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Mobile System GB

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This article is about the Mobile System GB. For more general information on the Mobile System GB, see Mobile Game Boy Adapter.
554Darumaka.png The subject of this article has no official English name.
The name currently in use is a fan translation of the Japanese name.
A cartoon illustrating the Mobile System GB

The Mobile System GB (Japanese: モバイルシステムＧＢ Mobile System GB) was a paid online service used by the Mobile Game Boy Adapter. It was used by the Japanese versions of Pokémon Crystal and Pokémon Stadium 2. The service could be used by connecting to a compatible Japanese mobile phone using the Mobile Game Boy Adapter.

The system was never implemented outside of Japan. This may have been due to the lack of standardized and cheap mobile phones available overseas at the time, and the fact that most younger players could not have access to such devices.

In May 2002, Nintendo announced that it would shut down the Mobile System GB service by December 14, 2002.[1][2] This impacted all players since the functionality became inaccessible.

Access

To unlock the Mobile System GB in the Japanese version of Pokémon Crystal, the player would have to connect their Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, or Game Boy Advance SP to a compatible Japanese mobile phone with the Mobile Game Boy Adapter. Connections were made to the now defunct gameboy.datacenter.ne.jp server, hosted by Nintendo Network Service Development. This initial connection causes the MOBILE (Japanese: モバイル Mobile) and MOBILE STADIUM (Japanese: モバイルスタジアム Mobile Stadium) entries to become accessible from the main menu, and grants the player access to the Battle Tower, Mobile Stadium, and the services within the Pokémon Communication Center.

Features

Mobile menu

Any of the services required the player to set up their profile in the Mobile (Japanese: モバイル Mobile)[3] menu, and this data would be used for purposes such as Battle Tower data and Pokémon News. It was accessed from the aforementioned MOBILE entry in the main menu. Within the Mobile Center, the player could use the Card Folder (Japanese: めいしフォルダー Name Card Folder) to check their profile and manage a Pal Pad-like contact list, which also allowed phone numbers to be shared with a number of friends.

  • Mobile menu

    Mobile menu

  • Card Folder

    Card Folder

Mobile Stadium

Main article: Mobile Stadium

Players could hold trades and ten-minute battles via the second floor of any Pokémon Center. The battles could be saved in the Japanese version of Pokémon Crystal and later uploaded to the Mobile Stadium service of the Japanese version of Pokémon Stadium 2.

Facilities

The Pokémon Center in Goldenrod City is replaced by a larger building called the Pokémon Communication Center, which includes the facilities that take advantage of the Mobile System GB: Trade Corner and Pokémon News Machine. The Battle Tower near Olivine City also takes use of the Mobile System GB in the Japanese version.

  • The Trade Corner interface. The player is looking for a Rhydon in exchange for their Snorlax.

    The Trade Corner interface. The player is looking for a Rhydon in exchange for their Snorlax.

Costs

The services provided by the Mobile System GB had additional costs to players.[4][5]

Service Launch date Cost
Egg Ticket January 27, 2001 Free
Trade Corner January 27, 2001 ¥10
Battle Tower January 27, 2001 ¥10
Mobile trades January 27, 2001 Carrier service fees only
Mobile battles January 27, 2001 Carrier service fees only
Pokémon News January 27, 2001 ¥100/month
Mobile Stadium February 8, 2001 Ranged from free to ¥20

Downloadable content

Pokémon News Machines at the Pokémon Communication Center operated with the mobile system to download additional content. At least 12 news segments have been documented, most including a mini-game to win various items. One news segment distributed the GS Ball item, which could then be used to obtain Celebi in Ilex Forest by visiting Kurt.

Event distributions

Main article: GS Ball

In the original Japanese release of Pokémon Crystal, players could obtain a GS Ball as an event item from the Trade Corner attendant through the Mobile System GB and the Pokémon News Machine at the Pokémon Communication Center in Goldenrod City.

Legacy

The Mobile System GB and its related features were Game Freak's first attempt at providing wireless linking to players. This experiment, along with the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter in Pokémon FireRed, LeafGreen, and Emerald, helped the company shape the now standard multiplayer features of the current core series games, which are now more practical due to the use of the built-in Wi-Fi in Nintendo's modern handhelds.

External links

References

  1. ↑ モバイルシステムＧＢ (earliest archived copy)
  2. ↑ Nintendo to withdraw Mobile System GB service - Telecompaper
  3. ↑ Pokémon Crystal Version: Mobile Guide (ポケットモンスター　クリスタルバージョンモバイルのてびき), page 44 (Nintendo, 2001)
  4. ↑ Shonan Cable Network - モバイルアダプタＧＢ通信
  5. ↑ GBClover - サービス終了　モバイルアダプタGB


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