retrodotcards.com
@retrodotcards.com
he/him
Making new games for the Nintendo GBA E-Reader.
I post updates on the games I'm working on, and also little facts/findings on this unique peripheral.
https://retrodotcards.com
email [email protected]
Alt account @drawing.retrodotcards.com
Making new games for the Nintendo GBA E-Reader.
I post updates on the games I'm working on, and also little facts/findings on this unique peripheral.
https://retrodotcards.com
email [email protected]
Alt account @drawing.retrodotcards.com
Hoo, a lot. 20? 30? Especially with custom sound effects, those are huge.
December 17, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Hoo, a lot. 20? 30? Especially with custom sound effects, those are huge.
Possibly. There are two main ways to make an e-reader game, with the z80 emulator or as a native game, just like a cart. The native approach I don't think has many (if any) limitations. But I don't really know because I focus on the z80 approach, which has many limitations.
December 17, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Possibly. There are two main ways to make an e-reader game, with the z80 emulator or as a native game, just like a cart. The native approach I don't think has many (if any) limitations. But I don't really know because I focus on the z80 approach, which has many limitations.
Sadly I don't, printing e-reader cards is very difficult. I wrote numerous blog posts on it, but really no major insights
www.mattgreer.dev/blog/E-Reade...
www.mattgreer.dev/blog/E-Reade...
December 15, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Sadly I don't, printing e-reader cards is very difficult. I wrote numerous blog posts on it, but really no major insights
www.mattgreer.dev/blog/E-Reade...
www.mattgreer.dev/blog/E-Reade...
I could do that, but I don't think I will. It's just not the same. I will probably open source all of the games eventually. I have already open sourced Bomb Hunter and Solitaire. So in a roundabout way, that also accomplishes this.
December 4, 2025 at 9:25 PM
I could do that, but I don't think I will. It's just not the same. I will probably open source all of the games eventually. I have already open sourced Bomb Hunter and Solitaire. So in a roundabout way, that also accomplishes this.
The data on the strips can be compressed, and I've managed to get some great compression ratios. The best I've seen is 9kb on one strip, so that would help.
December 3, 2025 at 2:03 AM
The data on the strips can be compressed, and I've managed to get some great compression ratios. The best I've seen is 9kb on one strip, so that would help.
I was suspicious that maybe I had the flash closer to the bad card in that photo. But if you just hold the two up to the light and move them around you can easily get the bad card to reflect the light back and the good card you can't.
December 3, 2025 at 2:01 AM
I was suspicious that maybe I had the flash closer to the bad card in that photo. But if you just hold the two up to the light and move them around you can easily get the bad card to reflect the light back and the good card you can't.
This photo has a bad, very hard to scan card on the left, and a good one on the right. My camera's flash is probably showing the key difference, the bad card's ink reflects back a lot of light, while the good card is much more matte.
December 3, 2025 at 1:48 AM
This photo has a bad, very hard to scan card on the left, and a good one on the right. My camera's flash is probably showing the key difference, the bad card's ink reflects back a lot of light, while the good card is much more matte.
I'm still thinking this through and exploring options, but I think it's likely Pixel Pup is my last e-reader game.
Either that, or I convince my wife to let me install a digital press in the basement :)
Either that, or I convince my wife to let me install a digital press in the basement :)
December 3, 2025 at 1:33 AM
I'm still thinking this through and exploring options, but I think it's likely Pixel Pup is my last e-reader game.
Either that, or I convince my wife to let me install a digital press in the basement :)
Either that, or I convince my wife to let me install a digital press in the basement :)
I'm not blaming the printer at all. For all of their normal customers, this isn't a problem. They aren't in the business to deal with these super precise prints. My printer has gone way above and beyond anything I could have hoped for and I'm very grateful for that.
December 3, 2025 at 1:33 AM
I'm not blaming the printer at all. For all of their normal customers, this isn't a problem. They aren't in the business to deal with these super precise prints. My printer has gone way above and beyond anything I could have hoped for and I'm very grateful for that.
But the problem is unless you're willing to buy one of these yourself, you're always having to work through someone else who doesn't know of or care about the e-reader.
December 3, 2025 at 1:33 AM
But the problem is unless you're willing to buy one of these yourself, you're always having to work through someone else who doesn't know of or care about the e-reader.
I have no doubt that digital presses and large commercial laser printers can print these cards no problem. Series One showed that pretty well.
December 3, 2025 at 1:33 AM
I have no doubt that digital presses and large commercial laser printers can print these cards no problem. Series One showed that pretty well.
Yeah I figure it's something along those lines. Honestly this changes everything for me, I'm just not a fan of having something like this possibly throwing me for a loop at unexpected times :-/
December 3, 2025 at 12:19 AM
Yeah I figure it's something along those lines. Honestly this changes everything for me, I'm just not a fan of having something like this possibly throwing me for a loop at unexpected times :-/
Huh, ok, yeah it might be similar. I found this image online but my printer's foiling is pretty much this. I think it could be nice in certain situations, but I'm not sure it would look good on an e-reader card so I've shied away from it.
December 2, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Huh, ok, yeah it might be similar. I found this image online but my printer's foiling is pretty much this. I think it could be nice in certain situations, but I'm not sure it would look good on an e-reader card so I've shied away from it.
I've not seen those cards, but I doubt it. This is basically using a "foil ink" to lay foil onto the very top of the card. So like I could do a foil watermark. mtg foils have a foil layer inside the paper.
December 2, 2025 at 7:36 PM
I've not seen those cards, but I doubt it. This is basically using a "foil ink" to lay foil onto the very top of the card. So like I could do a foil watermark. mtg foils have a foil layer inside the paper.
This new press offers more options as far as foiling and other fancy things, but in exchange it does not do clear coats. So I'm kinda torn...
And "foiling" is probably not what you think it is. It doesn't produce the result that a foil MTG or Pokemon card has, unfortunately.
And "foiling" is probably not what you think it is. It doesn't produce the result that a foil MTG or Pokemon card has, unfortunately.
December 2, 2025 at 4:41 PM
This new press offers more options as far as foiling and other fancy things, but in exchange it does not do clear coats. So I'm kinda torn...
And "foiling" is probably not what you think it is. It doesn't produce the result that a foil MTG or Pokemon card has, unfortunately.
And "foiling" is probably not what you think it is. It doesn't produce the result that a foil MTG or Pokemon card has, unfortunately.
That works. Any feedback you have good, or bad, doesn't have to be bug related, is welcome.
December 1, 2025 at 5:50 PM
That works. Any feedback you have good, or bad, doesn't have to be bug related, is welcome.
Oh no. In general I really like the USPS, they've done the best job for me compared to other carriers. But sounds like your local USPS might not be so hot...
November 26, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Oh no. In general I really like the USPS, they've done the best job for me compared to other carriers. But sounds like your local USPS might not be so hot...
November 26, 2025 at 4:16 PM
hmmm, that's a cool idea. I might be able to do that if I have qr code on one side and e-reader on the other.
November 26, 2025 at 4:12 PM
hmmm, that's a cool idea. I might be able to do that if I have qr code on one side and e-reader on the other.