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Thread: If the Game Boy Advance was a console, vs. Genny & SNES

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    Default If the Game Boy Advance was a console, vs. Genny & SNES

    Imagine that the Game Boy Advance was a console that plugged into a TV. Imagine that it was available in XMAS of 1992. How would it have fared against the Genesis and Super Nintendo?


    How would it have fared from a technological standpoint?


    What I'm getting at, is that with the Game Boy Player for the GameCube that allows you to play Game Boy Advance games on a TV, it's almost like the Game Boy Advance is another console. And with that, comes the thought that the Game Boy Advance is the most recent 16-Bit primarily 2D console available. With new games constantly hitting all the time.

    Now, I have some issues regarding this. First, I do have a GBA, but I don't have the Game Boy Player. So I have never seen GBA games blown up on a TV screen. I would imagine that by blowing the image up, on a large TV, you would get "Pixel City to the 12th degree". If that is the case, then this wonderous epifany of sorts, would be diminished.

    If that isn't the case, then a GBA plus a GC, plus a Game Boy Player, could be a dream of dreams for people like me, who are more interested in 2D, 16-bitish type gaming.

    I mean, this question is basically for somebody that has a GBA, a Cube and a Game Boy Player hooked up to a large T.V., and this person also has say a Genesis and a Super Nintendo also hooked up to this large TV. How does the GBA compare?

    If it can hold it's own, then I know that I need to get a Game Boy Player ASAP.

    One other question..... I have my GameCube hooked up to a big HDTV, and I mostly only play progressive scan compatable Cube games. When you attach the Game Boy Player to the Cube, does it affect the progressive scan output of some of the Cube games? Any insights into that would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks.

    Good day.

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    Awsome question. Sadly enough I have no clue how to answer it. I dow ant to see teh feedback on this one though.
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    Well, the GBA is really 32 bits. Since bit talk isn't as important as it used to be though I guess the point is moot. It's as fast, faster than a Genesis and has the color output surpassing the SNES. The unfortunate aspect of this is that with so many redundant SNES ports the hardware isn't showcased nearly as much as it could be.

    If it were designed with being a console in mind then I'll presume the resolution were upped to display full screen on a television..

    To me, the GBA represents what the 32X could have been, if it had come out earlier and without all the hassle, had been supported better by publishers, etc. They're roughly on par with each other if you consider the graphics and tricks accomplished on either platform. So there you go.

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    Default Re: If the Game Boy Advance was a console, vs. Genny & S

    Quote Originally Posted by Anthony1
    When you attach the Game Boy Player to the Cube, does it affect the progressive scan output of some of the Cube games?
    I don't see how it could... the GB Player just plugs into the bottom, and doesn't actually touch the video ports at all. I don't know off-hand if the GB Player itself is progressive scan compatible (although I imagine it would be), but if it's not, it would only affect the video output of GBA games.

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    GameBoy Advance on my 32" TV (via the X-Box) does rock. I was playing Mario & Luigi last night and it rocks.

    To answer your question I think only the hardcore would have upgraded from the Genesis or SNES to the GBA console. It just isn't a big leap like 32-bit was (which is what Genesis and SNES owners did upgrade to). I think it would have failed like the 32x unfortunetly.
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    (Commenting on the first part)

    Since it would have probably gotten super radical titles like Super Beethoven's Second SP and Super Home Alone Lost in New York SP, I would have probably called it a lame movie-game system where all the games cost $69.98 and stuck with my kick-butt Genesis & my Turbo... just like I did with the competition back then.

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    There are a couple of aspects to this conversation, and it makes the whole question very difficult to answer.

    From a hardware perspective, yeah, the GBA could have held its own or BETTER against that generation's best systems. However, what really drives the answer is the games. It's could be a very different conversation depending on the game selection. The games of the time didn't have the history, or a decade's worth of refinement. Would a better console make all the difference? I don't think so - the Genesis held its own in the face of the (arguably superior) Super Nintendo for quite some time (until it fragmented it's market all to hell with the Sega CD and 32X).

    If you're talking about today's games on the GBA... 10 years ago (!), yeah - it would stand a great chance. But that ignores yet ANOTHER aspect: portability is considered the KEY play aspect in MANY of the new GBA games.

    Frankly, I don't think you could pull off a game like Wario Ware on a traditional console. The action is so sporatic, fast paced, and... odd, that it really gets "in your face" - which is exactly where it belongs. It's really one of the "perfect portable" games.

    You can look at many of the games for the GBA and see that they were developed with portability in mind - "save anywhere" as one example, frenetic game play as another. Finally, you'll note that many of the game palettes are VERY vibrant - the color usage, large sprites, and high contrasts are designed with the weaknesses of the GBA in mind.

    So, yes... and no. Just my $.03. (yeah, I'm odd)

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    Nobody has really answered whether or not GBA games on the GameBoy Player for the Cube are "Pixel City".

    Or if they look weird or anything, blown up on a large screen. That one guy had it working on his XBOX and said it looked good, but I'm talking about the real player itself.

    I was looking at the package for the GameBoy Player tonite at Best Buy, and I noticed that there is a border around the games. Is this border very distracting?

    How large is the border?

    Can you play the GBA in progressive scan through the GameBoy Player and a Cube?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Anthony1
    Nobody has really answered whether or not GBA games on the GameBoy Player for the Cube are "Pixel City".
    They're not. They look very good, easily the same quality of Super NES and Genesis games.

    Or if they look weird or anything, blown up on a large screen. That one guy had it working on his XBOX and said it looked good, but I'm talking about the real player itself.
    They don't look "weird".

    I was looking at the package for the GameBoy Player tonite at Best Buy, and I noticed that there is a border around the games. Is this border very distracting?
    It's there to correct the screen ratio of your TV to the Game Boy Advance. Kind of like letterboxing a movie. If you find letterbox movies distracting then you may find the border distracting. Personally, I do not.

    How large is the border?
    On my 50" big screen TV it's about an inch and a half on top and bottom.

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    The Game Boy Player does its job, and it's more or less how you'd expect. It's not "pixel city" - but it's no 3D GameCube game - I noticed the pixelation of characters on my copy of Dave Mirra 3 a LOT more on the Player. But it's pretty darned good nonetheless.

    However, I do have the following notes about the device...

    It has multiplayer snafus - specifically, you can't get multiple TVs (and Cubes) together and link up GBPlayer to GBPlayer. I thought that was stupid.

    You can link up to 3 GBAs to the GBP. So why the odd limitation? Who knows!

    I also was unimpressed that there is no way to make a custom border.

    I remain skeptical at the price (hanging at $50-55!), because at that point, you really have to think about whether or not you have a good library of games on the GBA that you have a desire to play on the TV. I mean, that's 1 to 2 games for the GameCube... which would you rather have?

    The manual does not specify whether or not the GBP supports HDTV. If anyone knows, please give me a heads up.

    Here's what I was impressed with:

    The sound. Holy crap on a stick, you HAVE to hear the sound! Piped through a proper stereo, wow, it's incredible.

    The control options - frankly, I like the idea of using the GameCube controller ports - why? Cause, I can control the Game Boy game with any controller I want.

    The style - it looks right at home on the Game Cube, and doesn't add a whole lot to the size of the GC.

    So, it does the job - it's basically a question of intent, because it boils down to cost. Do you have a good GBA library? Cause then it's worth it. No? Skip it, and get a few games.

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