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retrodotcards.com
@retrodotcards.com
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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
Pinned
New games for the #Nintendo E-Reader! Available July 27th at retrodotcards.com

(reposts appreciated!)
The proof cards are interesting. They coated the entire card instead of just where the artwork is. This led to very glossy and very plastic cards. They've grown on me and I actually really like them. But only about half the cards scan due to the coating. So we're going to run another proof.
January 22, 2026 at 10:23 PM
I randomly decided to try mgba's gdb integration on an e-reader game and ... it works? What sorcery is this?

This is for a native arm game, and apparently the debug symbols do just line up out of the box and mgba/gdb/vscode think I'm debugging a normal gba game.

So this is very cool :O
January 22, 2026 at 5:58 PM
I'll have the proofs for the Pixel Pup cards tomorrow. This is going to be a long 24 hours :)
January 21, 2026 at 4:52 PM
Good to see series one is still surprising people :)
Grinning like an idiot playing new games by @retrodotcards.com for a 20 year old semi-obscure GBA accessory
January 21, 2026 at 2:06 PM
The first hurdle to making a top down racer for the GBA e-reader is large, scrolling backgrounds for the tracks.

The GBA can have backgrounds up to 128x128 tiles, each tile is 8x8 pixels, for a max of 1024x1024px.
January 20, 2026 at 6:27 PM
Oh that's awesome. I didn't know that.
At least some of the Famicom Mini titles account for this by redrawing the graphics to better fit the screen.
January 20, 2026 at 4:13 PM
The NES has a resolution of 256x240px, and the GBA's is 240x160. So when playing NES games via the e-Reader, they had to remove lines and truncate the sides a bit.

It's just murder on Pinball. Look at those flippers! Then look at everything else, virtually nothing was spared the wrath.
January 20, 2026 at 3:51 PM
I'm dreaming of a top down racer for the e-reader. Scan in a track card to race it, and scan in upgrade cards to improve your ride 😍
January 18, 2026 at 4:19 PM
Hi everybody. My name's Matt and I'm an addict.

(I then got it for my phone and I have put more hours onto that than I care to admit)

Wouldn't a Balatro e-reader game be awesome? Here's what that might look like:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhmx...
January 13, 2026 at 9:13 PM
I'm currently in talks with the printer to get these bad boys made.

I even squeezed in a little Easter egg for my Series One homies.

#gamedev #indiedev #videogamesonpaper
January 13, 2026 at 6:34 PM
Reposted by retrodotcards.com
Happy #PortfolioDay! I'm objet discret, the creator of Taiyaki Fabulous Museum of Fish (objetdiscret.itch.io/tai-fab-museum) and the forthcoming #TaiFab Test Kitchen.

I'm passionate about #PixelArt (especially #1bit), #emotes and #emoji, #nonogram design, #homebrew, and #IndieDev. I love to collab!
January 13, 2026 at 4:23 PM
This e-reader song has an intro that only plays once. When the song loops it doesn't play the intro again.

So far this is the only song I've found that does this.

This suggests the audio capabilities of the e-reader are slightly more sophisticated than I thought.
January 12, 2026 at 4:50 PM
So awesome to have a Taiyaki Fabulous puzzle pack as part of Pixel Pup. This pack was made by @objetdiscret.itch.io and features well designed puzzles with awesome pixel art!

This is a double puzzle pack totaling 36 puzzles across two cards.
January 11, 2026 at 4:38 PM
I'll be at Ann Arbor Gamefest on March 22nd, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

I'll be demoing e-reader stuff, giving away free cards, and selling cards. If you're in the area, stop on by!
January 10, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Pixel Pup is done! Just one last pass to make sure all the t's are dotted and the i's are crossed, then it will head to the printer.

Unless something cataclysmic happens, the March release date seems all but certain.
January 10, 2026 at 2:23 AM
Reposted by retrodotcards.com
I know I usually post pixel art here, but I drew Chad from #TaiFab recently. 😄 This is part of a #nonogram project I'm collaborating on with the awesome @retrodotcards.com

Folks often ask what software I use. I drew this (and my pixel art) with getpaint.net

#DigitalArt #illustration #squid
January 8, 2026 at 7:58 PM
Pixel Pup ended up with 102 puzzles across five themes. It will all be on four cards, front and back (data strips on both sides of every card).
January 7, 2026 at 7:51 PM
It's too bad I have to censor screenshots like this, because I'm super happy with how this game is finishing up and I want to share. It all ended up being so ... comfy.

This is @objetdiscret.itch.io's puzzle btw, and their fish.
January 5, 2026 at 5:42 PM
Having a little fun with the new API

(better with sound)
January 4, 2026 at 8:07 PM
@fexcollects.standingintheodds.com found a new ERAPI function, SetTextSpacing. This allows increasing the spacing between characters, lines, or both, of a run of text.

Thanks Fex!

ereader.miraheze.org/wiki/ERAPI-Z...
January 4, 2026 at 5:06 PM
Here's a stream of the Pixel Pup beta being played. Thanks for helping test the game, @djtatsujin.bsky.social

www.twitch.tv/videos/26365...
Testing out the Pixel Pup beta e-Reader cards! - djtatsujin on Twitch
djtatsujin went live on Twitch. Catch up on their Retro VOD now.
www.twitch.tv
January 1, 2026 at 3:06 PM
Reposted by retrodotcards.com
✨🌟 2025 #PixelArt Review 🌟✨

🎮 Released #TaiFab Plus on Itch (objetdiscret.itch.io) and Playtiles (get.playtil.es/?coupon=OBJETDISCRET)

🖥️ Developed TaiFab Test Kitchen (coming 2026!)

🎨 Drew art for #MAGFest #Swadge

🧩 Created Pixel Pup puzzles with @retrodotcards.com

👾 Reached 500 #Pixel_Dailies
December 31, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Fun with e-Readers on a lazy Sunday
December 14, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Pixel Pup is changing: delaying the release until March, adding a new puzzle pack made by @objetdiscret.itch.io and more.

Check out the details here:
www.retrodotcards.com/pixel-pup/ch...
Pixel Pup
changes to Pixel Pup's release
www.retrodotcards.com
December 6, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Hoo, you could drive a bus through that kerning. It's just a nice reminder with physical things, you only get one chance 🤞
December 6, 2025 at 2:59 PM