Topic: GBA and E-Reader for only 40

[CaseyRyback]

I only posted this because I have seen no deals thread for the GBA (sorry if there is one)

Evidently in this months Gamestop guide(it has Samus on the cover) it has the GBA e-reader bundle for only 39.99

thanks to liontamer at cheapassgamer.com

sorry it seems to be an error and they(gamestop) will not honor it. However most other stores would probably price match if you bring in the guide

[MysticalMatt517]

The concept of the e-reader never made sense to me. It would be impossible to put enough data to make up an entire game on a piece of cardboard, so everything you're "purchasing" with the cards has to already be in the e-reader itself. This means that you're purchasing the actual e-reader then purchasing cards to unlock all this content which, if you ask me, isn't really all that swift in the first place.

[Pale]

Matt, you couldn't be more wrong.  

[MysticalMatt517]

Quote
Originally posted by: PaleZer0
Matt, you couldn't be more wrong.  

Um... Ok. Please tell me why - If I'm messed up on this I really want to know. Explain to me what's wrong with my logic.

Take for example - one of the e-reader cards appears to give you the ability to play Donky Kong (original) on the GBA. Granted, it's a small simple game but I still have a hard time believing that the game could fit on a piece of cardboard that would magically be read by the e-reader. Instead, it would be more logical for the e-reader to already have the game sitting in it and just be unlocked when a card is swiped. Consequently, all e-reader content would have to have already been created when it was released.

The one exception to this would be with "connectivity" gimmicks like in Animal Crossing. There all of the content would actually exist inside the game and the e-reader would essentally just pass a code to the game through the GBA.

I'm sorry but the whole e-reader thing seems to just be a gimmick to entertain 7 year olds who want to collect something different than baseball cards.

[Bill Aurion]

Um, Pale is correct...ALL game data is stored in the cards...

[Pale]

All the data IS stored on the cards.  Nintendo has come up with new ideas since the ereader came out.  If it was just unlocking stuff the might as well release eveyr card up front.  On top of that, why would Donkey Kong require you to swipe 10 cards?  Just because its cooler that way?  Not really.  If you have ever seen a bar code you will see how much information can be stuck on there.  It isn't your normal grocery store bar code.

[MysticalMatt517]

OK, I'm wrong. You guys are correct. I asked a friend of mine today how it worked and he explained to me that it worked kind of like the old style punch cards. That makes sense. I also didn't realize you needed to swipe multiple cards to get a game. While I don't understand why they didn't just put a magnetic strip on the cards it does make sense.

I apologize. The e-reader still doesn't appeal to me but the idea doesn't seem as dumb now.

[Draygaia]

Even if I didn't understand I would have just accepted someone saying, "technology".

[Aussie Ben PGC]

Actually, it depends on the card.  While some cards, such as the NES games (Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., etc.) require you to scan the ten strips on five cards, others, such as the Eon Ticket for Pokémon Ruby and the Ice Climbers Animal Crossing Card are more like "keys" that just unlock existing events and data that are pre-programmed into the game.

Depending on how it's used, some of it, like the SMB3 level cards, are really cool.