Nintendo - Project Atlantis

[Will Lucky]

In 1994 Nintendo gave its newest project its title, the aforementioned Project Atlantis. Project Atlantis was to be the successive hardware to the original game boy. The remit was simple. Create an efficient, profitable piece of hardware that would carry on the legacy of the GameBoy. Nintendo after the work that had been done with the SuperFX chip partnered with the British company's Argonaut and later ARM for the Project Atlantis, the aim was a chip that could if possible emulate the SNES as closely as possible. The targeted release was 1996, Nintendo at the time felt a two year turnover was completely possible and 1996 would allow the new handheld to fit in after the Christmas launch of the Ultra Nintendo.


The decision to work with British companies was new ground for Nintendo a company seen as very traditional that was used to working with Japanese developers for its hardware and the decision to work with those from the outside was a strange choice as they tended to be wary of doing so. But Argonaut would prove itself with its Super FX and Super FX2 chips that worked with critically acclaimed games such as Star Fox and Super Mario World 2. Whilst ARM offered a CPU series that seemed a natural fit for the console, although ARM was brought in later when Nintendo failed to produce a CPU they felt fit the console ARM was there and presented a CPU to Nintendo which they decided was a perfect fit to the project. The result was remarkable for the day as ARM delivered a ARM7 chip that was fully capable of almost doing what the SNES could whilst Argonaut delivered a Mini Super FX chip which whilst not to the level of the SNES counterpart was still a significant accomplishment considering the size of the chip, it served as a Coprocessor to the ARM chip. This was in a sense a downgrade, but also an upgrade. With the chip onboard the hardware rather than on the cartridge some of the issues with reading data were eliminated. But there were other issues relating to cost and the heat the console generated as well as power concerns with it being placed directly into the hardware. There were also some initial problems with developing for the console as many felt it complicated to work with, but this was a problem that time and experience would solve. Nintendo's own developers with the assistance of Argonauts programmers had a much easier start as they had worked on SuperFX and SuperFX 2 games together and that gave them some idea of how to best use the hardware.


Overall, the hardware was very strong for the package it was delivered in. It was able to best the SNES in some areas, but fell short when it came to trying to emulate a SNES running a SuperFX title.


The development of the console itself was plagued by issues however, changing CPU’s and changing chassis size which was originally on par that of the Gameboy soon escalated by the month as new chassis were brought in. The CPU issue was resolved when ARM were brought onboard once Nintendo had failed to find another supplier locally who could fit the bill. There was also the power and heat issue, the console was powered by five AA batteries, up from the four that the gameboy was using and came in at approximately 12 hours although it varied and could be higher. Heat was also the other issue, all the components together heated the console up to the point some felt very uncomfortable. Although there were no injuries it was still problematic for some after an hour or so after play. Die shrinks later on would solve this issue permanently as the smaller less power consuming hardware took the heat issue away. These problems and issues however would not be resolved until 2001, and in many eyes was a damaging start to Nintendo's reputation who had until this point had a strong tradition of hardware that was well designed whilst being resilient.


In early 1996 the board of directors had to make a big decision regarding the future of GameBoy. In 1996 a small team made a proposal to the Nintendo board of directors of a GameBoy Pocket. They believed that a cheaply made smaller version of the original GameBoy could be produced which would bring in further sales until Project Atlantis could be finished which had just been granted a delay as there were issues as mentioned above. There were three schools of thought on how to proceed.

1. Produce the console giving the GameBoy an additional length of time for its existence.
   
   
2. Dissolve the smaller team and integrate it into Project Atlantis.
   
   
3. One board member proposed halting Atlantis and carrying on with the GameBoy until the technology became cheaper for a successor and making Pocket as an intermediate.

In the end the argument was resolved after a long debate among the members of the board. The vote was cast in favour of dissolving the smaller team and absorbing it into the Atlantis Project as had happened with the Virtual GameBoy in late 1994. Nintendo did not unanimously agree with the decision but once it was made they moved forward. All hands were now firmly towards the releases of the Super GameBoy and Ultra Nintendo. However, one takeaway from this was Nintendo would ensure the Super GameBoy was backwards compatible as they noted developers were starting to shift resource to the new platform prematurely while Nintendo felt a year could still be dragged out of the old console. It was hoped not too many would transfer over and effectively leave the original console stranded with no sales incoming. Considering the issues that would follow development it was a wise choice as without this decision Nintendo’s Handheld sales could have been severely impacted. Another trend that emerged from this was with the Super GameBoy and Ultra Nintendo, the company had shifted from utilising cheap components to using more expensive hardware to power its systems, something that would impact Nintendo’s approach for years to come.


