How to Start Playing Japanese GBA Hacked ROMs on Your Smartphone: Notes on Legality and More [Altair, Sirius, Vega, etc.]

Caution!

This article is a translation of the following article from our blog, done by AI.
The original text is in Japanese.
I apologize for any awkward expressions or readability issues.
embrabat-report.net

Introduction

One of my hobbies is exploring the history of Pokémon, so I decided to start playing "hacked Pokémon ROMs" as a part of old culture.
This article is a guide explaining the method for my own reference.

Warning!
This article explains how to enjoy fan-made derivative games by applying patches to GBA data.
It is not an article explaining so-called "cheats" using devices like Pro Action Replay.
Such cheats are not recommended, so please be aware.

Also, I do not intend to take a stance of fully endorsing hacked ROMs (see the section "Are hacked ROMs illegal?").
Please read with that understanding in mind.

What are Hacked Pokémon ROMs?

Let's define it for clarity.
According to the Wikipedia subheading dictionary, it is described as
"Modifications made to game content using specialized tools or by directly rewriting the binary."
In other words, it is a derivative work that slightly alters the content of the originally released game.
This includes changes to in-game graphics, messages, maps, and difficulty levels.

To distinguish from the aforementioned "cheat" activities, this article will consistently use the term "hacked ROMs."

Are GBA Hacked ROMs Illegal??

I did some research before getting into it myself.
Hacked GBA ROMs became popular around the 2010s, so it might be that the regulations were more lenient back then.

In conclusion,
"As long as the game does not have copy protection, you own the physical cartridge from which the data was extracted, and you enjoy it privately, there should be no problem."
"However, it remains a gray area, so it should be enjoyed discreetly."
This is my understanding.
I can't say this is definitive.

Emulators are often considered illegal because they involve downloading the original game data.
This constitutes illegal uploading/downloading and can get you in trouble with the law.
Additionally, from what I found,
"Copying the data and giving it to friends or family" is also not allowed.

Taking all this into account, I judged that as long as you keep the physical cartridge of the data you are playing as a safeguard, it should be barely acceptable.
For example, if playing with family, you would need a physical cartridge for each copy of the data, unless you are sharing the same data.

Regarding copy protection,
I couldn't find much information even after researching.
Despite many people doing it, there is no information available, so I assume it might be okay for Pokémon... but I am not certain.
If you start after reading this article, please do so at your own risk.

In any case, for the original game data,
make sure to use data you have extracted yourself.
Downloading the original data from the internet is completely illegal and unacceptable.
Extraction devices are somewhat expensive, but they are essential for playing hacked ROMs.

Also, aside from legality, be cautious about safety.
Obviously, be careful when downloading ips files for patching.

For these reasons,
this article is not intended to fully endorse hacked ROMs.
It is an article for those who have learned about this way of playing, but it is primarily a personal memo.

0: Things to Prepare

The necessary items are as follows:

A PC to patch the data
A GBA data extraction device
- You might also need a USB Type-B cable
A ROM cartridge to apply the patch (such as Emerald, FireRed, etc.)
A device to play on (smartphone, PC, etc.)
Software to apply the patch

PC

A PC is essential. Note that you cannot complete the process with just a smartphone.

Extraction Device

For the GBA extraction device, it's better to research on dedicated sites rather than just buying one off Amazon, as it can be a bit risky.
The one I used (or its successor) is this:

レトロダンパー「GBA ダンパー V4」ゲームボーイ(Game Boy) ゲームボーイカラー(GAMEBOY COLOR) ゲームボーイアドバンス(GAMEBOY ADVANCE) ●USBケーブル(Type-C)50cm付属● ゲームバンクウェブドットコム Gamebank-web.com [2566]

エス・アール・プロジェクト(SRPJ)

Amazon

https://amzn.to/3WcGOSs

I found it on the following site:
www.gamebank-web.com

The one I used required a USB Type-B cable, which is not commonly seen. It seems that the cable used to connect printers to PCs is often this type, so I repurposed one of those.

