Get yourself connected

With recent reports that even sales of the commercially mighty PS2 are falling, it's only natural that console manufacturers are looking for ways to broaden the appeal of their machines, until the next generation is ready to induce a rash of piggy-bank smashing. Alongside the increasing range of peripherals – from the entertainingly energetic (dance mats) to the compulsively novel (the chart-topping EyeToy) – the main drive seems to be towards different forms of connection.

For PS2 and Xbox it's more about connecting gamers over the internet. For Nintendo, though, it's more about connectivity between its own hardware devices. This makes some sense. Online gaming might be the way forward for gaming culture but, in Britain at least, it's still constrained by the lack of ubiquity of broadband (still unreasonably expensive - much like our mobile phone charges).

The other reason is that, while Nintendo’s GameCube may not be doing so well, GameBoy Advance is - it even has two brand new Pokémon titles for the kids to go wild over. So linking the two consolidates the company's product.

Many may see this is a cop-out from the whole online gaming question, and maybe it is. But using a GameBoy Player (to allow you to play GBA games on your TV, via your GameCube) also has some very straightforward, uncontentious rewards. Nintendo's wee handheld offers a great catalogue of games new and old.

So for those wanting some retro gaming, but who don't own old consoles and can't be doing with trying to get emulators to run on a PC, Nintendo connectivity is a satisfactory solution. The GameBoy Advance SP may well be lovely, but even with its backlit screen there's an undeniable amount of squinting involved. So to be able to whack A Link To The Past into the GB Player then get stuck in on the TV is a boon. Daniel Etherington 01 August 03

useful link: www.pokemon.nintendo.co.uk