Talk:Nintendo e-Reader

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Correct term[edit]

I Think the correct term is e-reader.

You think right. -- A Link to the Past 00:45, August 2, 2005 (UTC)

As far as I know, the correct term is "Card-e", not "e-Card". Replaced that. And also, the Japanese have not discontinued the e-Reader. Corrected as well. -- Tetsuya-san 11:01, August 7, 2005 (UTC)

"e-Card" vs. "Card-E"[edit]

Well, I didn't go through my entire catalogue of e-Reader stuffs - just a few promotional materials - but here's what I found.

  • Nothing* I checked over reffered to them as either "e-Cards" or "Card-Es".

It was always one of the following: "e-Reader trading cards" "e-Reader cards" or "[Series}-e cards" (i.e.: "Pokémon Battle-e Cards" or "Animal Crossing-e Cards")

Personally, I'm more inclined to go with the "e-card" moniker. Early on, I seem to remember NoA reffering to the e-Reader as the "e-Card Reader" - where the "e" stood for "electronic" (i.e.: "Electronic Card"). Also, when reading the article, "e-card" seems to roll better than "card-e" (IMHO)...

The correct term is e-Reader Cards, in America at least. In Japan, where the original device was called the Card-e Reader, the cards were called Card-es. The e-Reader, as we have it in America, was later released in Japan as the Card-e+ Reader. And thus, cards that use that are called Card-e+s.--BPM 03:36, 27 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

More Clarification--Does the e-Reader Add New Content, or Does it Simply Unlock Pre-existing Code in the Cartridge?[edit]

As far as I can tell, the article is never completely clear whether an e-Reader card simply unlocks content that already exists on the cartridge or if it can truly add more content in the vein of a PC add-on and certain downloadable content as seen on modern consoles (e.g. Xbox 360 with Xbox Live). This ambiguity was actually a point of contention back in the day, with IGN's Craig Harris insisting the cards acted as an expansion pack of sorts, dispelling the notion that the cards were simply keys that unlocked previously inaccessible information in the cartridge (which is what the Wiki entry seems to suggest). What's the truth regarding this matter? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 131.53.128.33 (talk) 14:40, 21 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It would seem rather improbable that there is extra content on the cards if they are simply swiped like a credit card.--Anthonzi (talk) 21:47, 2 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Seeing as completely original homebrew software is available for the e-reader, I'd definitely say the content is stored on the cards themselves. If you'd look at the actual dot-codes, the actual information is incredibly tiny, and is just black and white dots, which could very easily be many lines of binary. Surfing Pikabluni?! (talk) 19:11, 17 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

A Successful Add-On?[edit]

"It is also one of the very few Nintendo add-on successes, compared to the 64DD and Famicom Disk System."

This statement is at best a little misleading, as it suggests the e-Reader was a popular seller that long endured with the masses. Granted, it may have sold better than the (Japanese) 64DD and Famicom Disk System (actually not sure on this fact), but it received little more than a passing glance in America. Hence the very thin support it received here--beyond the NES games and a little support for a very limited numbers of games (Pokemon, Mario Advance 4, etc.), the add-on arrived and then quickly died without receiving so much as a shrug. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 131.53.128.33 (talk) 14:21, 21 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed. That was the first thing that caught my eye, and someone really should remove that line. At best, you could say that, unlike 64DD and FDS, it was actually released in America. 72.152.143.25 (talk) 13:50, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Supposed discontinuation.[edit]

Updated the article to reflect the fact that it isn't discontinued in the US (Still being produced and sold direct from Nintendo), nor has classic NES emulation been discontinued (Nintendo is still producing and selling the classic NES cards).

While I was at it I rectified the statements that stated that the e-Reader only launched in Japan and the US. It also launched in Canada at the same time.

Keeping that last comment in mind, further down some Australia-specific stuff is mentioned. If it also launched in Australia, that should probably be reflected elsewhere in the article where availability and launch countries are mentioned.

Guspaz 07:28, 25 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I'm farily certain that the e-Reader (and all e-Reader cards) has been discontinued within the US. While store.nintendo.com still sells some of the goodies, I believe they are just clearing out their stocks of them. Just because the Nintendo Online Store still sells SNES parts, it doesn't mean they're still being made... 71.244.171.123 12:58, 15 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
We can't really guess exactly what is going on at Nintendo. All we know is that they still sell them. If you can find a press release or some similar official documentation stating that the parts have been discontinued, then that'd work. Otherwise, unless you can provide a source, I think that the mentions of the discontinuation should be removed once again. Guspaz 08:02, 16 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Nintendo doesn't make "press releases" whenever they discontinue a product (Find a Press Release saying that they've stopped making NES systems!). That's just now how Nintendo works. You can, however, check http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/cards/cards_index.jsp to see that every single one of the e-Reader cards contain "No Longer Produced" - this is as close as you'll get to finding out that the e-Reader isn't being made anymore (short of writing an e-mail to Nintendo.) 71.244.171.123 21:14, 16 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Except you're wrong; they don't ALL say "No Longer Produced". Many of them do, a bunch of others don't have that label. That would indicate that some have been discontinued, not all, and it doesn't prove that the reader itself has been discontinued. Guspaz 06:06, 17 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Perhaps I'm not seeing something on that page that you're seeing. Which set of cards, that refers to e-Reader cards, does not say "No Longer Produced"? The only three that I see that do not say "No Longer Produced" are:
  • Nintendogs Collectible Cards - Which are regular, ordinary trading cards featuring the dogs from the DS game Nintendogs.
  • Pokémon Trading Card Game - Which reffers to *ALL* Pokémon Trading Card game cards. They even mention that the ones being made now are not e-Reader cards - "[...] card sets produced before August of 2004 that feature the "Pokémon-e" on the package are designed to work with [...] the e-Reader accessory".
  • Limited Edition Cards - which covers *all* limited edition Nintendo trading cards, including those "Super Power Club" cards that Nintendo included with their Nintendo Power magazine for years. ("Different cards are designed with different features, from basic info about your favorite Nintendo character, to features designed to work with the Nintendo e-Reader.")
Now, taking into account that
  • A.) None of the e-Reader cards are being made (this would include the NES-e Classic Game Packs - which is INCLUDED in the package with the e-Reader iself).
  • B.) The last e-Reader cards made were back in March 31, 2004 - EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua - which included a whopping 9 e-Reader cards *and* the set is no longer being produced nor is it tournament sanctioned.
  • C.) Most retail stores have clearanced out their stock of e-Readers and cards.
  • D.) Cards that Nintendo said they were going to make have been cancelled (SMA4 Series 3 and 4, Game and Watch-e).
Taking all this into accout, I'd say it's pretty safe to say that the e-Reader has been discontinued in the US.
71.244.171.123 16:12, 17 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Add-ons[edit]

