Game Boy Player Accessory for Nintendo GameCube

The GameBoy Player (GB Player) accesory is connected to the High Speed port below your GameCube console (GC), it has two tiny screws to tighten it to your console and avoid accidental drops. An ejector button is also provided, to allow for proper removal. A Startup disc is included and required to activate the GB Player.

All features of a GameBoy Advance are included in the GameBoy Player (The Accessory Slot, the Game Pak Slot and the External Extension Connection). You can play the thousands of Game Boy, GameBoy Color, and Advance games available as with your handheld Advance console. You can also link other GB Advance units to the GB Player for multiplayer games using the External Extension Connector available, and you can normally use the e-Reader accesory as well.

When you turn on the GameCube with the GB Player and a cartridge game inserted on the GB Player (not the GB Advance), you'll see the game's startup screen as you will normally do with your GB Advance console, this time the display is transferred to the larger TV screen and surrounded by a graphical frame.

The games simply look wonderful, sharp and colorful. All the details that you simply miss in the limited GB Advance display screen are shown here on the big TV screen. I was expecting blocky, low-resolution graphics, but I was really surprised at the sharpness these Advance games have, even on larger screens.

You can play with a GameCube controller or use the GB Advance as a controller (provided that you have a GC/GB Advance cable). The Z button on the GC controller opens up the GB Player special options.
Special Options include:
- Frame Settings: There are 20 different and colorful frames to choose from
- Screen Size - You can have Full Size screen or Normal Viewing (a larger frame borders your game)
- Controller - This option tells the GB Player your button location preferences to take advantage of the additional buttons that the GC controller provides
- Screen Filter - This option adjusts image quality
- Timer - You can set a time reminder with a sound and a message on screen ("Time's up kiddo, dinner's ready")
- Change Game Pak - You are allowed to "hot-swap" your game paks, meaning that you do not need to turn off the power to switch games.

This was a great addition to my gaming "kingdom", I definitely recommend it.


Good but a few unavoidable problems   June 26, 2003
G. Albanis (Lake in the Hills, IL United States)
121 out of 150 found this review helpful

I was slightly disappointed in the gameboy player but overall its a nice device to have in the home to experience the gameboy games on a larger screen (your TV!).

PROS
This is a great device that lets you play most (over 1,000)
Gameboy games on your television set. You get to use your Gamecube controller and have the option of using the gameboy advance as a controller. Another cool thing is you can use the e-reader with it and most accessories.

CONS
1. This is a big one for me: The games resolution on a TV is a bit worse than on the gameboy itself but this problem is unavoidable. You will lose a bit of clarity when stretching a screen to the size of a TV set. A picture size setting is offered which allows you to increase or decrease the size of the picture but it does not do much to help. Another setting which you can adjust is to make the game look softer or sharper, this doesn't work on most games either. What a waste, why bother including these adjustments Nintendo if they are totally useless?

2. You must use a bootable cd (included) to play the games. You pop in a cd in the gamecube, insert the gameboy game and turn on the gamecube. I find it rather lame to have to use a cd to make it work. But its no big deal, I simply found it rather annoying.

3. When you "eject" the gameboy game it literally flies out of the cartridge slot. Do not place the gamecube\player on high shelves! Another thing I noticed is that Nintendo recommends you leave the game plugged in and not to remove it. Apparently the contacts get dirty easily (like the old 8-bit NES) and thats the reason they mention it in the manual. (Yes, they actually tell you to leave a game plugged in so the contacts inside do not get dirty). What the hell?

4. The gamecube controller I found to be worse to use than the actual gameboy advance\sp. But this is only a matter of opinion and taste. Some people might find the gamecube controller easier to use. I thought so too but it turned out to be awkward instead.

Annoying little things and minor gripes when it comes down to it. Is it worth it, yes only if you really want to play the games on a television and see the full scale graphics of the games (remember its not perfect though!)

I recommend it but I must say it does come with some minor disappointments.


