Prime example of Nintendo stupidity

[smokehouse]

Here’s a prime example of how Nintendo often shoots themselves in the foot. To play the eReader card worlds on Super Mario Advance 4 (Super Mario 3) you have to have EVERYTHING shown in the picture:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/smokehouse/Video%20gaming/nintendo-stupidity.jpg

Ok, let’s do the breakdown of original pricing:

2x GBA ($80/pc)- $160
1x eReader- $40
1x GBA link cable- $20
1x SMB4 pak- $30
2x packs of eReader cards ($6/pc)- $12

Let’s see, that’s $262 just to play some new levels on a game. No wonder few people got into this thing. Couldn’t Nintendo have approached this thing differently?





By the way, I bought a GBA Sp and a few years later a GBA Sp with new screen, had the link cable for years, picked up the eReader for $15 and the card packs on clearance for $3. I would have never paid full retail for the whole package.

[c0ldb33r]

It sounds stupid when you describe it like that. It makes a lot more sense if you've already got some of this stuff. For instance, my wife has an original GBA, I have an SP and we have a GB Player. So we already had those, and the link cable. OR, you don't need 2 GBAs yourself. You just need a friend that has one. So really, you just need the mario 3, the e-reader, and the card packs.

Where, by the way, did you get those card packs? I just picked up an e-reader used (it was dirt cheap) and am killing myself trying to find some! x_x

[smokehouse]

K-Mart was clearing them out. If you can't find them I can make a run today to see if they have any left. PM me if you want them.

[Push Upstairs]

Other than the fact that "Mario 3" is boring because i can play the game with two thumbs tied behind me and be blindfolded...

The other reason is because how Nintendo handled those levels is nothing short of idotic. You need an E-reader, cards, system, & the game just to unlock some master levels (which i was really looking forward too).


Frankly, the effort to find the cards, buy the pointless E-reader, and then try and find someone else with a GBA was overly complicated and the payoff wasn't worth the money you had to pay.

[smokehouse]

Other than the fact that "Mario 3" is boring because i can play the game with two thumbs tied behind me and be blindfolded...

The other reason is because how Nintendo handled those levels is nothing short of idotic. You need an E-reader, cards, system, & the game just to unlock some master levels (which i was really looking forward too).


Frankly, the effort to find the cards, buy the pointless E-reader, and then try and find someone else with a GBA was overly complicated and the payoff wasn't worth the money you had to pay.

My point exactly. The new levels in SM3 are really great and to have to go through all this trouble just to play them is garbage.

[tholly]

i bought everything about...2 sp's, a regular gba, a gba platinum gcn player, wal-mart exclusive version of smb3, e-reader, the series 1 and 2 packs of mario cards, and a few first party connect cables......all at full price, and i believe all on the days they launched....but, they were at seperate times, so the total doesnt seem like that much, plus most of the items above have multiple uses, not just one as you imply...

[smokehouse]

I now you can use the items for other things but to get those extra features on SMB3 you need everything listed. My point is that Personally I’m not interested in the eReader as I have many of the games made for the eReader on the NES already. I am however interested in the SMB3 stuff and I can’t understand why there wasn’t a different way to get that stuff other than buying all those items.

[Neo Rasa]

2x GBA ($80/pc)- $160
1x eReader- $40
2x packs of eReader cards ($6/pc)- $12

You can get an original GBA bundle that's the original GBA, the E-Reader, and several cards for $40 new now which isn't bad if you want to play the levels. If the cards/reader were released at such a low price it would have been much more successful for what it does.

[Ed Oscuro]

Didn't Metal Slug let you unlock stuff with the cards if you had an eReader?

[Julio III]

Wow, that does indeed seem quite stupid, needing that much stuff. I never knew you needed to connect to another GBA to use the e-reader add-ons, that makes the whole thing seem very bizarre.

[calthaer]

e-Reader cards are indeed extremely difficult to come by nowadays. The cards themselves have almost surely gone up in value - especially the rare "islander" cards from the first Animal Crossing card series along with certain promo ones (like Eon Ticket and the 3 promo Wal-Mart SMB3 ones) and perhaps some of the NES games (Urban Champion comes to mind).

Metal Slug cards, I believe, were never released in the U.S. Maybe in Japan - they had lots more cards.'

