While Nintendo of America prepares to flog a few cartoons on cartridges using Majesco"s GBA Video technology, the Japanese are already a few steps ahead, judging by an intriguing report on the ever-illuminating Game Watch this week. Using a vending machine model similar to the types that dispense character figures and the like in Japanese arcades, peripheral manufacturer AM3 is now preparing to allow Game Boy Advance owners to download TV episodes, comics, music and even maps onto custom GBA peripherals of its own making.
From today, for the equivalent of a few Euro, owners of AM3"s Advance Movie will be able to saunter up to one of the new machines (pictured left), plug in a 32MB rewriteable Smart Media memory card (priced 1,980 yen - about €15), and download a full episode of one of their favourite TV shows. To begin with, AM3 is offering the first four episodes of Pokémon, with more due to be made available in September.