holds true to its metroid roots (the first game i ever played on a console). It's one of the best games ever, console or pc, in every area.

Re:Metroid Prime

[shoptroll]

That would be the connectivity of gba to GC... that's just a cable, not a whole peripheral... But yes, there is a link capability... You just can't play Fusion on your GC... yet.

Re:Metroid Prime

[GMontag451]

I admit, it took me about 5 hours to really truely get the hang of using the two buttons in conjunction, learning not to press them in all the way (they do different things at different levels, you know...)...

Thats ridiculous, any game that forces you to play it for more than 30 minutes just to get the hang of the controls before you can enjoy it is crap.

But since you're an unskilled sack of shit, you're naturally just pissed off because the game wasn't easy enough for you to play.

Complaining because the game isn't easy enough to beat is one thing. If the grandparent had been doing that, then you certainly would have cause to call him an unskilled hack. But complaining about it not being easy enough to play is something completely different. Game designers should *never* increase the difficulty of the game by fubaring the controls. If you can't place the controls in a way that works well and is intuitive, you need to redesign the interface.

Re:Metroid Prime

[Jace of Fuse!]

If you can't place the controls in a way that works well and is intuitive, you need to redesign the interface.

Generally, I would agree with you 100%, but I think I'm not making my point here.

The controls certainly became more than usable within 30 minutes, but I certainly was still very unsure about certain things in those 30 minutes.

It was only a little akward at first... I would say it was very cumbersome throughout the entire space-station mission, but by the time the game had actually "Started" and I was down planetside I was very used to the controls.

Could they have been re-designed? Yes, I think they could have been more Halo-like. Would it have been better? I don't know. Probably not, the point of the matter is that they way they are you can do SO MUCH without having to worry about switching between missiles and beams, jumping, scanning, etc.

That's just it. You can do SO MUCH AT ONCE now that in the end I think that they control scheme works out better for this type of game, and that's the point everyone needs to be stressing.

This type of game is NOT intended to be a typical first person shooter. It's a first person platform adventure.

In that respect, as different as it may be, I would have to say it pulls it off far better than I expected.

And, I've said this one, and I'll say it again. I have an XBox. I have Halo. I love Halo... and I STILL think this game beats Halo hands down.

Re:Metroid Prime

[Anonymous Coward]

To the mod that moderated this off-topic:
I am meta-moderating, and I have moderated you unfair. This means you have less of a chance to moderate in the future. The topic was the Gamecube and GBA games and the new interoperability. This fits. Please learn to read either the context of the message, or the moderator's guidelines.

Anonymous Metamod

Which in turn means...

[writertype]

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...

[frenetic3]

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...

[nofx_3]

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

Re:interesting...

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey, I still love my MegaDrive + MegaCD + 32X combo! Virtua Racing Deluxe, by the way, is one of my favourite games.

Re:interesting...

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, it had the sweetest hummingbird simulator ever.

Re:interesting...

[Kris_J]

The 32X is the bar to which all other console hardware expansion should aspire. It's nice to see it mentioned in comments to this story.

BTW: I have two.

Re:interesting...

[HumanXX]

32X rules, Star Wars Arcade anyone? Nice.

I got a Virtual Boy about 3 years ago, going cheap as you might expect. If you are trying for comercial success a equipment that causes damage to its users is kind of dangerous. I remember the manual warning of excess use of the machine may damage your vision. That linked with most of the games forcing eye breaks every 20 minutes or so, I expect, did not instill confidence in the users. Shame more people have not played or seen the system as Red Alarm is a fantastic game. Its good to live dangerously. Ofcourse eBay always has a good number going cheap.

--------------

Human Experimentation, musical experiments gone wrong.

Re:interesting...

[onosendai]

So, you're the person who bought them ;)

Re:interesting...

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah see night trap isn't as cool when you expect more than 56 colors on screen.... Or when you're not a 13 year old...

Re:interesting...

[Jaysyn]

No, that was my neighbor Brandon. You have to admit, that thing was waaay ahead of it's time.

Jaysyn

Re:interesting...

[Anonymous Coward]

I have one too, you troll, and it's well worth it.

Re:interesting...

[drinkypoo]

Agreed, I have two virtual boys and three games; Red Alarm, Wario Land, and Mario Tennis. These are the only three games at all worth bothering with; Red Alarm is by far the best, followed by tennis.

The problem is that Red Alarm is the only one of the three to really use the 3D aspect of the system. It's beneficial in Red Alarm, it's just an annoyance in the others IMO.

Personally I think the best official addon for a system ever is a tossup between SegaCD (for genesis) and the CD-ROM for the TG16. A strong argument could also be made for the VCD player module for the Sega Saturn, but it impacted too few lives. (They didn't make all that many of them; Some US/English versions exist but they are VERY rare.) TG16 CD games were fantastic; A few of the SegaCD games are quite good, and it really brought some advanced features to a system which didn't do all that much. Sega systems always had more CPU power, but they lacked in bells and whistles. I suppose that makes them easier to code for but then the competitors' systems blow it away anyway. CPU power ain't everything.

We all know where they screwed up with Saturn and DC, so I guess this comment is over.

Re:interesting...

[TotallyUseless]

I bought this add-on just for the version of DooM you could get with it. I already had DooM for my computer, but it was so popular with my friends that they ended up getting more playing time than me it seemed like. At the time I was the only person i knew face to face with a computer, so I got the 32x so my friends could play DooM on the sega while I played on the Mac. Eventually (with the help of the 32x and DooM) I was able to convince most of my friends to get computers so we could play together.

Yes, I love the 32X and hold it in a sacred place in my memory, simply because it was the catalyst for turning my friends onto computing.

Re:interesting...

[Anonymous Coward]

I think the best addon was the TV tuner for the Sega Game Gear. Nothing like watching television on a 256color screen! woohoo!

Yaknow...

[AsbestosRush]

... 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.

Re:Yaknow...

[Anonymous Coward]

no.... it's still not funny :)

woohoo

[dubbreak]

you mean now i can play a 2d version of tony hawk 2 on my game cube?! woohoo.. next thing ya know people are gonna port a nintendo emulator to ps! oh they already did that.. quick break out the master blaster, that sudo 3d drive me nuts!

Re:woohoo

[1nfern0]

ha! master blaster. I love it. Imma got Masturblast now

umm...

[H0NGK0NGPH00EY]

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.

Re:umm...

[Sokie]

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

Re:umm...

[nofx_3]

Well they also said around 5000 yen not exactly 5000 yen, so maybe they are right on. But still, by the time it comes out the exchange rate will change for sure so I agree with you, saying around $40 makes a lot more sense than $41.34 I mean how many items are sold without .00 .99 .95 or .50 at the end of em.

Re:umm...

[Anonymous Coward]

...And it's you. Currency exchange rates fluctuate constantly.

Re:umm...

[Anonymous Coward]

Um, no. Apparently you were sleeping during the first week of your basic physics (or chemistry) class. There is a difference between precision and accuracy. When a number is given to the cent, that is a rather precise figure. While of course not entirely accurate, it is quite precise. However, use of the word approximately implies low precision. Thus, the above poster is correct, "about $40" would have been a more accurate statement, as it has low precision.

TV Adapter

[radon28]

i already bought the GBA "cybernetic upgrade" 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.

Man... Poor wallet.

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

I don't even own a -GBA- yet...

Metroid Fusion, metroid prime, animal crossing, this new dealie..

I wish I was rich.

Maybe...

[Varkoth]

I just might have to buy these evil contraptions known as "Nintendo Products". I own the later versions of the evil, but haven't had the money recently for anything new. Anybody have a lot of money they'd be willing to give me to go out and buy one? anyone? anyone?? Bueller??

AND?

[torre]

What's the point.... now I can play on a bigger screen a game that was designed to work on a much small one....you gain nothing and loose all the portibility. its just like hooking up your palm to a 17" monitor. but that's my two cents.

Re:AND?

[matlokheed]

I like a lot of the games on the GBA, but when I'm at home, there's very little chance I'm going to spend any of the time I'd use for gaming on the tiny GBA screen, even with the Afterburner front lighting device. Then you have to factor in that I don't travel much and a large portion of the GBA's better games are RPGs and you realize why I've only finished a grand total of one of my GBA games.

A big screen would make these games playable without the eye strain. That's what makes this thing worthwhile. On a normal sized screen I could actually play through games like Golden Sun or Castlevania: Circle of the Moon.

I just wish they'd release this thing a little faster.

Lemme get this straight.

[Blaede]

A $44 attachment for a $70 unit to plug into your $150 console to play $35 games with the quality lesser than that of a 1990 era NES that sells for $20?

Re:Lemme get this straight.

[MNJavaGuy]

No. This negates the need for a Game Boy Advance completely. It comes with an emulator disc and the hardware part is just a cartridge reader. So, it's a $44 attachment for the $150 console to play games that are around SNES quality (not NES, that was the Game Boy Color)

Re:Lemme get this straight.

[tdegruyl]

A $44 attachment for a $70 unit to plug into your $150 console to play $35 games with the quality lesser than that of a 1990 era NES that sells for $20?

... priceless

Re:Lemme get this straight.

[cscx]

No, no, no... the article said 5000 yen. That's like.... um.... 7 cents.

Re:Lemme get this straight.

[Kris_J]

If you want NES games then you have to buy the $20 e-reader adapter for the $44 attachment for the $150 console. But then the games are only $5.

Re:Lemme get this straight.

[jellomizer]

As of Nov 20, 2002 at 7:54 5000 yen is
$41.34 American Dollars,
$65.53221 Canadain,
40.82965 Euros,
26.00493 Pounds,
$73.58498 Australian Dollars.

I like the new calculator in OS X 10.2

Re:Lemme get this straight.

[Anonymous Coward]

>quality lesser than that of a 1990 era NES

GBA F-Zero advance is better than the SNES version. Check out Advance Wars. Check out Denki Blocks.

Re:Lemme get this straight.

[TheWickedKingJeremy]

This negates the need for a Game Boy Advance completely.

I would not say "completely" --- Keep in mind the most important feature of the GBA is that its portable. ;)

Re:Lemme get this straight.

[Anonymous Coward]

'Canadain' sounds like a headache pill! Is that part of the calculator, or is the problem somewhere between the chair and the keyboard? ;)

Re:Lemme get this straight.

[SageLikeFool]

Lesser visual quality maybe. There are some games ported to the GBA from that era that still hold there own against games of today.

Re:Lemme get this straight.

[Anonymous Coward]

Not an emulator. Actual GBA hardware.

http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=45552&cid=47 13 745

Also check IGNcube.

Re:Lemme get this straight.

