When Nintendo got rid of the headphone jack
arstechnica.com
arstechnica.com
And so now, if you want to use headphones with it (and you do; as not only do you get stereo instead of monaural sound; you get an extra channel of audio so you'll be missing certain sound effects in some games without them!), you get to buy one of these pricey ($60-80) adapters for it, plus shipping fees from Japan: http://www.ebay.com/itm/361198122142
Of course, if you really want to see the fun of removing standardized ports, look no further than the Gamecube's component cables, which sell for a cool $250+ today: http://www.ebay.com/itm/131939975870
So, yeah. I'm strongly in favor of industry standard ports, even if it adds a few pennies onto the cost or a few mm onto the device size.
From the Wikipedia page:
> The only cables that can output a 480p signal from the GameCube are the official Nintendo-brand YPBPR component cables, available in both RCA[note 1] and D-Terminal[note 2] variations. These cables are equipped with a unique digital-to-analog converter developed by Nintendo which has not been reproduced by any third party company.
So the adapter is proprietary and I'd imagine wasn't exactly manufactured in huge numbers back then, which attracts such a high price.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_GameCube_games_with_al...
Although the image quality is said to be slightly worse; at this point your best bet is to buy one of the older, backward-compatible Wiis to get component output. Much cheaper.
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¹ — https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/nintendogamecube/c...
However, I didn’t really care that much considering how much better the Game Boy Advance SP was than all the previous Game Boys.
It was the first Game Boy to have a backlit screen, which meant I could finally easily sneak and play on it in the night without alerting my parents (instead of trying to do the same with the much less effective wormlight accessory I had for my Game Boy Advance).
The D-pad was far more comfortable to use over long periods compared with the ones on previous Game Boys. I distinctly remember having my left thumb hurt after playing for a few hours on my Game Boy Advance, since the D-pad on that one makes you feel like you have to press down a lot harder than the one on the Game Boy Advance SP.
And the biggest point: it was the first Game Boy to include a rechargeable battery! This was huge, since people really didn’t buy rechargeable batteries nearly as much back then as they do now, so you’d pretty much be either wasting two alkaline batteries per day or two, or staying tethered to a wall by using the included AC adapter. That was a pretty annoying option too, especially when the power in your home died right before you could get to a save point…
When I got one, I essentially stopped playing GBA games on my Game Boy Advance, since playing them on my Game Boy Advance SP was a far more enjoyable experience (so much so that I didn’t really lament the loss of the headphone jack all that much).
Actually, there was another Game Boy with backlit screen released much earlier -- just a few months before the Game Boy Color, though only in Japan. I remember said Game Boy because a friend of mine whose father traveled to Japan had brought one such Game Boy back with him for his son. It was called the Game Boy Light.
The screen was monochrome with green backlight. Pretty badass.
http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Game_Boy_Light
http://www.computercloset.org/NintendoGameBoy.htm
http://retro-treasures.blogspot.com/2012/04/silver-nintendo-...
Also realized I made another error too: the original Game Boy Advance didn’t include an AC adapter; in fact the Game Boy Advance itself doesn’t even have a barrel connector on it to plug one in in the first place! I misremembered that the AC adapter that I have lying around for my Game Boy Advance didn’t come with it, but actually came from a third-party accessory my parents had ended up buying for me so they could stop wasting money on alkaline batteries (a controller grip similar to this¹ one that plugged into the battery compartment).
Interestingly enough, Nintendo made such an accessory²³⁴ themselves as well (although without the grip part).
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¹ — http://emu.gbxemu.com/reviews/gba_battery_joypad.html
² — https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/gameboyadvance/hoo...
³ — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005B8G0
⁴ — http://ign.com/articles/2001/09/30/game-boy-advance-ac-adapt...
I’ve seen at least a handful of them in my childhood here in Germany. Backlit screen, exact same format, etc.
I definitely had a rechargeable battery pack for my Gameboy Color[1], and at the height of the Pokemon craze, it was an essential investment...
[1] this one, IIRC https://assets.listia.com/photos/8875a4007b0476b501e5/origin...
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Also, if you're into music and have a GB flashcart, lsdj is a must buy.
