cables and adapters

I've been playing with the Game Boy Player since it's March release in Japan. If you have any interest in some of the awesome Game Boy Advance games and don't own a Game Boy Advance system already, this is a must buy. If you already own a Game Boy Advance and a Gamecube, this is also a must buy and here's why.

With the GB Player you're able to play multiplayer games using your existing GBA system. Since the GB Player includes a GBA link port all you need is a game that supports multiplayer and a GBA link cable. Once hooked up, one player can use the TV screen and the other is able to use the GBA system.

I've been playing The Link to the Past: Four Swords like this since having the GB Player with my daughter and it's awesome! She plays on the TV screen and I play on the connected GBA system.

For the price of one single Gamecube game you now have the chance to play more than 1,000 Game Boy games on your TV. A must buy for any Nintendo fan.

This is a great bit of hardware. Every person who owns a gamecube should absolutely buy one. I know what you're saying, why get the player when I have a gameboy sp? There's nothing like being able to kick back on the couch with the wavebird controllers and play Advance Wars 2 on the big screen.

The gameboy player does a great job at presenting the gameboy games on the tv. You have a choice of up to 20 different frames (I just go with #20, plain black) and whether to have the game stretch to fill the full screen or not. Stretching it doesn't cause any problems with quality, so it's the way to go.

This was a great move on Nintendo's part. Plus if you pick up something like one of the Super Mario Advance titles, it's like having your NES all over again.

Little did anyone know that back in 1989 Nintendo would release the best-selling video game console of all time ... one that fits in the palm of your hand. The Game Boy's longevity, which has outlasted every other console ever made, shows no sign of slowing thanks to the ultra-powerful Game Boy Advance, and its newer sibling, the GBA SP.

Three home consoles from Nintendo have appeared during the GB's long life, and each had a way to play Game Boy games through them. Super NES owners could use the Super Game Boy cartridge, with some games enhanced with limited color capabilities ... but no way to link up to other GB units. The Nintendo 64's link was even more limited, as only a small handful of games could be played through its N64 Transfer Pak, provided you also had the GB game's N64 partner (for instance, you could play Pokemon through an N64, only if you had Pokemon Stadium). Now, Nintendo's GameCube receives the Game Boy Player, the best implementation yet of handheld-to-console connectivity.

The GB Player fits underneath your GameCube, occupying the same small footprint as the parent system. It connects through the GC's Hi-Speed Port, so it won't force removal of the Modem or Broadband Adapter. The other part of the connection is the included Start-Up Disc, which provides options and tools to get more out of your experience. Unlike the Super Game Boy, you don't need to remove the Player to play a regular console game; just swap out the Start-Up Disc for your chosen GC title.

Power up your GameCube with a standard controller (or Wavebird) attached and your inserted Game Pak will come to life right on your TV screen inside of a frame designed to look like the GB Advance. If you want, you can connect your GB Advance via the GC-GBA Cable and use it as your controller. Pushing the standard controller's Z button will bring up an options screen, which will let you: select from one of 20 different frames; eliminate the frame and use the full TV screen; reconfigure buttons on the GC controller (X or Y substitute for the GBA's Select button); and, apply filters to sharpen or blur the graphics.

The last option is the one you'll use most frequently ... it allows you to remove and change Game Paks without powering down the GameCube console. The on-screen instructions tell you when to eject the Pak (there is a switch on the right side of the Player), and your new Pak will power up as soon as it's inserted. This "hot-swap" feature is a welcome addition!

So, how do the games look? Pretty good, actually, for games designed for a display with a much lower resolution than a television set. GB Advance titles will look the best, as expected. Some games will have minor graphic quirks that may (or may not) detract from the game, so don't write off the Player if your first game does things you don't like. A very small percentage of Game Paks won't work on the Player because of their proprietary nature; these include Rumble-feature Paks (like Pokemon Pinball) and motion-sensor Paks (like Kirby's Tilt n Tumble).

One GB accessory that works fine is the e-Reader. Plug it in, and you've got the closest thing to a new Nintendo Entertainment System you can get without buying a used console somewhere. The Game Link cable will let you connect the GB Player to other Game Boys for multi-player gaming, and the GC-GBA Link Cable provides connectivity for the e-Reader and "Animal Crossing" cards.

With all these capabilities, what's the best feature of the Game Boy Player? I believe it's the ability to see some great titles in a whole new way. It's made some GB games I had that were just "so-so" a lot more fun by playing them on TV instead. Who knows, there may be a hidden treasure in your GB collection right now, just waiting for you to get the GB Player and fire it up!