[Anonymous Coward]

It's a one-dee-one-zero-tee problem.

JK!

Re:Lemme get this straight.

[AlexMax2742]

"quality lesser than that of a 1990 era NES that sells for $20?"

You are telling me that a game system that is basically a portable SNES (which was a fantastic sytem with an awesome lineup of games) with more powerful graphics is 'lesser quality' than most NES games? *cough*troll*cough*

Re:Lemme get this straight.

[GMontag451]

No you don't. You just need a Flash Advance Linker and an NES emulator for the GBA. Then the games are free.

Re:Lemme get this straight.

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, obviously. Whatever that means.

Conversion

[flatface]

5,000 yen =

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

Re:Conversion

[Anonymous Coward]

That's cheaper than a gc game. Interesting...

Re:blah

[Jerry Talton]

This has gotten modded down, but he makes a good point. Nintendo is not growing with the gaming industry, and I don't think that bodes well for their future. Market share is the name of the console game, and Nintendo needs to rethink their business model if they want to have the resources to stay competitive. Nintendo's decision to aim the new Zelda game at young children cost them at least one Gamecube sale: mine. And I don't think I'm the only one.

GBA Flash Advance

[Anonymous Coward]

I wonder whether Nintendo have built in a function to lock-out my Flash Advance cartridge - I hope not! I was pissed off enough when I found out (after forking out the bucks) that my 256mb Flash Cartridge would not work with the GBA Action Replay system. There's some great demos and software out there from the GBA development community that I would also like to see on my big screen. Here's hoping!

Instead of fusing your naked retina to the screen

[fredistheking]

Why not try an emulator instead. I tried the VisualBoy Advance because I got tired of squinting to play Zelda. All the games I have tried thus far work perfectly. Also, they have a Linux and OSX version in addition to Windows.

-

wow

[outsider007]

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!

Re:wow

[rampant mac]

oh wait I can just dust off the snes in the attic!

Yeah, but that wouldn't be geeky enough for /.

Re:wow

[Tofuhead]

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 >

Re:wow

[Anonymous Coward]

Buy a Gravis gamepad an a video card that supports video out.

Re:wow

[Tofuhead]

I already own both. I also like to own my games.

< tofuhead >

Re:wow

[Troed]

Can you run Metroid Fusion on your SNES? ;)

I'm going to buy this for my cube JUST for Metroid Fusion ..

Re:wow

[Anonymous Coward]

Um...
The GBA games are 32-bit, and quite impressive regarding the graphics/sound.

Afterburner

[Anonymous Coward]

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' 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.

Re:Afterburner

[happystink]

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 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

[Kanon]

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.

Re:Afterburner

[h0tblack]

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.

Re:Afterburner

[WzDD]

Bought one, did the mod, it was very easy, and it looks fantastic. Highly recommended. :)

If you don't have any soldering experience, practise first. Oh, and I didn't bother to install the dimmer.

Re:Afterburner

[zonker]

well it is expected that they would say that as they are selling the mods...

anyway, take a look at this recent info-review from fresh gear...

Re:Afterburner

[Anonymous Coward]

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.

The reason is that some people don't actually like to steal software. So the GC-Cube adapter will let them play games like Mario Advance leagally without having to get a GameBoy Advance or violating copyright law.

Re:Afterburner

[matlokheed]

I've used a soldering iron exactly once before doing the afterburner upgrade and it really is as easy as they say it is. The hardest thing about it is applying the film to the screen and even that isn't bad.

The single problem I've seen with the upgrade is getting dust under the screen and I don't know anyone who hasn't gotten some dust under their screen when doing the upgrade, but for the light advantage it's a worthwhile trade.

And you can always just open it up again and again to try to get that last bit of dust out of there.

Re:Afterburner

[vaguelyamused]

Penny Arcade says it all in regards to installing the Afterburner:

PA

Re:Afterburner

[vaguelyamused]

Penny Arcade says it all in regards to Afterburner Installation:

PA Installation Guide

Tech Support

Re:Afterburner

[antiRev]

Its a little more complicated than that, involving cutting bits of plastic from the inside of the GBA and mucking around with the LCD. It's unlikely you're going to do a perfect job, at least I didn't, but then I can't solder in my sleep. But the end result is superb.

Re:Afterburner

[Cloud K]

Might be a bit late to post this reply now, Slashdot articles move too quickly for me :)

Well I managed it. It's a little more complicated that is immediately obvious in that you have to hack bits out of your case. I found a Dremel came in very handy for that.

My worst enemy was actually being too careful I think... I took so long "being careful" that dust collected in there somewhere. The dust shows up as very bright spots on the screen.

Also whilst painstakingly trying to peel the protective film off the afterburner and other pieces of plastic that come with it I managed to get a fingerprint on one of the corners (despite being very careful not to) which also shows up rather brightly.

The one piece of good advice I've seen since then (and didn't follow at the time) was GET A CAN OF COMPRESSED AIR. Utilise it thoroughly. That way you can greatly minimise any dust that turns up, or blow it away if it does!

In short it can look pretty ugly if you get dust or fingerprints in there. But even with the minor defects I got in, it's still WAY better than without the Afterburner.

Oh, and some (including myself) report that colours are very washed-out with the AB installed. It's still worth it, but don't be surprised if you say goodbye to the vibrant colours you were used to on the rare occasion that you could see the screen!

Re:Afterburner

[Yakko]

The soldering was the easy part.

Applying the AR film and keeping dust out of there was a bitch. I had to reopen it to flatten the film out a few times, and to blow dust out of it. It seems good enough now, altho I'll have to get new AR film someday.

I didn't dare fit the pot inside, as I didn't want to drill holes in the GBA's housing.

Re:Afterburner

[Anonymous Coward]

If you want to play the games on a large screen, get an emulator.

That's a great idea! Hrm.. except that my mnitor size is about the same as a GBA anyway. Perhaps I should invest in a new monitor instead of the GBA / Cable / Metroid? Nah.. more fun with the other stuff.

Re:blah

[runenfool]

Two words: Metroid Prime

so?

[Anonymous Coward]

CNN told me that yesterday!

heehee

Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[Viewsonic]

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.

Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[Jace of Fuse!]

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.

[Jayde Stargunner]

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

Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[infiniti99]

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?

Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[Jaysyn]

A girlfriend of mine has a GameCube, and I've been VERY impressed by some of the games on it. It might not have the best graphics of any console out there, but the games are unbeliveibly fun. The GBA link is just another nail in the X-Box coffin. (PS2 has backward compat., what does X-Box have? Oh, yeah "Trusted Computing") ;)

Jaysyn

Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[Gizzmonic]

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?

I would have to say that Metroid Prime is much, much, better than those other two. The most compelling advantage is that it's actually a game rather than a click-through CGI movie with a shitty pseudoscience plot.

Way up to Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 though...did you know that the Playstation 2 is just now getting it? Suckers...

Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[Anonymous Coward]

multiple girlfriends?

Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[poot_rootbeer]

This hack didn't work for me! I plugged the game into the NES and turned the power on but all I got was a blinking screen full of gibberish.

Maybe I need to blow on the connectors again...?

Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[Moonshadow]

Anyone else buy a console for just one game?

Yes. Dreamcast, Soul Calibur.

Looks like I may have to buy a Cube. Metroid Prime, from what I've played of it, is pure crack-in-a-box.

Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[Nightpaw]

Try smacking the side of the console with your hand.

Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[Anonymous Coward]

to bad x box kicks but

Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[Xenographic]

Well, if all you want is to play the original Metriod, go to consoleclassix.com -- you can play it for free, there :] I just beat it the other day, in fact.

Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[Anonymous Coward]

Try smacking the side of your head with the console!

Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[Anonymous Coward]

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is the best game I've played for the playstation. Too bad it's so damn short (even when you play it the full way past 100% completion, with the upside-down castle and all.)

Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[Anonymous Coward]

multiple girlfriends?

Probably. According to his .sig, "I know what euphoria feels like."

He has sex with multiple women at the same time, but so far hasn't posted any pictures of it happening.

Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[Yablo]

Anyone else buy a console for just one game?
yes.
dreamcast for tony hawk 2.
gamecube for tony hawk 4. (i had totally forgotten metroid prime was coming out not long after)
i'm debating a gameboy advance for metroid fusion.

Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah! I know! I tried to pick up my friend's XBox a few days ago and fell flat on my ass! It's still aching!

Thank god it doesn't have any good games for it though, or I'd have to risk further personal injury by buying one.

Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[JebusIsLord]

Aw come on, my 2 favorite games of all time (well before this week with the 2 new metroid games Uhhhhh...) are/were super metroid for the SNES and metal gear solid on the PSX. MGS was so NOT a click-through movie, it was an incredibly suspensefull gaming experience start-to-finish. The wonderfull tv show 24 actually reminds me of it a whole lot as far as emotional reaction.

Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, but not steady-type girlfriends. My fiance & I split up last year.

Jaysyn

Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[Jaysyn]

I told them I wouldn't, besides you're an AC!

Jaysyn

Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[Star Stealing Girl]

. My jaw was on the ground for the 7 hrs I played it today

I had been waiting forever for this game to come out. Took my lunch break to drive up to Software ETC at the mall to go buy it (and Metroid Fusion) the day they were released. Went home to play, and found out I don't have the stomach for FPS! I can only play for 20 minutes at a time before I get horribly nauseous because of the first person perspective. I love the game, but it's going to take me forever to finish it at this rate. :-(

Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[The_dev0]

Yeah, and don't forget soul calibur II for gamecube is almost finished!!

Re:Metroid Prime is INCREDIBLE.

[Gizzmonic]

I was playing MGS after I had a major surgery last year and I really hated the plot...and I found the game itself very easy and boring. I played it about 10 hours before I gave up. I feel the same way about Star Fox Adventures, which everyone else seems to love...

Re:blah

[MNJavaGuy]

And just how are they aiming the new Zelda at children? Because of the cel shaded graphics? Have you played the new Zelda? It is honestly a very well made game. The graphics are fluid and the framerate is stable and from what I hear, it promises to be more challenging than most children would be able to take. Don't judge a book by it's cover and don't judge a game by it's graphics. Just because it doesn't look like the realistic, gritty Spaceworld tech demo doesn't mean that it is automatically geared towards children. And since when has Zelda been an adult oriented game? I've found all of them to be a lot of fun for all ages, even the E3 demo of Zelda GC.

Just my $0.02

Linux on Gamecube?

[Cheese Cracker]

Anyone tried it yet?

Re:Linux on Gamecube?

[Anonymous Coward]

Good point, although isn't the Gamecube even more RAM starved than the PS2.. ?

I *need* a console with 128MB of RAM.

Re:Linux on Gamecube?

