My review of the electronic game card.
This is a review of the card; not the company. As promised, I received some samples of the EG card through investor relations. They sent me seven samples, each of them individually wrapped in cellophane. Upon opening the Fed Ex package (which also included some nice documentation on the company itself), the first thing that jumped out at me was the thickness and durability of the cards. These are not really like credit cards, except in length and width. The thickness and weight of the card is about the same as three credit cards laid on top of each other. And there is no flexibility to the EG card at all. The case is made of hard plastic, injection moulded, with no visible seams around the edges. They appear very solid. Not like the thin, flimsy piece of crap that I had previously imagined. And definitely not like any lottery ticket you've ever seen before. I think a more accurate name for them would be "Electronic Game Tablets". Think of those rigid Sladge cards people use to open electronic doors and such. The EG card resembles that, much more than a credit card or lottery ticket.
I received 7 different cards.
1) Lucky 8-8-8
2) Pocket Shots
3) Santa's 7's
4) Goal King
5) Code-Breaker
6) Tic Tac Toe
7) Pocket Poker
Each card is identical in size. The color of the plastic casing (as seen from the back) varies from card to card. Three were black. The others were all different: such as blue, green, red, and purple. The size of the LCD display varied a bit from card to card. The largest screen was Tic Tac Toe, which I liked a lot.
Getting down to the performance and enjoyment of the cards, you have to remember that these were merely samples, and so there is no money or prizes on the line. Having said that, I still got a kick out of playing the cards just for fun. I probably wouldn't play them for more than a few minutes unless there were prizes on the line, in which case I would probably be very focused and intent on the game. My favorite card was probably the Pocket Poker (5 card stud). I racked up a 4-of-a-kind, which was worth 100 points. And I'm pretty sure I would have been very excited if there was real money on the line. The games themselves were very easy to learn and the process was pretty intuitive. Play was started on each card by first pulling a narrow white strip of paper on the back, which activates the battery.
Each card has an automatic shut-off feature. If you don't push any buttons after 10 or 15 seconds, the power shuts off. But when you start it again, play resumes at exactly the same spot where you left off.
Some of the cards duplicate the "mechanics" as they call it. That is, they employ the same LCD format and operational function, but have different decorative facing on the front. Pocket Slots, Lucky 8-8-8, and Santa's 7's are examples of this.
Tic Tac Toe was noticeably different in that the LCD screen was much bigger and it felt more like a computer game, even though the outcome was pre-determined of course. I think I would prefer more cards to be like this one. In fact, I think "Thomas the Tank" and the Quiz Cards take advantage of the bigger LCD possibilities. So this is encouraging.
I sacrificed one of the cards in the name of science, by bending the casing until it cracked. It takes a good amount of pressure to destroy one these things. And even then, the game still worked for a while. As far as I can tell, the security measures are pretty good. I don't think you could get inside these cards without creating obvious, permanent scarring - like I did. The following are notes from the documents I received, and which I agree with:
"...There is a strong, decorative adhesive face, underneath which is a clear vinyl layer which is chemically welded to the outer casing and covers the entire front surface. Removal of this layer creates adhesive residue on the plastic casing. Beneath the vinyl layer is a brittle power connection which will be irreparably damaged if bent or cut in an attempt to access the circit board underneath, thus rendering the card unplayable. Lifting the circuit board reveals the ultra-hard epoxy resin that surrounds the GameCard silicon chip. The robust epoxy shows clearly visible, white scarring if attempts are made to remove it."
In summary, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of these cards. I was fully expecting a cheap piece of crap, and instead I see something that actually looks and performs like it could be worth a few bucks at retail.
If I had to give it a grade, it would be A-minus. The minus is because I feel the complexity of the games could be stepped up a notch, as advancing technology improves the cost equation (for example, draw poker vs. stud). Also, the thickness of the card was a bit more than I was hoping. I'm not sure someone would carry this around in their wallet (but pocket, yes). And finally, on one of the cards, the play button was a little too sensitive. The game would start automatically if you brushed it against your pocket. But the other cards didn't have such a problem.
