The Action Replay disc has two other special features in addition to self-booting, it can boot other software in addition to itself and it can interact with an SD card plugged into a Memory Card Slot via the SD-to-Memory Card adapter included in the SD Media Launcher package. Even though it is an unlicensed disc, it has been manufactured in a special way which can defeat Nintendo's method to limit booting to officially licensed discs (most of the time). Its purpose is to allow you to input and apply cheat codes for your favorite GameCube games. The Action Replay disc is an unlicensed program that comes on a GameCube mini-disc. Finally, you will need an SD card that is no larger than 2GB in size and some Game Boy, GBC or GBA cartridges to play with. The first is an Action Replay disc, the second a SD-to-Memory Card adapter. The SD Media Launcher, available here, comes with two things. Then most people purchase a product called SD Media Launcher for the GameCube. You will need the GBPÂ attachment fitted and screwed into the bottom of your GameCube. You must start with a GameCube, preferably one that has a digital output port (Model # DOL-001). In order to use GBI, you are going to need some extra hardware to get the software to work on your GameCube. This will not be a fully comprehensive guide because there are features geared toward hardware I do not own and uses I do not put GBI, but if you are new to GBI you may find something here instructive. Let's return and see what's changed and I will give my own personal take on how I like to use the software. GBI quickly made the official disc essentially obsolete, but the software has been radically revised since I first profiled it. Before GBI, if you did not have the official disc, your GBP attachment was useless.
Extrems intended to replace the official Game Boy Player (GBP) Start-Up disc for the GameCube which, when combined with the attachment that is fitted underneath your GameCube, allows you to play Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance cartridges using genuine GBA hardware. GBI was written and is maintained by a GameCube enthusiast who goes by the handle Extrems.
A few years ago, I discussed a piece of homebrew software called Game Boy Interface (GBI).