[Anonymous Coward]

yes, someone allready has

dms0

Re:Linux on Gamecube?

[edwdig]

Nope, PS2 is 32 megs. Gamecube is 43. 24 meg high speed + 16 meg slower speed + 3 meg video mem.

Re:Linux on Gamecube?

[racerx509]

Erm no, it has more ram. It has less than the 64mb in the X-Box, but more than the PS2's 32mb. Its got 40mb total of ram, 16 being "A-memory", 81mhz D-Ram and 24mb of MoSys 1T-Sram. I'm sure it could be made to run Linux, but as of yet, nobody is known to have cracked the disc system. You can see the rest of the specs here.

Re:Linux on Gamecube?

[Guppy06]

"Anyone tried it yet?"

Why would you want to? You see, unlike Xbox, the GameCube is a console that has actual, you know, good games to play on it...

Ah, console flame wars. Just like the good ol' days on Prodigy and local BBSes. :)

Re:Linux on Gamecube?

[The Original Yama]

How much of that RAM can be used for general data? Unless the RAM is unified (like the 64MB in the Xbox), I don't think you can use the video RAM for anything other than video.

BTW, the PS2 is 32MB of system RAM + 4MB video + 2MB audio. Remember that next time some weenie proclaims, "the Xbox has twice as much RAM as the PS2!"

Re:Linux on Gamecube?

[edwdig]

40MB of the Gamecube RAM can be used for anything. The 16MB part is technically considered audio RAM, but can be used for anything. It is slower than the other 24MB, so you probably won't want to put commonly used textures there, but it should be fine for the majority of the game data.

Re:Linux on Gamecube?

[CableModemSniper]

Good luck with the backwards spinning non-standard size dvds. Oh and dont think you can just burn a regular dvd or cd backwards, cuz the opening is too small for full size media.

Re:Linux on Gamecube?

[zonker]

prodigy? what are u talking about!?? the bbses i used to login to were much better (and cheaper) than prodigy! :P heheh bbs wars are fun too

Re:Linux on Gamecube?

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

Too small?

i think not...

I have a whole host of 3" diamter CDs... And there ARE dvdr versions of those CDs.

It's the godsend for oldschool 2D games on the TV.

[Viewsonic]

THAT is why it is being made. People still love the 2D side scrollers like Castlevania, but no developers have had the balls to make any more on an actual 3D based console since Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Why? I have no idea, SotN sold a LOT of copies, you would have thought Konami would have started doing more 2D based games after that. Same with Nintendo .. But I suppose they dont want to infringe on their GBA market (lol.. )!

Re:blah

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps Nintendo should do what Sega did and go for the software market. But wait, they sold Rare didn't they. Why?!

Cheap alternative?

[Anonymous Coward]

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!

Re:Cheap alternative?

[Guppy06]

"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...

Re:Cheap alternative?

[zonker]

the new box doesn't require a gba to run, but i understand your point however a lot of good games are now difficult to find used or new...

Re:Cheap alternative?

[shoptroll]

Actually.. The Oracle games were for Game Boy Color... But they were released just prior (or at the same time) to the GBA's release.

Re:blah

[Anonymous Coward]

no one above the age of 13 cares.

neither do the people who play the games

Are you kidding?

[Viewsonic]

Zelda has ALWAYS looked like a cartoon. Nintendo is doing EXACTLY what true console fanatics want. They are giving us the next generation of THE best console games ever made. And to top it off with a nice cherry, they're giving us a great retro nostaligic kickback to the very cool 2D gaming we all fell in love with on the GameBoy Advance, and now the Adaptor to play them on the TV. If you're REALLY into the console gaming, the stuff Nintendo is doing is HEADS AND TAILS above everyone else. If you look at what Microsoft is doing, its laughable. They're trying to turn CONSOLE GAMING into PC GAMING - If I wanted to play Unreal Tournament on my TV, I would have used my TV OUT on my video card! Talk about ignorant marketing!

Re:Are you kidding?

[Zico]

Yeah, that great marketing must explain why the GameCube is trailing the PS One in US sales this year. And to think they used to be number 1 over here...

Re:Are you kidding?

[Anonymous Coward]

I think that may be due to the fact that the PS One is ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS CHEAPER, and PARENTS DON'T KNOW ANY BETTER.

Re:Are you kidding?

[Anonymous Coward]

And the Gamecube is FIFTY DOLLARS CHEAPER than X-box and PS2. So why is the Gamecube the only one getting outsold by the Playstation One here?

Re:Are you kidding?

[Viewsonic]

Hardly, last figures I saw, it was a step ahead of the XBox, and behind the PS2. Over in JAPAN the PS1 is outselling the XBox, maybe that is what you are thinking of... Sales charts can be found at http://www.the-magicbox.com/ .. And everywhere in the world the GBA is leading them all.

Consider yourself owned bucko.

Re:Are you kidding?

[Zico]

Time to update your figures, bucko. Xbox has outsold the GameCube by 570,000 units in the US, and by 70,000 just in the last month. The Xbox's Japanese sales might be very shitty, but it has at least outsold the PS One there this year (267,800 to 201,900).

From NPD's October US numbers at http://mail.chartermi.net/~spartan85/NPD_UBS.pdf:

Sales of Xbox hardware (239,000 units) were up 38% month over month, as the Sega bundle clearly had a positive impact on sales. GameCube hardware sales (169,000 units) were disappointing, flat from September, as new Nintendo Software ( StarFox, Mario Party 4) did not spur consumers to buy hardware. Game Boy Advance hardware (315,000 units) grew 12% month over month and 8% year over year. Probably offsetting GBA is the fact that PlayStation One sales continue to be inexplicably strong. The system, which sells for $50, saw its hardware unit sales increase 43% to 134,000 units in October. Year-to-date, PlayStation One sales are actually ahead of GameCube (1.45 million versus 1.26 million).

You were saying?

Re:Are you kidding?

[Imperial Tacohead]

OK, thus far you've responded to every single damned post that criticized big N in the slightest by spouting fanboy gibberish. Give it a rest, man. Evangelism just creeps the rest of us out.

Re:Are you kidding?

[Anonymous Coward]

are you an idiot? a system which sells for 50$ will always sell more than a 150$ system.

Think about little poor ass stanky timothy. He gets his money together, and what can he buy? Not a 150$ amazing console, but a shitty hand me down psx for 50$.

I think you are owned. Shut the fuck up. Thanks for calling Avon.

Re:Are you kidding?

[Anonymous Coward]

Moderated as funny? The MS astroturfers have mod points tonight.

Re:Are you kidding?

[Anonymous Coward]

You're a fool. The Xbox is even more expensive but isn't having any problems outselling the PSOne. Same for the PS2, which is more expensive but is destroying the competition.

Re:Are you kidding?

[Anonymous Coward]

Ssshhh! If you listen very carefully, you can actually hear Viewsonic weeping...

Re:Are you kidding?

[Anonymous Coward]

Insightful?!? Where's the (-1, Fanboy) mod when you need it?

Re:Are you kidding?

[bryanbrunton]

Fanboy gibberish? His post was informative.

On the other hand, your waste of space excuse for a post was the true mark of fanboy. If you can't bother participating with facts or well informed opinion then just bugger off.

Re:Are you kidding?

[Hrothgar The Great]

i SEE your POINT! You are ABSOLUTELY correct! And you DON'T sound like a complete IDIOT either!

And I REALLY LOVE the way you CAPITALIZE so many words to get your FANTASTICALLY GROOVY point across!

I DONT SEE HOW ANYONE CAN RESPOND PROPERLY TO THAT MUCH CAPITALIZATION! I mean, your letters are bigger than theirs! How can they possibly defeat the SHOUT MASTAH?!

Re:Are you kidding?

[elite lamer]

Gamecube is $150. (link to where I bought mine).

Are you saying PS One is free?

256mb worth of demos and community software?

[honold]

right...no wonder you posted ac

Re:256mb worth of demos and community software?

[Anonymous Coward]

I didn't say I'd fill the cartridge with demos... and hey, I could have been greedy and gone the 512!

Re:256mb worth of demos and community software?

[Anonymous Coward]

256 megaBIT.

Re:blah

[Anonymous Coward]

Nintendo's decision to aim the new Zelda game at young children cost them at least one Gamecube sale: mine

What the hell are you talking about? Are you talking about that its cell shaded like a cartoon? So yer saying all cartoons are for children then?? As for the way the game looks, Miyamoto said that this the way he always invisioned the game, since the original NES days.

Not an unprecedented idea...

[Samir Gupta]

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 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.

Re:Not an unprecedented idea...

[Anonymous Coward]

Not unprecedented at all. I seem to remember, with my limited experience with console games, that the Dreamcast had the little portable thing you could unplug from the controller and play on the go. Not exactly the same thing, but....
As long as Nintendo can make this thing work right, and possibly make it so that MOST (not just some) of the games tie into to the other platform (GameCube GBA) it'd be pretty cool. Kinda like the whole Zelda Oracles series on the Gameboy Colour. But if the only reason to buy it is so that you can play your games big screen, screw it -- sure seems to be the whole pattern when you hook the handheld up to the console.
Just my cent and a half.

Much love,
Your mother

Re:Not an unprecedented idea...

[Anonymous Coward]

Well now I have to mention the Sega Nomad. A handheld that played GameGear games as well as Genesis/MegaDrive games. The sheer genius behind that astounds me. That nobody bought one also astounds me.

Re:Not an unprecedented idea...

[CableModemSniper]

I don't think it played GameGear games. And some one did buy one, one of my friends. I think the battery life was measured in half-lives of unounouno--one of those elements.

Re:Not an unprecedented idea...

[juggler314]

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.

Re:Not an unprecedented idea...

[Neon Spiral Injector]

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.

Re:Not an unprecedented idea...

[Neon Spiral Injector]

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?

Re:Not an unprecedented idea...

[juggler314]

Yeah I thought there was a Genesis one too - but the carts were so much bigger and I'm pretty sure the TurboGrafx one was more advanced. I *almost* got one for christmas that year - but my dad just couldn't even find one in the store - even at $400 in 1994(?) it sold out everywhere. NEC did a bad job of marketing the system...classic.

Re:Not an unprecedented idea...

[Guppy06]

"That nobody bought one also astounds me."

1.) The price tag.

2.) The fact that it went through batteries so fast that it made the Game Gear's battery life look like that of a GBA.

Re:Not an unprecedented idea...

[shoptroll]

Wasn't this also the purpose of the PSOne? Except that Sony didn't bring the "official" LCD screen and power pack until well after that systems release... Of course, that little thing is quite a nifty gadget for people to haul to LAN parties and play on their TV Tuner cards... But yes, console -> portable adaptations and back again aren't new...

