Nintendo's E-Reader

Hikaru Ichijyo · Sep 17, 2002

Anyone else sides me pick one of these up today? I have to say it's a nice little device, though a little pricey at $39.99 (Thank God for employee discount

).

My reader came packed with Pinball and a sample pack of cards that included 3 Pokemon cards, a Game & Watch card, and an Animal Crossing card. I saw another reader that was packed with Donkey Kong Jr.

Of the initial batch of game cards besides Pinball and DK Jr. there was Balloon Fight (YEAH!), Excitebike, and Tennis (I picked em all up naturally

).

The games play and sound exactly like their old school NES counterparts so I have faith in future games

. I was a little suprised and disappointed to see the game cards were not hard plastic (like a credit card) as I had originally thought but of the normal trading/sport card thickness.

Each card has one or more barcodes on it that you have to SLOWLY run through the reader (that reader is DAMN sensitive too

).

It'll be interesting to see where this concept goes. I imagine the big push for it was Nintendo's Pokemon games but being a Neo Fan I conjured up ideas on how cool a device like this would be for a GC/GBA version of Card Fighter's Clash <img src="graemlins/mrt2.gif" border="0" alt="[Mr T]" /> .

Blaine · Sep 17, 2002

I can't wait, I'm picking one up tomorrow probably.

It's a great little idea.

I honestly think if they'd make a new NES/Famicom game...even something simple for it, and make it into a card set it would sell like insanity.

Both logistically and market-wise it'd be a pretty good idea.

Kid Aphex · Sep 17, 2002

This is really one of the best marketing ideas I've ever heard. My hat goes way off and into orbit to Nintendo on this one.

Magician · Sep 17, 2002

A very tasty accessory indeed...I initially bought it solely for Animal Crossing goodies, but then I broke down and bought the four other NES games after playing DK Jr...and I can't wait for the next five in Nov...

...overall...e-Reader = good shyt...

K_K · Sep 17, 2002

what does it look like?

Kidnemo · Sep 17, 2002

Too much good stuff tommorow...

Animal Crossing
e-Reader (and cards)
Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance
Kingdom Hearts

Earthquake · Sep 17, 2002

This reminds me of the SEGA Cards that came out for the classic SMS. Although SEGA canned the cards after just a small handful of releases due to their lack of size, I always thought it was one of their best inventions. I'm glad to see the big N pick up on a similar product though. Gotta love those classic NES games!

Medaka · Sep 17, 2002

Originally posted by Kim _Kaphwan:
what does it look like?<hr></blockquote>
It's Huuuuuuuuge!

Blaine · Sep 17, 2002

It's a huge bitch alright.

mookystains · Sep 17, 2002

what does it do really?
i have no clue.
someone please fill me in.

Hikaru Ichijyo · Sep 17, 2002

It's similar to the Barcode Battler and that device Bandai made for the Famicom for one of their DBZ games that interacted with special trading cards you fed through a reader.

How the game cards work is, you buy the pack of cards for the game and inside there are 5 cards. Each card has one-two barcode like lines on it that you pass through the reader. Once it has read all the lines it activates the game. Amazes the hell out of me how the hell they did that but it's the real deal.

In the sample pack that's included with the device there's 3 Pokemon cards of Machop, Machoke, and Machamp. Each card has a long barcode like the game cards do and if you scan all 3 you get to play a mini game where Machop smashes boulders. On the bottom of each of the cards is a smaller barcode that when you scan it, will bring up the vitals of that Pokemon on screen.

Incidentally someone mentioned more card games coming out in November. Any links to what games they'll be?

Hikaru Ichijyo · Sep 17, 2002

Originally posted by Kidnemo:
Too much good stuff tommorow...

Animal Crossing
e-Reader (and cards)
Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance
Kingdom Hearts<hr></blockquote>

I borrowed out Animal Crossing from work. Haven't played it yet but was very suprised to see every copy of the game includes a Memory Card 59 with it at no additional cost (though some of the memory is used up for some Animal Crossing info).

Didn't know Castlevania: HoD was due out this week, that E-Reader set me back enough as it is. Think I'll pass on Kingdom Hearts for now, got WAY too many RPGs sitting on my CD rack quietly murmuring "play us!"

djbomberman · Sep 18, 2002

Originally posted by Medaka:

It's Huuuuuuuuge!
<hr></blockquote>

Hehe.......that's what she said....

Kid Aphex · Sep 18, 2002

I have a question for all:

Once you scan in the cards, can you remove the E-Reader?????????