I'm not going to disagree with the fact that the thing was way too expensive - $40 for the e-Reader was far too much. The cards, however, were just what they were - trading cards. Trading cards cost a certain amount to print, and if they're worthwhile, they'll go up in value. Card-collecting itself is a certain type of hobby or "game," one that Nintendo tried to sort of merge / converge with the game-playing aspect.

If you're not into collecting trading cards, maybe you should have just asked someone else here who had the whole setup if you could pay them $10 or so for you to mail them your cartridge and have them download the levels to it with their set of cards.

[tholly]

Didn't Metal Slug let you unlock stuff with the cards if you had an eReader?

no...they were e-Cards, not e-Reader Cards.....they were things ingame not actual paper items, or at least that is what i was told....i dont have metal slug gba to confirm...

[c0ldb33r]

Does anyone know - is it possible to scan an e-reader card at high res and send it to someone, have that person print it out at high res (like 600/1200 dpi) and scan it?

Would that work?

If so, that'd be great - you could get the SMB3 levels without getting those cards. Normally I'm a big fan of collecting stuff like this, but these are IMPOSSIBLE to find now :(

[Blitzwing256]

yes you can scan in readable ereader cards, you need a very good printer naturally. the "dotcodes" are avialable if you look around.


the only problem i had with the e-reader setup was the fact that nintendo botched up how the cards were disturbuted.

they just sold set packs of the cards, ie you'd buy pack 1 2 or 3 of whatever and you'd get the whole set, whereas in japan the cards were random with rare cards etc etc..made them far more collectable (plus a TON more cards for mario 3)

they really could have raked in some cash by releasing them like ccg stuff (I think they did do it with ac cards)

and that game and watch gallery set they were planning that got canceled...that looked sooo good

DAMN YOU NINTENDO!
:-(

[keiblerfan69]

K-Mart was clearing them out. If you can't find them I can make a run today to see if they have any left. PM me if you want them.

Yeah I picked up 2 packs of the Donkey Kong ones a month ago.

[Push Upstairs]

The new levels in SM3 are really great...

That just plain hurts. :( Oh well. I can manage knowing that the effort far exceeds the payoff.

Maybe someday i can test my skills at those levels....maybe.



..plus most of the items above have multiple uses, not just one as you imply...

Well, the e-reader would have had a single purpose for me had i bought one....to unlock those Master Levels. The point of the GBA was to pop a game in and go, not waste 5 minutes of my life *slowly* scanning in (in some cases) 4 or 5 cards to play some game. (I think it was donkey kong?)

[tholly]

..plus most of the items above have multiple uses, not just one as you imply...

Well, the e-reader would have had a single purpose for me had i bought one....to unlock those Master Levels. The point of the GBA was to pop a game in and go, not waste 5 minutes of my life *slowly* scanning in (in some cases) 4 or 5 cards to play some game. (I think it was donkey kong?)


there were 13 original nes games, including donkey kong, donkey kong jr, ice climber, urban champion, tennis, etc....

[c0ldb33r]

yes you can scan in readable ereader cards, you need a very good printer naturally. the "dotcodes" are avialable if you look around.

My laser printer is 600 dpi - is that good enough?


...The point of the GBA was to pop a game in and go, not waste 5 minutes of my life *slowly* scanning in (in some cases) 4 or 5 cards to play some game. (I think it was donkey kong?)

Don't forget the e-reader has built-in memory, so it'll keep the last scanned game in memory until you delete or replace it. So you don't have to scan the cards every time you want to play, only if you want a new one (not that this makes it that much better ;))

edit: I just found out - Nintendo is still selling e-reader cards on their website. they're kind of pricey, but it makes for a pretty good worst-case-scenario.

[Push Upstairs]

there were 13 original nes games, including donkey kong, donkey kong jr, ice climber, urban champion, tennis, etc....

Hmmm....weren't some of those later released at $20 a pop?

[tholly]

there were 13 original nes games, including donkey kong, donkey kong jr, ice climber, urban champion, tennis, etc....

Hmmm....weren't some of those later released at $20 a pop?

nope....the e-Reader games were all $4.99 + tax at launch....all 13 packs had all 4 or 5 cards needed for the complete game....

the $19.99 + tax games that you are thinking about are the Classic NES Series GBA games which are actual cartridges with a game on them....no need for an e-Reader, just a GBA and the game....there were 12 of those released to the US...more in Japan.....

...also, a limited edition Classic NES styled GBA was released at $99.99 + tax

the whole set looks awesome all together.....i might have a pic of my set somewhere with the 2 bonus t-shirts that were released with each of the sets of 6 GBA games....(they were released in 2 6 game sets).....

