Listen To Your Game Boy Advance

filmsmith writes "It looks like Nintendo may be interested in using the GBA to enter the PDA market and even considering itself competition for the Apple iPod. It smells of DMCA pandering, though. 'It looks like protection will be in place to ensure that even content recorded by users (through the use of a special adapter) will not be able to be shared with other users.' Planet Gamecube has the article here."

Comments

A Few Concerns

[GweeDo]

My concerns are with the quality. The first is with the Audio...the DSP that is built into the GBA isn't going to be playing my favorite bands in any form of high quality. My second concern with with video. 240x160x16bit color basically can't be done in full motion on the GBA (just can't make enough memory writes before VBLANK ends). 240x160x8bit is though...but who wants to watch 256 color vides?

Re:A Few Concerns

[vandel405]

I've Actually done some gameboy advance development (http://www.neo-modus.com/GBAAtaxx.zip). And IIRC, the GBA is running at 60fps. I doubt any mpegs are gonna be 60fps, maybe 24fps? Anyway, that doubles your write time. Anyway, you're going to need to double buffer, which means you should use mode 5, which is 160x128. So now you almost have a factor of 4 increase in time, I think it can be done...

But then again, who cares about 160x128 mpegs, unless its pr0n.

Why doesn't /.

[jsse]

link to the original article directly? Planet Gamecube's just point to that link with rubblish abstract.

Expansion Again

[grimsweep]

There was a company a looong while back that wanted to turn the *original* GameBoy into a PDA of sorts. They created a keyboard module that came with the cartridge.

Not a bad idea.

What would really get my attention is a 802.11 wireless pack for the GBA. It'd probably be a little nicer than what affordable web-enabled cell phones can offer, and far more bandwidth (even at low-power modes).

It'd be quite a challenge, but very rewarding. Not many people can afford to grab a PDA just for surfing the web wireless, but I certainly wouldn't mind a GBA solution if the price was right.

The only big inconvenience might be typing. Maybe a stand and a keyboard attachment?

Here is a better Link with Pictures

[doctor_no]

It seems like more a portable video player than an Ipod.

Here is the link
http://mb.vgdirectory.com/game020403d.htm

"AM3 announced they will release a Smart Media Adaptor for GameBoy Advance and GameBoy Advance SP in October, which allows you to download multimedia contents and play on the GameBoy Advance. The AM3 Smart Media Adaptor will retail for 2800 yen, and the AM3 32M Smart Media Cards will retail for 2000 yen each. Downloadable contents such as e-Books, animated cartoon will retail between 200 - 500 yen each. AM3 is also planning to install kiosk terminals in convenient stores for customers to purchase contents."

More information on the device

[doctor_no]

Is seems they plan on distrubuting content through kiosks and the internet, as well as selling smartcards with content already on it.

They plan on selling music, videos, comics, e-books, and photographs.
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20030204/ am3_13.htm

The product's price seems resonable at 2800yen ($28.46US) for the device. The 32MB Smartcard will be 2,000yen ($16.75), and individual content will cost 200yen ($1.68).

Another interesting thing is that since Palm uses Arm7 processors and SDs that content will probably be compatible with Palm devices at a later date.

Links: (In Japanese)
Gamspot Japan
http://www.zdnet.co.jp/gamespot/gsnews/0302/04/new s05.html
Watch Impress
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20030204/ am3.htm
Offical Page
http://www.am3.co.jp/