Meanwhile, at its E3 press conference, Nintendo said that while it's made an entry into online gaming, its focus is more on plans to hook up the GameCube with GameBoy Advance, the company's market-leading portable game system. GameCube owners can already hook up a GameBoy Advance to act as an extra controller, but upcoming titles such as "Animal Crossing" and a new version of "Donkey Kong" will allow players to swap content between the two devices. Nintendo believes this "connectivity" approach, where games can follow players wherever they are, holds more immediate promise than Internet play, said Satoru Iowata, director of corporate planning for Nintendo. "For now, online is within the reach of only a few gamers," Iowata said. "Connectivity is within reach of everyone." Nintendo showed demonstrations of upcoming GameCube titles featuring franchise characters such as Mario and Zelda and announced several new GameBoy Advance accessories. The e-Reader will read data from a new series of collectible trading cards Nintendo will introduce, capitalising on a phenomenon the company started with Pokemon. The e-Reader will be available in mid-September for $40 (about £28). The Game Eye is a camera add-on that will allow players to create characters that look like them. Pricing and availability were not announced for it.
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