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Game Boy Player

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Game Boy Player
Game Boy Player under a GameCube
Also known asDOL-017
GBS (code name)
ManufacturerNintendo
Product family
GameCube
TypeVideo game console add-on
GenerationSixth
Released
  • JP: March 21, 2003
  • EU: June 20, 2003
MediaGame Boy Game Pak
PredecessorSuper Game Boy

The Game Boy Player[a] is a GameCube peripheral developed by Nintendo. It allows Game Boy Advance cartridges, as well as Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges through backwards compatibility, to be played on a television. Rather than emulating a Game Boy Advance system, the Game Boy Player uses physical hardware nearly identical to that of a Game Boy Advance. The peripheral received mainly positive reviews from critics.

Design and features

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The Game Boy Player was released in Indigo, Black, Spice, and Platinum colors in Japan; Black in North America and Europe[1] and Black and Indigo in Australia. A special Game Boy Player for the Panasonic Q (SH-GB10-H) was released because the Q's legs are oriented differently from the original GameCube's.[2] The accessory connects to the high speed parallel port at the bottom of the GameCube and is affixed to the system with screws. An eject button on the right side of the unit allows for the easy removal of inserted Game Paks.[3]

A boot disc is required to start the Game Boy Player. While the Game Boy Player is region free, meaning the units will function on any GameCube system and play cartridges of any region, the boot discs are region locked and must match the region of the GameCube system.[3]

Pressing the Z button on the GameCube controller brings up an internal settings menu.[3] Available options include applying a motion blur effect to reduce flicker in certain games, adjust the size of the gameplay window,[4] switching between different controller mappings, and choosing between twenty different patterned borders around the gameplay window.[3] The borders and other enhancements applied when playing Game Boy games on the Super Game Boy, a similar peripheral for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), are not accessible.[5] Players can also set a timer for up to sixty minutes, or stop the current Game Boy game to allow them to safely switch cartridges without having to turn the GameCube off.[3]

Controllers

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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 link 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 players can choose from: One uses standard button placement, with X and Y also functioning as the Game Boy's Select button, while the other maps the Game Boy's shoulder buttons to X and Y and moves Select to the GameCube triggers.[3] All connected controllers are treated as the same player and can control the game simultaneously.[3]

Hori manufactured a controller similar to the Super Famicom/Super NES for use with the Game Boy Player.

Japanese hardware manufacturer Hori created a special digital-only controller designed for use with the Game Boy Player. Released only in Japan, 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.[6]

Compatibility

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The Wireless Adapter plugged in to a Game Boy Player

Like the Game Boy Advance, the Game Boy Player is compatible with most games for the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance. Game Boy games can be played using the same selectable color palettes as on the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP.[3] Players can connect to Game Boy accessories using the extension port on the Game Boy Player.[3] Most accessories are supported, including the Game Link Cable, Wireless Adapter,[7] and e-Reader.[3] Plugging a GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable into a GameCube controller port will allow a GBA or GBA SP to be used as a controller;[4] the cable can also be used to connect the Game Boy Player's link cable port to a second GameCube, allowing it to be used for a compatible GameCube game.[3][8]

Certain Game Boy Advance games include rumble features activated when played with a GameCube controller on the Game Boy Player. These games include Drill Dozer,[9] Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga,[10] Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire,[10] Shikakui Atama wo Marukusuru Advance: Kokugo Sansu Rika Shakai,[citation needed] Shikakui Atama wo Marukusuru Advance: Kanji Keisan,[citation needed] and Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3.[10] The unlicensed GBA game Goodboy Galaxy (2023) also includes this feature.[11]

Compatibility issues

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Not all Game Boy cartridges are fully compatible with the Game Boy Player, with some games unable to be played or use certain features due to the console's non-portable format, software limitations, or other reasons.

Some games are technically compatible, but certain features cannot be easily utilized due to their use of non-standard cartridges.[12] Games that use Motion sensors (such as Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble and WarioWare: Twisted!) are compatible with the Game Boy Player, but require tilting the whole GameCube to control, due to the motion sensor being integrated into the Game Pak.[13] Similarly, Game Boy Color games with built-in rumble features, such as Pokémon Pinball, will only output the rumble through the Game Pak itself, not the GameCube controller.[3] Unofficial cheat devices, such as the Action Replay or Gameshark, will not physically fit in the cartridge slot.[citation needed]

Like the Game Boy Advance, the lack of an infrared port on the Game Boy Player prevents Game Boy Color games from using infrared features.[12] As a result, the Game Boy Color game Chee-Chai Alien will not start due to requiring the infrared port for gameplay.[14]

