Visteon Dockable Entertainment

The Visteon Dockable Entertainment System (officially referred to as Dockable Entertainment featuring Game Boy Advance) is a portable DVD player created by Visteon in 2006 for the US market at an MSRP of $1299 USD.[1] The player is notable for containing officially licensed Game Boy Advance hardware, as Visteon partnered with Nintendo to announce the product at CES 2006.[2] Initially due out in April, the product was then delayed to May before finally launching in July of that year.[3][4][5] To celebrate the product's launch Visteon held a photography and writing contest.[6]

Dockable Entertainment featuring Game Boy Advance
ManufacturerVisteon
TypeVideo game console
GenerationSixth
Lifespan
  • NA: July 2006
MediaCartridge, DVD, CD
CPUARM7TDMI, 16.78 MHz
GraphicsCustom 2D core
Controller input

The device was not sold at general retailers, but rather at car dealerships in combination with a roof docking head mount for installation, or already equipped in select models of certain vehicles.[7]

On April 1, 2008, Visteon introduced a model mounted into headrests for $1699.[8][9] Later that year the company expressed interest in creating similar products for the Nintendo DS and Wii platforms, though neither materialized.[10]

Hardware specifications

The most common roof-mountable version is based on the Visteon XV101 portable DVD player, and shares specifications in all aspects except those regarding Game Boy Advance compatibility.

  • 10.2" Flip Down LCD Display
  • 6-Pin Auxiliary Port
  • Infrared Port
  • DVD Drive
  • Game Boy Advance Cartridge Slot

Alongside this, the player came with a wireless game controller (a modified Sky Active gamepad), a set of wireless headphones, a remote control, and compatibility with MP3 and WMA CD files.[11]

Unique to the headrest model was a 7" TFT LCD screen, backlit DVD controls plus an additional remote, headphone and game controller.[8]

Neither version of the hardware was backwards compatible with Game Boy or Game Boy Color games.[12]

References

  1. DSCUBED (15 July 2006). "Interview with Mark Boyle". YouTube.
  2. Ransom-Wiley, James (5 January 2006). "CES: Visteon's dockable entertainment featuring GBA". Joystiq. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015.
  3. Krazit, Tom (4 January 2006). "CES: Nintendo puts Game Boy in autos with Visteon". Macworld.
  4. Grant, Chris (27 April 2006). "Dockable DVD player with GBA drops in May". Engadget.
  5. Snow, Blake (11 May 2006). "Impressions: Visteon GBA/DVD Player". Joystiq. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015.
  6. "Visteon Running Contest to Promote Dockable Game Boy System". Gamers Game. Writers Write. 4 May 2006.
  7. Hruschak, PJ (14 June 2008). "Visteon's dockable multimedia player, GBA system still kickin'". Gamertell. Gadgetell. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011.
  8. "Visteon Headrest Entertainment System". Ubergizmo. 8 January 2008.
  9. Spencer (7 January 2008). "The GBA lives inside car headrests". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018.
  10. Hruschak, PJ (16 June 2008). "Gamertell Exclusive: Visteon looking into DS, Wii versions of Dockable Entertainment system". GamerTell. TechnologyTell. Archived from the original on 30 January 2015.
  11. "Dockable Entertainment featuring Game Boy Advance Sheet" (PDF). Visteon.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 13, 2006.
  12. My Life in Gaming (4 February 2017). "Visteon Dockable Entertainment Featuring Game Boy Advance". YouTube. 2:27.
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