The name of course was already decided with the Super Gameboy. Marketing all agreed calling the console the Super Gameboy would make it easy to sell to consumers as the successor to the Gameboy due to the similarity between the evolution of the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo Entertainment System. This would be the easiest thing Nintendo’s marketing would do, it was the next steps on that road that would be the much tougher challenge. The primary challenge being that the Super Gameboy was bigger than its predecessor.

 

[Nivek]

The development of the console itself was plagued by issues however, changing CPU’s and changing chassis size which was originally on par that of the Gameboy soon escalated by the month as new chassis were brought in. The CPU issue was resolved when ARM were brought onboard once Nintendo had failed to find another supplier locally who could fit the bill. There was also the power and heat issue, the console was powered by five AA batteries, up from the four that the gameboy was using and came in at approximately 12 hours although it varied and could be higher. Heat was also the other issue, all the components together heated the console up to the point some felt very uncomfortable. Although there were no injuries it was still problematic for some after an hour or so after play. Die shrinks later on would solve this issue permanently as the smaller less power consuming hardware took the heat issue away. These problems and issues however would not be resolved until 2001, and in many eyes was a damaging start to Nintendo's reputation who had until this point had a strong tradition of hardware that was well designed whilst being resilient.

I don'0t think this...the year is telling, was not as much as tech issue as the little game as could...do it..aka Pokemon, for years(when finally read abour project atlantis) i recgonized nintendo might have just quietely delayed when pokemon revived the gameboy in japan and later they sucessfully exported it to the west...

Now the millon dollar question...what will be of pokemon? released for vanilla GB? moved for Supergameboy?

 

[Will Lucky]

In 1998 the Super Gameboy would finally launch in Japan followed by America in early 1999 and Europe in mid 1999. 1998 was two years after its target date the consoles troubled production meant the original timetable simply couldn’t be met. The console would launch in the United States for $169.99 and an equivalent amount in the other territories, this was quite the jump over the original Gameboy which was launched for a mere $89.99. Nintendo argued the jump in the technology with its enhanced power and color screen meant you were virtually carrying a SNES in your hands and the additional price was worth it. The new CPU, Co-Processor and general better features meant Nintendo didn’t have much of a choice unless they wanted to run a bigger deficit on sales of the console which was already high. So the high price from a business perspective was a necessary need at this point to keep the division above water.

Marketing for the console was around the sheer power of the Super GameBoy asking people what it felt like to have the power of the SNES in their pocket and highlighted this with some of the upcoming games for the console. Although much derision would be thrown at the American adverts which featured a teenager showing the portability of the console in his cargo pants which to many actually highlighted just how large the console was. The adverts in Japan surrounded the new Mario game which they compared favourably to Super Mario World. Europe learning from what happened in America took a different stance entirely going all out on Pokemon which was proving to be just as big a hit in America as it was in Japan.

The console would be released alongside 9 titles including a color edition of Tetris packaged in like the original GameBoy yet two titles from Nintendo stood out and were heralded as the Flagship Titles for this new unproven console.

Mario’s Castle

Mario’s Castle was the newest addition to the Mario franchise and was a little bit different from its predecessors.

Mario’s Castle was a standard platforming title but with additional base building elements. Like Super Mario Bros 3 and Super Mario World, this game featured an overworld full of levels for Mario to explore and progress through levels as well as similar chance cards similar to Super Mario 3 that randomly spawned. The game however came with the concept of building up Mario's Castle, by collecting coins which carried over into the game world. The game also featured a numerous assortment of collection items spread across every level which allowed the castle to be expanded. Completing a world zone would also unlock the blueprint for Mario to forge a Golden Coin, in all 6 were required for the Castle and 200% completion, but Zones 7 and 8 had to be finished to complete the final coins.

The 200% rating included finishing every level (including the secret ones), collecting every single item and finishing every upgrade for the Castle. The game itself was extremely straightforward getting to the final level and finishing the “final” zone 7 level, but achieving the 200% rating was extremely challenging, especially as Zone 8 would only open with 150% which until the player did so would not be aware existed. It would emerge two decades later that Mario’s Castle was in fact a prequel to Super Mario Land which many theorists had speculated.

