RetroSync Adapter Will Let Original Game Boy Advance Trade Pokémon With Nintendo Switch

RetroSync approaches completion of a wireless adapter allowing original Game Boy Advance hardware to trade Pokémon directly with Nintendo Switch consoles.

Homebrew hardware developer RetroSync is nearing completion of a wireless adapter designed to connect original Game Boy Advance hardware with Nintendo Switch systems for Pokémon trading. The project tackles a problem that has become increasingly important as Nintendo's handheld generations move further apart: Pokémon captured on genuine early-2000s hardware are difficult to move into modern environments without passing through a chain of older systems and services. RetroSync's device connects to a Game Boy Advance and creates communication between the vintage handheld and a Switch. Demonstrations have already shown the two platforms communicating, and the developer says the adapter works with the wireless functionality present in Pokémon FireRed, Pokémon LeafGreen and Pokémon Emerald. Those three GBA titles date from 2004 and 2005, making the accessory potentially valuable both to collectors using original cartridges and to players maintaining decades-old Pokémon collections. A final release date has not yet been announced, although RetroSync says development is approaching completion and has opened a mailing list for interested users. Pricing is also not final, but the developer has informally discussed aiming for approximately $50. Beyond Pokémon itself, the project is another example of modern enthusiast hardware extending the practical life of original Nintendo handhelds.