An alternative to a SNES

[Ayanami Rei]

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

[edwdig]

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).

Re:An alternative to a SNES

[Xenographic]

Ummm, you're talking to someone who still plays SNES games :] They're quite fun (see sig)

Re:An alternative to a SNES

[Tofuhead]

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 >

Re:An alternative to a SNES

[Belgand]

Pulling my SNES out of the closet?!? It's the only console connected to my tv! Combine one part poor college student, one part computer gamer (not saying either is better... they're seperate and better at different things), and one part SNES diehard and that's what you get. Personally I think it's quite possibly the best console system developed. Back before everything was heavily split into exclusive titles or released for three systems at once. Back when Nintendo really dominated the industry aside from some pretty good Sega titles. It has one of the best selections of games, a simple, yet powerful controller that puts recent controllers to shame... camera buttons?!? an analog stick too small to have any real range of motion? Need I even mention the "I can't press all the buttons with my hands like this" N64 controller?. Sure I've played games on N64 and the various Playstations occasionally, but nothing tops when the SNES was king.

Combine this with a large game library and a Super Metroid-lovin' girlfriend and you've got plenty of fun for a hell of a lot less. Not that I don't lust after the PS2 every so often... :)

Re:An alternative to a SNES

[Marc2k]

The SNES uses a 65c816

..which is still a processor in the 6502 family.

Re:An alternative to a SNES

[Abcd1234]

"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.

Re:An alternative to a SNES

[edwdig]

The SNES has much better sound hardware. The GBA uses more CPU power to play sound than the SNES. As you mentioned, the graphics hardware is also a little better on the SNES. So the GBA has more raw CPU power, but the SNES has better supporting hardware. It really depends on the game as to which is better.

Re:An alternative to a SNES

[Tofuhead]

Right. edwdig stated that it was the 16-bit version of the 6502. That is the 65c816.

That's how the //gs gained its Apple II compatibility; when running older programs, you could step down to the 1 MHz speed of the older Apple machines, and they would run just fine, for the most part. It is almost perfectly binary-compatible, regardless of clock.

< tofuhead >

Re:An alternative to a SNES

[Anonymous Coward]

They did something like this with Game Gear, so that you could plug old Master System games into your Game Gear. I've still got mine somewhere.

Re:An alternative to a SNES

[Yakko]

The rule of thumb is that if you're not playing anything time-sensitive, just leave the IIgs's speed at "Fast" (2.8MHz). This works fine since the hardware will automagically put the CPU into 1MHz mode when clock-sensitive stuff was going on (IWM access especially. All those disk][ drivers were made for 1MHz machines and if you didn't get your code into 32usec/36usec, you'd write invalid bytes)

Forget playing most older games at "Fast," however, as they'll be waaay too fast for you to control. Montezuma's Revenge is... interesting... in "Fast." :o)

Re:An alternative to a SNES

[Tofuhead]

My favorite waste of time back in the day: playing Karateka with the disk in the drive upside-down on fast mode. :) Had to make sure the joystick (Apple-brand, platinum color...heh) wasn't plugged in, or it would lock in on one of the diagonals and you'd find yourself either running into punches or taking one step back off the cliff (I've forgotten which one).

< tofuhead >

Game Cube Web server then?

[CaptCanuk]

So if you get this and then use the gameboy advanced web server, that gets you one step closer to a Game Cube Web server, right?
Required Beowulf Cluster line: Imagine a beowulf cluster of those...

You got it wrong. There is no "emulator" disc.

[Viewsonic]

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.

Re:You got it wrong. There is no "emulator" disc.

[Troed]

What's your source for this information? (I haven't seen this stated _anywhere_ on any gaming sites)

Re:You got it wrong. There is no "emulator" disc.

[Anonymous Coward]

http://pocket.ign.com/articles/377/377835p1.html

"This Game Boy Player isn't a tremendous marvel of technology by any means; it's simply Nintendo reworking the extremely cheap GBA system hardware into a new chassis and sending the video and audio signals -- the output that would normally go to the LCD screen and GBA speaker -- through the GameCube system and its output."

Re:You got it wrong. There is no "emulator" disc.

[Troed]

That's not an answer to what I asked for though - I wanted to know why he said the cube-software would know about this method to communicate with the gba-soft and not just the normal link-cable method.

Re:You got it wrong. There is no "emulator" disc.

[MaverickUW]

Um, informative is wrong on this. Nowhere in any of the information (including Nintendo's Press releases) does it say anything about this. He is right that it is essentially a boot disk that comes with the GBA adaptor, but it does not say that the games set to link to the system will work correctly. It's actually more likely they wont work correctly because the gamecube game is programmed to output and input data through the controller port, not the high speed port on the bottom of the cube which this plugs into.

Re:You got it wrong. There is no "emulator" disc.

[MooseGuy529]

It is obvious. If you are using the piece of hardware mentioned in the article, it has a disc which simply has the software to do what the hardware needs, i.e. controller, screen, etc... connections. But if you use, for example, one of their Pokemon games that interfaces with a Gameboy game to use part of your game save, the GameCube and GBA games both have code written in to allow them to talk to each other.

Re:You got it wrong. There is no "emulator" disc.

[Troed]

No it's not at all obvious - the GC-games have code in them to talk via the link-cable to a GBA, see Metroid, Animal Crossing etc. It's not at all unlikely that these games won't be able to see a GB/C/A-game connected via this new device.

Re:You got it wrong. There is no "emulator" disc.

[MooseGuy529]

Oh, I wasn't suggesting that you could link a GameCube game to a GBA game playing on a GameCube--that obviously wouldn't work since it would be emulating a GBA while running another game.

Some quick thoughts...

[SmittyTheBold]

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.

Re:Some quick thoughts...

[edwdig]

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.

Re:Some quick thoughts...

[jerkface]

Not sure on the original Gameboy, but I'd guess 160x160.

Close: 160x144.

As to games that won't work... Any game that has a tilt sensor in the cartridge won't work.

You are probably right, but there may actually be a way to get it to work. You could insert the cartridge into the GCN's peripheral, and use the GBA as the controller (the peripheral lets you do this). If the GBA had a blank cartridge in it with just the MEMS tilt sensor in it... well, anyway, that's how Kirby's Tilt 'n Tumble 2 - or whatever they call it - is going to work, if they ever release it.

Aw, screw it, it'd be easier to just use the GCN controller and use the analog stick for tilt...

Re:Some quick thoughts...

[Jace of Fuse!]

Double LAME. I would expect the inner-workings of the GB series to be understood well enough to emulate perfectly.

Not lame at all. There are several Playstation games that still have gliches on the PS2. A handful of games refuse to work at all.

It's expected, even when systems are SUPPOSED to be fully compatible. Nintendo however won't claim compatibility at any stage before the Game Boy Colour, with good reason. There are literally thousands of Gameboy games out there. Claiming compatability with a game that is almost 15 years old now would be unwise.

It's best to say that MOST games should work, and leave it at that.

It is not emulating....

[Viewsonic]

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:What the Hell is a GBA?

[The Original Yama]

Christ, can't slashdot ever DEFINE an acronym?

You obviously can't. An acronym is a WORD formed from the first letters of other words. If you have to spell it out letter-by-letter, it ain't an acronym, it's an abbreviation.

Region coding?

[Tsuzuki]

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?

Re:Region coding?

[edwdig]

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?

[DarkZero]

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?

Re:Region coding?

[jaybird144]

Just a quick question on moderation...who modded this as funny? I don't see any humor here, and if I had mod points, I'd throw an informative on it...just my two cents worth.

Re:Region coding?

[Anonymous Coward]

http://pocket.ign.com/articles/377/377835p1.html

"It also means that, even though the GBA games can be played on any territory's hardware, the Game Boy Player will be specific to the country it's sold in. So, importers beware: Japanese Game Boy Players can only be used on the Japanese systems."

Re:Region coding?

[MountainLogic]

Ever heard of NTSC and PAL, pal? When the world can decide on one TV standard you'll see region free consoles games.

Re:Region coding?

[blincoln]

Ever heard of NTSC and PAL, pal? When the world can decide on one TV standard you'll see region free consoles games.

The video output type has nothing to do with whether a game from another country will run on a given system or not. European Amigas and Sega Genesises can play US games just fine - and vice versa - for example. The only issue that can occur is that if the European version of the game uses the bottom 40-odd lines of vertical resolution, which is of course cropped off on NTSC displays.

Re:blah

[Aexia]

Nintendo is not growing with the gaming industry, and I don't think that bodes well for their future.

Are there *any* portable gaming units on the horizon?

wow +1 informative

[Anonymous Coward]

My girlfriend thanks you in advance!

Thats exactly it.. Newer 2D games!

[Viewsonic]

Including the *4* Zeldas, and 2 more on the way. ANOTHER Metroid coming. Possibly another Kid Ikarus! A new Contra just came out. And A BUNCH OF FINAL FANTASY GAMES. You wont be seeing ANY of those on the SNES.

Re:Thats exactly it.. Newer 2D games!

[Anonymous Coward]

So when will the new Bible Adventures games be coming out on GameCube? I can't wait!!!

Re:Thats exactly it.. Newer 2D games!

[shoptroll]

I'd like to know what FF's you're referring to...

As far as I know there's that follow-up to Tactics

There's a remake of Final Fantasy Adventure, or Seiken Densetsu 1 (prequel to Secret Of Mana)

And I've heard that Final Fantasy III (not the one that came out for SNES) is being done on the GBA now, and not the Wonderswan Color

No word yet on whether or not they will be leaving Japanese shores, but usually that's not announced until after they are released in Japan, which they haven't been yet.

Re:blah

[CableModemSniper]

Talk about bitter. "What!? you aimed a game at children!? Thats it, you don't get any of my money!" Sheesh. Forget about all the other good games, the good console, or anything like that. If you aim a game at children, and I mean ONE game thats it its over. I wonder what woulda happened to Square if all the FF fanboys had seen Mystic Quest and reacted the same way...hmmm...maybe its not sucha bad idea after all

Why Don't You Try...

[krmt]

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.

Re:Why Don't You Try...

[zonker]

try gba morphing...

GBA a bit underpowered....but still holding on

[CodePyro]

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.

Re:GBA a bit underpowered....but still holding on

[gamgee5273]

...they might not have the best graphics...

Dude, you have got to play Pikmin. The graphics in there! The water, just as an example, is amazing...just simply amazing. I find it even better than the water in Super Mario Sunshine...

Re:GBA a bit underpowered....but still holding on

[The_dev0]

You should check out Starfox Adventures. By far some of the best graphics I have ever seen on any console. Also, the game plays almost identically to Zelda:Ocarina of Time, so if you want something to tie you over until the new Zelda comes out, have some eye-candy as well as good fun and give Starfox a go.