This game appealed to both the Western and Japanese audiences with its simple play style yet extremely challenging completion method. Mario Castle was a top seller in both the West and Japan and continued to be a strong selling title throughout the lifetime of the console.

Pokemon Yellow

The second flagship title was Pokemon Yellow an enhanced port of Pokemon Red and Green which included better graphics including a vast variety of color and a few other gameplay additions as well including the mainstay that your pokemon in this case Pikachu would follow you around the world.

For Japan Pokemon Yellow would serve as an enhanced port. For the US and EU the game would be an entirely new series. In Japan Pokemon Red and Green had been released on the original GameBoy, but had not yet been translated and converted to the other territories. Pokemon Red and Green were both scrapped for the US and EU when they decided to transfer Yellow over to the new console and sped the process up to ensure it hit the respective launches. As a result in Japan the game had a lukewarm albeit successful reception due to its similarities with the previous games. In Japan the title did not sell as well as the Mario game but did sell quite well nevertheless but not to the expectations. In the US and Europe however it was an entirely different story as the game was effectively a new series which quickly grabbed attention. Sales for Pokemon Yellow were close to that of the Mario title and would sell very well for years later.


From Nintendo’s perspective the launch of the new system was a very mixed bag. Although the console sold quite well the issues that begun filtering in were not good news. As highlighted in the background section the main issues for Nintendo were fourfold.

1. The size of the console was considered too bulky to be a “handheld”
2. The battery life was not upto the original GameBoy’s standard.
3. Heat was an issue making play uncomfortable for some after an hour.
4. The price was substantially higher than the original GameBoy as well.

These were issues Nintendo would struggle to get around for the moment but would be solved in time with new manufacturing methods later in the life of the console. These issues though were frequently highlighted by the press and sales could have been higher in the opening year as news outlets did not paint a rosy picture about the new console although praised its power and color screen. But sales were still strong and could have been a lot worse without killer games carrying it.

 

[Nivek]

As highlighted in the background section the main issues for Nintendo were fourfold.

Those are considerable issues and we are years before a SP revision... Still the handled is pretty good and was a homerun releasing an improved Pokémon Yellow as the Flagship game( alone would look like firered even better thanks more powerful super gameboy)

Congratulations nintendo for the sucessful launch

 

[Will Lucky]

Those are considerable issues and we are years before a SP revision... Still the handled is pretty good and was a homerun releasing an improved Pokémon Yellow as the Flagship game( alone would look like firered even better thanks more powerful super gameboy)

Congratulations nintendo for the sucessful launch

Yes the software side is an excellent launch for Nintendo. A new Mario and as per OTL Pokemon launches in the West very successfully to critical acclaim.

The hardware side is a success in that yes it’s selling very well but the reception has not been what was expected. In OTL Atlantis was cancelled because it was considered too powerful, battery was poor, and it was too big. The final nail in the coffin was the success of the GameBoy Pocket. The POD is Nintendo veto the pocket, and give Atlantis extra time. It solves some problems but not all of them. Nintendo have essentially launched a GBA 3 years ahead of schedule, but that comes with a price. They’ve approached Atlantis as they did the N64, it’s a console that is very powerful but has flaws as a result.

It’s a successful launch for Nintendo, it just has some lessons attached to it for them.

 

[Nivek]

The final nail in the coffin was the success of the GameBoy Pocket

The true reason was pokemon sucess, pocket was sucessful thanks to pokemon not the other way, pokemon megahit revitalized the old GB and give it five more year of life and a massive instalbase people have to take advantage of it.

Yeah tthe launch have massive upsides and downsides but that make the timeline more realistic and pretty well done, hope to see what wil come to the future.

 

[Deleted member 100251]

Ooh, a new Nintendo TL! And the POD is around the Game Boy? Double sweet!
Can't wait to see where you go with this! (Love the name of the Super Game Boy, it's just so catchy - and continues the torch started with the SNES.)

 

[Will Lucky]

The early months of the console's lifetime were rough times for Nintendo, but it was still proving quite successful. Nintendo knew it needed to make moves to get games out there into people's hands to keep the consoles flowing. In 1999 however, Sega made a somewhat shocking announcement as they were preparing to enter the fray.

Sega announced the Titan, a new handheld console and unlike its previous attempts at breaking into the market it would be a true handheld. Sega had two previous consoles the Game Gear which was for all intents and purposes a Master System and the Nomad which was a Genesis. The Titan was to be a handheld in of itself using a single modified shrunk Hitachi SH2 so effectively half a 32X which was a familiar sight alongside a small VSP. This meant Sega had experience using the chips similarly to Nintendo. Powerwise in many ways it wasn’t too far apart of the Super Game Boy but had a reasonable edge. The Titan was due for launch at the end of 1999 not long after the release of their brand new home console which many felt at the time to be extremely optimistic including Nintendo.