AMAZING PRODUCT - A MUST-BUY!!!!   May 3, 2006
Daniel McDonald (Whiteville, NC USA)
55 out of 55 found this review helpful

I purchased this nifty little ascessory for my GameCube yesterday, and I totally love it! Here's some Pros & Cons:

=PROS:=

1. You can play your Gameboy, Gameboy Color, and Gameboy Advance games on a full television screen without straining your eyes, or dying batteries!
2. The picture is 100% clearer.
3. The sound is 100% clearer.
4. You can choose from a lot of borders to put around the screen!
5. A timer is included, so that it lets you know when your time is up. Perfect if you have an upcoming favorite TV show you don't want to miss!
6. You can adjust the size of the screen.
7. You can switch games without turning the GameCube off!
8. The unit is easy to set up.
9. The unit securely attaches to the bottom of your GameCube, so that it doesn't fall off.
10. Can use a Gameboy Advance/SP or a GameCube controller.
11. The games pop out of the unit with a push of a switch.
12. A great substitute for a person who doesn't on a GBA but has the games, has lost a GBA, had their GBA stolen, or has to share their GBA; their sibling is playing the GBA, and you can play your GBA games on the TV.
13. The rumble feature option available for the GBA game, "Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga".
14. Lets you relive the old days of the 1980s Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), arcades, and Super Nintendo. (For example, playing the GBA remakes of famous classics such as: "The Legend of Zelda", "Super Mario Bros.", "Yoshi's Island", "Dr. Mario", "Pac-Man", "Donkey Kong", etc., on the TV screen! Using the e-Reader also helps, too!
15. You can use the e-Reader.
16. You can link up with friends.

=CONS:=

1. The unit makes the GameCube more heavier.
2. The unit can't play games that makes you turn the Gameboy screen. (Example: "Kirby's Tilt 'N' Tumble".)
3. Using the Gameboy Advance/SP as a controller uses battery power, so check the light gauge on it once in a while.
4. You may get bored of playing the same games.
5. The unit is expensive; I got mine for $49.99 at Wal*Mart.
6. Some games might not appear too well on a larger screen.

=GAMES THAT APPEAR VERY CLEAR AND CRISP:=

1. "Classic NES. Series: The Legend of Zelda"
2. "The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap"
3. "Rayman Advance"
4. "Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald"
5. "Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen"
6. "Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga"
7. "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past/Four Swords"
8. "Super Mario Advance" ("Super Mario 2")
9. "Super Mario Advance 2" ("Yoshi's Island")
10. "Super Mario Advance 3" ("Super Mario World")
11. "Super Mario Advance 4" ("Super Mario 3")
12. "The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons"
13. "Pokemon Silver/Gold/Crystal"
14. e-Reader arcade cards: "Donkey Kong Jr.", "Mario Bros.", etc.

I liked this gadget, and I'm sure you will, too. Using this gets rid of the headaches and strained eyes I aquired while playing the Gameboys.

Some things I want to clear up about the Game Boy Player:

+ Unlike most reviewers on this website have claimed, when you eject a GBA/GBC/GB from the Game Boy Player, it does NOT fly or launch into the air like those foam-disc-shooting toy guns. It pops out, and easily drops into your hands.

+ I know GBA/GBC/GB games are meant to be played on their own systems. That's fine. But, if you're like me, you might be tired of squinting your eyes, getting headaches, or running around searching for good lighting. The Game Boy Player makes the game screen bigger. Thanks to it, I have not gotten a headache.

+ If you are a reviewer who just hates this product, then why did you even buy it in the first place?! Also, why are you even reviewing?!

+ You CAN adjust the color schemes of Gameboy games. When "Gameboy" appears on the screen, just start pressing buttons until you get the colors you like.

+ The screen is NOT worse on the TV than on the Gameboy. The Game Boy Player gets rid of those millions of tiny dots on all of the Gameboy screens. And, you can can adjust how bright you want the screen to be on the Game Boy Player's options. In my opinion, the top three GBA games I have that appear very nicely on the TV screen are "Classic NES. Series: The Legend of Zelda", "Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga", and "The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap".

+ The Game Boy Player's border around the screen isn't as huge as everyone exaggerates. I don't notice it when I'm playing.