Re:GBA a bit underpowered....but still holding on

[gamgee5273]

I second that opinion - SA is a strong game, and a good swan song for Rare, now that it's been swallowed by M$ and will probably lose its identity much the way Bungie did...

Re:GBA a bit underpowered....but still holding on

[The_dev0]

I think it's identity has already been lost. After all, the most skilled of them (David Doak, etc) had already left to form Free Radical. All M$ bought was the name.

Kinda off and kinda on topic

[forgoil]

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.

Re:Kinda off and kinda on topic

[gozar]

As of 8:38 EST, that works out to be $41.34.

OS X's Calculator has several built in convertors, including currency. The currency convertor can update its rates from the Internet. Not the same as having the browser do it, but cool anyhow.

Re:Kinda off and kinda on topic

[Anonymous Coward]

You kids with your fancy Interweb! Why, in my day, we had to walk, uphill both ways, to the bank, say the pledge of allegiance (to prove that we weren't Jap sympathizers), and buy a stack of war bonds just to *ask* the conversion rate. If we wanted an answer, we'd actually have to fly a few missions over the Empire and, let me tell you, those nips sure can aim an anti-aircraft gun!

Re:Kinda off and kinda on topic

[Anonymous Coward]

You could probably make a bookmarklet for this. I don't know where to get the currency data but you can do some interesting things with bookmarklets:

http://www.squarefree.com/bookmarklets/

Re:Kinda off and kinda on topic

[TheWickedKingJeremy]

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.

It would be vital to somehow let the browser know which values are currency related and which are not... Otherwise, statements such as "Wilt Chamberlain slept with 5000 women" might be converted to a much less impressive American dollar result. - Wilt would be pissed.

Re:Kinda off and kinda on topic

[forgoil]

Or it would be a good idea to not forget that the slashcode removes my faked HTML so the point of my whole argument died away ;)

so |money currency="yen"| 5000 |/money| (| represents ) would a whole lot more sense.

Re:blah

[Maul]

Nintendo is not growing with the gaming industry?
Why? Because they release an GBA adaptor to play good 2D games on your TV? Because they still make great games that are fun for both youngsters and adults?

What should Nintendo be doing? Should Miyamoto ditch his emphasis on gameplay and enjoyability and instead fill his games with T&A or tons of blood? I don't think so.

It is quite obvious that Miyamoto could make a better game with an abacus than Microsoft can with an X-Box.

The new Zelda looks 100% sweet. It is definately done in the tradition of the original NES Zelda:
A fun game set in a fantasy world that will captivate both children and adults. I don't see anything wrong with that approach at all. The cell shaded animation looks great, IMHO.

The Game Cube may not be doing the best in sales, but it and the GameBoy Advance has the most enjoyable games out there.

As for me and Link, we will be doing some serious princess rescuing this upcoming spring.

Re:What the Hell is a GBA?

[Anonymous Coward]

well, you're nearly right, it doesn't have to be a word. also, and abbreviation isn't used when you have multiple words, it is a singular word contraction only. viva la resitance.

Big deal

[Anonymous Coward]

Been able to play free GBA games on my computer for a long time now. Only problem is all the games are horrible for it. When's the new SNES style zelda game comin out for GBA?

Re:What the Hell is a GBA?

[tchueh]

Plus, What the hell are you doing reading a site thats has News for Nerds when you don't know what a GBA is?

in reality...

[zonker]

it will probably be priced at 39.99 in the us.

Re:in reality...

[Bloody Twit]

...or $39.95, which would be a difference of approximately 4.90311 Yen.

Someone hasn't played them...

[Arcaeris]

"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).

Re:Someone hasn't played them...

[greening]

I agree with the sound. When I first heard about the GBA, I was excited about it. I was going to go pick one up the day it came out. But, then I started hearing specs about the sound. The rest of the system is (comparatively) great but, the sound is the one reason why I refuse to buy it. my little nephew has one and the sound is just the same as the GB/C. I already have one of those so, why waste my money?

get excited, this is great

[nsda's_deviant]

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

Re:get excited, this is great

[Anonymous Coward]

The device is there to add 1400 games to their list... giving it more games than the PS2.

Stop whining.

[Anonymous Coward]

If you don't know what something is, then look it up on Google, for fuck's sake!

in addition

[Anonymous Coward]

in addition, trim and clean your fingernails
so they are not long, dirty, or sharp. this
should apply to both sexes.

Re:What the Hell is a GBA?

[The Original Yama]

No, I was right. A contraction is a shortened word or words formed from omitting or combining some of the letters or sounds. An abbreviation is simply a shortened form of a word or phrase. So "GBA" is an abbreviation because it isn't pronounced as a word (you could pronounce it as a word, but it'd sound pretty silly).

Re:What the Hell is a GBA?

[Anonymous Coward]

Sie haben die Seele eines Pavians und die Beschaffenheit eines toten lama. Ihre Methoden sind nicht korrigierbar. Hören Sie bitte mit der Fassade auf, daß Sie das Leben benennen.

Console flamewars ...

[vrai]

... are for people too poor to buy all three (four if you count the GBA/GC-GBA adaptor).

My XBox plays precisely three games: Hitman 2, Halo, and FIFA 2003. Which, to be fair, is two more than my GC: Super Mario Sunshine.

Re:Console flamewars ...

[Melantha_Bacchae]

vrai wrote:

> ... are for people too poor to buy all three (four
> if you count the GBA/GC-GBA adaptor).

I have two of the three: PS2 and GameCube. I refuse to help Microsoft with their empire building by buying an XBox.

> Which, to be fair, is two more than my GC: Super
> Mario Sunshine.

With all due respect to Mario, there are other good games out for the GameCube. One of my favorites is "Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee" (http://www.godzillaoncube.com/), the best Godzilla game ever. If Godzilla's atomic breath, King Ghidorah's deadly lightning storm, or Mechagodzilla's arsenal don't put a dent in your opponent, try throwing a skyscraper at them. If that fails, just call Mothra. The Queen of Monsters will happily whittle your opponents life force by nearly half, and she is gracious enough to leave the killing blow to you (gotta look good for the instant replays at the end).

If you are worried about iguanna imposters, don't. This is the one true King of Monsters, God of the Atom, Lord of Destruction, and Child of the Hydrogen Bomb! There are two incarnations of Godzilla in the game: the one from the early 1990's, and Godzilla 2000, the Dreaded God.

Chief Tsujimori: "I won't let you get away. I will never let you escape."
Godzilla elegantly lifts his tail skyward to give her the "finger", crashes it down on the water, and submerges.
"Godzilla X Megagiras", December 2000

That's kind of confusing

[NetGyver]

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!

Re:That's kind of confusing

[zonker]

yeah i think many people misunderstand the point of the new box...

it is so that people who don't have a gba can play gba games on their gcn...

like u said, i don't know how many people will be all over this, but it is a nice option to have i guess. i imagine it would be good for a household w/ multiple kids and a single gba but lots of games. if one kid is playing the gba the other could play a different game on this box. i wonder if it will support gba linking so you could play multiplayer w/ the other kid who has the real gba...

Re:That's kind of confusing

[palo0019]

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.

Re:That's kind of confusing

[Babbster]

I should note here that the word from Nintendo is that the device will not play all Gameboy games - some early ones are apparently left out in the cold.

Re:That's kind of confusing

[gamgee5273]

I think they did think it out, and the argument that sending 8MB ROMs is important.

Nintendo, however, did do almost exactly that in Pokemon Stadium on the N64. With Pokemon Stadium (N64 cart), the included Transfer Pak for the N64 controller, and either Pokemon Red, Blue or Yellow (GBC carts), you could plug the GBC cart into the Pak and play it - it actually convinced me to buy Stadium & Yellow (don't laugh, Pokemon games are fun).

So, Nintendo has the adapter experience from the SNES and the "push" technology from the N64. After seeing how difficult, I think, it was to push the ROM over the controller for the N64, they decided to go back to the adapter solution.

Considering that I have multiplayer games for my GBA that my wife likes, but she doesn't see the justifcation to buy a (second for the household) GBA she would rarely use, this makes sense for us. I can play my GBA games on the road and she can play the ones I leave when I'm traveling and we can play the multiplayer games without another GBA and I don't need to use up batteries, or move furniture to reach an outlet for the GBA power adapter, when I want to play at home.

I'm sold.

Re:That's kind of confusing

[Anonymous Coward]

Sega had one long ebfore the nes/snes one came out only for sega it was sms/genesis (megadrive, depending where you are)

Re:That's kind of confusing

[The_dev0]

Yeah, but as mentioned before this is just a caveat. It's exactly the same with the gameboy colour as well. It's mainly in there in case you find some obscure 3rd-party title that sold 6 copies for the original GB 13 years ago.

Re:That's kind of confusing

[Babbster]

I'm with you and will likely buy the peripheral myself. I'm just in the more-information-is-good camp. :)

Re:That's kind of confusing

[The_dev0]

Yeah, i'll probably buy it too. That way I can still play Golden Sun while my girlfriend plays Sonic Advance on the way to work. I think they made the bloody thing too portable, it's always at work with her instead of where it should be, in my pocket!

Metroid Prime

[ctar]

Shouldn't THAT be the big news? That Metroid Prime is released today, Nov. 20th? One of the most anticipated console games ever?!?!

All Right!

[Anonymous Coward]

Sweet! Now I have a reason to run out and buy one!

Has anybody else been waiting for this too? I mean, wow, this is such big news.

Seriously, who gives a shit?

Nintendo...

[pdboddy]

It used to be that I would be like the fanboy a buncha posts up. Nintendo rocked. First kid on the block to have the NES. Traded it all in for the SNES. Moved on up to the N64, and that was, and will ever be, the last Nintendo thing I will buy.

They dropped the ball. They had the lead, and it seemed they knew what people wanted. Why the heck couldn't they stick a freakin' CD/DVD in the N64?

They were the first with the party games, back on the SNES, I remember having 5 people playing NHL94, which was hugely entertaining. They had a lot of good ideas, stuff the Xbox and Playstation could learn from (helloooo, only one controller and no games?? wtf!?!?).

Losing Squaresoft was one of the last straws too.

Re:Nintendo...

[pdboddy]

Also, if you check out this months issue of EGM, you'll find an interview with one of the head honcho's at Nintendo. They're going to be using the GBA as a controller for more game in the future.

Great! So the Gamecube will end up costing *more* than the Xbox and Playstation....

Re:Nintendo...

[Anonymous Coward]

This is a rumored price drop of the GC (again), possibly to the $99.00 (US) level.