For Nintendo nothing changed the plan was simply get games to the market. Three of them from the Legend of Zelda series were planned for between 1999 and 2001 in the Triforce Trilogy. As well as a release in the Mario Kart series. Nintendo were never concerned about Sega however, the two previous consoles had not proved successful and Nintendo knew Sega would have to get its own studios developing titles for the Titan moving away from the next Sega console while Nintendo had a strong pipeline to produce games for both its lines of hardware.

Mario Kart

Mario Kart was released in April 1999 in Japan with a release in the other territories later on. The game seemed to be quite similar to its brother on the Super Nintendo but also included new tracks and items like flower power allowing players to throw fireballs across the track. The big feature in this title was the bundled link cable that came with it, the link cable allowed 2 players and later up to 4 players to be able to interact and play together. The game came standard with one of these cables allowing gamers to play together. The 4 player cable came later on using the Super Game Boys high speed port.

The extra size of the Super GameBoy Cartridges meant that Nintendo were also able to boost the courses up with another cup added to the game with original levels. In addition, they were able to increase the number of racers from 6 to 8. Mario Kart was a simple upgrade from the SNES edition, and proved to be very popular on the console. For Nintendo it was an easy release that allowed them to test how effectively they could port games over from the SNES, and from that viewpoint it was an overwhelming success which would lead to future enhanced ports from the SNES.



The Triforce Trilogy

Inevitably The Legend of Zelda series would get a release on the new console. Originally Yoshiki Okamoto of Capcom approached Shigeru Miyamoto hoping to get the chance to remake The Legend of Zelda for the new hardware, this was agreed with the potential to release new titles in the series if they did well. This did not pan out as the team instead went straight at working on an entirely new addition to the series. Miyamoto was invited to help as although they had ideas they didn’t have a focus. He seeing the ideas was very happy and proposed the Triforce Trilogy, three games which would have the different ideas and a storyline connecting them.

The original intention was to release all three titles over the space of 5 months but this became evident in development it wouldn't succeed. The Mystical Seed of Power and the Mystical Seed of Wisdom were released in 1999. The final title was released in 2001 which was titled the Mystical Seed of Courage. Power and Wisdom focused on Color and Seasons as their respective focuses whilst Courage used time requiring additional time to get two overworlds done. Tying into this was a password system which carried changes over between titles and into the third title.

The titles played extremely similarly to traditional Zelda titles in that you searched the world for items and explored and completed Dungeons until you reached the final boss. Power had the ability to change the Color of the world and solve puzzles for example turning a rock to blue and melting it down with an item. Wisdom was that of Seasons which changed the season to solve puzzles. Courage with its time travel allowed journeys between two worlds 50 years apart.

Power and Wisdom were both released together in 1999 to critical and commercial success for Nintendo as fans of the franchise went out to purchase their Super Gameboys to experience the new titles while the team carried on with the Mystical Seed of Courage now able to take the reviews for the previous two games on board to improve.



Towards the end of 1999 news reached that the Sega Titan had been delayed to early 2000 as Sega threw everything at its Dreamcast console to kick off a new generation on the home front as the expectations were accurate that Titan could not make late 1999. Nintendo were not concerned by this development, they themselves were hard at work on the successor to the Ultra Nintendo. But the Ultra Nintendo itself still had a couple more years in it extending into the new millennium. 1999 has been a very successful year for Nintendo and the plans for 2000 would seek to strengthen that with returning favourite franchises.

 

[Nivek]

The Sega Titan would be what they wonderswan could have been or maybe just Sega last hurrah alongside Dreamcast, Nice update short but pretty telling.

 

[Will Lucky]

Bit late as I've been very busy this week. Will try and fit in a mini update in a couple of days as well.



Nintendo went into the holiday season of 2000 with big hopes for the Super GameBoy. They had a 2D Platformer from a familiar franchise lined up from the team at Rare and the Pokemon Team were preparing their new product launch. They also had a familiar product lined up in early 2001 that would lead the charge in the Spring. Nintendo’s teams were gearing up for additional product launches in the future as well including their next home console to directly compete with the Dreamcast and the Playstation 2, the former being released in early 2000. Although the Dreamcast had a good headstart it was already evident that the Playstation 2 would exceed it easily, Nintendo found themselves racing to get their console ready as Microsoft had also decided to throw its hat into the ring.


