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After four or so months since their E3 debut, Nintendo has finally
released the miniature successor to its Gameboy line in Japan. The
Gameboy Micro, so small that you can stuff it down your pants (4 x 2 x
0.68), will also be available stateside come September 19 for a mere
$100. Now to decide which makes the better stocking stuffer; the iPod
nano or the Gameboy Micro.
Nintendo Announces New Multimedia Player
Replacement to Play Yan device meant for Game Boy Micro.
 
On the surface, the Play-Yan Micro is identical to the original model,
including its size and weight. The peripheral comes in the shape of a
GBA cartridge, measures 58.5 by 43.4 by 11.0 millimeters, and weighs 16
grams. The device can be connected to the Game Boy Micro, GBA SP, and
Nintendo DS, and users can play back movies and music by inserting an
SD memory card. The peripheral supports MPEG-4 movie files in ASF and
MP4 format, as well as MP3 audio files.
The biggest difference between the Play-Yan and Play-Yan Micro
is MP4 files support. While both models can play the movie format, the
old Play-Yan required that a software patch always be included along
with the movie on the memory card. The new Play-Yan Micro features
native support of MP4 files. The menu screen has also been streamlined
and updated with a more modern and stylish interface.
On the other hand, the Play-Yan Micro will no longer support
downloadable minigames. The original Play-Yan let users download a
total of 12 simple minigames, which were available at Nintendo's
official Web site, and an additional 13th game offered by Club Nintendo.
The Play-Yan Micro can play approximately three hours of movies or 10
hours of music on the Game Boy Micro. It will be able to run a bit
longer on the GBA SP, up to about four hours of movies or 16 hours of
music. On the DS, the device can play back five hours of movies or 20
hours of music.
The Play-Yan Micro will be available for online purchase only.
The peripheral will be offered in two packages: a 5,000 yen ($46)
package that comes with just the Play-Yan Micro and a 6,000 yen ($56)
package that includes the Play-Yan Micro and Panasonic's MediaStage
Ver.4.2 for Nintendo, which is a PC application that converts movies
and music to Play-Yan-compatible formats. While the original Play-Yan
was available only through Nintendo and Canopus' Web site, the Play-Yan
Micro can be purchased through other online retailers as well.
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/play_yan_micro/index.html
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/playan/index.html
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/playan/index.html
http://micro.gameboy.com/
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| | Posted 9/13/2005 4:30 PM - 16 Views - 4 eProps - 2 comments
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