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Transfer Pak
The Transfer Pak is an accessory for the Nintendo 64 (N64) controller. It features a cartridge slot compatible with Game Boy or Game Boy Color (GBC) games. When plugged into the controller's expansion port, it allows for the transfer of data between supported N64 and GBC games to access additional content. The Pokémon Stadium games, with which the Transfer Pak was initially bundled for sale, also feature the ability to emulate specific Game Boy Pokémon games on the N64.
The Transfer Pak was supported by twenty N64 and 64DD games released between 1998 and 2000, only six of which supported it outside of Japan. Several games which initially planned to utilize the accessory were either cancelled or had the functionality removed. A similar accessory for the 64DD, the 64 GB Cable, was also never released. As a result, the Transfer Pak is recognized as one of the first examples of connectivity between Nintendo's home consoles and handhelds, but retrospective coverage of the accessory has found it largely unnecessary.
The Transfer Pak was developed by Nintendo Research & Development 3, and was first revealed at Nintendo's Space World 1997 trade show. It was released in Japan as a pack-in with the game Pocket Monsters Stadium (1998), which required the Transfer Pak for many of its features. In North America and Europe, the Transfer Pak was similarly bundled with Pokémon Stadium (1999) for its English-language release in 2000, receiving a standalone release shortly thereafter. While the device itself is physically compatible with all Game Boy and GBC Game Paks, most N64 games with Transfer Pak support can only connect to games from the same region.
Unlike the Super Game Boy peripheral, which allowed Game Boy games to be played on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Transfer Pak's primary use is not to play Game Boy games on the N64. Nintendo and Intelligent Systems developed a separate accessory that served this function, the Wide-Boy64, which was not released to the public; the device was only available to game developers and members of the gaming press, and was used to more easily capture footage and images from Game Boy games. However, the Pokémon Stadium games include a built-in Game Boy emulator, allowing users to play compatible Pokémon games on the N64 by inserting them into the Transfer Pak. The emulation software is based on the Super Game Boy, including applying the same borders and color palettes during gameplay.
In 1998, Marigul Management, a joint venture between Nintendo and Recruit, announced the 64 GB Cable, an accessory designed for use with the N64's 64DD peripheral. The cable would connect from an N64 controller port to a proprietary port built directly into compatible GBC cartridges, to transfer data between the GBC and a 64DD storage disk, and to use the GBC as a sub-screen for certain 64DD games.
The cable's functionality was demonstrated at Space World 1999 with the game DT Bloodmasters, a trading card game directed by Masanobu Endō that was planned to use the 64 GB Cable to exchange cards between the two systems, and allow players to privately view their cards on the GBC screen. The cable and DT Bloodmasters were ultimately never released due to the 64DD's underperformance, though its GBC counterpart, DT: Lords of Genomes, was released in May 2001. Derby Stallion 64 (2001) was also intended to support the 64 GB Cable, using the GBC as a second screen to place private bets on horse races, but this feature was removed after the accessory's cancellation.
The following is a complete list of all 20 N64 and 64DD games that are compatible with the Transfer Pak, along with the corresponding Game Boy and GBC games.
Some games were intended to include Transfer Pak features, only to remove them prior to release. During development of Pokémon Snap (1999), Satoru Iwata experimented with transferring photos to the Game Boy Camera so that they could be printed using the Game Boy Printer; however, the development team found the printer's output quality to be insufficient, and the feature was abandoned in favor of printing stickers through specialized stations at specific retailers. The GBC version of The World Is Not Enough (2000) was initially reported to feature Transfer Pak connectivity with its N64 counterpart, allowing players to strengthen their characters in the N64 game's multiplayer mode, but this was dropped before release. WWF No Mercy (2000) was meant to use the Transfer Pak to import points earned in its GBC counterpart, to be spent on rewards in the N64 game's "SmackDown Mall". However, this feature was removed following the cancellation of the GBC version.