Donkey Kong Country 4


Late 2000 saw three significant titles released on the console as Donkey Kong Country 4 was released on the console alongside the other 3 Kong titles if players wished to revisit them. This was an original title created by Rare for the console who were able to create the title whilst preparing for the future on the Nintendo Gamecube. Donkey Kong transferred the play style and art of its console brothers over perfectly. Donkey Kong Country 4 sold as well as expected of the title moving some 6.5 million copies by the end of the console's lifetime. This title returned to the roots of the series with Donkey Kong as the main character as he went on a mission to save the rest of the Kongs from the clutches of K.Rool, although this game took place not in the Jungle like its predecessors but an urban landscape that seemed to be styled on New York with Kong moving from building to building. The new game also seemed to take some inspiration from the Ultra Nintendo titles that Rare had created including Donkey Kong World and included a large variety of collectables.

One of the main features was that like Donkey Kong World, in Donkey Kong Country 4 the player over time released more of the Kong's who in turn were able to complete the levels and find their own assortment of collectables such as red bananas for Diddy Kong. Whilst this feature gave a large amount of replay value to the game it like its Ultra Nintendo counterpart had a lot of criticism levelled at it for just how much back tracking was involved to get everything, but at least the 2D platforming made this process far easier than the 3D title.

Donkey Kong Country 4 had reviewed very well and player feedback was positive for the most part. Rare found themselves starting off on the Super GameBoy very strongly and new projects were quickly put into the pipeline for the future. For Nintendo it was also reinforcement that the Super Nintendo would carry the torch for 2D platformers and more games would follow. Rare were pleased with their progress on the title and started drawing up new games alongside those in production.


Pokemon Gold and Silver


The second and third major titles were the releases of Pokemon Gold and Silver. The two titles entered production soon after the launch of Red and Green while a smaller team worked on the port of Yellow with the assistance of Satoru Iwata to get it running on the Super GameBoy as he developed a new compression method allowing far better artwork on the title. With Gold and Silver this was taken further, Yellow was simply a port of the Red and Green titles so the artwork while improved wasn’t a total overhaul. Gold and Silver saw many assets rebuilt from the ground up taking advantage of this compression technology giving the new title features such as improved colors and simple shadows as well as giving the world more volume.

In Gold and Silver the trainer a boy or girl were set in a new world called Johto with the addition of 100 more pokemon to the series, the game even had the ability to link with Yellow and trade old pokemon over to the new games allowing a bit of continuation between games. The biggest secret however was that when players completed the game it turned out they were not done and were able to go to Kanto the region from the first titles and complete that region three years after Pokemon Yellow and the changes that came with it. The new designs and additional graphics allowed players to compare to the previous title just how profound the improvements were.

Gold and Silver also included a new clock feature which allowed the players to go to events in game in line with what the clock said as well as dictating what pokemon would spawn on any given day alongside a day and night cycle shown in game. The time feature was criticised for not being utilised enough however and future releases would expand on the feature. The game also included other new features such as breeding and new types of pokemon to add more depth to the gameplay.

Gold and Silver were massive successes for Nintendo in both the Japanese and Western markets with a good number of sales taking place in 2000 and a larger 0 amount in 2001. Gamefreak began shifting team members over to the other projects lined up for the next few years.


Super Paper Mario


In January 2001 Nintendo released Paper Mario for the Super GameBoy in Japan with the other territories later in the year. The game was conceived of alongside the Ultra Nintendo title. Paper Mario on the Super GameBoy maintained the same gameplay systems over from the Ultra Nintendo title but had a story featuring the seven children of Bowser the Koopalings spread throughout the Mushroom World in an invasion where they were turning the kings into various animals. Mario travelled throughout the World and defeated the Koopalings one by one restoring the kings to their original forms.

Many noted the game remarkably seemed to follow the path and plot of Super Mario Bros 3 released in 1988 from the NES in terms of the progression through the different environments, the order the Koopalings were defeated as well as the general storyline not to mention a curtain raising with every cutscene. Nintendo would later confirm in the 2010’s that Super Paper Mario was a reimagining of Super Mario Bros 3 as an RPG allowing them to expand on the original storyline. The team had took the premise of the game and built off of it with the gameplay structures of the Ultra Nintendo title.