[Lothars]

I don't have a problem with the ereader or any of it, for the most part I own most of the stuff otherwise except the ereader which I am looking to buy locally hopefully.

[Chronodriftersx]

plus I've seen that cord offered free in so many different things

[Push Upstairs]

nope....the e-Reader games were all $4.99 + tax at launch....all 13 packs had all 4 or 5 cards needed for the complete game....

the $19.99 + tax games that you are thinking about are the Classic NES Series GBA games which are actual cartridges with a game on them....no need for an e-Reader, just a GBA and the game....there were 12 of those released to the US...more in Japan.....

Weren't some of the games that were first released to support the E-reader later put onto a cartridge and then sold for $20 a piece? I'm pretty sure i saw "Ice Climber" as a classic cart.

[Rockman Neo]

The E-Reader was a great idea that was poorly executed. Same thing happened with the connectivity of the Neo Geo Pocket Color and Dreamcast.

Hopefully the PSP-PS3 connectivity will blow as much as these first two endeavors. That way, developers will stop attempting the idea.

[Push Upstairs]

The E-Reader was a great idea that was poorly executed.

I won't argue with that except that i feel it was a mediocre idea that was poorly executed.

I'm sure its wonderful for those that like to hunt and collect cards but thats just not my bag (baby!).

I suppose being able to use a *SINGLE* system to upload any info to a cart (ala Mario 3) would have been nice...but then there is still the part of having to scan 4-5 cards to get games going.

I added the E-Reader to the list of game accessories that should have stayed ideas and never actually been produced:

Power Glove, Power Pad, Activator, E-Reader

[c0ldb33r]

I suppose being able to use a *SINGLE* system to upload any info to a cart (ala Mario 3) would have been nice...

I agree :D

BUT, I wouldn't put it in the same boat as the power glove. At least the e-reader works :roll:

It just needed to be better supported is all. It would have been nice if cards were packed into more games (even if they were only nintendo produced games). There was a lot of potential. this was a way to give video game pack-ins.

Oh well.

I read it was fairly popular in Japan. Can we import their cards? (I'm thinking SMA4 here - they have series 3 and 4 don't hey?)

[Rockman Neo]

I suppose being able to use a *SINGLE* system to upload any info to a cart (ala Mario 3) would have been nice...It would have been nice if cards were packed into more games (even if they were only nintendo produced games). There was a lot of potential. this was a way to give video game pack-ins.

Exactly! That idea alone could have saved the e-Reader from certain doom.

[Push Upstairs]

BUT, I wouldn't put it in the same boat as the power glove. At least the e-reader works :roll:

Well, the Power Pad and the Activator worked however they were still really ultra lame.

And the Power Glove did work....


with Super Glove Ball. LOL


The point i was trying to make was the idea sounded alot better than the eventual product that was produced.

But the idea of swiping a card (or many) to play a game just doesn't really sound fun and it wasn't fun either.

[NintenDk]

I have a animal crossing e reader card of "link design" if anyone wants it pm me.

[dbiersdorf]

nope....the e-Reader games were all $4.99 + tax at launch....all 13 packs had all 4 or 5 cards needed for the complete game....

the $19.99 + tax games that you are thinking about are the Classic NES Series GBA games which are actual cartridges with a game on them....no need for an e-Reader, just a GBA and the game....there were 12 of those released to the US...more in Japan.....

Weren't some of the games that were first released to support the E-reader later put onto a cartridge and then sold for $20 a piece? I'm pretty sure i saw "Ice Climber" as a classic cart.

You sure have a strong opinion on something you know very little about.

The way I see it, the e-Reader should have never been made for actual games, but rather an expansion on existing games, like they did with Super Mario Advance and Animal Crossing. It expanded the replay value of these games and were down right awesome. The Super Mario levels are great, too bad the US never got all the cards and it's incomplete.

I'm really glad I picked up the EON Ticket for a couple dollars a year or so back, completed listings on eBay show an average of $30!

I also have reason to believe Nintendo was planning on creating more classic NES packs. I emailed them when the support was obviously beginning to die, I checked the official site and it said to check back for updates on the next set of games. I waited, figured they'd been cancelled, and then emailed Nintendo. I got a response saying that the cards were indeed in development and would a list of the new games would be announced shortly. A month later support for the e-Reader was dropped, I emailed them again, and they said everything for the e-Reader was over with. Sure would be neat if someone managed to get a hold of some prototypes of the second set of cards.