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Transfer Pak
The Transfer Pak is an accessory for the Nintendo 64 (N64) controller. It features a cartridge slot compatible with Game Boy or Game Boy Color (GBC) games. When plugged into the controller's expansion port, it allows for the transfer of data between supported N64 and GBC games to access additional content. The Pokémon Stadium games, with which the Transfer Pak was initially bundled for sale, also feature the ability to emulate specific Game Boy Pokémon games on the N64.
The Transfer Pak was supported by twenty N64 and 64DD games released between 1998 and 2000, only six of which supported it outside of Japan. Several games which initially planned to utilize the accessory were either cancelled or had the functionality removed. A similar accessory for the 64DD, the 64 GB Cable, was also never released. As a result, the Transfer Pak is recognized as one of the first examples of connectivity between Nintendo's home consoles and handhelds, but retrospective coverage of the accessory has found it largely unnecessary.
The Transfer Pak was developed by Nintendo Research & Development 3, and was first revealed at Nintendo's Space World 1997 trade show. It was released in Japan as a pack-in with the game Pocket Monsters Stadium (1998), which required the Transfer Pak for many of its features. In North America and Europe, the Transfer Pak was similarly bundled with Pokémon Stadium (1999) for its English-language release in 2000, receiving a standalone release shortly thereafter. While the device itself is physically compatible with all Game Boy and GBC Game Paks, most N64 games with Transfer Pak support can only connect to games from the same region.
Unlike the Super Game Boy peripheral, which allowed Game Boy games to be played on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Transfer Pak's primary use is not to play Game Boy games on the N64. Nintendo and Intelligent Systems developed a separate accessory that served this function, the Wide-Boy64, which was not released to the public; the device was only available to game developers and members of the gaming press, and was used to more easily capture footage and images from Game Boy games. However, the Pokémon Stadium games include a built-in Game Boy emulator, allowing users to play compatible Pokémon games on the N64 by inserting them into the Transfer Pak. The emulation software is based on the Super Game Boy, including applying the same borders and color palettes during gameplay.
In 1998, Marigul Management, a joint venture between Nintendo and Recruit, announced the 64 GB Cable, an accessory designed for use with the N64's 64DD peripheral. The cable would connect from an N64 controller port to a proprietary port built directly into compatible GBC cartridges, to transfer data between the GBC and a 64DD storage disk, and to use the GBC as a sub-screen for certain 64DD games.
The cable's functionality was demonstrated at Space World 1999 with the game DT Bloodmasters, a trading card game directed by Masanobu Endō that was planned to use the 64 GB Cable to exchange cards between the two systems, and allow players to privately view their cards on the GBC screen. The cable and DT Bloodmasters were ultimately never released due to the 64DD's underperformance, though its GBC counterpart, DT: Lords of Genomes, was released in May 2001. Derby Stallion 64 (2001) was also intended to support the 64 GB Cable, using the GBC as a second screen to place private bets on horse races, but this feature was removed after the accessory's cancellation.
The following is a complete list of all 20 N64 and 64DD games that are compatible with the Transfer Pak, along with the corresponding Game Boy and GBC games.
Some games were intended to include Transfer Pak features, only to remove them prior to release. During development of Pokémon Snap (1999), Satoru Iwata experimented with transferring photos to the Game Boy Camera so that they could be printed using the Game Boy Printer; however, the development team found the printer's output quality to be insufficient, and the feature was abandoned in favor of printing stickers through specialized stations at specific retailers. The GBC version of The World Is Not Enough (2000) was initially reported to feature Transfer Pak connectivity with its N64 counterpart, allowing players to strengthen their characters in the N64 game's multiplayer mode, but this was dropped before release. WWF No Mercy (2000) was meant to use the Transfer Pak to import points earned in its GBC counterpart, to be spent on rewards in the N64 game's "SmackDown Mall". However, this feature was removed following the cancellation of the GBC version.