Super Paper Mario reviewed well and sales reflected it, the first of two Paper Mario titles on the console left fans of the series very satisfied and alongside the Ultra Nintendo release made fans for the series very hopeful for the future.



At the end of 2000 the Sega Titan was released and surprisingly to many most of all Nintendo, 4 months after its launch it had managed despite events ongoing in the home console market to have a successful launch with titles in the Sonic and Streets of Rage series fueling sales despite the lack of titles elsewhere. In what felt to many to be a return to the 1980’s Nintendo and Sega began attacking each other once again. Nintendo were preparing their response but this wasn’t going to be seen by the world until 2001 which they believed would completely demolish Sega before they could get a foothold with many pointing out the Dreamcast had a very successful launch window and too look at its present state. Sega was still bleeding a significant amount of money due to its mismanagement of the Saturn and Dreamcast which did not seem to be stopping any time soon and now had to support another platform whose success was yet to be determined.


Nintendo had managed to release two new additions to the Pokemon Franchise, an entry into the Donkey Kong franchise and a release in the Paper Mario series. Nintendo would in January 2001 cement its relationship with Rare by taking a controlling stake in the company as well as opening negotiations with another company to bring them into the fold. Rare effectively became one of Nintendo’s most trusted studios as it was leading the charge with many titles on the Super GameBoy and the next Home Console. Nintendo acted to secure the remaining shares in Rare rather than see it go to Activision or potentially Microsoft. Nintendo felt Rare still had a strong offering for its future platforms and decided to bring them and their properties permanently on board.

 

[Nivek]

Super Paper Mario

So this game is closer to OTL but with a SMB3 setting or more original? still pretty nice work

If we can only get a localize fire emblem game soon

 

[Will Lucky]

As promised a mini update, I will be posting a follow upto this with other add ons, accessories and general experiments that Nintendo try once things have progressed a bit more.




Nintendo throughout the time frame of the Super GameBoy had a variety of add ons available, prototypes and concepts. This went from simple things such as a Printer to print out screenshots in game or alongside a camera that was also released. Both were not successful as consumers were put off by the high prices and dubious use of both devices.

There were also the very basic accessories such as battery packs and multiplayer cables which all sold very well as was to be expected with the Pokemon titles. Battery Packs became a more common theme with the Pocket as battery technology started to move forward and people wanted the rechargeable pack rather than shell out for batteries similar to what the Titan had accomplished. In 2001 the four player split cable was released which already had compatibility built into Mario Kart. Other titles would soon follow which took advantage of the new cable such as Mario Party and F-Zero.

One of the more intriguing ideas however was that of the Virtual Boy. The original concept had been scrapped as Nintendo sought to allocate more resources to its Ultra Nintendo and the Super Gameboy but the idea never died. Gunpei Yokoi who had the initial idea but transferred to assist with the Super Gameboy came back to the idea after its release. He had specifically given one of the ports on the Super Gameboy the speed he felt it would need for the project.

The Virtual Boy project was in development from 1998 until 2003, but never saw realization. The Virtual Boy Project simply wasn’t a good fit for the Super Gameboy, even with the high speed data port designed for it. The main issue was simply that like Sega in 1993 with its own headset device they could never get rid of the headaches or nausea that many people had. The device went through many iterations including a stand alone device but in the end Nintendo realized it simply couldn’t be done comfortably with current hardware. Once additional resource was requested in 2003 to attempt it as its own console which the team felt could succeed the Super Gameboy, Nintendo finally decided to cancel the project once and for all after 5 years and nothing delivered. The Super Gameboy itself had 4 years of bumpy development but resulted in a final product. Something the Virtual Boy team had not been able to demonstrate.

The final prototype was a headset that plugged into the Hi-Speed Port on the Super GameBoy and included its own additional hardware onboard to power the device. Nintendo believed had something along these lines been released the device would easily cost in excess of $199, which in combination with the console itself was a hefty price for many customers to pay. For business and technological reasons the device was finally cancelled. Gunpei Yokoi retired from the industry in 2003 with his last hope unfinished. However his addition of the Hi-Speed port would have interesting consequences for the console down the road.

There was also the attempt to modify the game cartridges themselves with new chips similar to the Super Nintendo in an attempt to give the console more power for developers but this work didn't commence seriously until 2002.

 

[Will Lucky]

So this game is closer to OTL but with a SMB3 setting or more original? still pretty nice work

If we can only get a localize fire emblem game soon

I don't think the Paper Mario series got a handheld title until the 3DS. The roots still stay as an RPG. Basically its a remake of SMB3 only in an entirely different genre, Nintendo had a very basic premise to write a slightly more complex story on top of.