All Game Boy Advance Video cartridges, which feature viewable films and television episodes, cannot be played on Game Boy Player as an anti-piracy measure, displaying an error message when the player attempts to do so.[15][16] Another Game Boy Color game, Pocket Music, will not function on Game Boy Player due to being incompatible with all Game Boy Advance models; a separate Game Boy Advance version was released.[17]

Reception

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Reception of the Game Boy Player was generally positive — many review sites cited how Nintendo effectively increased the GameCube's library by hundreds of games with the Game Boy Player, something that some reviewers praised[18] and others mocked as a cheap ploy.[19]

IGN mentioned that the filtering that the Game Boy Player uses (to relieve strobe effect on games using a flicker trick to make sprites seem transparent) "muddies" some of the graphics.[20]

Advance Game Port

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In 2003, Datel released the Advance Game Port, an unofficial alternative to the Game Boy Player.[21] The accessory is a dongle that connects to the second memory card slot on the GameCube and requires an included boot disc for use. Later models have code generators for built in Action Replay cheat devices.[22] However, the Advance Game Port does not support Game Boy or Game Boy Color cartridges, and suffers from audio and video issues in many games due to poor software emulation.[23]

The difference in form factor meant the Advance Game Port was compatible with the GameCube's 2006 successor, the Wii, whereas the Game Boy Player could not physically connect to the system.[23] A Wii firmware update in 2007 later rendered all of Datel's unlicensed GameCube discs incompatible, including the Advance Game Port boot disc.[24]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ Japanese: ゲームボーイプレーヤー, Hepburn: Gēmu Bōi Purēyā

References

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  1. 1 2 "IGN Game Boy Q&A". IGN. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved 2007-03-06.
  2. ↑ Shanklin, Will (2026-08-24). "The only GameCube that could play CDs and DVDs is rarely found below $1,000 today". Engadget. Retrieved 2026-09-04.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "The Ultimate Game Boy Player FAQ". Nintendo World Report. June 23, 2003. Retrieved September 1, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Harris, Craig (June 14, 2003). "Nintendo Game Boy Player Review". IGN. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  5. ↑ Frear, Dave (October 8, 2011). "Remembering the Super Game Boy". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020.
  6. ↑ IGN Staff (2003-03-21). "Playtest: The Game Boy Player". IGN. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  7. ↑ Hernandez, Pedro (October 31, 2011). "Nintendo's Expansion Ports: The GameCube Game Boy Player". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on February 20, 2025. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  8. ↑ Lane, Gavin (March 26, 2021). "Zelda: Four Swords Was Probably Great, But Finding Pals To Play With? Talk About A Master Quest". Nintendo Life. Retrieved September 1, 2026.
  9. ↑ Foster, Neil (September 6, 2017). "Drill Dozer". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 Brunskill, Kerry (March 13, 2021). "A Brief History Of Nintendo's Home Hardware Add-Ons". Nintendo Life. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
  11. ↑ Reynolds, Ollie (October 4, 2022). "Game Boy Advance Metroidvania 'Goodboy Galaxy' Is Delayed Into 2023". Nintendo Life. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  12. 1 2 "Nintendo.com - Game Boy Player Instruction Manual" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-12-21. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
  13. ↑ Doolan, Liam (20 October 2021). "Random: VTuber Korone Plays Gyro-Enabled GBA Title WarioWare Twisted! With A GameCube". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  14. ↑ 船津稔 (January 19, 2001). "クリーチャーズ、新感覚"宇宙救済ゲーム"「ちっちゃいエイリアン」". Game Watch (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  15. ↑ Nintendo - Customer Service Game Boy Advance - Game Boy Advance Video FAQ Retrieved 2011-11-05
  16. ↑ Metts, Jonathan (June 26, 2004). "Game Boy Advance Video Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Pocket Music". Nintendo Power. No. 156. May 2002. p. 106.
  18. ↑ Liu, Johnny (July 2003). "Game Boy Player - Gamecube Hardware Review". GameRevolution. Archived from the original on March 3, 2004.
  19. ↑ "Firing Squad review of Game Boy Player". July 4, 2003. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
  20. ↑ Harris, Craig (June 13, 2003). "IGN.com Game Boy Player review". IGN. Archived from the original on Jan 14, 2009. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
  21. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (16 October 2003). "Datel to launch portable GB Player alternative". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020.
  22. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (6 July 2004). "Advance Game Port gets cheat code support". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on May 28, 2020.
  23. 1 2 Orland, Kyle (2007-01-11). "Play GBA games (badly) on the Wii". Engadget. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  24. ↑ Rodriguez, Steven (August 7, 2007). "Wii Firmware Upgraded to Version 3.0". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
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