I find myself very reluctant to consider the Game Boy Pocket Camera and the Game Boy Printer to be add-on devices, as neither one allows you to play additional games on a different format that are unsupported by the original device.

The Game Boy Pocket Camera is really nothing more than another Game Pak. The Game Boy Printer... is... well, a printer.

Any other opinions here, or is there something I'm missing? TheUncleBob

The printer at least is used in conjunction with games for printing from the camera and pokemon games among others. I'd at least consider the printer an add-on. --Thaddius 16:41, 12 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

RM.EXE Cards[edit]

Just a question: who improved my Rockman.EXE paragraph?, cause history doesn't tell me anything (A note: I did start it, but I wasnt logged in, using the anonymous)

I did. To one that actually owns these cards, I'd figured I'd help ya out with information. Of when the different Parts were released, what's contained in each, and where the Promotional Modifcation Cards are obtained as well as the Special Chip Transmission Cards.
Nigoli's Card e-Reader + Collection
Feel free to look at my collection. I'm also building a Database for each card very soon; it'll have scans of each individual card as well as the Dot Code Data for each.
--Nigoli 18:50, 2 June 2006 (UTC)
Thanks Nigoli, thanks a lot. Nice collection.
Reploidof20xx 03:29, 19 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Nigoli, that would be great. I didn't see the cards on your list, but do you per chance have the Ice Climber and Mario Bros. cards for Animal Crossing? I've been trying to get the two games for years now, and I'd much appreciate it if you could leave a message on my talk page telling me when you've got that site up and running. Though, I'm not sure you'll even go ahead with it, seeing as it's been months now... <_<; ^_^ Hardcore gamer 48 07:36, 7 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Mario Advance 4[edit]

"Two promotional cards came packed in with every US copy of the game sold."

May be a little misleading. We own a copy of Mario Advance 4 purchased new at a US Toys R Us, and it did not come with the promo cards (anyone know where I can get them, BTW?) The box cover no longer advertises the game as coming with the cards, and I can only assume Nintendo removed them after the e-reader was discontinued. Other than that, the box cover art is unchanged and the game isn't yet part of the "Player's Choice" series.

208.107.88.55 15:22, 25 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]


what's it good for[edit]

the article doesnt mentioned at all what's it good for in the beginning, and seems a lot concerned with technicalities. I don't wanna read the whole article to get an idea of the use, if like two sentences at the beginning could do the job. (I.e. this seems like an articles for 'experts') anton —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.201.100.166 (talk • contribs).

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Dot Code Hacking and ereader homebrew[edit]

I'm surprised there's no mention of this in the article (the only mention is the Mario sprite app). The dot code was hacked a while ago (2004) as seen here. Does this seem relevant to the article at all? --Thaddius (talk) 12:48, 24 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Why yes, it certainly seems relevant to me. In fact, if you examine the history of this article, a whole section used to be devoted to it before it was deleted for no apparent reason. I reinserted the section and gave it a minor revision. Anyone who can add more to it, please do. CBecker (talk) 04:19, 19 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Alas, that section was deleted again.[3]

I think this article should briefly mention the fact that it is possible to write new homebrew games and print them onto cards. However, I think detailed "howto" information should go somewhere else -- perhaps Wikibooks: GBA Development would be better for such information. --DavidCary (talk) 06:21, 27 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Wal-Mart exclusive[edit]

Is it known how many copies of these five cards were made. I'm talking of course about the five cards that came with the first copies of SMA4 sold at Wal-Mart. I've heard someone say only 1000 were made, but is it actually known? Bramblestar (ShadowClan Leader) (talk) 00:24, 17 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

No copy protection?[edit]

Can this thing be considered Nintendo's dumbest intention? These cards, as far as i understand, have no copy protection. They can be copied by a photocopier! And even without photocopying, they can be scanned in sequence by several players in same room, who them play the game simultaneously from one set of cards.

Europe[edit]

"It was announced for Europe but very few were made, as it was almost immediately canceled". This is not a clear statement, was it officially released in Europe?--Aa2-2004 (talk) 08:18, 10 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

As far as I'm aware it was never released in Europe at all. 21:02, 6 May 2013 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.171.20.114 (talk)

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