Introducing the Nintendo Gameboy Player! (for Cube)

[cybamerc]

Ozymandis:

> why mess with this when (if I'm not going to be travelling and just want
> to play GBA games in my home) I can just play the games on my PC
> and with improved graphics?

Because PCs suck for anything but graphical adventures and some of us don't mind paying for our games.

 

[mkillio]

I am so hyped for this and I love Metroid Prime!

 

[Tagrineth]

This is cool BUT...

why mess with this when (if I'm not going to be travelling and just want to play GBA games in my home) I can just play the games on my PC and with improved graphics?

Hate to say it like that...

Here's a couple of really simple and LAME reasons:

1. GCN boots several times faster than any PC I've ever seen.

2. Got a PC GamePad? If not, there's another reason. Keyboard am teh suck.

3. Oddly enough, though SNES games look great with 2xSaI, GBA games look like crap IMO.

4 - the NO FRIGGIN' DUH reason - . If you play the games on your PC when you're at home, that means you have to have two seperate save files per game, unless you can magically transfer your saves from your HDD to your cartridge.

 

[zurich]

Am I the only one a little perplexed at all the hype?

I mean, ALOT of GBA games _SUCK_. Like, SNES shovelware to the extreme. I really regret my purchase.. for all I've used it for, I might as well have just brought my laptop out with me during lunch and played on a 15" backlit screen

I don't know, I think the GBA is a pewp platform. Golden Sun and Advance Wars aside, I bought mine on the hope of a FF IV(ht) port

In anycase, the GB player for SNES didn't seem to spark this much furor... so yeah, I don't get it!

 

[Tagrineth]

Am I the only one a little perplexed at all the hype?

I mean, ALOT of GBA games _SUCK_. Like, SNES shovelware to the extreme. I really regret my purchase.. for all I've used it for, I might as well have just brought my laptop out with me during lunch and played on a 15" backlit screen

I don't know, I think the GBA is a pewp platform. Golden Sun and Advance Wars aside, I bought mine on the hope of a FF IV(ht) port

In anycase, the GB player for SNES didn't seem to spark this much furor... so yeah, I don't get it!

Well, yeah, but there are quite a few GBA gems too. Don't have time to list any though! Gotta run...

 

[archie4oz]

Far better selection of titles in Japan... Factor in the popularity of the AGB in Japan coupled with people wanting to just simply pop their game into their 'Cube to play on the TV while sitting their couch or at their kotatsu, and continue playing the same game they were playing while on the run earlier in the day...

Even if the product does make it outside of Japan, it probably won't get used nearly as much as it would there...

 

[Ozymandis]

This is cool BUT...

why mess with this when (if I'm not going to be travelling and just want to play GBA games in my home) I can just play the games on my PC and with improved graphics?

Hate to say it like that...

Here's a couple of really simple and LAME reasons:

1. GCN boots several times faster than any PC I've ever seen.

2. Got a PC GamePad? If not, there's another reason. Keyboard am teh suck.

3. Oddly enough, though SNES games look great with 2xSaI, GBA games look like crap IMO.

4 - the NO FRIGGIN' DUH reason - . If you play the games on your PC when you're at home, that means you have to have two seperate save files per game, unless you can magically transfer your saves from your HDD to your cartridge.

1. Can't argue with that, although it's not too big a gap.

2. Yes, I do. I agree that KB sucks though.

3. Hmmm. I don't agree. Well, maybe. Depends on the game. Metroid Fusion looks bad with it, Golden Sun looks good with it.

4. Since I don't own a GBA, that's not a problem.

Because PCs suck for anything but graphical adventures...

What does that have to do with the price of tea in China? Or this topic?

...and some of us don't mind paying for our games.

*looks at huge CD case sitting next him with a couple hundred games in it, all bought retail, most at full price*

I'm certainly not opposed to buying games. I prefer not to buy games that came out in more impressive form on SNES years ago. That's why I have a real problem with buying a GBA and games for it. It's not worth the cost, my money is better spent elsewhere I think. So for those one or two GBA games I can't live without, I just play them on my PC.

 

[cybamerc]

Ozymandis:

> What does that have to do with the price of tea in China? Or this topic?

PCs are not suited for the kind of games you'll find for GBA. While it may be cheaper downloading a ROM off the internet and play it on an emu, the enjoyment is nowhere near the same.

> So for those one or two GBA games I can't live without, I just play
> them on my PC.

If you're not interested in GBA games (outside of stealing them of course) why are you even in this thread? This device is for ppl who enjoy GBA games and don't mind paying for them. Just because you have no need for it doesn't mean other ppl won't find it appealing.

 

[Reznor007]

This is cool BUT...

why mess with this when (if I'm not going to be travelling and just want to play GBA games in my home) I can just play the games on my PC and with improved graphics?

Hate to say it like that...

Because this is the "legal" way to play a GBA game on anything other than a GBA. Surely you know Nintendo's stance on emulation.

 

[zurich]

While it may be cheaper downloading a ROM off the internet and play it on an emu, the enjoyment is nowhere near the same

...no where near the same as when you played it on SNES (and could actually see the screen) however many years ago

 

[clem64]

wtf!?

This is the coolest thing ever. I'll will own this on day 1.

Question...

The GBA screen displays a non-interlaced signal right? If so, maybe there's a chance the Gameboy player will, somehow, increase the resolution to 320x240 at least and maybe support progressive scan. That'd be very nice.

 

[VNZ]

Actually, the AGB screen outputs 240x160 *interlaced*. However, I can't think of any reason why this device wouldn't output the full 240x160 pixels every 60th of a second, since you code the AGB like the screen was "progressive" anyway.

