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Nintendo E-Reader Review - Hardware

As gaming has become more mainstream, developers have started thinking outside the square in an effort to stay one step ahead of the competition. Over the years we have seen the development of many peripherals that add something more to straight up gaming. From cameras to link cables, eye toys to vibrating controllers, we are now faced with more options than ever when it comes to enhancing the experience. Nintendo have been somewhat of a pioneer when it comes to gaming accessories and now we have the E-Reader. Lets see what it's all about.

What Is It??

The e-reader is a device that plugs straight into the cartridge slot of both the GBA and GBA SP. You can then scan e-cards, which are very similar to normal trading cards, which allow you to play games or access extra characters or secret areas in Game Cube games, such as the upcoming Animal Crossing. The cards can hold up to 2.2 kilobytes of data- meaning that multiple scans will be needed for some games. For instance, Donkey Kong Jnr requires 10 scans- across 5 cards (2 scans per card!).
Each card has an encoded strip running along the bottom (or top) that must be swiped through the e-reader. This is similar to swiping a credit card and is quite simple to do. The e-reader has the capacity to store up to 1 megabit of Flash ROM meaning that one game/application can be saved at a time. So yes, that means you'll have to rescan games when want to play them (except the last one you saved).

In order to take advantage of the e-reader/GC capabilities you will have to have the link cable. There's also a GBA to GBA feature though, to this date, there hasn't been e-card development to take advantage of this. The E-reader also has a built in NES emulator, meaning all those classic NES games will be able to be scanned in and played on your GBA!!! Initially the following NES games will be able to be purchase; Donkey Kong Jr., Pinball, Excitebike, Balloon Fight and Tennis. More announcements are expected shortly. The e-cards will come in packs of 5, and while there's no confirmation for the price of the cards- it's said to be under $10.

What does it look like??

The e-reader is quite a chunky little device and is actually bigger than the GBA SP. It's quite light and, as you can see from the pictures, sticks a fair way out of the GBA. I can reassure you though that it doesn't get in the way while playing. Nintendo have cleverly cut out the areas where the thumbs sit and if anything the e-reader gives a bit of support! The e-reader also runs on the power of the GBA, so you won't have to duck down the shops for another pack of batteries.

Impressions

The e-reader has the potential to really expand the stock standard gaming experience. While ... (continued next page)