[Push Upstairs]

You sure have a strong opinion on something you know very little about.

I don't see how i'm wrong when "Ice Climber" is both an E-reader game *AND* a classics series game. I'd also add "Excite Bike" as well.

It's not a matter if it was directly ported from the e-reader cards, its plain simple fact that this game was once offered in the e-reader line of cards as a swipeable game then not too long afterwards it was released again.

I imagine the Classics series cameabout because the E-reader never really took off. And if it wasn't then it should be that much more annoying as then it would seem Nintendo wanted you to buy certain games more than once.


The way I see it, the e-Reader should have never been made for actual games, but rather an expansion on existing games, like they did with Super Mario Advance and Animal Crossing. It expanded the replay value of these games and were down right awesome. The Super Mario levels are great, too bad the US never got all the cards and it's incomplete.

Frankly, the way the actual contraption came out it should have never been used for either, but you have your view on this device and i have mine.

I don't find it thrilling to have to hunt down cards and buy or borrow someone elses system to unlock levels in a game i paid for. If i plop down $20+ for a game i want *THE WHOLE GAME*, not some game with seemingly tacked on support for a limited appeal accessory.

Now I suppose if you could swipe these cards without having to go the roundabout way you currently do then things would be a tad better, but it still wouldn't fix the Mario 3 issue.

[JJNova]

This is a good example of Nintendo's Stupidity in getting us to purchase all their equipment.

Stupid Nintendo. How dare you make money off of us!

[smokehouse]

This is a good example of Nintendo's Stupidity in getting us to purchase all their equipment.

Stupid Nintendo. How dare you make money off of us!

I think you’re missing the point. I do not mind giving my cash to Nintendo. I just want their stuff to be a bit less complicated and more functional. Like Final Fantasy CC on the GC. I don’t have that many friends with GBAs and link cables. Another good idea (like the eReader) but bad application. The eReader could have been a good thing but Nintendo dropped the ball.

[Push Upstairs]

And I agree with Smokehouse.

There is nothing wrong with giving Nintendo or anyone else money however, but in the case of the E-reader i think that buying a game, an E-reader, cards, and another GBA goes beyond "giving them money" and more into "being taken to the cleaners" territory.

There is no reason the E-reader should have been as complicated as it was. And no accessory or game should require you to have to purchase *another* game system just to "unlock" hidden levels items or whatever.

Reward skilled players with extras, not those who can drop the most cash.

[dbiersdorf]

A game isn't complete if it had e-Reader support. That's like saying why should you buy Metroid Prime, if the only way to get the Fusion suit is by the Game Boy Connection. It was an added bonus, a neat extra, no one is telling you to go out and buy all this stuff, but if you wanted to you can. You can still beat Super Mario Advance 4 without it, and all it really adds are some extra levels in a seperate "world" not even related to the story or levels of the actual game. Same goes for Animal Crossing, everything was obtainable (there might have been an exclusive thing here or there) but none of those items were needed to enjoy the game.

Considering no cards were released that made an existing game "in complete" as you so put it, you're logic doesn't really make any sense from my standpoint.

[Push Upstairs]

What exactly would be the point of playing "Mario Advance 4" without the tasty bait of some *NEW* master levels or thier (sigh) additions of vegetables and the cape?

Because without the addition of those added features there really is no reason to purchase this new game over keeping either the NES game or "Mario All Stars". That was the point of adding these things...to add something *NEW* to get you to buy again (again).

Instead of adding these levels or adding bonuses to the game itself that a skilled player could unlock on thier own, added bonuses are "unlocked" by having you purchase extra equipment.

That is not rewarding a skilled player, that is rewarding those who hunt down extra accessories.

What part of that logic is hard to understand?

[dbiersdorf]

Nintendo isn't looking out for the consumers best interest, they're looking to get the most out of the consumers wallet.

They gave you a classic game, in portable form. Look at the other Mario Advance titles, they didn't even have anything new to begin with.

[c0ldb33r]

Instead of adding these levels or adding bonuses to the game itself that a skilled player could unlock on thier own, added bonuses are "unlocked" by having you purchase extra equipment.

I agree 100%. Especially since the data for the extra items are already in the game, you can unlock them with an action replay. There's no reason whatsoever that they should need the e-reader.

