Mobile System GB

This article is about the Pokémon Mobile System GB. For more general information on the Mobile System GB, see Mobile Adapter GB.

The Pokémon Mobile System GB (Japanese: ポケモンモバイルシステムＧＢ Pokémon Mobile System GB) is a multiplayer feature in the Japanese version of Pokémon Crystal through which the player can link up with others by connecting to a compatible Japanese mobile phone using the Mobile Adapter GB. It was never implemented outside of Japan, likely due to the fact that mobile phones were not as advanced or popular in other regions at the time. Possible issues in getting permission from the regulatory institutions to launch the system overseas may also explain its removal from the localizations.

The server required for the Pokémon Mobile System GB, shared with the other Mobile System GB services, was shut down on December 14, 2002. This impacts both players with old saved games who never used the system and those who start new saved games, as access to the mobile features is rendered impossible due to the first connection to the system being a requirement in their unlocking (see below).

Details

Access

To unlock the Pokémon Mobile System GB in the Japanese version of Pokémon Crystal, the player must connect their Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance or Game Boy Advance SP to a compatible Japanese mobile phone with the Mobile Adapter GB. Connections were made to the now defunct gameboy.datacenter.ne.jp server, that was 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 title screen menu, and grants the player access to the Battle Tower, Mobile Stadium, and the services within the Pokémon Communication Center.

Any of the services required the player to register at the Mobile Center (Japanese: モバイルセンター Mobile Center) and they relied heavily on the data uploaded there. It is accessed from the aforementioned Mobile entry. Within the Mobile Center, the player can access the Card Folder (Japanese: めいしフォルダー Name Card Folder), a pre-cursor to the Pal Pad and easy chat system, where profile information is input. Players could also share their phone numbers with a number of friends. This data would be used for purposes such as Battle Tower data and the Pokémon News Machine.

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  Mobile entry screen

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  Card Folder

Features

In the Japanese version of Pokémon Crystal, 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 Pokémon Mobile System GB: Trade Corner and Pokémon News Machine. The Battle Tower near Olivine City also takes use of the Pokémon Mobile System GB in the Japanese version.

Players could also hold trades and ten-minute battles with contacts registered on their Card Folder 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.

Legacy

The Pokémon Mobile System GB and its related features were Game Freak's first attempt at providing wireless linking to players, which had already requested for such capability at the time. This experiment, along with the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter in Generation III, helped the company in developing the multiplayer features of the games for Generation IV onwards, which are now more practical due to the use of Wi-Fi and services such as Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and Nintendo Network.

This game mechanic article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games.