Topic: Not the same...

[UncleBob]

So, I wanted to try an experiment.

I have several ways of playing the original Super Mario Bros. NES (Individual Game, Duck-Hunt 2 pack, DH & World Class Track Meet 3 pack), SNES (Mario All-Stars, Mario All Stars + Super Mario World), GameCube (Animal Crossing) Game Boy/GameCube with Game Boy Player (Super Mario Bros. DX, NES Classics Series, Animal Crossing download), Wii (Virtual Console).

Of these, I wanted to try to play multiple games at one time.  I could take a WaveBird, connected to the Wii and GameCubes, to control multiple games with one controller (by setting the WaveBird frequency to the same channel).  With this, I ruled out using all three NES Versions and both SNES versions.  Also ruled out the DX version because it's obviously very different.  This leaves me with:

Wii Virtual Console version
GBA NES Classics version
GCN Animal Crossing version
GBA Animal Crossing download version

Well, my Animal Crossing save file has SMB beat once though, and I really didn't want to reset it.  Also, the viewing angle for the fourth monitor isn't that great - so I eliminated it and just used the download version (via GameBoy Player).

So, I'm set and ready to go - Virtual Console version loaded on the Wii, Animal Crossing version downloaded to another GameCube/Game Boy Player and NES Classics version loaded on another GameCube/Game Boy Player.

It all starts out the same, but the timing and the jumps just aren't right.  One screen, I'll clear a pipe; the next, I didn't and I've ran into a goomba.

How said!

This does give me another idea though.... bbl.

[Chozo Ghost]

Pretty cool experiment. I guess for some games there may be a delay in registering the input information based on distance or whatever other factors. If you were playing the game you would adjust to these nuances and not notice them, but when you do it like you're doing then it is very noticeable.

[UncleBob]

Okay, so I tied something different.

Using 4 GameCube/Game Boy Player Combos (henceforth known as CubeBoy), 4 GBA Wireless Adapters, 1 WaveBird, 1 Wired Controller and one copy of the NES Classics Super Mario Bros., I tried this all over again.

A little known fact about several of the NES Classics games is that they feature single card download play via the GBA Wireless Adapter.  Here's a video I made a long time ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACAp3tycUHo

A fun thing about this - after linking the two units and sending a download copy to the second unit, you can sever the link and the second unit will be able to keep its copy (until power is shut off).

So, I set up one CubeBoy with the actual Game Pak.  The other three CubeBoys were set up to download copies of SMB (one at a time).  The wired controller was used to adjust settings on individual CubeBoys as needed.

At the end of this, I ended up with three units running download copies of SMB while one was running the original Game Pak.

They were *still* out of sync.

While watching the demo loop, it would sync up perfectly.

Chozo Ghost must be right (or close) about the distance and the timing thing - it seems like each unit was off just a tiny bit.

Fun times.

[MegaByte]

There's actually enough difference between the two versions of the NES cartridge to make an experiment like this have the same results.

[Stratos]

"One of these kids is not like the others..."

[Mop it up]

Ha ha, pretty interesting stuff.

Given what you've tried, especially with that second experiment, I'd say it definitely has to do with the controller's distance to the receivers. Have you tried using the controller in a position which is the exact same distance from all receivers?

[UncleBob]

I tried adjusting my own position around a bit (the GameCubes are all really close to one another).

What I really need is some kind of Medusa cable that lets me run multiple ports with one wired controller.  Wonder if Troz could hook something like that up for me...

[Mop it up]

If the systems are so close to one another, could they be causing interference with each other?

[Guitar Smasher]

I'm no expert at electronic transmissions, but the Waverbird communicates using electromagnetic waves (which travel at the speed of light).  The distance between the various receivers and the controller should not matter unless you're in outer space.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

[KDR_11k]

I'd suggest talking with TASers about the possible desyncs, they probably know a lot about that.
http://tasvideos.org/

[UncleBob]

Woah - TAS folks are crazy-into it.  I don't think I'm anywhere near the level of having a conversation with them and knowing what I'm talking about.