JAA Celebi Download for the rest of us?

[MetalMario]

I have a question aimed at someone with good technical knowledge of Pokémon and Nintendo's handhelds: how is the JAA Celebi download done? Is it a GBA multiboot program (or "pseudo" multiboot, as in XD), a DS Download Play program (like the Old Sea Map), a trade, or a direct cartridge interface? If it involves a program being transferred to a handheld for it to work, then it's possible that such a program could find its way to the internet and, possibly via flash carts, into the hands of the masses.

If anyone's been lucky enough to have visited a JAA event, could you please describe the process of "downloading Celebi" in detail? Thanks.

 

[Xtra]

Well, i suspect taht they do it the same way they did Mew back in the day. They stick it into a machine and download it directly into your game. I'm not sure, though.

 

[Whompithian]

The Celebi download is performed by using the Nintendo GBA Link Cable to connect a GBA SP loaded with a custom cartridge to the GBA containing a Pokemon game to be downloaded to. A menu is presented allowing the user to select a Pokemon to be downloaded and then the GBA with the Pokemon game is powered on so that the link may be established and the transfer may occur. If one had access to one of these custom cartridges it would be possible to do anything with it that can be done with a commercially available cartridge. That said, the GBA SPs were each fitted with a steel harness to prevent removal of the cartridge. It appears Nintendo is taking measures to prevent the software on those cartridges from falling into the public domain.

 

[MetalMario]

On your GBA, do you press start+select to initiate a multiboot or does it go on its own as in Colosseum/XD? Is this "menu" on your GBA or Nintendo's?

 

[Mega Trickster]

I downloaded at a JAA. Here is what you do:

Stick your game in a GBA or GBA SP.
Hook up the given link cable to your GBA or GBA SP.
The person managing your download will ask you to press start + select until the Nintendo icon goes away.
They press some buttons on their GBA SP (it has a big blue cartridge on it with no label) and the download will begin.

 

[MetalMario]

Then, with a little social engineering, we should be able to get the sucker onto the internet:

Someone would need to visit a JAA with a GBA/flash cart. The flash cart's program would have to take the multiboot program and save it. The trick would be both finding/writing such a program and slipping it past the JAA officials.

I've never programmed for the GBA. I'm starting to think this is just wishful thinking. (but possible!)