UPDATE: Our Japanese correspondent, Bakudan Yoshinoya, just chimed in with added information from Nintendo's site.
According to Nintendo, the SD Card Adaptor will enable new ways of gaming. It's possible for friends to e-mail game data to each other. Players can also download event and game data from the Internet.
The first software to use this accessory will be Doubutsu no Mori e + (Animal Crossing e+), which will be released on June 27 in Japan. Players will be able e-mail game data and photos taken in the game through a PC.
The price has not been determined.
Also a bit surprising is a new design for the adapter, which now loads the cards from the side, rather than from the front. It will likely be much easier to remove the cards as a result.
SD Memory cards are postage-stamp sized modules frequently used in Digital Cameras and PDAs. Panasonic owns the patent on the format, and it was thought that this accessory was just a way to leverage that partnership with Panasonic/Matsushita. In other words, while the technology is cool, we didn't really expect it to see the light of day, especially after the release of the Memory Card 251. But you just never know with Nintendo.
The timing is great too, as 64MB SD cards can be had online for around $35, and 128MB cards are around $55 (we've seen them as low as $38 online). We don't yet know what the maximum size is that the GameCube will be able to address, but 64MB should work fine, since that's what Nintendo was expecting to begin with. It should be noted, however, that the picture below shows a 16MB card, which can be difficult to find.
One small caveat for importers ... it's unknown if the GameCube will be able to use the SD cards as simple memory cards, or if there are game-specific functions for the adapter. The GameCube has a limit on the number of files/blocks it can address, and a 64MB card would far eclipse that limit. It would be a good idea to wait and find out more information on the peripheral before you make an order.
We should have more info at E3. Watch for it.
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Originally posted by: BlkPaladin
But since the first software to use it is Animal Crossing 2 and you have to use a PC to send the files, I doubt it. The software is going to have to have the encryption.
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Originally posted by: JB
It doesn't say that you need your PC to email the files. I'm hoping that you can send an e-mail from within the game.
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Players will be able e-mail game data and photos taken in the game through a PC.
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Originally posted by: BlkPaladin
Well if you just use it as a memory card you should be able to, but its unknown since the question is does the adapter have the conversion tools need to save the files in SD format (It has encryption protection much like the PS2's.)
But since the first software to use it is Animal Crossing 2 and you have to use a PC to send the files, I doubt it. The software is going to have to have the encryption.
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Not to mention saved files that you can dl from other users, and more maps form other users such as from games like Time Spilters, and offical ones. Side mission for RPGs basically most anything that the Xbox's HD can be used for.
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Originally posted by: demoncrono
you're going to luagh...but....what's an SDcard?....is it the same card I use for my digital camera? and if so,would I be able to use that instead of buying a nintendo one? and how would it even hook up to a pc? through the digital camera?
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Originally posted by: BlkPaladin
And about the mail server it isn't anything cheep to set up a mail server you have to have the space to store all the emails while they wait to be dl'ed from the server and even with a restricted storage usage we are talking about a lot of space for potenially millions of users, not to mention the bandwidth, servers and technical support.
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Originally posted by: Kulock
Unfortunately, yes it does. It would make a lot more sense to use the GCN's own online capabilities, I'd think, and just being able to access and send e-mail is much, much different from anything like Online Play. There doesn't have to be a single server set up to handle it, unless a dedicated Nintendo server will be handling the mailing.
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Originally posted by: BlkPaladin
And about the mail server it isn't anything cheep to set up a mail server you have to have the space to store all the emails while they wait to be dl'ed from the server and even with a restricted storage usage we are talking about a lot of space for potenially millions of users, not to mention the bandwidth, servers and technical support.
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Originally posted by: ramon10cl
I have a question. Are SD cards and MultiMedia cards the samething or what?