The Nintendo Game Link Cable is an accessory for the Game Boy line of handheld video game systems, allowing players to connect Game Boys of all types for multiplayer gaming. Depending on the games, a Game Link Cable can be used to link two games of the same title, like Tetris , or two compatible games like Pokémon Red and Blue. Games can be linked for head-to-head competition, cooperative play, trading items, unlocking hidden features, etc.
The first generation Game Link Cable (model DMG-04) was released alongside the original Game Boy and has "large" connectors on both ends. It can only be used to link two original Game Boy consoles to play Game Link-compatible games, usually denoted by a "Game Link" logo (often read as "Game Boy Video Link") on the packaging and cartridge.
A select few Game Boy games, such as F-1 Race, supported multiplayer modes for up to four players, although this requires the use of up to three additional Game Link cables and the Game Boy Four Player Adapter (model DMG-07).
After the release of the Game Boy Pocket, Nintendo started using a smaller Game Link connector (See "Second generation" below) and released an adaptor called the Game Link Cable Adaptor (model MGB-004) which could be used in conjunction with the original Game Link cable (model DMG-04) to allow an original Game Boy to connect to a Game Boy Pocket/Color.
The second generation started with the release of the Game Boy Pocket which used a much smaller Game Link connector than those used on the original Game Boy. Although the pin assignment and basic port shape remained the same, its much smaller size necessitated the release of new Game Link Cables.
The second generation Game Link Cables came in a few varieties, but each serves the same purpose. The first was called the Game Boy Pocket Game Link Cable (model MGB-008), and was designed to be used with the Game Boy Pocket. The MGB-008 was the only Game Link cable to be white in color, and may have only been released in Japan.[ citation needed ] The MGB-008 features the smaller second generation connectors on both ends, allowing two Game Boy Pockets to link.
The next cable in this generation is called the Universal Game Link Cable (model MGB-010). It features the smaller second generation connector on one end, and the cable splits into both a second generation and first generation connector at the other end (although only one connector at this end can be used at any given time). This link cable was included with the Game Boy Printer in the US and Europe but does not appear to have been available to buy separately.
After the Game Boy Pocket came the Game Boy Light (a backlit Game Boy Pocket only released in Japan), and the Game Boy Color, all share the same link cable port design, and Game Boy Color games and original Game Boy games can both use a second generation cable. Therefore, the Game Boy Color is compatible with the MGB-008 and MGB-010. Despite this, the Game Boy Color did receive its own designated link cable, the Game Boy Color Game Link Cable (model CGB-003), however it was functionally identical to the MGB-008.
Nintendo also released a small adaptor called the Universal Game Link Adapter (model DMG-14) which features a small second generation socket and a first generation plug. The adapter can be used in conjunction with either the MGB-008 or the CGB-003 and features a thin plastic harness allowing it to be clipped on to either cable. In the US and Europe, Nintendo released the CGB-003 and DMG-14 as a set called the Universal Game Link Cable Set. As the set includes both the CGB-003 cable which features the smaller second generation connectors at both ends, plus a removable DMG-14 first generation adapter, it allows the connection of either two Game Boy Pocket/Colors, or one original Game Boy and one Game Boy Pocket/Color.
The Super Game Boy 2 also shares the same smaller style link cable port and therefore uses the same cables and adapters.
The third generation started with the release of the Game Boy Advance which was released alongside its own link cable called the Game Boy Advance Game Link Cable (model AGB-005). It features yet another new type of link cable port which is used on the Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Advance SP and Game Boy Player.
A small hub is included in the middle of the cable, which allows a second Game Link cable to be branched off of the first, and in turn, a third game link cable can be branched off of the second. This provides connections for four consoles in total, meaning games can be played with up to four players. The order in which the cables are connected to one another determines which player is which; the first player always connects through the purple end of a game link cable, and all of the others through the grey ends, due to the design of the plugs and receptacles. [1]
The port design on the third generation is almost identical to the second generation link cable ports except that it adds an extra protrusion on the plug and a notch on the socket to prevent a Game Boy Advance Game Link cable from being inserted into older model Game Boy systems. The almost identical shape of the port allows the Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Advance SP and Game Boy Player to accept all the second generation Game Link Cables, but only for backward compatibility between Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. The second generation Game Link cable cannot be used to link Game Boy Advance games, but through an undocumented technique [2] ; third generation Game Link Cables can still be used to link Game Boy or Game Boy Color games by using two cables, connecting the purple section of each cable into the other cable's hub, and using the grey ends to connect to each system.
The e-Reader also uses the third generation link cable port, but since it is incompatible with Game Boy and Game Boy Color games, it is not backwards compatible with the second generation Game Link Cable.
Also compatible with Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Advance SP, and Game Boy Player is the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter (model AGB-015). [3] The adapter allows up to five players to link for multiplayer gaming, [4] although it is capable of linking up to thirty-nine copies of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen in a virtual in-game lobby called the "Union Room". [5] Unlike the AGB-005, the wireless adapter is not compatible with all Game Boy Advance multiplayer games. Only certain games feature specific support for the AGB-015.