The GBA thing is a waste of my time, IMHO...

Re:Nintendo...

[edwdig]

They aren't using the GBA as a controller. It's not going to be required. It's just going to provide some added bonuses for people who have both.

Re:Nintendo...

[gamgee5273]

Dude...losing Squarsoft? You have got to check out the latest Nintendo line-ups, then, because you aren't up on the news. There are two or three Final Fantasy games on the plate for the GC and the GBA - with more to come.

Re:Nintendo...

[pdboddy]

Ya, notice a slight lack of Square games for the N64? Square wanted cd/dvd, and Sony gave it to them first.

Re:Nintendo...

[gamgee5273]

True. But there is a lack of a lot of games for the N64 - Square's not the only one.

Re:Nintendo...

[Anonymous Coward]

NHL 94 was the best game ever. I can't believe it even made it into Swingers.

Re:Nintendo...

[pdboddy]

Ya, that's true. But I was hooked on Squaresoft games... still am. It was one of the reasons I traded my NES for a SNES, Final Fantasy II (well, actually FFIV)...

It is NOT free. It is piracy.

[Viewsonic]

And this is why Sega had to dump their Dreamcast. Much like how Microsoft will most likely have to dump the XBox. Piracy is too rampant and is literally killing the system(s).

Re:It is NOT free. It is piracy.

[h0mer]

Obviously if he's playing the games on the GBA system, he's probably already bought the games. So where's the problem?

Re:It is NOT free. It is piracy.

[Anonymous Coward]

Piracy does not make or break a system...even with the Dreamcast, which didn't require any modding, it was quite a hassle. (You couldn't just copy games on your PC, you had to get them off USENET).

Some might say that piracy is the reason why the original Playstation is so popular, especially in lower-income countries.

Re:It is NOT free. It is piracy.

[Anonymous Coward]

At the risk of feeding a troll...

Emulation has nothing whatsoever to do with piracy. It is simply running software from one system on another, which is perfectly legal.

Whether or not the software you use is legal doesn't depend on the emulation, but on whether you bought legally or not.

Re:It is NOT free. It is piracy.

[krmt]

I'd just like to confirm that I do, in fact own a GBA (and the aforementioned Castlevania game), and while I don't play it emulated I wouldn't feel the least bit of guilt if I did.

As a side note, one can also use emulation to try out new games for yourself before you buy them. I played dodge ball on my friend's GBA emulator, and am planning to get it soon. Just one of those little things.

Re:What the Hell is a GBA?

[Nastard]

While on the subject, I recall some Nintendo fanboy reaction over using "GCN" (GameCube Nintendo) as the acronym for the Nintendo GameCube instead of the slightly more obvious "NGC". Obviously, this was done to provide a uniform acronym system compliant with the standard set by the GameBoy Advance (GBA), and to show emphasis on that first word, "Game".

I always thought that the fanboy backlash was silly, and that Nintendo should abbreviate the name of the Nintendo GameCube the most logical way, and simply refer to it as the NiGaCube.

Re:blah

[gl4ss]

just few weeks ago there were pics of next gen gameboy's. looked veeeeeeeerry spiffy.

but i don't see point in bringing them over yet. the original gb sold for, what, 10 years?

gba's got lot of juice and gamebase to suck from(snes) to go for couple of years imho.

It's reasonably Easy.

[Anonymous Coward]

Lik-Sang provide all the bits and pieces you need apart from soldering iron, solder, dremmel and canned air. My soldering is pretty basic, having been solely used for installing various mod chips but even so I found the soldering very very easy. Cutting the case to fit the afterburner is also remarkably easy with a dremmel (or the cheap ripoff of one I have). Only two parts of the installation posed any real problem. Firstly installation of the potentiometer is a little tricky. You can easily drill holes for the legs through the GBA case with the dremmel, but the plastic is a bit thick so it's hard to solder the tiny tips of the legs that protrude inside. Before drilling you should grind down the plastic to about half it's current thickness - or alternatively use the tip of the soldering iron to melt the plastic around the legs from the inside which additionally secures the potentiometer. I did the latter, which works, but is a little messy. The second problem which somebody else mentioned is the dust - hence needing canned air. It's probably worth buying a spare anti-glare film from lik-sang with your kit. They're very cheap and it saves you having to dab away with sticky tape as I had to to get every last speck of dust removed.
When it's all installed, it took me about an hour from opening the jiffy bag to firing up the GBA it looks incredible - everything you've been told is true.

It's reasonably Easy.

[goldcd]

Lik-Sang provide all the bits and pieces you need apart from soldering iron, solder, dremmel and canned air. My soldering is pretty basic, having been solely used for installing various mod chips but even so I found the soldering very very easy. Cutting the case to fit the afterburner is also remarkably easy with a dremmel (or the cheap ripoff of one I have). Only two parts of the installation posed any real problem. Firstly installation of the potentiometer is a little tricky. You can easily drill holes for the legs through the GBA case with the dremmel, but the plastic is a bit thick so it's hard to solder the tiny tips of the legs that protrude inside. Before drilling you should grind down the plastic to about half it's current thickness - or alternatively use the tip of the soldering iron to melt the plastic around the legs from the inside which additionally secures the potentiometer. I did the latter, which works, but is a little messy. The second problem which somebody else mentioned is the dust - hence needing canned air. It's probably worth buying a spare anti-glare film from lik-sang with your kit. They're very cheap and it saves you having to dab away with sticky tape as I had to to get every last speck of dust removed. When it's all installed, it took me about an hour from opening the jiffy bag to firing up the GBA it looks incredible - everything you've been told is true.

Correction:

[fireboy1919]

I've always been rather partial to Crystalis(NES) as the best console game ever made, with Chronotrigger(SNES) in close second.

All Zelda games I would rate a distant third, behind all Final Fantasy games. (Except Zelda 2, which is on my list of "What the heck where they thinking?" games, right next to Super Mario 2).

Re:Correction:

[The_dev0]

ChronoTrigger. Well fuck me twice and call me Shirley. Jesus, I reckon I blew half my childhood on that bloody game. Between that and Secret of Mana, i'd be happy to play nothing else again. Excellent call!

Re:Correction:

[mmortal03]

good picks, Crystalis and ChronoTrigger are two of my favorites. The GBC version of Crystalis had awful music and digitized voice that really did not fit at all though. The original was so much better.

So basically...

[niftyeric]

they're selling a Gameboy Advance that needs to be plugged into the wall and attached to a TV. Anyone wanna buy a bridge on the moon? =P

Re:It's the godsend for oldschool 2D games on the

[dazzawazza]

If you want 2D games then get a Dreamcast. Plenty of 2D shooters. I love my DC and I love 2D games. Get a DC and Bangio... it's a totally awesome game

NES

[Anonymous Coward]

I have the GameCube, SNES, and NES, (sold the N64 last year heh). Will this device allow me to play my NES games on the GameCube? My NES is still functional but it is getting rather old and don't know how long it will last. I have such classics as Metroid, Kid Icarus, Mario bros 1 and 3, Rampage, TMNT 2, Kung-Fu, etc...

Re:What the Hell is a GBA?

[The Original Yama]

A Niga Cube? Yeah, it's called a gaol cell!

NOTE: This is intended to be only a joke, I mean no offence whatsoever. In fact, I am black myself.

But seriously, what's wrong with just calling it a GameCube? Everyone knows it is made by Nintendo. How often do you see somebody say/write "MS Xbox" or "Sony PS2"? Almost never -- there's no need to.

no need

[Anonymous Coward]

I saw a device this week at the local gamestop.com (or as I like to call it "The store formally know as 'Software, Etc.'") that allows you to hook up your gameboy advance straight to the TV via RCA jacks.

(I'm still not sure why nintendo calls it advance--the atari lynx had backlighting over 10 years ago :-)

Dreamcast Inspired?

[Infestation]

I'm sure that people remember the Dreamcast memory cards with the screens on them. They had little mini games on them and things. Now if you had a 256mb GBA Flash cartridge that could be used as a memory card, you could get mini-games to play on the run which could be a) quite enjoyable b) full color and c) quite large. There's definatley a market there.....

uhm..

[EMH_Mark3]

I think this speaks for itself...

Animal Crossing

[jafuser]

Well, fortunately I already purchased a GBA and link cable for Animal Crossing, which seems to be the source of much sleep loss so far this month.

What's funny is I've never been happier to be conned into buying more stuff for a game before...

Have you actually played one?

[starX]

games with the quality lesser than that of a 1990 era NES

If you can say that with any degree of seriousness my guess is the answer is no. The graphics are most definitely comparable to a mid-1990s SNES, the 16 bit one, not the NES (the 8 bit).

Besides, I think you're missing the point entirely; far too many modern games suck because they over-emphasize the importance of graphics. I'll take the old Final Fantasy games for the SNES over the newer ones any day for the simple reason that they were more fun. The graphics were usually pretty simple, but the story and game play were always unbeatable, and GBA has done a bit to bring that sort of game play back

Metroid II works on GBA and WBA

[yerricde]

No word if this works with Metroid II

Metroid II will work in a Game Boy Advance (handheld system) or a GCN Wide Boy Advance (the device that the article describes).

No doubt!

[13Echo]

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!

[BigBir3d]

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.

Scan eighty cards for SMB3?

[yerricde]

If you want NES games then you have to buy the $20 e-reader adapter for the $44 attachment for the $150 console.

The e-reader cards hold about 5 KB each. Super Mario Bros. is 40 KB, which should fit on 8 cards. On the other hand, Super Mario Bros. 3 is nearly 10 times bigger, at 384 KB. For one thing, the e-reader has only 128 KB of memory for its NES emulator, and for another, I wouldn't want to scan 80 cards every time I wanted to play a game.

Re:Scan eighty cards for SMB3?

[Kris_J]

I wonder how long it will take before one of the developers builds a fast load boot block that provides better (or some?) compression and then allows the games to fit on fewer cards.

Or perhaps "widescreen" cards will be printed that are 50% longer so there's not as much swiping...

Plenty of room for innovation.

Re:blah

[Schnapple]

The Game Cube may not be doing the best in sales

Yeah but its still outdoing Microsoft's Xbox.

Plus this is Slashdot, aren't we supposed to be anti-MS? And anti-Sony?

GBA == Super NES with overclocked Super FX

[yerricde]

The graphics are most definitely comparable to a mid-1990s SNES, the 16 bit one, not the NES (the 8 bit).

