| Game Boy Player |
Article Index for Game Boy |
Website Links For Game Boy |
Information AboutGame Boy Player |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT GAME BOY PLAYER | |
| gamecube accessories | |
| nintendo hardware | |
| game console intercompatibility hardware | |
The Game Boy Player is a device made by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube which enables Game Boy (although Super Game Boy enhancements are ignored), Game Boy Color , or Game Boy Advance Cartridge s to be played on a Television . It connects via the High Speed (Parallel) port at the bottom of the GameCube and requires use of a boot disc to access the hardware. The hardware in the Game Boy Player is the same as a Game Boy Advance without the screen or batteries. The Game Boy Player is not compatible with Game Boy Advance Video paks (see Compatibility Issues ). The Game Boy Player is available in Indigo, Black, Spice, or Platinum in Japan; Black in North America and Europe (the color limitations are to prevent confusion from retailers) 1 and Black and Indigo in Australia. A special Game Boy Player for the Panasonic Q was released due to the fact that the Q's legs are oriented differently than the original GameCube's. All Game Boy Players have screws on the bottom to secure it to the bottom of the GameCube and also have an eject button on the right side of the unit for removing Game Boy Advance games. Game Boy and Game Boy Color games stick out from the unit, as with the Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP, so they can just be pulled out when the system is off or Change Cartridge has been selected from the menu. Prototypes have featured a storage compartment on the left side of the Game Boy Player, but it is not featured in the retail product. One interesting feature of the Game Boy Player is that of being able to set a timer from one to sixty minutes.Unlike some Nintendo GameCube accessories including Advance Game Port 2, Game Boy Player is not compatible with the Wii . The Wii lacks the hi-speed port of the GameCube into which the Game Boy Player fits; in addition, the Game Boy Player matches the GameCube's footprint. The Wii has a substantially different footprint, making compatibility too complicated to be included. CONTROLLERS The Game Boy Player allows for control either through a GameCube controller or a Game Boy Advance or Game Boy Advance SP hooked up with a GameCube-Game Boy Advance Cable. When using a Game Boy Advance, the buttons are identical, but due to the GameCube controller's different layout, there are two different mappings you can use. Also, at least one GameCube controller must be plugged in for access the Game Boy Player's internal menu, which can be accessed by pressing the Z button. For a select few GBA games, such as '''', the rumble feature can be enabled on the GameCube controller in Controller Socket 1. All controllers, Game Boy Advances, and Game Boy Advance SPs connected to the GameCube are recognized as the same player. This allows a sort of co-op mode for games that don't normally have it (most likely this was not intended by Nintendo). Furthermore, allowing for multiple controllers recognized as the same player allows for simpler and more comfortable play of single system multiplayer Game Boy Advance games, such as those found in '' Mario Party Advance ''. This is in lieu of up to four players wrapping their hands around one Game Boy Advance unit. If players want to link other hardware, they'll need to connect to the extension port on the Game Boy Player with the proper cable, which depends on whether the game was designed for Game Boy Advance or a Game Boy system released before the Game Boy Advance. Map One is closer to the Game Boy Advance's normal layout, while Map Two makes it easier to play with one hand and also allows some SNES rereleases to control more like they may have with the SNES controller, as they often had the Y button mapped to R and the X button mapped to L. Third party controllers Japanese hardware manufacturer Hori created for the Japanese market a special digital-only controller designed for use with the Game Boy Player. The design of the controller is similar to the design of the SNES controller, but with the Gamecube's face button layout. In addition, there is a Select button on the controller mapped to the Y button internally. ON-SCREEN MENU The menu has six options to choose from:
COMPATIBILITY The Game Boy Player supports the following:
COMPATIBILITY ISSUES The Game Boy Player has problems, be it software or physical hardware, with the following GBA accessories:
ADVANCE GAME PORT Datel 's version of the Game Boy Player, released in 2003. This dongle connects to memory card slot B and can be booted up with the included boot disc. Some models have code generators for built in cheat devices. The advantage is that no removal of plates on the bottom, nor tools, are needed to install it. Unlike the Game Boy Player, however, there are a few problems with the audio and video framerate, therefore it is not 100% compatible with Game Boy Advance games, However, the Advance Game Port is not compatible with the Wii. 4 SEE ALSO REFERENCES |
|
|