Thankfully European Union pushed for MicroUSB standardization. While vendors (like Apple) can still get around it by bundling an adapter in European markets, it was enough to push the entire industry to standardize.
Still, both Nintendo and Apple still change charging port standards frequently (and not adopting the universal standards even when they're superior): the original GBA used a certain proprietary charging port, then both GBA SP and the original Nintendo DS shared a (different) charging port. But Nintendo DS Lite used another standard (looks a lot like MicroUSB but wasn't). Finally all handhelds since DSi (including DSi XL, 3DS XL and New 3DS variants) all use another proprietary variant!
New 3DS systems don't even ship with AC adapters! Not even a cable from the proprietary 3DS connector to USB type A! This means little Johnny will get between 0 and 1 charges out of the system on Christmas Day, while his exasperated mother has to go find a shop that's open during the holiday period just to charge the device.
Very surprising since Nintendo have sometimes been very good regarding backwards compatibility of interfaces on their hardware - Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64 and Gamecube all shared the same video cable (a proprietary connector to composite audio/video out via Red/White/Yellow RCA connectors)
Apple of course do it with constantly changing MagSafe variants, as well the old 30-pin iPod/iPhone connectors (and not switching to the MicroUSB standard) and chasing Firewire (and to a much less degree Intel Thunderbolt) and most recently choosing the superior (to USB2.0) reversible Lightning connector over the new industry standard, USB3.1 Type C.
The reasons for doing this appear to be mostly related control of an ecosystem to enable price gouging. (Can't really be due to increasing water resistance, as competitors show it's possible to have even better water resistance without removing any standardized jacks)
Btw, MegSafe is one of the best thing about MacBooks, I'm actually sad they're not using it in the new MacBook.
Switching to lightning freed up width, but it appears to me there was not much reduction in height.
I actually see the Magsafe 2 is about 2/3 height of the original Magsafe connector.
In the past ten years, there has been two variants of MagSafe adapters. You can adapt older chargers to the newer standard.
>choosing the superior (to USB2.0) reversible Lightning connector over the new industry standard, USB3.1 Type C.
Lightning (2012) is way older than USB Type-C (2014). Additionally, Lightning can handle USB 3.
I wouldn't call a AA battery compartment a "proprietary charging port" :)
Unlike the Game Boys that came before it, the Game Boy Advance didn’t have a barrel connector on it to connect an AC adapter for powering it without batteries. Due to that, Nintendo made an accessory¹²³ for the Game Boy Advance that plugged into the battery compartment (which completely replaced the battery cover). It had a proprietary port on it which you would use to plug in an AC adapter that would then plug into a wall outlet and power (not charge) the Game Boy Advance. I believe that may be what the parent poster was referring to.
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¹ — https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/gameboyadvance/hoo...
² — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005B8G0
³ — http://ign.com/articles/2001/09/30/game-boy-advance-ac-adapt...
USB C seems like the future for basically _all_ ports on all devices, so I do think it's a shame that Apple's going to stick with Lightning for iOS devices. It's hard to blame them for this -- Lightning is quite a bit thinner[1]. But I also don't share their obsession with device thinness.
[1] http://josh-ua.co/blog/2015/3/15/usb-c-dimensions-size-compa...
Apple does care about its service business revenues, and I think they felt they needed to compete with Spotify, etc. instead of letting others slowly erode iTunes' share. This isn't about lock-in to iDevices -- Apple Music is also available on Windows, Android.
Apple has great gross margins on computers because they have such operational excellence in building them, but still a Mac makes much less margin than headphones- at any price point along the quality curve.
Accessories are just generally really profitable.
Apple most definitely does not bundle an adapter in European markets.
It's more akin to the iPhone 1 not including a jack then adding one later than the iPhone 7 removing it.
Another note: Original Gameboy games stuck way out the back. The GBA SP sure made a lot of sacrifices, and odd design choices but the fact that it fixed the biggest issue means a lot for it.
And I came to the iphone from the ipod. To me the iphone was (and still is) an ipod with wifi and a crappy mobile connection. Hence me seeing the removal of the audio jack as killing one of the core features.
What do you consider a phone/smartphone then?