I'd compare the GBA's graphic power to a Super NES with an overclocked Super FX chip, or perhaps some of the really early PlayStation stuff. Look at graphic demos such as "Beyond the Limits", "fr018: aGb", "Period Of Revolutionary Transform", "VIT 2", "Kilken", "Bunnykost", and "Lollipoop". Download them at pdroms.com and run them on VisualBoyAdvance.

game play were always unbeatable

Only because you sucked ;-)

Re:GBA == Super NES with overclocked Super FX

[starX]

Only because you sucked ;-)

Note that I said the game play, and not the games themselves were what was tops at the time, and in my mind remains untouched today. Ever since we started to be able to create "realistic" 3d environs, games seem to be overly focused on creating these environments. It just seems to me that at that time, developers were trying to craft a better game, and it was really cool when they could milk their hardware for all it was worth. IMHO, those days were the golden age of gameing and game development.

Then again, thatwas when I was a kid with almost unlimited amounts of disposeable time, and I'm sure my father thinks the same thing about pinball and early arcade machines :)

Cheaper than TV out

[yerricde]

Why not try an emulator instead

Because this $40 GBA adapter seems cheaper than $200 PC video card with TV out or a $500 21-inch VGA monitor.

Re:Cheaper than TV out

[outsider007]

Bah, I got a decent geforce2 w/tv-out card for my pc on ebay a year ago for $50. the hard part is cramming a gc controller into your game port.

btw, there's nothing illegal about emulating games that you already own, and nothing morally wrtong with using a gba emulator to demo games that you're considering buying. I bought 3 gba games because I liked the way they played on my emulator, but naturally it's not the same when your pixels are 2"x2"

Re:Cheaper than TV out

[GMontag451]

btw, there's nothing illegal about emulating games that you already own,

Its only legal if two things are true. One, that you personally backed up the game with a flash advance linker, rather than downloading it from a ROMs site, and two, that Nintendo's EULA stating backups are illegal period doesn't hold up in court.

Whether or not its morally wrong is a different question though.

(Obligatory) Penny Arcade Link

[IIRCAFAIKIANAL]

Something else to buy

$41.10 in american cash

[flogger]

It is also:

• 73.61 Australlian Dollars
  
• 25.88 British Pounds
  
• 40.67 Euros
  

Feel free to use this.

Emulate carts you own with RIAA v Diamond

[yerricde]

I also like to own my games.

Then only dump the cartridges that you have purchased. Format-shifting of non-encrypted media such as GBA games is your right under the RIAA v. Diamond precedent.

Re:Emulate carts you own with RIAA v Diamond

[Tofuhead]

No. To me it would be pointless to do that; I'd already have the game.

I download whatever I want. ROMs are like previews to me; if I like the game, I'll keep the ROM and buy the game. If not, there's no reason for me to keep the ROM on my disk anyway. Emulation for me is like a free game rental store. It's the same way with MP3s and file-sharing progs, too. I treat Gnutella as one big 24-hour all-request radio station.

For all that time that I have ROMs in my posession but don't yet own the game, I'm infringing copyright. I sleep well at night, regardless. :)

< tofuhead >

Re:It's the godsend for oldschool 2D games on the

[Anonymous Coward]

SotN sold a LOT of copies, you would have thought Konami would have started doing more 2D based games after that.

No it didn't. It cut even, but not by much. It was widely regarded as an excellent game, yes, but the Greatest Hits version actually sold a lot more than the original release.

For the record - Games don't have to sell a whole lot to be on the Greatest Hits list. Look at Chrono Cross. An excellent game, but it got poor initial reviews and didn't sell very well at first.

Re:Zelda

[tgibbs]

Nintendo's decision to aim the new Zelda game at young children cost them at least one Gamecube sale: mine.

This is pretty ridiculous. Zelda has always been a "kids of all ages" series. Personally, I like the new look (which actually is more in the spirit of the original series than the rather generic look of the N64 Zelda games).

I think Nintendo's business model is stronger than ever. There are always going to be kids, and Nintendo is the only company that seems to have found the formula for producing games that appeal to kids as well as to many adults. The only difference is that they have broadened their focus to accept a few of the best teen game, like Resident Evil.

Video cards are expensive

[yerricde]

Buy a Gravis gamepad an a video card that supports video out.

Let's see... Can you get a good gamepad (the Gravis GamePad Pro USB is too touchy on the SE diagonal), a video card with TV-out, and a $30 PC link cable for under $40? thought so.

Even if you don't have a Cube, it's difficult to squeeze a good gamepad, a video card with TV-out and 3D acceleration, and a PC link cable for $190 ($150 for Cube and $40 for wideboy).

Hey, chill I still love my SNES

[Ayanami Rei]

it's hooked up to my PC-TV card. I get the impression from others that it isn't worth getting the adapter for the GBA so you can play 2d games on your TV. I say, idiot, you need both.

AV switches is where it's at. ^_^

Re:Hey, chill I still love my SNES

[Belgand]

AV switches!?!? Are we living in the dark ages? Every home theater reciever ought to have at least a good start on working as a plug box.

I lost my GBA trying to do it myself

[Scyber]

Well I tried to do this myself and wound up ruining my GBA. That made me 0 for 2 for soldering projects so I threw my soldering iron away.

Doesn't spin backwards

[yerricde]

backwards spinning non-standard size dvds.

Backwards? No. Xbox and GameCube "backwards spinning disc" rumors began when it was discovered that those systems store their boot sectors on layer 2 of the DVD, which spirals from outside to inside rather than inside to outside like CDs and layer 1 of a DVD. The disc still spins counter-clockwise (viewed from the laser) just like any CD or DVD.

Format-shifting is not a crime

[yerricde]

So the GC-Cube adapter will let them play games like Mario Advance leagally without having to get a GameBoy Advance or violating copyright law.

To play Super Mario Advance lawfully, you can buy Super Mario Advance and then

• buy a GBA and run it in your GBA
• buy a Cube and a wideboy and run it in the wideboy
• buy a "flash advance linker", put the game in your flash advance linker, copy it to the PC, and run it in VisualBoyAdvance (format-shifting, a right affirmed in RIAA v. Diamond)

Re:Format-shifting is not a crime

[Anonymous Coward]

Which I'm sure is what he was going to do.

Or..

[Anonymous Coward]

Just download VisualBoy Advance and get a TV Out connector for your PC.

That's great....but

[EvilAdmin]

It's wonderful if you already own a Gameboy Advance. The beauty of Gameboy Advance games is that the system is portable. Playing games that are graphically inferior and shorter in play time isn't a big selling point. Though that GBA screen is hard as hell to see I could see why you'd want to play it on your TV, but they already sell an adapter for that. If this is to appeal to those who don't have a GBA, I would say to them, find a good deal on a GBA, spend the $30 extra bucks, and buy an actual GBA.

NOT a serial port add-on!

[Frag-A-Muffin]

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.

IIGS was inferior

[yerricde]

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

The IIGS's processor was clocked at 2.8 MHz. The Super NES ran at 3.6 MHz. The IIGS had only a dumb frame buffer for graphics. The Super NES had three layers of scrollable tiles or one layer of mode 7 plus sprites.

GBA sound

[yerricde]

The rest of the system is (comparatively) great but, the sound is the one reason why I refuse to buy it. my little nephew has one and the sound is just the same as the GB/C.

Most GBA games use the stereo 8-bit sound channels, which have a similar programming model to the Sound Blaster Pro. Some GBA games such as Pinobee and Doom use only the "legacy" GBC sound channels because it takes some serious CPU power to be able to mix eight channels at 18 kHz, and some CPU-intensive graphics engines don't leave much CPU to spare. Some games, such as TOD and Mario Kart Super Circuit, use both.

Loading...

[yerricde]

Why the heck couldn't they stick a freakin' CD/DVD in the N64?

Loading...

For one thing, N64 came out in 1996 and DVD Video came out in 1997 or so.

Loading...

For another, loading on the PlayStation takes up to 15 seconds or more, and Miyamoto claimed that such delays would kill the flow of a game. Note that "Super Smash Bros. Melee" for GCN never loads for longer than 4 seconds.

Loading...

Third, Nintendo didn't yet see how a CD-ROM could improve game play, given how bad the FMV games for Sega CD and 3DO were.

Re:Loading...

[Jace of Fuse!]

You forgot...

Please Wait... Loading...

(Add pretty animated line to truely drive in exactly how long this truely is taking...)

(any doubts, see Grand Theft Auto 3 or Vice) ...

Grand Theft Auto 3: Vice starts off very quickly with an animation that looks like the screen of a C64...

The guy types

LOAD "VICE CITY"

then you see

PRESS PLAY ON TAPE

Then the game begins to load. ...

This is all a lie of cource.

The C64 would have loaded it faster.

What the Atari Lynx lacked

[yerricde]

the atari lynx had backlighting over 10 years ago

And a display resolution of only 160x100 pixels. That's twice as coarse as the display mode used for the original Doom for PC.

And a small library, due in part to the lack of an Atari 2600 adapter.

And no mascot. Mascot games sell. The Game Boy had Mario and Mega Man; the Game Gear had Sonic; the Lynx had what?

That's why the Lynx failed in the market.

PS2 vs. PS/2

[yerricde]

How often do you see somebody say/write "MS Xbox" or "Sony PS2"?

I see "Sony PS2" often to increase the contrast vs. "IBM PS/2".

Fraud

[Anonymous Coward]

For the record I think this person is a fraud. I just checked and there is no one with this name at Ninteno.

Because of non-worldwide franchise licensing

[yerricde]

Why didn't they just make both the GBA AND the GameCube region free?

Because it's much more difficult or sometimes impossible to secure "worldwide" rights to trademarked and copyrighted worlds and characters, or the royalty situation varies widely from country to country. For instance, if Disney commissions a game based on "Return to Never Land", Disney will have to pay royalties to Great Ormond Street Hospital (the copyright owner of Peter Pan, which is PD in USA but under perpetual copyright in the UK) for every region P (Europe) disc sold, just as it has to for the DVD of the movie.

Re:Because of non-worldwide franchise licensing

[DarkZero]

That does not answer why one gaming platform would be region free and another from the same company would have region lockouts. It explains the reasoning for region lockouts in the first place, but not the reasoning for the inconsistency.

TV standards

[yerricde]

Controllers are interchangable, and so are the modem & ethernet adapters.

Controllers and network adapters have nothing to do with the video. The GBA video runs at 59.7275 Hz, which can probably be mapped nearly frame-to-frame with the 59.94 Hz NTSC system of the USA and Japan and the 60 Hz PAL system of Brazil. On the other hand, Europe uses a 50 Hz PAL system.

I think you just requested for ms smart tags.

[Anonymous Coward]

That's the sorta thing Microsoft's smart tags were intended to do.

It would also work not only on currency, but on names, addresses, dates, etc. You can already see parts of this feature in Office XP. The problem some people have would be that the default currency smart tag would probably create links to MSN Money or something.

