diff --git a/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/Gameboy/Gambatte.cs b/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/Gameboy/Gambatte.cs
index 8f8f42a539..f8571f7c7f 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/Gameboy/Gambatte.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/Gameboy/Gambatte.cs
@@ -527,10 +527,10 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Nintendo.Gameboy
 			savebuff2 = new byte[savebuff.Length + 4 + 21];
 		}
 
-		JsonSerializer ser = new JsonSerializer() { Formatting = Formatting.Indented };
+		JsonSerializer ser = new JsonSerializer { Formatting = Formatting.Indented };
 
 		// other data in the text state besides core
-		class TextStateData
+		internal class TextStateData
 		{
 			public int Frame;
 			public int LagCount;
@@ -539,7 +539,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Nintendo.Gameboy
 			public uint frameOverflow;
 		}
 
-		public void SaveStateText(System.IO.TextWriter writer)
+		internal TextState<TextStateData> SaveState()
 		{
 			var s = new TextState<TextStateData>();
 			s.Prepare();
@@ -550,7 +550,24 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Nintendo.Gameboy
 			s.ExtraData.Frame = Frame;
 			s.ExtraData.frameOverflow = frameOverflow;
 			s.ExtraData._cycleCount = _cycleCount;
+			return s;
+		}
 
+		internal void LoadState(TextState<TextStateData> s)
+		{
+			s.Prepare();
+			var ff = s.GetFunctionPointersLoad();
+			LibGambatte.gambatte_newstateload_ex(GambatteState, ref ff);
+			IsLagFrame = s.ExtraData.IsLagFrame;
+			LagCount = s.ExtraData.LagCount;
+			Frame = s.ExtraData.Frame;
+			frameOverflow = s.ExtraData.frameOverflow;
+			_cycleCount = s.ExtraData._cycleCount;
+		}
+
+		public void SaveStateText(System.IO.TextWriter writer)
+		{
+			var s = SaveState();
 			ser.Serialize(writer, s);
 			// write extra copy of stuff we don't use
 			writer.WriteLine();
@@ -560,14 +577,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Nintendo.Gameboy
 		public void LoadStateText(System.IO.TextReader reader)
 		{
 			var s = (TextState<TextStateData>)ser.Deserialize(reader, typeof(TextState<TextStateData>));
-			s.Prepare();
-			var ff = s.GetFunctionPointersLoad();
-			LibGambatte.gambatte_newstateload_ex(GambatteState, ref ff);
-			IsLagFrame = s.ExtraData.IsLagFrame;
-			LagCount = s.ExtraData.LagCount;
-			Frame = s.ExtraData.Frame;
-			frameOverflow = s.ExtraData.frameOverflow;
-			_cycleCount = s.ExtraData._cycleCount;
+			LoadState(s);
 		}
 
 		public void SaveStateBinary(System.IO.BinaryWriter writer)
diff --git a/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/Gameboy/GambatteLink.cs b/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/Gameboy/GambatteLink.cs
index 3f2cd639c9..274302ad49 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/Gameboy/GambatteLink.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/Gameboy/GambatteLink.cs
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ using BizHawk.Common.BufferExtensions;
 using BizHawk.Emulation.Common;
 using BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Nintendo.SNES;
 
+using Newtonsoft.Json;
+
 namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Nintendo.Gameboy
 {
 	[CoreAttributes(
@@ -291,20 +293,61 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Nintendo.Gameboy
 
 		#region savestates
 
+		JsonSerializer ser = new JsonSerializer { Formatting = Formatting.Indented };
+
+		private class DGBSerialized
+		{
+			public TextState<Gameboy.TextStateData> L;
+			public TextState<Gameboy.TextStateData> R;
+			// other data
+			public bool IsLagFrame;
+			public int LagCount;
+			public int Frame;
+			public int overflowL;
+			public int overflowR;
+			public int LatchL;
+			public int LatchR;
+			public bool cableconnected;
+			public bool cablediscosignal;
+		}
+
 		public void SaveStateText(TextWriter writer)
 		{
-			var temp = SaveStateBinary();
-			temp.SaveAsHex(writer);
+			var s = new DGBSerialized
+			{
+				L = L.SaveState(),
+				R = R.SaveState(),
+				IsLagFrame = IsLagFrame,
+				LagCount = LagCount,
+				Frame = Frame,
+				overflowL = overflowL,
+				overflowR = overflowR,
+				LatchL = LatchL,
+				LatchR = LatchR,
+				cableconnected = cableconnected,
+				cablediscosignal = cablediscosignal
+			};
+			ser.Serialize(writer, s);
 			// write extra copy of stuff we don't use
+			// is this needed anymore??
+			writer.WriteLine();
 			writer.WriteLine("Frame {0}", Frame);
 		}
 
 		public void LoadStateText(TextReader reader)
 		{
-			string hex = reader.ReadLine();
-			byte[] state = new byte[hex.Length / 2];
-			state.ReadFromHex(hex);
-			LoadStateBinary(new BinaryReader(new MemoryStream(state)));
+			var s = (DGBSerialized)ser.Deserialize(reader, typeof(DGBSerialized));
+			L.LoadState(s.L);
+			R.LoadState(s.R);
+			IsLagFrame = s.IsLagFrame;
+			LagCount = s.LagCount;
+			Frame = s.Frame;
+			overflowL = s.overflowL;
+			overflowR = s.overflowR;
+			LatchL = s.LatchL;
+			LatchR = s.LatchR;
+			cableconnected = s.cableconnected;
+			cablediscosignal = s.cablediscosignal;
 		}
 
 		public void SaveStateBinary(BinaryWriter writer)