[importaku]

Instead of adding these levels or adding bonuses to the game itself that a skilled player could unlock on thier own, added bonuses are "unlocked" by having you purchase extra equipment.

I agree 100%. Especially since the data for the extra items are already in the game, you can unlock them with an action replay. There's no reason whatsoever that they should need the e-reader.

Regarding SMA4

The items might be in the game to hack with an action replay but the extra e-reader levels are certainly not.

When you scan the e-reader cards it adds the data to the cart & the cart then saves it after you complete the new level.

All the sprites & stuff are already on the cart, but when you scan a level card in, the e-code tells the cart what configuration to build the level. Its sort of a level construction kit built into the cart.

Personally i love the e-reader, it adds a fun extra level to my gba collecting. Then again it might be because i collect the japanese cards so theres a bit more variety than the tiny amount the US seemed to get.I

[PentiumMMX]

The e-Reader wasn't too much of a problem for me. I though it was cool.

BTW, I got my e-Reader for just $10 a few years back.

[GameSlaveGaz]

What Nintendo should've done is made it so you could insert the eReader into the GBA then insert the cartridge into the eReader. That way, you only needed one system to swipe the card and download the information to the game. Nintendo probably thought that since so many people owned GBAs that people would have friends or relatives w/GBAs and they could borrow them to download eReader info to their game and thus cut down on the development and production costs of the eReader. They probably also hoped that the success of the GameBoy Player would keep eReader customers from being annoyed at the set-up. Cuz I always use my GameBoy Player or steal my sister's GBASP when I need to use my eReader. It probably never bothered me much because I have those readily available, but I can see how someone without those resources or the funds to buy the additional hardware themselves are frustrated.
But I do agree that it was a good idea but poorly executed. It may have been just a money-making scheme. I don't want to sound gullible and say that Nintendo's not like that, they care about the customer more than making money, but in reality they're a corporation just like all the other corporations and maybe sometimes they do care about the money just a little bit more.
Personally, I'm just disappointed that they pulled the plug on it America-side and that the cards are hard to find. I also wish I had the foresight to have waited and grabbed a marked-down or used one, because if I'd known something like this would come around, I wouldn't have paid $40 for it at launch (granted, it was w/my 10% Toys R Us discount but that still wasn't a lot of savings)

[neuropolitique]

........

[neuropolitique]

Here’s a prime example of how Nintendo often shoots themselves in the foot. To play the eReader card worlds on Super Mario Advance 4 (Super Mario 3) you have to have EVERYTHING shown in the picture:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/smokehouse/Video%20gaming/nintendo-stupidity.jpg

Ok, let’s do the breakdown of original pricing:

2x GBA ($80/pc)- $160
1x eReader- $40
1x GBA link cable- $20
1x SMB4 pak- $30
2x packs of eReader cards ($6/pc)- $12

Let’s see, that’s $262 just to play some new levels on a game. No wonder few people got into this thing. Couldn’t Nintendo have approached this thing differently?





By the way, I bought a GBA Sp and a few years later a GBA Sp with new screen, had the link cable for years, picked up the eReader for $15 and the card packs on clearance for $3. I would have never paid full retail for the whole package.

quoted for posterity

[Rob2600]

quoted for posterity

This thread reminds me of a similar, more recent one.

[UniHamachi]

ROFL ROFL ROFL

If it's anything like the last thread, it will be locked soon. After everything gets erased.

[CosmicMonkey]

What Nintendo should've done is made it so you could insert the eReader into the GBA then insert the cartridge into the eReader. That way, you only needed one system to swipe the card and download the information to the game.

Never looked in to the E-Reader before (other than noting it's existence), but I've been reading through this topic wondering exactly the same thing. Why the hell doesn't the E-R act as pass-through? There's absolutely no technical reason why you need two GBs and a link cable.

[smokehouse]

Neuropolitique….you’re DEAD set on being a troll, aren’t you? What’s the matter, you didn’t get your rocks off enough on the other thread so you dug deep and came up with a one that’s 1 ½ years old?

Grow up….

[smokehouse]

ROFL ROFL ROFL

If it's anything like the last thread, it will be locked soon. After everything gets erased.

Hey dumb-fuck….did you even bother to read the first post and it’s original posted date?

[neuropolitique]

I just like the fact that the two Game Boys and the link cable are the same in both pics.

[Drexel923]

Nothing is getting erased or posted in this thread anymore.

I say all parties should let this go.