History repeating...

[v00izs00k]

Remind anyone else of the Super Gameboy Adaptor for the SNES? I see this think tanking as well. This device is almost completely pointless. Sure it's hard to see the GBA screen (without afterburner), but I could have sworn that the main point of the GBA was the fact that you could play SNES-quality games in a handheld. But why restrict yourself to playing on your TV? Just to see the screen a little better? Oh well, maybe you'll be able to change the colors of the game this time as well! (:

Re:History repeating...

[Babbster]

Actually, I bought a GBA because of the good games and the price (compared to a full console). It had nothing to do with portability. Since I have already bought a Gamecube, spending $40-50 for a device like this would be great since I'll still have the advantage of playing great games but won't have to stare at a tiny screen in order to do it.

Oh yes, and the fact that GBA games are all in "full" color is going to make a huge difference in the number of these units sold. One of the things that turned me off about the idea of playing Gameboy on the TV was the lack of color married with the very low resolution.

More retro gaming

[linoleumcp]

Although not on the GameCube (at least yet), some serious retrogaming came out for the PS2 this week in the form of Activision Anthology. If you ever wanted to relive River Raid while listenig to Blondie, see Pitfall TV commercials, or play Kaboom on a giant rotating cube, I think someone heard your prayers. Or nightmares, one of the two.

New GB Zelda

[kmhebert]

Well, I saw a commercial for the new Zelda prior to Harry Potter II in the theater this weekend. It's unbelievable. Just like playing a cartoon. On the other hand, when it comes to a Miyamoto game, it could be "Super Mario's Roadside Sobriety Test" and I'd still get it and probably love it. I also have PS2 and while there are certainly some incredible games on that platfor (GTA: VC and Kingdom Hearts JUST for starters), I will continue to buy Nintendo consoles because they have a monopoly on ALL new Shigeru Miyamoto games. That guy hasn't had a flop since Donkey Kong Jr. Math, I have never regretted purchasing a Miyamoto game.

Actually, you are missing one point.

[LordZardoz]

First, let me state that I am very much a Nintento Loyalist. I own a Game Cube, and I love the system.

The problem is not the playability of the games available on the GameCube. Every one of the Cube games that I have purchased has been very entertaining and legitimately difficult. However, almost none of those games are geared for a more mature gaming audience.

Here is an example. Super Monkey Ball 2 is a very difficult game to beat, and is totally addictive (Monkey Ball 1 is has this going for it also). However, I cannot stand to play that game's story mode, as the FMV's seem geared towards moronic 3 year olds. With the Cube, its like having a huge amount of 'G' rated movies to choose from, but almost no 'R' rated movies. As good a movie as Harry Potter may be, I would much rather watch Red Dragon.

As much as I like my game cube, I have to look very hard to find games for it that can satisfy my blood lust.

END COMMUNICATION

Nintendo abuses its monopoly

[I'm Don Giovanni]

Why is the article not titled "Nintendo leverages its handheld games monopoly to boost console sales"?

We'll see what the DOJ and EU have to say about it.

Re:Nintendo abuses its monopoly

[The_dev0]

They'll probably say nothing, as it's no different to the PS2 being able to play PS1 games, or the GBC able to play GB games, or the GBA being able to play GBC & GB games, etc. What's the problem? It's not like they'll be able to pass off GBA game sales figures as GCN figures. I don't get your complaint.

monopoly:Exclusive control by one group of the means of producing or selling a commodity or service

It's not a monopoly, they just sell the superior handheld system. No-one is stopping anyone else from competing. It certainly isn't exclusive.

You got it backwards

[Guppy06]

"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).

Re:blah

[FunkSoulBrother]

gba's got lot of juice and gamebase to suck from(snes) to go for couple of years imho

it needs a slight update though. In order to truly bring us SNES-goodness as well as have more freedom with new titles, they need to have A, B, X, Y, L, R like the SNES controller (best controller ever made, in my opinion). 4 buttons with 2 of them being shoulder buttons just doesn't cut it for certain types of games.

Re:Zelda

[Anonymous Coward]

I love the RE games and plan to buy every one that comes out, Im currrently working my thru RE zero and loving every moment of it.

Two video cards in one computer?

[yerricde]

Bah, I got a decent geforce2 w/tv-out card for my pc on ebay a year ago for $50.

Which means that if you want to change from playing your game on a TV to playing a game that requires a more advanced video card, you have to shut down your computer, open the case, take your TV out card out, put in your Geforce 4, close the case, turn on your computer, play your game, shut down your computer, open the case, take your Geforce 4 out, put in your TV out card, close the case, turn on your computer, and turn your computer back on. That is, unless your computer has two AGP ports.

the hard part is cramming a gc controller into your game port.

That's already been done well for Super NES controllers and N64 controllers. Both have enough buttons for GBA games.

Re:Two video cards in one computer?

[Anonymous Coward]

Which means that if you want to change from playing your game on a TV to playing a game that requires a more advanced video card, you have to shut down your computer, open the case, take your TV out card out, put in your Geforce 4, close the case, turn on your computer, play your game, shut down your computer, open the case, take your Geforce 4 out, put in your TV out card, close the case, turn on your computer, and turn your computer back on. That is, unless your computer has two AGP ports.

Wow. One, it was a Geforce 2, and also, it has built-in TV out, which means you don't switch cards.

Re:Two video cards in one computer?

[outsider007]

A geforce4 with tv-out costs $71

Does that mean tv-out costs $71? no, because you can get a tv-out capable card for much less. the $71 is for the gf4.

and yes I know you can find controller adapters, but it will likely cost more than the tv-out. that was the point.

Re:It's the godsend for oldschool 2D games on the

[ginbot462]

People still love the 2D side scrollers like Castlevania, but no developers have had the balls to make any more on an actual 3D based console since Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

I felt the same way about 2D versus 3D games. While there are points about a 3D/1st person perspective, sometimes you don't want to get all disorientated. The original overhead view of Zelda (non-64 or up&coming GameCube versions) I felt was what made the game what it was. It was defined by it's perspective more than it's character.

Re:blah

[Daetrin]

I played it at E3, and was too distracted by the crappy graphics to pay much attention to the gameplay. From what i could tell though it was very like Ocarina of Time, which i didn't really like the gameplay of. So i'm guessing that even if i get over the weird graphics, it will be a mediocre game at best for me. (Got about halfway through ToOT before giving up cause it just wasn't that fun.)

However the GBA Zelda looks awesome! I'm hoping it will be as in depth as Link to the Past, which is still fun to go back and play.

Re:blah

[The_dev0]

Because all of RARE's top talent had already moved to Free Radical. Microsoft paid a lot of money for what is essentially a name. I'm not saying RARE suck now, but the talent that made them industry leaders have moved on to another company.

Found the Problem

[Kaz Riprock]

without fusing my naked retina to the screen

Well, there is your problem right there. Since it's not backlit, if you fuse your retina to the screen, you're blocking all the reflective light from getting to the GBA. No wonder you can't see anything on the screen.

Or, you could just buy one of these case mods.

Original NES to this...

[flameflash]

Probably have to work on the original NES itself... if that's what you're trying to do...

By what's being talked about here it sounds like this adapter will make the GC backwards compatible with everything Nintendo... I thought it was just for GBA, GB, and GBC games.

Super Game Boy mk. ][?

[shoptroll]

Ok... So this is just a rehash of the old "Super Game Boy" peripheral that Nintendo released for the SNES back in 94 or 95...

Play my games on a big screen??? W00h00! (Seriously) No more battery draining.

But honestly, why is this big news... They've done it with every console since the SNES. Yes the 64 was capable of doing it as well.... If you don't believe me, Pokemon Stadium was capable of playing the GB Pokemon games through it. And guess what? They looked exactly (borders and all) like the Super Game Boy versions of them!

I'm curious to see what the UI on this looks like... If it's the old Super Game Boy UI, I'm gonna roll all over the floor laughing.

Selling point

[elite lamer]

The way I see it, this is more intended to sell GBA games to Gamecube owners than anything else. In my opinion, the target market for GBA and for GCN are very different. Some people just want to play a handheld game on the train now and then; they have no reason to buy a Gamecube. Others never leave their couch; they have a Gamecube, but no need for a GBA.

So, I think this is aimed at people who own GCNs but not GBAs. The adapter is about half the price of a GBA. People with Gamecubes may buy it and buy GBA games for it, and never need to buy a GBA.

Of course, people with both systems can obviously enjoy it, but that's what I think Nintendo was going for.

Re:It's the godsend for oldschool 2D games on the

[hords]

Dude, what about the Contra game that just came out, by Konami even. It IS a 2D game. But I totally agree with you, I would love a Castlevania game on a 3D console with 2D gameplay. I thought that I heard that Konami was doing this anyway.

Why I would need to swap video cards

[yerricde]

One, it was a Geforce 2, and also, it has built-in TV out, which means you don't switch cards.

I was talking about newer games that don't run well on a Geforce 2. If I want to play those on a computer, I have to find a way to put a Geforce 2 with tv out and a Geforce 4 (with or without tv out) in the same box. But because they're both AGP...

Re:It's the godsend for oldschool 2D games on the

[jhantin]

The transition of Zelda toward 3D started with Link's Awakening and Link to the Past, with the introduction of balconies, jumping, holes in the ground, and other such effects. Heck, Link's Awakening even had stompable Goombas! Ocarina of Time kept the essence of what made the Zelda games great-- interesting puzzles, tricky critters, item hunts, the occasional psychotic fit of sword antics, and an overall sense of a highly polished game-- while doing pretty well with the 3D aspect (and integrating it into the puzzles!), and having probably the least irritating camera logic of any 3D chase-cam view game I've played. Majora's Mask got most of it right, but pretty much blew it in terms of polish -- and the reuse of NPC skins (not just models) for entirely new characters was just painful -- but the new items and their effects were brilliant.

Re:blah

[duren686]

No, no, Sony's fine. they have Linux officially on their system, remember? The fact that they own more of the console gaming world than all of their competitors combined does not warrant hatred since they're not Micro"dollar sign"oft.

Last Post!

[alpg]

At the heart of science is an essential tension between two seemingly
contradictory attitudes -- an openness to new ideas, no matter how bizarre
or counterintuitive they may be, and the most ruthless skeptical scrutiny
of all ideas, old and new. This is how deep truths are winnowed from deep
nonsense. Of course, scientists make mistakes in trying to understand the
world, but there is a built-in error-correcting mechanism: The collective
enterprise of creative thinking and skeptical thinking together keeps the
field on track.
-- Carl Sagan, "The Fine Art of Baloney Detection"

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