What horizontal resolution does the GC support?

Btw, I sure hope there's a 100% unfiltered output mode for us who appreciate pixels as originally drawn.

 

[Tagrineth]

I'm certainly not opposed to buying games. I prefer not to buy games that came out in more impressive form on SNES years ago. That's why I have a real problem with buying a GBA and games for it. It's not worth the cost, my money is better spent elsewhere I think. So for those one or two GBA games I can't live without, I just play them on my PC.

I own 11 GBA games.

ONE of them is an SNES remake - Breath of Fire II, because I loved the first and was always ticked that I missed the chance to buy the SNES version years ago, sorta like F-Zero X.

SNES remakes aren't the only good GBA cames. Jeeze.

 

[PC-Engine]

Three, not two...

Thanks for the correction

I should've just looked under my GC

There's serial port 1, serial port 2, and the high speed port...that's pretty cool. I wonder what the tiny port 2 will be used for?

 

[bryanb]

Yes, via their purchase of Rare, Microsoft is now a Nintendo GameCube 3rd party developer.

Hilarious!

 

[BenSkywalker]

This is going to sell for around $40? I'll be picking one up.

 

[Eminem]

This is cool BUT...

why mess with this when (if I'm not going to be travelling and just want to play GBA games in my home) I can just play the games on my PC and with improved graphics?

Hate to say it like that...

I'd have to agree with you. The only reason I bought a GBA was to play the rom games, that I had played on my computer, while I travel.

Console games for home, handheld games for traveling, simple as that.

 

[zurich]

I don't know, one of the reasons I picked up a GBA (besides to celebrate my [thankgod] HIV neg results) was to attempt to relive all the good times I had with my TurboExpress curled up in bed before going to sleep. Well gee, didn't the lack of a backlight put a stop on that? I mean, I heard it was bad, but even with a lamp beside me I have to twist my wrists into unhuman positions just to see the screen.

I'm considering using it as trade bait for Steel Batallion.... (I have a platinum one though, and feel its 'special' in some way)

 

[Ozymandis]

Just FYI: I'm not a big software pirate. I buy 30 games a year, or more usually, most at full price. I just don't like the idea of paying 30 bucks for a GBA game. It doesn't sit well with me. But I think my girlfriend is getting me a GBA for Christmas, so looks like I'll have to start buying the games

PCs are not suited for the kind of games you'll find for GBA. While it may be cheaper downloading a ROM off the internet and play it on an emu, the enjoyment is nowhere near the same.

If you're not interested in GBA games (outside of stealing them of course) why are you even in this thread? This device is for ppl who enjoy GBA games and don't mind paying for them. Just because you have no need for it doesn't mean other ppl won't find it appealing.

Actually I use my PC more for emulation than for actual PC games these days. My PC resents your remark. As for the "enjoyment factor", if I'm not travelling, the enjoyment is actually greater. 19 inch monitor, 3 inch non-backlit LCD screen. 640x480 with pixel smoothing versus 240x160. Hmmm, decisions decisions..

And if I steal GBA games, then obviously I'm somewhat interested in them

Because this is the "legal" way to play a GBA game on anything other than a GBA. Surely you know Nintendo's stance on emulation.

What do I care about their stance on emulation? They're not looking out for my best interests.

I own 11 GBA games.

ONE of them is an SNES remake - Breath of Fire II, because I loved the first and was always ticked that I missed the chance to buy the SNES version years ago, sorta like F-Zero X.

SNES remakes aren't the only good GBA cames. Jeeze.

That wasn't really my point. Pretty much everything I've seen done on GBA is more-or-less the same sort of stuff I used to play on my SNES. Not too much new ground being broken on the handheld in terms of gameplay...

 

[Reznor007]

Just FYI: I'm not a big software pirate. I buy 30 games a year, or more usually, most at full price. I just don't like the idea of paying 30 bucks for a GBA game. It doesn't sit well with me. But I think my girlfriend is getting me a GBA for Christmas, so looks like I'll have to start buying the games

PCs are not suited for the kind of games you'll find for GBA. While it may be cheaper downloading a ROM off the internet and play it on an emu, the enjoyment is nowhere near the same.

If you're not interested in GBA games (outside of stealing them of course) why are you even in this thread? This device is for ppl who enjoy GBA games and don't mind paying for them. Just because you have no need for it doesn't mean other ppl won't find it appealing.

Actually I use my PC more for emulation than for actual PC games these days. My PC resents your remark. As for the "enjoyment factor", if I'm not travelling, the enjoyment is actually greater. 19 inch monitor, 3 inch non-backlit LCD screen. 640x480 with pixel smoothing versus 240x160. Hmmm, decisions decisions..

And if I steal GBA games, then obviously I'm somewhat interested in them

Because this is the "legal" way to play a GBA game on anything other than a GBA. Surely you know Nintendo's stance on emulation.

What do I care about their stance on emulation? They're not looking out for my best interests.

I own 11 GBA games.

ONE of them is an SNES remake - Breath of Fire II, because I loved the first and was always ticked that I missed the chance to buy the SNES version years ago, sorta like F-Zero X.

SNES remakes aren't the only good GBA cames. Jeeze.

That wasn't really my point. Pretty much everything I've seen done on GBA is more-or-less the same sort of stuff I used to play on my SNES. Not too much new ground being broken on the handheld in terms of gameplay...

Well, you asked what is the point of the device, and the point of it is to play GBA games "legally" on something other than GBA. That totally answers the question doesn't it?

And as far as the games go...when you only have about the same processing power as an SNES...what do you expect it to do? Even the current consoles aren't really revolutionary...just evolutionary much the same way the GBA is over the GBC.