GameBoy on Xlink Kai?

[Deleted User]

Since Xlink Kai forwards system linked consoles to the internet, and GameBoy uses system link, then why is there no link cable to Ethernet or USB adapter to forward GameBoy multiplayer over the internet?

A few years ago I challenged a friend to a Pokémon battle on Pokémon Crystal but I'm in New Zealand and she's in America so the only way we could make that work is by buying the Japanese version, hacking our teams into the savefile, getting the mobile adapter and a phone that's compatible with it. I'm not even sure if that would work outside Japan, so I looked for some sort of adapter and came up with nothing.

I can't keep up with modern Pokémon games so I prefer gen 2 and I don't know any retro gamers where I live so ATM I just play against the AI on Stadium (Stadium being another reason I prefer gen 2).

 

[FAST6191]

The gameboy does not use system link, or it does but that is only because system link is a meaningless term if you are talking about tech. It uses a custom local protocol closer to something used in general electronics rather than TCP-IP or some other network protocol, one that is pretty lag and dropped packet sensitive.

You would be better off dumping the save file (or remaking the mons on one) and using a PC emulator. I am not sure what the state of the GB/GBC link emulation is (no$gmb has some, I think bgb had some, there are even some pretty nice android based things if you really want), much less the network aspect but you could always do it locally and have the other beam in via teamviewer or something.

 

[Deleted User]

The gameboy does not use system link, or it does but that is only because system link is a meaningless term if you are talking about tech. It uses a custom local protocol closer to something used in general electronics rather than TCP-IP or some other network protocol, one that is pretty lag and dropped packet sensitive.

You would be better off dumping the save file (or remaking the mons on one) and using a PC emulator. I am not sure what the state of the GB/GBC link emulation is (no$gmb has some, I think bgb had some, there are even some pretty nice android based things if you really want), much less the network aspect but you could always do it locally and have the other beam in via teamviewer or something.

It doesn't really have many packets to drop though does it? What if a PC program very quickly periodically compiled the packets into very small files and sent them to the other person running the same program or something?
And wouldn't an emulator run into the same issues anyway? Like, couldn't the PC just send and receive the packets to the Gameboy the same speed as another Gameboy? and then you'd have the same packets to send over network as you would on an emulator?

 

[FAST6191]

Not many "packets" but when it is a simple local cable running a simple protocol then the nature of the internet (if you are having a bad day and it takes longer than it expects to get the packet through as it has to be resent many times) can make for fun times -- I do not know how many times you ever saw games declare disconnected cable because it was tweaked for a second. Yeah emulators going over network (I am more familiar with the GBA side of things and what happened there but it is pretty similar when all is said and done) faced the same issue when the internet was involved, which is one of the reasons it never developed that much and also why I suggested teamviewer and a local setup as a possibility.

Yeah you could sit there with a signal analyser (whether a bus pirate is up for the task I do not know -- http://dangerousprototypes.com/docs/Bus_Pirate ) and serial/parallel port outputting the signals on both ends (like a multiboot cable on the GBA), and some kind of integrity check (a la basic network protocols), and have it all work. I have done similar things for various devices over the years (though more on the signal replay than truly live side of things, not that it makes that much difference).
Personally I would first try to make a GB/GBC emulator that speaks to a real GB/GBC, we saw something similar on the GBA with vbalinkreal (sadly the specs were lost).

 

[TecXero]

I think someone tried something like this a while back. It barely worked over LAN and just fell apart over the Internet. Even Pokemon gave up trying to use it shortly after getting into battle.

 

[Deleted User]

I think someone tried something like this a while back. It barely worked over LAN and just fell apart over the Internet. Even Pokemon gave up trying to use it shortly after getting into battle.

I tried making a GBA emulator, it didn't work either, doesn't mean no one else can make one that works.

 

[TecXero]

I tried making a GBA emulator, it didn't work either, doesn't mean no one else can make one that works.

He used real hardware, though I think he used some weird GB link cable to parallel port. This was a while ago on some IRC channel I used to lurk. I couldn't give you details other than he gave up quickly when he found he couldn't reduce the latency. That was also under the most ideal circumstances.

 

[mammastuffing]

The Gameboy transfers data synchronously on link. Meaning that for each bit going out there is a bit coming in simultaneously. The rate of the data transfer is controlled by the "host" gameboy using its clock and the only way to be able to send data over the Internet would be to trick both gameboys that they are both the clients. This would let the computer or controller control the transfer rate. Works well for games like Pokémon, like trading over the internet, but can't image it would work very well on "real-time" games.

 

[Deleted User]

Works well for games like Pokémon

My point exactly. And not just Pokemon, the GB and GBC had a lot of great turnbased games