 

[Nivek]

I don't think the Paper Mario series got a handheld title until the 3DS. The roots still stay as an RPG. Basically its a remake of SMB3 only in an entirely different genre, Nintendo had a very basic premise to write a slightly more complex story on top of.

I refered to the wii Super Paper MArio but now you mentioned was a more traditional rpg and a rpg retelling of SMB3, pretty nice that way

 

[Will Lucky]

Following the holiday season Nintendo announced the Super GameBoy Pocket. A new revision of the existing hardware intended to fix multiple problems with the original console. It was hoped this would alongside its new titles give the reinvented platform a massive injection of sales. Nintendo had learnt well from the original launch of the Super Gameboy, the hardware teams had looked at every issue and attempted to solve all of them. Nintendo also additionally believed that once the Christmas season was over Sega would be leaving both its hardware markets once and for all.


Nintendo took the main issues with the original hardware and sought through a four point plan to resolve the issues with the original console. The resolution of each point was in Nintendo’s eyes the solution to the problem they had created.

1. The original Super GameBoy was a mammoth of a handheld and had attracted much criticism for it, three years on from the release of the original hardware the manufacturing process had improved and Nintendo was able to shrink down components getting it smaller. The result was the Super GameBoy Pocket was smaller than not just the original console but had smaller dimensions than the original GameBoy.
2. Through the new manufacturing process as well as general improvements to the inside such as a shift to less power consuming memory the Super GameBoy was also far more efficient meaning that it was able to get away with two AA batteries and increasingly rechargeable packs that were being sold in stores. This saved money for the consumer who was buying batteries and decreased on the weight overall.
3. The final fact about the smaller method of manufacturing was simply that the heat problems that persisted throughout the original models lifetime was now completely eliminated. By using less power the unit generated less heat making it comfortable for most.
4. The launch price was $129.99, $40 cheaper than the original console. This was solved through the smaller size and smaller node requiring less materials. The entry price which was high was now considered acceptable for many consumers in what was the first major price cut for the console.

The new console was released in Japan, the US and EU over an ambitious 3 month window spanning from February 2001 to May 2001 and depending on the territory came with one of 3 titles.

Pokemon Gold and Silver were released in 2001 for both the US and EU, unlike Japan Nintendo sought to have the consoles as a tie in coming packaged with either game for $140 a steal for many gamers who rushed out to buy the new Pokemon games with a console especially in Japan as Gold and Silver were true “sequels” to Red and Green. The title was reviewed very well in the EU and US and sold out quickly in the territories. The Pokemon brand was staying very strong for Nintendo across all territories.


Super Mario All Stars

The second title was released simultaneously in all three regions alongside the new console due to a tie in with the Super GameBoy. Super Mario All Stars was released with the new hardware and was free for owners of the Super GameBoy who could produce a receipt for the old console when purchasing a new game although many stores were lenient given the time that had passed and just handed it over with a new title on a Super GameBoy being produced within 3 months of the Pocket releasing. Old owners in the US and EU found themselves walking out with the collection alongside their purchases of Gold and/or Silver, $40 for 5 games gave even more reason for the faithful to come to stores. Nintendo promoted this as a present to those patient owners who had bought the old console for $169.99 and dealt with its problems. The All Stars Collection was a port of the SNES version and reviewed just as well as a result for fans able to play the Mario titles upto Super Mario World on the move. All stars also proved to be a very simple port for Nintendo and the sales on the new hardware easily made up the costs.


The final title was The Legend of Zelda Mystical Seed of Courage. This was the big game released in Japan with the release of the Super GameBoy Pocket and came with Super Mario All Stars for those old owners just like the EU and US.


The Legend of Zelda Mystical Seed of Courage

The Legend of Zelda Mystical Seed of Courage was the final game in the Triforce Trilogy series binding the three games together. Using the passwords system from the previous titles it gave players the options to alter the game as they were beginning as some of their actions carried over into the new title. The main feature of this title was two overworlds as similar to The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time this title had the ability to travel through time albeit it Fifty years between the two worlds rather than seven in the Ultra Nintendo title which allowed for some major ramifications as changes were made, but of course memory limits meant they couldn’t go too far with the changes so some hopes were stymied.