Piccolo_DBz · Sep 18, 2002

Originally posted by Kid Aphex:
I have a question for all:

Once you scan in the cards, can you remove the E-Reader?????????<hr></blockquote>

Nope. Hell if you turn off the GBA, any saved game like created tracks from Execite bike will be erased.

Kid Aphex · Sep 18, 2002

Hmmm....At E3 NiGHTS was on a GBA with no E-Reader...how was this possible? I though the GBA had a bit of memory.

Blaine · Sep 18, 2002

Originally posted by Piccolo_DBz:
Nope. Hell if you turn off the GBA, any saved game like created tracks from Execite bike will be erased.<hr></blockquote>

The unit itself will store one NES game and one Game and Watch game in it's internal memory.

And in fairness..you couldn't even save a track on the NES version of Excitebike. Sure it had 'save' and 'load' functions but...they don't work.

Blaine · Sep 18, 2002

Originally posted by Kid Aphex:
Hmmm....At E3 NiGHTS was on a GBA with no E-Reader...how was this possible? I though the GBA had a bit of memory.<hr></blockquote>

That was from PSO, and yes it does have an internal memory, why the eCard Reader doesn't take advantage of it is anyone's guess.

But for Animal Crossing, you can download those NES games as well as an island mini-game to your GBA and it'll be stored in the GBA's internal memory so long as you don't turn it off...you have to put it to 'sleep', but reports are that sleep mode has almost no battery drain and for the most part you won't notice any difference between 'sleep' and 'off'.

So other games that will let you download mini-games to your GBA will use it's internal memory...just not the eCard Reader.

Kid Aphex · Sep 18, 2002

Thats what the fine, big breasted nintendo 'rep' [read: model] told me at E3. But how do you put the GBA into sleep mode? I REALLY dont know lol...and i've been trying to figure it out. Is it an option available after downloading the games to your GBA via Animal Crossing?

Thanks Blaine!
ray

Sonic1787DC · Sep 18, 2002

i don't see how scanning a simple barcode can download an entire game to that e-reader... are the games already in the thing or what!?

rarehero · Sep 18, 2002

i picked it up.
i m not sure why but i almost feel dissapointed.
maybe because i cant see how bigger games like
smb3 or whatever would fit.
or maybe it is possible.
do the games dl straight into memory on the ecard
reader? i m going to try the free animal crossing
card that i got with it tonight. havent even
tried to use my gba with my gc yet.

rarehero · Sep 18, 2002

Originally posted by Sonic1787DC:
i don't see how scanning a simple barcode can download an entire game to that e-reader... are the games already in the thing or what!?<hr></blockquote>

its some dot matrix thing.
thats one of the reasons why i m not that thrilled
i guess. i was thinking it was like a magnetic
swipe mechanism but my donkey kong was basically
5 thin pokemon kinda cards with dot matrix bars
on the long side.
the problem is that you have to slide each side
of the cards (x2)
and if you bend the cards or damage the cards
then it probably wont scan.
and the cards are thin enough to be bent and whatever by mistake.
which makes me wonder if its possible to save more
than one game in the reader.

SPINMASTER X · Sep 18, 2002

Originally posted by Hikaru Ichijyo:
I imagine the big push for it was Nintendo's Pokemon games but being a Neo Fan I conjured up ideas on how cool a device like this would be for a GC/GBA version of Card Fighter's Clash <img src="graemlins/mrt2.gif" border="0" alt="[Mr T]" /> .<hr></blockquote>

Whoa!! The possiblities!!

Kid Aphex · Sep 18, 2002

Originally posted by rarehero:


its some dot matrix thing.
thats one of the reasons why i m not that thrilled
i guess. i was thinking it was like a magnetic
swipe mechanism but my donkey kong was basically
5 thin pokemon kinda cards with dot matrix bars
on the long side.
the problem is that you have to slide each side
of the cards (x2)
and if you bend the cards or damage the cards
then it probably wont scan.
and the cards are thin enough to be bent and whatever by mistake.
which makes me wonder if its possible to save more
than one game in the reader.<hr></blockquote>

Someone actually had a ripped car and scanned it through, still. So i doubt bends are going to do much

evil wasabi · Sep 18, 2002

This is not a new concept at all...in fact, they had a similar device for the original Apple Macintosh that was released somewhere around 1984-1985 which would let you scan these barcode-like strips of paper that they would print in magazines like Macworld, etc. Once you ran the paper strips through the device, it would translate the data into a program/game/whatever.

I have a few old issues of Macworld and they have ads for this device as well as some of the code strips right in the magazine. Nintendo just took the idea and made it portable and able to read true barcode data. By no means is this a revolutionary idea and Nintendo should not be credited with creating the concept.

Nintendo's E-Reader

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