Taste-Test: GBA Video

In what could be a pimp-slap response to Hasbro's VideoNow technology, Nintendo and Majesco have begun to release Game Boy video carts - standard GBA carts with up to four episodes each of a select cartoon or anime series. The cartridges turn the GBA into a player with DVD-style functionality.

I took a look at one of these while I was at my local retailer, and while it's not a joke, it's not exactly a venture that looks like it will gather much steam. On a GBA screen, they look great and play smoothly - at least the Sonic DX one did - but the shortcoming of this technology rears its ugly head early on. When the familiar "Game Boy Player" logo came up, so did my hopes for the product, until the words "Not Compatible With" faded in above it. Obviously the flaws in the compression would show up with a less than flattering affect on a big screen.

Digital compression allows for efficient storage by only making mention of the pixels that change each frame. It's only natural, then, that this format lends itself well to anime programming, where characters frequently become talking heads, and do not move. Because of this, the odds are slim that they will be putting out anything live-action. If they do, they will probably only be able to fit one 20-minute episode, if that.

Nickelodeon is supplying Dora the Explorer, Spongebob Squarepants, and Fairly Oddparents titles for the series. However, they have gone in for proprietary video technology already with the hideous VideoNow players, and makes endless fortunes with their home video releases. Most of Majesco's supplied anime franchises, including Dragon Ball and Pokemon, are being shown 7 or more times a week, thanks to Fox Kids and the Cartoon Network. With all of that availability, why would parents fork over the cash for a media that won't even play on their television sets?

I can see this flying off the shelves at 5.95 a cart, even with two episode sets, especially if they can get exclusive content and/or special features. At twenty bucks a pop, I can't fathom how this format can thrive.

Paul Tabachneck