The fourth and last generation Game Link Cable, called the Game Boy Micro Game Link Cable (model OXY-008), was designed specifically for use with the Game Boy Micro. The Game Boy Micro features an even smaller link cable port than the Game Boy Advance, so it too requires its own Game Link Cable. The link cable features a fourth generation connector on each end which allows two Game Boy Micros to link. Alternatively, the Game Boy Micro Game Link cable can be used in conjunction with the Game Boy Micro Converter Connector (model OXY-009) to link one Game Boy Micro and one Game Boy Advance or Game Boy Advance SP. Like the Game Boy Advance Game Link Cable, the Game Boy Micro Game Link Cable features a link cable port in the middle, used to receive additional cables to connect up to four players at once.
Also compatible with the Game Boy Micro is the Game Boy Micro Wireless Adapter (model OXY-004). The OXY-004 is compatible with all the same games as the AGB-015 and can communicate with the AGB-015 wirelessly to link one or more Game Boy Micros and one or more Game Boy Advance or Game Boy Advance SP systems. [6]
A Game Link Cable was planned for the Virtual Boy (model VUE-004), though it never came to market.
The Nintendo GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable (model DOL-011) is a link cable that links the GameCube to the Game Boy Advance, the Game Boy Advance SP, the e-Reader, or even a second GameCube via the Game Boy Player. The Game Boy Micro is not compatible due to its different connector. The Wii, however, is compatible with the cable due to the Wii's backwards compatibility with GameCube games and controllers.
The Game Boy Advance (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2001, and in mainland China as iQue Game Boy Advance on June 8, 2004. The GBA is part of the sixth generation of video game consoles. Though the original model doesn't have an illuminated screen, Nintendo addressed that with the release of a redesigned model with a frontlit screen, the Game Boy Advance SP, in 2003. A newer revision of the redesign was released in 2005, with a backlit screen. Around the same time, the last redesign, the Game Boy Micro, was released in September 2005.
A handheld game console, or simply handheld console, is a small, portable self-contained video game console with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are smaller than home video game consoles and contain the console, screen, speakers, and controls in one unit, allowing people to carry them and play them at any time or place.
The Game Boy Advance SP or (ゲームボーイアドバンスSP), released in Japan on February 14, 2003, is a sixth-generation handheld game console developed, released, and marketed by Nintendo that served as an upgraded version of the original Game Boy Advance. The "SP" in the name stands for "Special". It is the penultimate console in the Game Boy Advance product line before the Game Boy Micro, which was released in September 2005.
The Nintendo e-Reader, commonly abbreviated as e-Reader, is an add-on manufactured by Nintendo for its Game Boy Advance handheld video game console. It was released in Japan in December 2001, with a North American release following in September 2002. It has an LED scanner that reads "e-Reader cards", paper cards with specially encoded data printed on them.
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The GameCube Game Boy Advance cable (DOL-011) is a cable used to connect the Game Boy Advance (GBA) to the GameCube (GCN). Depending on the games, the cable may facilitate unlocking additional content, turning the GBA into a second screen, turning the GBA into a separate controller, or transferring in-game items between related games.
The Game Boy Micro is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on September 13, 2005 as a smaller, lighter redesign of the Game Boy Advance. The system is the last Game Boy handheld, alongside the AGS-101 model of the Game Boy Advance SP. Unlike its predecessors, the Game Boy Micro lacks backward compatibility for original Game Boy and Game Boy Color games.
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The Game Boy is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same team that developed the Game & Watch series of handheld electronic games and several Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) games: Satoru Okada, Gunpei Yokoi, and Nintendo Research & Development 1.
This is a list of video game accessories that have been released for the Game Boy handheld console and its successors. Accessories add functionality that the console would otherwise not have.
The Japanese multinational consumer electronics company Nintendo has developed seven home video game consoles and multiple portable consoles for use with external media, as well as dedicated consoles and other hardware for their consoles. As of September 30, 2021, in addition to Nintendo Switch, Nintendo has sold over 863.07 million hardware units.
Nintendo 64 accessories are first-party Nintendo hardware—and third-party hardware, licensed and unlicensed. Nintendo's first-party accessories are mainly transformative system expansions: the 64DD Internet multimedia platform, with a floppy drive, video capture and editor, game building setup, web browser, and online service; the controller plus its own expansions for storage and rumble feedback; and the RAM-boosting Expansion Pak for big improvements in graphics and gameplay. Third-party accessories include the essential game developer tools built by SGI and SN Systems on Nintendo's behalf, an unlicensed SharkWire online service, and unlicensed cheaper counterparts to first-party items. In the fifth generation of video game consoles, the Nintendo 64 had a market lifespan from 1996 to 2002.
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