+ So what if the unit just comes in black? Nobody's judging you! Who are you trying to impress? I have a black GameCube with an indigo screen for it.

+ The software for using the Game Boy Player on the GameCube is not a big deal. The disc comes in a plastic case.

+ Why many people wished that this system played Nintendo DS games is a mystery to me. The DS has a touch screen. So, if this thing could have played the games, what're you going to do, touch the TV screen? (Ha ha ha ha....)

+ Using the Gameboy Advance/SP or GameCube controller is a matter of opinion. I personally like the GameCube controller more.

+ "The Game Boy Player doesn't add anything extra to the games, or the gaming experience doesn't change." Think again. Think even more. And, pay attention. What have I JUST said about what the Game Boy Player does to your Gameboy games????!!!! Obviously, you probably haven't even used the Game Boy Player, Amazon reviewer.

+ "If you use the cable to use the gameboy advance as a controller, the words gameboy player appear on the screen, and stay there, after continued use this will burn the words permanently on the screen and eventually bust pixels, ruining your gba screen." - That IS VERY UNLIKELY. I have a best friend who has the Game Boy Player, and HAS used his Gameboy Advance as a controller every time he plays it, and he plays it for over two hours everyday. He has it ever since it first came out. Nice try, reviewer.

+ If a PlayStation 2, X-Box 360, or a PSP suits you best, then go out and buy it and stop complaining about it. Give it a rest....geez....

There, you see. The Game Boy Player for GameCube the the best ascessory out their for it. I have one, and I love it!!!! I'm glad that I bought this product, and I'll recommend it for anyone who has a big stack of portable games waiting to be played! Thanks, Nintendo, for putting out another great product! I highly recommend this product to anybody!!


Great, but with flaws   September 23, 2003
Lyris (Glasgow, Scotland (US DVD Used))
20 out of 22 found this review helpful

I've always wanted to play Game Boy Advance games, but have shyed away from buying the handhelds themselves. While I had fun with my Game Boy and Game Boy Color, I eventually began to neglect them and only bring them out on long car journeys (that's not very often for me). The Game Boy Advance is great, but I have pretty big hands so it hurt to play for a long time (and the GBA also has the whole screen-being-too-dark problem, I didn't wanna pay to have it modified). The GBA SP corrects the screen problem, but makes my cramped hands problem even worse.

The Game Boy Player fixes both of these problems. Now I can enjoy titles such as Sonic Advance and Warioland on the big screen. The software does a great job of stretching the low-resolution GBA image without making it look too bad (it's obviously gonna look a little blocky). Also included are some smoothing/blurring options (to simulate the low refresh rate of the actual GBA's screen).

Now for the flaws. First up is the standard GameCube controller. Playing GBA games on this is not fun. The D-pad is too small and the analog stick - forget it, that's more frustrating than it is fun. In Japan Nintendo and a 3rd party company named HORI released a SNES-style pad for your GameCube that's great for the Game Boy Player (and also for Viewtiful Joe). I can't tell you where to get this in this review since Amazon don't sell it but search around some Hong Kong websites and you'll be able to buy one. You can also control the action with a real Game Boy Advance or GBA SP linked to the GameCube, but that defeats the point somewhat.

Another gripe I have is with the boot disc. You need to load this up every time you wanna play a GBA game, if you ask me Nintendo should have had the software inside the actual GB Player and made some way to switch between GBP and GameCube mode with a switch or something. The software on the disc isn't so great either - there is no way at all to remove the annoying "Z Button - Options" message at the top-right of the screen.

Still, the overall package is hardly bad - in fact, it's great to finally play all these games on a big screen without cramped hands and neck strain. It's a pity that the software on the boot disc is good rather than great.


Will break Gameboy Advance screen   August 29, 2005
Reviewer (Chicago Ill USA)
14 out of 36 found this review helpful

If you use the cable to use the gameboy advance as a controller, the words gameboy player appear on the screen, and stay there, after continued use this will burn the words permanently on the screen and eventually bust pixels, ruining your gba screen.