The storyline sought to finish the trilogy off with the return of Ganon and also featured multiple endings based on decisions taken as well as passwords used. The canon ending to the title would be revealed several years later in the opening cutscene of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords. It was the first title in the series to feature multiple endings until the ending of Ocarina of Time was explained several years down the road. For many this conclusion meant the games could be replayed for different endings adding to the value of the series.

The combat and movement were also refined based on the feedback that had been returned from the first two titles as well as the old items that carried over having some tweaks based on this as well. All in all the feedback that was returned said this was positive. The thoughts on combat would give Capcom's minds some interesting ideas for the future.

The title was reviewed extremely well, and for many stands as the finest Zelda title on the handheld consoles which has yet to be surpassed. Sales in Japan were excellent alongside the new console. The game was released in August and November in the EU and US respectively to sales that surpassed that of Japan.



The Super GameBoy Pocket was a massive success for Nintendo selling out completely. Its successes are attributed to Nintendo’s four point plan to fix what they saw as the main issues with the Super GameBoy. This plan worked completely as it led to all of the issues that were present in the original console being fixed. In addition the Super GameBoy Pocket was sold out worldwide up until after Christmas 2002 as they struggled to make enough to meet demand. For Nintendo the rough start was finally over for the Super Gameboy. Soon afterwards Nintendo completed its purchase of Argonaut Games integrating them directly into Nintendo Europe its chip designs were a crucial part for Nintendo’s future and sought direct control. Its small games team was also integrated as a small team working on specific titles including one well in production.

At the start of 2002, Sega announced they were leaving the Home Console market. The Titan remaining as its sole hardware other than its various arcade units. Sega begin a significant restructure moving teams over to the Titan and vice versa very selectively transferring Dreamcast teams elsewhere. Titan sales proved stable for now, but the news made many in the industry wonder just how long it would have. Nintendo and many in the industry believed the Pocket at its lower entry point and better library would shortly deliver that news

 

[Nivek]

At the start of 2002, Sega announced they were leaving the Home Console market. The Titan remaining as its sole hardware other than its various arcade units. Sega begin a significant restructure moving teams over to the Titan and vice versa very selectively transferring Dreamcast teams elsewhere. Titan sales proved stable for now, but the news made many in the industry wonder just how long it would have. Nintendo and many in the industry believed the Pocket at its lower entry point and better library would shortly deliver that news

As long Sega not fumbled it they could get a nice niche unless PSP come early but an early psp can end up with sony fumbled it like Vita too.... Again there several third parties(Square mostly, Namco a little) are not in speaking terms with nintendo and could support sega for a while. Still is Sega, they will fumbled it badly

 

[Will Lucky]

As long Sega not fumbled it they could get a nice niche unless PSP come early but an early psp can end up with sony fumbled it like Vita too.... Again there several third parties(Square mostly, Namco a little) are not in speaking terms with nintendo and could support sega for a while. Still is Sega, they will fumbled it badly

We shall see, I will go into Sega's restructure in a little more detail as we head deeper into 2002. But the focus remains on the Nintendo Handheld, the Gamecube has just been released in parts of the world and is slowly spreading to other territories and that will affect some of Nintendo's thinking.

 

[Nivek]

We shall see, I will go into Sega's restructure in a little more detail as we head deeper into 2002. But the focus remains on the Nintendo Handheld, the Gamecube has just been released in parts of the world and is slowly spreading to other territories and that will affect some of Nintendo's thinking.

Gamecube as OTL right?

 

[Will Lucky]

Gamecube as OTL right?

Yes, unlike the Ultra Nintendo they do finally deviate and go and name it after the shape of the console. I envision this console is slightly stronger than its OTL counterpart as Nintendo have moved on a little from cheap profitable consoles to stronger hardware using their own resources (although the OTL Gamecube was no pushover). And obviously, the software side is quite different with Rare permanently on board and other ramifications that I'll mention. But its still going up against a DVD equipped PS2 which has a substantial lead, and Microsoft are prepping their XBox.

 

[Nivek]

Yes, unlike the Ultra Nintendo they do finally deviate and go and name it after the shape of the console. I envision this console is slightly stronger than its OTL counterpart as Nintendo have moved on a little from cheap profitable consoles to stronger hardware using their own resources (although the OTL Gamecube was no pushover). And obviously, the software side is quite different with Rare permanently on board and other ramifications that I'll mention. But its still going up against a DVD equipped PS2 which has a substantial lead, and Microsoft are prepping their XBox.

Now those are big butterflies, so third parties...which are your excuses?