Rumble Pak

The is a removable device from Nintendo that provides force feedback while playing video games. Games that support the Rumble Pak cause it to vibrate in select situations, such as when firing a weapon or receiving damage, to immerse the player in the game. Versions of the Rumble Pak are available for the Nintendo 64, the Nintendo DS, and the Nintendo DS Lite. A select few Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance games use a similar technology built into the game cartridge. Force feedback vibration has become a built-in standard feature in almost every home video game console controller since.
== Nintendo 64 ==
The original Rumble Pak, designed for the Nintendo 64 Controller, was released in April 1997 in Japan, July 1997 in North America, and October 1997 in Europe. It requires two AAA batteries and is inserted into the controller's memory cartridge slot, which prevents simultaneous use of the Controller Pak. This does not significantly affect games that feature on-cartridge save functions, but is a drawback with games that require the Controller Pak to save, as software by default was not designed to support hot swapping Paks, although some games support saving to a Controller Pak in a second controller. Nintendo remedied the situation in later games by offering developers the inclusion of special screens for hot swapping. The Rumble Pak is estimated to provide 50-60 hours of continuous rumbling before the batteries must be replaced.
The Rumble Pak was introduced bundled with the game Star Fox 64 and made available as a separate purchase two months later. Rumble Pak support soon became a standard for Nintendo 64 games. Wave Race 64 and Super Mario 64 were re-released in Japan in July 1997 with Rumble Pak support, with Super Mario 64s re-release being titled Super Mario 64: Shindō Pak Taiō.
== Nintendo DS ==
The Rumble Pak for the Nintendo DS is an official DS Option Pak shaped like a Game Boy Advance Game Pak, and is designed to be inserted in the system's GBA game slot (SLOT-2). It is the first Nintendo DS accessory to have utilized the slot. In North America, it was first made available bundled with Metroid Prime Pinball, but was later sold through other promotions or as a stand-alone purchase from Nintendo's online store. The accessory was released differently in Europe due to a delay of Metroid Prime Pinball in that region. Various DS games supporting the Rumble Pak (Metroid Prime Hunters, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, and 42 All-Time Classics) had been released in Europe before the accessory was available. The accessory was eventually released as a pack-in with the game Actionloop in the UK.
Although the Rumble Pak works with both the Nintendo DS and the redesigned Nintendo DS Lite, it protrudes from the Nintendo DS Lite when inserted, as do GBA Game Paks, because of the Nintendo DS Lite's smaller size. For this reason, a smaller version of the Rumble Pak is available in Japan, which is flush with the system when inserted. It was initially available in just black, but other colors produced by unlicensed accessory manufacturer eWin, such as white (see picture), have been released. Other color variations have been released by eWin.
Some GBA flash cartridges (SLOT-2 flash cartridges) have a built-in rumble feature that, when used in tandem with a SLOT-1 flash card on a Nintendo DS, can provide rumble as if it was an ordinary Rumble Pak.
The Nintendo DS Rumble Pak is incompatible with the Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL, as both consoles lack a SLOT-2. However, none of the games supporting the Rumble Pak require it for proper operation of the game, meaning that the games themselves are still compatible with DSi (some software titles, such as Nintendo DS Browser and Guitar Hero: On Tour, have SLOT-2 peripherals that are required for operation, and are hence incompatible with DSi and DSi XL, although the former already has an alternative version made specifically for the Nintendo DSi and later consoles). Although Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL lack the SLOT-2, some Nintendo DS titles released after the Nintendo DSi's launch do support the Rumble Pak accessory, likely due to the fact the Nintendo DS Lite console was sold concurrently with the Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL.
== Game Boy family ==
While there is no dedicated Rumble Pak for the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, or Game Boy Color, there were several games released for the Game Boy's successors that featured built-in rumble. Game Boy Color games with built-in rumble, such as 10-Pin Bowling, Vigilante 8 and Star Wars Episode I: Racer, were released as bulkier Game Paks with an added rumble motor powered by an extra AAA battery that is inserted into the Game Pak itself. The only two Game Boy Advance games that feature built-in rumble, Drill Dozer and WarioWare: Twisted!, draw power from the system itself and thus do not require an extra battery or a specially enlarged Game Pak. WarioWare: Twisted! also rumbles weakly whenever its special built-in piezoelectric gyroscope for its motion controls are utilized. Other Game Boy Advance games, such as Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, were designed to have rumble support whenever played on a Game Boy Player for the Nintendo GameCube, utilizing the built-in vibration of a Nintendo GameCube Controller.
ja:振動パック
Category:Accessories