I inherited the PSP from my son. My daughter sold her GBA. They got a lot of use out of them.
I wound up coding on the PSP. Simple stuff, but I almost got into some high-end things, but then PIC chips and 32 bit uCs, and FPGAs flooded the market.
I am to this day amazed at how modern the PSP still looks and feels compared to the way that phones and computers age. Good screen too! I still charge it and play with it once and a while. Something about a dedicated game unit with no distractions from the internet, although it does have connectivity!
I'm going to become a father in roughly 6 weeks. Besides all the other emotions flying around, your post just made me look forward to it a little more. Thank you. :)
I joke with my son that when I come home to visit him, I am going to take back the fancy telescope I bought him several years ago! He uses it a lot. There is a secret side of me that wants it, that and the microscope I bought my daugther ;)
I never felt like it needed a headphone jack, and my friends at school who had the previous generation which had a headphone jack never used it either.
However, since Apple's focus is unequivocally (and technologically and commercially viably) on wireless headphones, the author does this fact a disservice by burying Apple's counter argument in the middle of the article:
> On the other hand, the GBA SP existed before Bluetooth headphones were a relatively cheap and widespread alternative to the wired standard. And Apple includes both Lightning headphones and a Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter in the box with the iPhone, which ought to ease the transition for many.
Few years down the line and Samsung says "I'm not signing this year, because Apple doesn't play ball and use their own cable", and the EU moved on their threat and started process on a law. Don't know if it's finally passed or not.
(the EU original intent was to limit waste, and was triggered by seemingly every single Nokia phone needing its own specific charger)
Also, as far as I understand they use a "wireless lightning" proprietary thing with the new wireless headphones.
The GBA still wouldn't have had anywhere near enough market share to pull it off. Apple definitely could've, I think. I haven't followed closely enough, but are other accessory manufacturers able to produce headphones for the new iPhone, or is it completely limited to whatever Apple release?
In short, it is a non-issue.
I cannot fathom the amount of (legitimate) outrage that would follow Apple's decision to limit audio output to Apple-branded products.
Several companies already make Lightning-connected headphones, and you can still connect whichever Bluetooth headphones/speakers you want.
Just goes to show how ridiculous the outrage and FUD can get sometimes.
Edit: out of curiosity, what are the more comparable products they omitted?
Personally, I say good riddance. Anything that can be communicated in text, whether email, SMS or other, ought to be. That leaves very little use for telephone, which has all of the disadvantages of synchronous, face-to-face voice communication, with none of the benefits.
I see you never had a heated argument going on for hours that only started because people were missing your tone of voice.
However, if you look at the money and the plans that Telcos are providing, it's pretty evident that phone calls are still very much an important part of having a phone.
Viber, Facebook calling, Whatsapp phone calls, Skype and FaceTime are all extremely popular. Even sending Vines requires sound.
I'm not defending the 3.5mm port removal or anything, I think it sucks. But voice chat in any form is not top 5 and probably isn't top 10 for me either. I suspect many others are similar.
Most people are still using their phone to make phone calls, even if you and others are not.
Fully 97% of smartphone owners used text messaging at least once over the course of the study period, making it the most widely-used basic feature or app; it is also the feature that is used most frequently, as the smartphone owners in this study reported having used text messaging in the past hour in an average of seven surveys (out of a maximum total of 14 across the one-week study period). Younger smartphone owners are especially avid users of text messaging, but this group has by no means abandoned voice calls — 93% of smartphone owners ages 18-29 used voice or video calling on at least one occasion during the study period, and reported doing so in an average of 3.9 surveys.
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/01/us-smartphone-use-in-2...
SMS: 100% Internet: 97% Voice Calls: 93%
Looking at those numbers, from an article you provided, could you imagine a fairly large portion of those users using 5 apps on their phone more than they use the phone app? That's the only argument being made here.
And sure, if you want to restrict yourself to 18-29 year olds, possibly there is a dropoff on phone calls (though I'm still doubtful). But the market is pretty much larger than that now.
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/01/us-smartphone-use-in-2...
(kind of amusing to see all the Apple fanbois downvoting me to oblivion though - have I made you worried that I might have a point?)
Do you disagree with this?
The 30-49 year olds have 1% greater use of phone over internet, but I'm (totally) guessing that would skew closer to the 49 side of the band rather than the 30 year old side of the band. Since we were considering 20-40 year olds, and your own quote spoke about 18-29 year olds, I think that distinction was fair.
Anyway, since you haven't answered my question, and instead want to restate the question differently over and over, I'm done speaking with you. For what it's worth I haven't downvoted you, but I can guess some likely reasons. Mainly, that you keep shifting the argument and avoiding direct questions.
No need to get so annoyed, and no need to call me obtuse.
According to the telephone company. SoftBank in Japan kept lowering data caps without lowering the price. (Unlimited > 7GB > 5GB). They made voice calling "free" in exchange. How generous.
I wish I could do everything in text and not use people's ears and fingers as middle layer between my intents and their databases.
He is right, no one used the Gameboy as a media player.
The Gameboy Advanced SP is used to play video games, and I don't know of a single game on it that doesn't include music and sound-effects. In other words, 99% of the GBA SP's use case involves sound, in contrast to the iPhone, where there are plenty of apps that don't require sound, such as texting, browsing the web, looking at maps, etc.
Better to just accept that the SP not having a headphone jack was bad, but it sold anyway, and that the iPhone not having a headphone jack will be bad, but it'll probably sell anyway, instead of coming up with illogical post-hoc justifications for why it's okay for the SP but not the iPhone.
near-0% of the Gameboy's use-cases are audio-centric. I almost always played my Gameboy(s) with the volume down, so as not to annoy parents/siblings/whoever-else-was-around, and the games I played were all perfectly playable. In fact, some of them I enjoyed better that way, given that some sound was annoying, but that's purely subjective.
When I go to the gym, 95% to 100% of what I want to do with my phone is put it in my pocket and listen to music. This is a use-case that requires audio, and so removing the headphone jack would make this entire very-common use-case painful.
When I'm in my car, I want to plug my phone into the aux input (or the "aux cord" as kids call it nowadays) and listen to a podcast or audiobook. My 2006 car does not have bluetooth audio. This use-case is (if I'm being safe and legal while driving!) 100% audio-centric. Removal of the headphone jack would make this painful.
When I'm at work, I have two primary usages for my phone: testing a native app I develop, and playing my music through my headphones. I play music far more often than I test the native app on my phone (I don't usually work on the native app). Removal of the headphone jack would make that primary usage of my phone much much more painful.
I've just described ~65-70% of what I use my phone for. ~65-70% of my phone's entire usage would be made more painful and expensive if I bought a phone that for no real reason omitted a jack that is cheap, ubiquitous, and simple-to-use (compare the 3.5mm jack to HDMI in terms of reliability and simplicity), my phone would lose ~65-70% of its usefulness to me.
Meanwhile, the Gameboy, since its purpose is to play games (which have sound and music that is optional to the experience of playing games), loses near-0% of its usefulness without having a headphone jack, because even if it had no audio output whatsoever (not even speakers), I can still play games without sound.
But this is something it has in common with the SP, not a difference.
I guess I was pretty rude about it, though, so sorry about that.
If only because the Play-Yan was never released in the US.
I imported the gimped European version, and hey, 10 years ago, being able to play MP3s off an SD card was pretty novel.
...That's not true.
Gameboy advance video was a thing.
Also, I for one wouldn't play my games without sound.
"Why Nintendo, why why why why why? The speaker is just as tinny and pathetic as the GBA, and thus if you have any intention of playing a game with the sound on while in the presence of human beings around, you'll know that you'll get that glare. Try the same thing on a train or a plane (or better still, in a library) and your life won't be worth living. Headphone socket. Where the hell is it?"
I don't know if you've ever played a handheld in public, or been around somebody doing it, but you do not want to be that jerk who forces everybody on the bus to listen to Mario stomp red turtles.
On the other hand, the GBA SP existed before Bluetooth headphones were a relatively cheap and widespread alternative to the wired standard. And Apple includes both Lightning headphones and a Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter in the box with the iPhone, which ought to ease the transition for many.