GBA SP link-up with GBC games? (Super Mario Bros. Deluxe)

[Red Warrior]

My brother and I recently purchased two copies of Super Mario Bros. Deluxe for Game Boy Color just so we could play the awesome VS mode via linkup. However, we can't get it to work. Does the VS mode only work with two GBC's? I figured it'd work just as well with two linked up GBA SP's. Is there something we're missing? Something we need to unlock first? Or does it just not work with the GBA?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[tholly]

hmm......you would think it would work...

i know when i hooked 2 gbasps up one with super mario advance 4 and one with an ereader to scan the cards for mario advance 4 i had to have the link cable in a specific way...like a specific tip had to go in each system....is this possibly the problem??

[Red Warrior]

Yeah I know what you mean. I had that same problem. A little flip of the cable solved it. However, that doesn't work here. I've flipped the cable several times. Nothing. Whenever I select VS mode on one of the GBA SP's, the screen goes white for about a second on the other GBA SP. Then I get a buzzing error noise and the screen goes back to normal. Info is being sent between the GBA's... but it won't start VS mode. I'm baffled.

[tholly]

did the good old GB tetris make you have to turn on the systems at the same time to get it to work.....could that be the same with this??? i dunno, im just throwing ideas out for you.

[Red Warrior]

I really couldn't tell you. I pretty much ignored Game Boy until the GBA was released, so I have no experience with GB or GBC linkups. I've only done GBA and GBA SP.

But yeah... I've tried turning the systems on at the same time. Still I get the same problem.

[tholly]

well then im outta ideas....hopefully someone else can help ya out with this one...

[soniko_karuto]

you need the gbc cable y'now. the gba one is different.

[Red Warrior]

Is the GBC cable compatible with the GBA? And where can I find one... besides ebay?

[soniko_karuto]

pretty much any flea market or such. if you are not in a hurry, go buy a gbc cable from a kmart or a electronics boutique. i believe there is a 2p gba cable wich is also compatible with the gbc.

[Red Warrior]

I need to order new SNES A/V cables from nintendo's online store anyway... so I might as well see if I can get a GBC linkup cable from them as well. Thanks for the help. Glad to hear I don't have to buy another Game Boy system.

[soniko_karuto]

oh but you will, eventually...

[calthaer]

There are also some third-party cables out there that have a switch on a little box in the middle - the switch can be used to change the cable between "GBC" and "GBA." I have one of those at home.

Doesn't SMB Deluxe have some sort of thing that uses the infrared port as well? I'm pretty sure that on the GBA the link cable can also be used as the IR port (for things like the Pokemon Mystery Gift and whatnot). Doesn't work with the Pikachu GS of course, but for two games linking together it does.

[soniko_karuto]

There are also some third-party cables out there that have a switch on a little box in the middle - the switch can be used to change the cable between "GBC" and "GBA." I have one of those at home.

Doesn't SMB Deluxe have some sort of thing that uses the infrared port as well? I'm pretty sure that on the GBA the link cable can also be used as the IR port (for things like the Pokemon Mystery Gift and whatnot). Doesn't work with the Pikachu GS of course, but for two games linking together it does.

no you can't.

actually to use the ir port, you need to enable it by hardware, so that would be a big no no. :shameful: