
When Nintendo got rid of the headphone jack - shawndumas
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/09/no-headphone-jack-nintendo-did-it-first/
======
byuu
Bandai did the same with the Wonderswan devices, which competed against the
Game Boy Color and Advance. The device was only released in Japan around '98 -
'01.

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](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](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.

~~~
djhworld
The Gamecube example is interesting.

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...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_GameCube_games_with_alternate_display_modes)

~~~
byuu
The real irony is that component is an analog standard; yet Nintendo chose to
output it over their digital port by using a custom DAC. And yet they never
released any true digital cable (eg HDMI) for said port.

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.

~~~
joemi
I might have my timelines confused a bit, but I could swear HDMI was not mass-
adopted back when the Gamecube was out... I think DVI was the main digital
video standard back then.

~~~
brazzledazzle
Yeah but HDMI is compatible with DVI so if they had output it conversion would
be a trivial dongle. I think the point they're making is that they had digital
output but didn't take advantage of it. But the digital out they had at the
time was probably a standard they thought was going to be the winner or long
term so I don't know if I'd knock them for not knowing what is obvious with
hindsight.

------
arm
I remember this as well (I still have mine in fact!).

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).

~~~
eriknstr
>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

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://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Game_Boy_Light)

[http://www.computercloset.org/NintendoGameBoy.htm](http://www.computercloset.org/NintendoGameBoy.htm)

[http://retro-treasures.blogspot.com/2012/04/silver-
nintendo-...](http://retro-treasures.blogspot.com/2012/04/silver-nintendo-
game-boy-light.html)

~~~
kuschku
Are you sure the Game Boy Light was Japan-only?

I’ve seen at least a handful of them in my childhood here in Germany. Backlit
screen, exact same format, etc.

~~~
eriknstr
Japan-only just means that there was a marketing and distribution effort by
Nintendo there and nowhere else. Third-parties could still have imported the
GB Light consoles to places like Germany. Could also be that the GB Light
consoles you saw ended up in your area the same way my friend got one --
through family visiting Japan.

------
shasheene
This reminds me of the "feature phone" era in the early 2000s, where every
phone had a proprietary charging port, proprietary headphone jack and the
removable memory interface was not yet standardized on MicroSD.

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)

~~~
xuki
They have 2 MegSafe versions in 10 years (MegSafe was introduced in 2006), the
2nd one was necessary to make slimmer laptops. Same thing with 30-pin
connector and lightning. Lightning was before USB-C and it's superior to the
old 30-pin connector.

Btw, MegSafe is one of the best thing about MacBooks, I'm actually sad they're
not using it in the new MacBook.

~~~
shasheene
Oh, I stand corrected! Could have sworn there was more. Completely agree
MagSafe is a really good innovation though!

~~~
moogly
Bear in mind: not invented by Apple. Japanese kitchen appliances (e.g. deep
fryers, fondue appliances) have had that type of connector since the late
90s/early 2000s.

------
bhhaskin
Nintendo also ended up adding it back for the DS and has kept it since.

~~~
gambiting
As a matter of fact, Nintendo added it back to GameBoy Micro, so before DS was
released. It's mentioned in the article too.

~~~
bhhaskin
The DS (2004-2014) was released almost a full year before the GameBoy Micro
(2005-2006).

------
chucky_z
I distinctly remember this at the time. I just played all my games with no
sound, a mild frustration at best as it was the only real option as a kid if
you wanted to play games at night without goofy adapters for your GBA!

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.

~~~
cm2187
> _It 's more akin to the iPhone 1 not including a jack then adding one later
> than the iPhone 7 removing 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.

~~~
wingerlang
> To me the iphone was (and still is) an ipod with wifi and a crappy mobile
> connection.

What do you consider a phone/smartphone then?

------
eggy
Nintendo really did some cool things. I had played with my daugther's GBA; my
son wanted the Sony PSP.

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!

~~~
Roritharr
"I inherited the PSP from my son."

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. :)

~~~
eggy
You're welcome, and all the best to you and yours!

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 ;)

------
AJRF
I didn't use a GameBoy Advance to listen to music daily.

------
jwildeboer
Remember the time when the first Android phone was released and it didn't have
a headphone jack? The HTC Dream AKA the G1?
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTC_Dream](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTC_Dream)

~~~
usaar333
Yup. I recall upgrading to an HTC Hero the next year and feeling relieved that
I no longer needed to constantly have a usb to headphone dongle on hand.

------
JusticeJuice
The gameboy advanced SP was the first gaming device, and in fact the first
piece of technology I owned. I still remember my excitement of going to the
mall with my dad on my birthday to get it + pokemon leaf green. In my eyes, it
was perfect.

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.

------
sarreph
Very interesting reminder of the parallel that exists in the GBSP...

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.

------
pmoleri
Many mobile phone manufacturers did the same at some point. Sony used to cell
phones with their own propietary sound output and their propietary memory
sticks. LG did the same for sound. Then the industry matured with standarized
chargers, memory and sound output. But Apple somehow got their own way, sound
is just one more thing.

~~~
nolok
Mobile phone companies didn't "mature" into using the same micro USB charger.
The European Union sat them all down at a table and said "you standardize on
something you like, or we make a law to force a standard". They agreed, and
renewed the agreement yearly.

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)

~~~
pmoleri
Yes, it's true, they needed some help. Although memory and sound was product
of maturity, I always thought that Samsung has been a big pusher in this
matter.

------
StreamBright
The real problem with iPhone 7 is the lack of lossless wireless capabilities,
bluetooth does not have enough bandwidth.

~~~
threeseed
This could be fixed in the iPhone 7s with the introduction of Bluetooth 5.

~~~
StreamBright
Indeed, after having that we just need headphones with reasonable battery
life.

~~~
striking
Or you could just buy two pairs instead.

------
Netcob
I rarely used headphones on any handheld console (except for the PSP, on which
I watched movies sometimes). I remember being annoyed though because whenever
I actually did want to use headphones on my GBA SP, I had to look for that
stupid adaptor.

------
jfoster
If you wanted to replace the headphone jack with your "new thing" the most
effective way to do that would have to involve as many audio hardware
companies as possible also producing headphones that work with your "new
thing". You would want to pre-announce it along with specs and make it an open
standard that other companies can utilise without paying royalties.

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?

~~~
p0ppe
Bluetooth Capable Headphone Sales Surpass Non-Bluetooth Sales (in dollars, not
in units) - [https://www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/news/press-
releases/20...](https://www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/news/press-
releases/2016/bluetooth-capable-headphone-sales-surpass-non-bluetooth-sales/)

~~~
matwood
Correct. There was also a recent report that said > 50% of iPhone users only
ever use the included headphones.

In short, it is a non-issue.

------
helthanatos
A game system (worth around $100) that was not meant to have a multimedia
experience vs something that has been a multimedia experience that costs
around $850 (the only one I would buy)... Is the comparison a joke? Because
they also omitted reference to more comparable products that deleted the jack.

~~~
pjc50
"multimedia experience" is such a 90s phrase. Encarta on win95 was a
"multimedia experience".

~~~
gm-conspiracy
What MPC level?

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multimedia_PC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multimedia_PC)

------
chris_wot
The difference here is that the primary purpose of an iPhone is to make phone
calls. And uses multimedia, like music. Leading to this:

[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z_wImaGRkNY](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z_wImaGRkNY)

~~~
jaimex2
I'm starting to see a trend in the comments where anyone who actually posts
something rational that makes sense gets down voted.

He is right, no one used the Gameboy as a media player.

~~~
covekeyboard
I didn't downvote, but I suspect he's getting downvoted because what he said
is not rational, but actually a pretty bad rationalization.

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.

~~~
chris_wot
I don't tend to make many phone/FaceTime calls that lack sound. I also tend to
enjoy listening to music and videos with sound. Could be just my illogical
post-hoc rationalisation kicking in though.

~~~
covekeyboard
Sure, there are plenty of use cases that require sound in the iPhone. I never
disputed that.

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.

~~~
chris_wot
Its ok, I've said worse. Thank you for apologising.

------
spdegabrielle
It's worth remembering these devices are primarily used by children. Children
who are both at risk of permanent ear damage and lacking in judgement as to
what is too loud. I call this an unintended benefit.