ROM Cartridge to Apply the Patch

The ROM to apply the patch should be the one introduced on the patch distribution site for the data you want to play.

As a reference, for the most famous hacked ROMs:
"Altair/Sirius" → Base data: Emerald
"Vega" → Base data: FireRed (LeafGreen is not compatible)

Since GBA is an old software, it's often the case that there are no GBA sections in nearby BOOKOFF stores (Major Second-hand Game Stores in Japan).
I had quite a hard time finding them.

Smartphone/PC

Any device that can run software called an "emulator," which runs GBA data, will work.
I will introduce emulators later.

Software to Apply the Patch

Hack ROM data is completed by processing the original data.
Only the file that describes the processing part is distributed,
so you need software that will actually process the data based on the processing part.
The one I used is "WinIPS" below.

smblabo.web.fc2.com

It is downloaded in a compressed format called a rar file,
so you will need a dedicated extraction tool.
7-Zip should work fine, I think.

7-zip.opensource.jp

1: Extracting GBA Data

First, let's extract the GBA data.

Insert the cartridge into the extraction device and connect it to the PC.

Check the data as you would with USB data.

"POKEMON.GBA" is the relevant file.

2: Downloading the Patch

Download the ips file, which is the base data for the patch.

Download it from the distribution site of the data you want to play.
If it's a Zip file and you don't know how to extract it, please look it up.

For reference, Altair, Sirius, and Vega can be found here:
w.atwiki.jp

3: Applying the Patch

Let's proceed under the assumption that you are using WinIPS.

First, launch WinIPS.

You will see a screen like this.

In the upper "IPS File" field, reference the IPS file of the hack ROM.
In the lower "File to Patch" field, reference the original data "POKEMON.GBA".

Press "Apply" and then "Yes" to complete the process.

Now, in the folder where the IPS file is located,
you will find a "GBA file with the same name as the IPS file". This is the data you will play.

I once used "POKEMON.GBA" directly after applying the patch and wondered why it wasn't patched! (Lesson learned)

4: Transferring to Your Smartphone

You need to transfer the data to your smartphone somehow.

In my case, I temporarily stored the data on Google Drive, accessed Google Drive from my smartphone, and retrieved the data.
I didn't create a shared link, and I think temporarily storing it on Google Drive is probably safe, but there might be a slight chance of it being considered illegal uploading. It's safe, right...?

Other methods include sending it via email, or using AirDrop if you have a Mac and an iPhone.
In any case, you need to transfer the GBA data to your smartphone somehow.

If you are doing this directly on your PC, you can skip this step.

5: Installing an Emulator on Your Smartphone or PC

To run the GBA file, you need to install an emulator.

The smartphone emulator I used is this one:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/xone-nds-gba-emulator/id6498951014?at=10l8JW&ct=hatenablogapps.apple.com

It might not work properly on some smartphones (I had one failure).
In that case, I successfully used this one:

Delta - Game Emulator

Testut Tech
Entertainment
Free

apps.apple.com

Assuming you are using XONE,
once you open it, select the GBA file to play from "Import and Continue," and you're good to go.

Things to Check When You Encounter Problems

The original data is launching instead of the patched data

Are you sure you have the correct data?

There is a possibility that you are referencing the original data before patching, even though you have created the patched data.
This happened to me.

Is the screen staying white and not launching?

The ips file needs to be patched to the original data that the creator intended.
For example, if the creator intended the initial version of the data, and the one you have is a later version that has been updated once, it might not work.
Most patches refer to the initial version, so you might need to find the initial version.

Upon a quick search, it seems that there are downgrade patches available.
It looks like you can apply this patch first, and then apply the hack ROM patch again.
I haven't tried it myself, so it's at your own risk, but it might work.
I haven't thoroughly investigated whether downgrade patches are legal, so I can't guarantee it.

dlgy.hatenablog.com

In Conclusion

It might be because regulations on such data were more relaxed back then, but it seems there was such a culture in the past.
As mentioned at the beginning, I am not fully recommending this, but I hope it serves as a reference for those who really want to try it.