Making the Cube Boy

Installing the Game Boy Player is really quite simple. Just lift off the hi-speed port cover from the bottom of your GameCube and fit the GBP right into the now vacant slot. Then use a flat-head screwdriver to secure the two machines together – or if you want to make this a truly tool-less operation, you can use a coin to turn the screws.

HI SPEED PORT away!

The vital start-up disc

Operation of the Game Boy Player requires the use of the included start-up disc, which comes in a nice translucent case with a memory card holder. To start things up, make sure that the start-up disc is in the console and that a Game Boy cartridge is in the Player. Then just hit the power button, and you should hear the familiar Game Boy Advance opening chimes.

Controller transposition

The GameCube controller is the primary and intended means of input, but those who must have familiarity can plug in a Game Boy Advance and use that as a controller. Both the analog stick and the directional pad on the GC controller serve the same purpose, though many would probably find the pad better suited to the GBA style. This makes perfect sense as the directional crosses on the GameCube controller and the original GBA (but not the SP) are the exact same size.

The ‘B’ and ‘A’ buttons translate directly to the GameCube controller, though they now become differently sized red and green buttons. The left and right shoulder buttons remain the same, though there is no analog functionality. The start button remains unchanged, and select has been moved to the X and Y buttons. There’s an alternate control scheme that allow the X and Y, dastardly as they are, to usurp the intuitive L and R role, leaving select for the shoulders.