Edge of Emulation: Game Boy Sewing Machines
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New threads
It's been quite a long journey so far, but today marks the 3rd anniversary of the Edge of Emulation series of articles. When I first worked on emulating the Barcode Taisen Bardigun scanner back in 2017, I actually had no idea how much more I'd be able to do. My goal was to finish a list, researching and documenting one item at a time, but I didn't know if I even possessed the right skills to achieve anything. In the past few the years, I've met a fair amount of challenges and faced a number of difficult problems. Nevertheless, I've somehow managed overcome each of these obstacles given enough time, determination, and the help of friends and colleagues. Some devices are really simple to figure out and only take a day or two to properly emulate. Others, however, prove stubbornly difficult. The subject of this article in particular really kicked my ass.
In early 2000, the Japanese sewing company Jaguar released a machine with one very curious feature. Rather than having designs built-into the sewing machine, the Jaguar JN-100 (aka "nuyell") connected with a Game Boy via Link Cable to receive stitching instructions. The software, called Raku x Raku Mishin, came on a regular black Game Boy cartridge and handled transferring data to the JN-100. Users could then program the machine to stitch various patterns, buttonholes, kana, lettering, and even short custom paths. An American company called Singer found the JN-100 a tempting business opportunity; they later agreed release a near exact copy in the United States under their brand, the Singer IZEK 1500. In 2001, Jaguar made a second model called the JN-2000 (aka "nuotto") which boasted improved stitching speed and a dedicated embroidery arm called the EM-2000. While the JN-2000 was backwards compatible with the JN-100's Game Boy cartridge, 3 new pieces of software were made exclusively for the newer JN-2000's embroidery functions. Although Jaguar saw notable success with their products, Singer found less reception to the IZEK-1500 in the US. There were plans to make a newer version that handled embroidery as well, but Singer never fully realized those plans. As such, the JN-2000's ability to embroider clothes with Mario-themed artwork remained exclusive to Japan.
Some may laugh at how bizarre it sounds to combine Game Boys and a sewing machines, yet all 3 models are rather historically important for both gaming and home-based sewing. Although industrial sewing machines already had programmable stitching for years, the consumer market lagged behind in terms of options and price. Today, cheap digitized sewing is the norm, but at the turn of the century, Jaguar sparked a sort of revolution by giving consumers affordable and easy to use equipment. Using a Game Boy as the primary interface reduces complexity (there are only a few buttons, menus can be colorful, and you can display as much information as you want, even tutorials). It also saves on cost by using known components instead of creating hardware from scratch. Furthermore, it's not uncommon to feed sewing machines instructions from an external source. Current sewing machines often connect to PCs via USB to transfer embroidery designs, and perhaps smartphone apps communicating over Bluetooth represents the future. At any rate, Nintendo's handheld system became the first (and only???) such device to work in conjunction with a sewing machine and did its part to bring digital stitching and embroidery to the masses. Though it seems like a strange marriage, both sides work well together in practice.
Even so, these sewing machines are among the most exotic and fascinating of Game Boy accessories. They demonstrate just how far the humble Game Boy could expand beyond gaming. Unfortunately, while we know much about the history of the Jaguar and Singer machines, how exactly they operated remained a mystery for decades. Ever since I learned about them, I couldn't help but wonder what secrets were buried inside. Technically speaking, neither these sewing machines nor their software are video games. Nevertheless, they're all simply too culturally important to just ignore. Rather than let their story disappear over the ages, I decided to try my hand at preserving them. Now, I've emulated some pretty wild things on the Game Boy: motion-based infrared toys, sonar-enabled cartridges, Amiibo-like figurines, and robots most recently. But emulating a sewing machine? That's something else completely. I mean, you'd have to be crazy, right?
Needle in a haystack
Properly studying these machines requires physical access, which in turn means making quite a few investments. Not only are there 3 distinct models (JN-100, JN-2000, IZEK 1500), but each on their own costs a sizable sum. The JN-100 and IZEK 1500 units are uncommon but not necessarily rare, yet a handful of complications raise their prices. An IZEK 1500 typically runs anywhere from $150 to $250 USD on average for just the hardware alone, but adding original material such as the VHS instructional tape, the Game Boy software, or even the box it was packaged in will hike the value by hundreds of dollars. Shipping, even domestically, accounts for another $25 to $50 USD. JN-100s typically go for far less on Japanese buying sites. Many are labeled as "junk" and can go for $20 to $50 USD. However, international shipping can easily double or triple that amount.
The JN-2000 is truly rare, given that it probably sold in smaller quantities. While a dozen or so auctions for the other two machines occur every few months, only a handful of JN-2000s appear to be sold each year. The damage to a collector's wallet varies wildly, from about $30, $160, $400, or even $1500 depending on completeness. The most expensive one I've seen to date asked for $5100, featuring a mint condition JN-2000, EM-2000, two copies of Raku x Raku Cut Shuu/Moji and one copy of Mario Family (which is probably the rarest Game Boy Color software out there). Needless to say, acquiring all three sewing machines took a fair amount of cash, patience, and luck. Thankfully I imported both Jaguar models well before COVID-19 struck. The virus has disrupted many forms of transportation, strangling shipping options, and increasing fees (sometimes exponentially in fact, looking at you DHL).
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