e-Reader

The e-Reader (Japanese: カードｅリーダー Card e Reader) is a peripheral for the Game Boy Advance that is used to scan special cards in order to unlock new features in existing games, add new features to games that have e-Reader functionality, or to play minigames on the e-Reader itself.

A rendering of the e-Reader being used with an original Game Boy Advance

Developed jointly by Creatures, Inc., HAL Laboratory, Inc., and Olympus, the original Japanese Card e-Reader lacked the Game Link Cable functionality when it was released in December 2001. A re-release, the Card e Reader+, added a Game Link Cable port, allowing it to connect to a second Game Boy Advance or a Nintendo GameCube using the same Game Link Cables that the Game Boy Advance system alone would use. This version of the e-Reader was the one that was later released in the West as the e-Reader in September 2002.

Though it was popular in Japan, with e-Cards released until the end of the Game Boy Advance's lifespan, the e-Reader proved to be unpopular in North America, leading to its discontinuation in 2004. e-Reader functionality, included in the Japanese versions of Pokémon FireRed, LeafGreen, and Emerald, was removed from the English and other translations, as the compatible cards were never planned to be released. Due to this early discontinuation, the e-Reader was only released in North America and Australia, though e-Cards were released in Europe as well.

Technical specifications

• "Dot Code Technology" (Optical scanning technology)
• 8 Megabit flash memory
• 64 Megabyte mask ROM
• The long strip on each e-Card holds 2.2 kilobytes of data.
• The short strip holds 1.4 kilobytes of data.
• Passthrough game link port

English release

To promote the e-Reader prior to its English release, kiosks with built-in Game Boy Advance consoles and e-Reader devices used three placeholder e-Cards to demonstrate its functionality: a "Manhole" card along with Pichu (Expedition 58) and Hoppip (Expedition 112). These three cards, which are slightly thicker than usual Pokémon cards and have a glossy finish, were all hole-punched so they could be attached to the device via a cable to prevent loss or theft whilst allowing enough flexibility for the cards to still be swiped.

It's a common misconception that these cards were the same cards handed out at the E3 convention in 2002, which also featured a Kirby e-Card, but the Pokémon cards from that event are regular thickness cards without a glossy finish and have a Japanese back instead of regular English back.

Pokémon e-Cards

• The Pokémon Battle e card series
• The Sample Set demonstration series
• The Expedition Base Set TCG expansion
• The Aquapolis TCG expansion
• The Skyridge TCG expansion
• The EX Ruby and Sapphire TCG expansion (Pokédex entries only)
• The EX Sandstorm TCG expansion (Pokédex entries only)
• The EX Dragon TCG expansion (Pokédex entries only)
• The EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua TCG expansion (Pokédex entries only, select cards only)
• Select Wizards Black Star Promos and Nintendo promotional TCG cards.
• The P Promotional cards (Japan)
• The McDonald's Pokémon-e Minimum Pack (Japan)
• The Theater Limited VS Pack (Japan, select cards only)
• Special cards containing extra features for the Smeargle Paint minigame in Pokémon Channel
• Special cards allowing a player to increase the likelihood of special events in Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire
• Two cards distributed with Pokémon Scoop's Winter 2004 magazine containing the Berry Program Update, fixing the Berry glitch in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire.

Trivia

• The minigame Machop At Work was included with the purchase of an e-Reader in the United States.
• According to Nintendo Power v.169, it would take roughly 62,500 e-Reader cards to equal the data on one GameCube disc.
  • However, this is a gross understatement when checked mathematically. Assuming the cards used have two long strips of 2.2KB each (for 4.4KB per card) it would take 331,819 e-Reader cards.
• The device was originally going to be called the "Pokémon Card-e-Reader", and the only mentioned functionality for it was reading Pokémon TCG cards.

Images

• 

  The original Japanese Card e Reader

• 

  The Japanese Card e Reader +

• 

  English language e-Reader, based on the Japanese Card e Reader +

References

Pokémon e-Reader applications Expedition Base Set: Diving Corsola • Flower Power • Flying Journey • GO, Poliwrath! • Gotcha! • Here Comes Gloom • Hold Down Hoppip Kingler's Day • Lifesaver • Machop At Work • Magby and Magmar • Make A Dash! • Metronome • Sweet Scent Aquapolis: Dream Eater • Harvest Time • Jumping Doduo • Mighty Tyranitar • Punching Bags • Rolling Voltorb • Sneak and Snatch Skyridge: Berry Tree • Ditto Leapfrog • Follow Hoothoot • Leek Game • Night Flight • Pika Pop • Ride the Tuft • Watch Out! Promotional: Exciting Hide and Seek • Time Travel • Fire Hoops • Imakuni?'s Ball • Wooper's Juggling Game • Big Fruit Strategy! • Tokotoko Truck Construction: Construction: Action • Construction: Melody Box Pokémon Battle e series: Pokémon Battle e: Series 1 • Pokémon Battle e: Series 2 • Pokémon Colosseum Double Battle e Pokémon Battle e FireRed & LeafGreen • Pokémon Battle e Emerald • Pokémon Battle e Promotional cards Berries: Pumkin Berry • Drash Berry • Chilan Berry • Strib Berry • Eggant Berry • Nutpea Berry Ginema Berry • Kuo Berry • Yago Berry • Touga Berry • Niniku Berry • Topo Berry Others: Eon Ticket • Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire • Smeargle Paint • List of TCG cards by e-Reader card ID List of TCG cards with hidden attacks • List of miscellaneous Pokémon e-Reader applications