Gameboy Player

03/26/03

Ever since I got Golden Sun for my GBA, I longed for a way to enjoy the game on a large screen. Being cramped up looking at a GBA screen for hours at a time isn’t exactly a way to add to a game experience. When I got my GBA SP, this problem was remedied even farther, but now, my friends, the time is upon us. Enter the Gameboy player.

The GBP is a little unit about an inch thick that simply sits underneath your GCN. It allows you to play GB, GBC and GBA games on your television screen.

Installation is as simple as could be. All one has to do is remove the high-speed port cover on the bottom of the GCN, place the GBP onto the bottom and tighten two screws using a coin. And there you have it.

The GBP has the game slot in the front and an ejection switch on the right hand side, it also includes the port to allow link cables and other accessories to be added (such as the E-reader)

In order to use the GBP all you have to do is insert the boot disc and a game of your choice into the cart slot. The disc allows users to select from a list of options, including border styles, screen size, control customization and filter options. These filter options are Normal, Sharp and Soft. Due to the differences between LCD screens and TV screens, these filters are a smart inclusion. Some GBA games can look “flickery” or blurry as they are emulated on a large screen, changing the filter options can resolve these rare problems.

I’ve tested the player with all my games and it works great. The display is crisp and colors look great, though some, at first might look slightly “washed out’. An incredibly dark game like Castlevania Circle of the moon probably looks the worst. Not bad by any means at all, it’s just that the GBA is set to one brightness level, while TV’s are generally brighter, this changes how the game looks to our eyes.

Other options are the ability to use a GBA or a SP as a game controller (with the GBA cable) or to use the GBP in multiplayer games. Note, however, that the GBP does not allow users to use four GCN controllers to play split screen GBA games. GBA games were not designed this way, although it might be possible for developers to utilize this in the future.

All in all, the GameBoy player does exactly what I expected, and it is truly a great thing. To whiteness some of these games being played on a TV screen brings back memories of the SNES days. It’s almost like the SNES 2. I can also say, that my GBA library will grow immensely because of this.

Anyone looking to play some amazing games, with no interest in a portable should pick this up as soon as possible. Or, if you’re like me, you want the best of both worlds, portable gaming when you need it, and an option to play those great games on a TV screen in the comfort of your own home. It’s a great thing.

Written By Dan Chubaty