2005 · Nintendo · Rhythm

Play-Yan

Nintendo exclusive

The Play-Yan (trademarked PLAY-YAN) is a media player for the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance. 264/MPEG-4 AVC video files. It can also play 13 bonus mini-games, all of which are available freely on the Nintendo website in Japan. It is designed for the Game Boy Advance SP and also compatible with the Game Boy Micro.

Released: 31 December 2005
Platforms: Game Boy Advance Nintendo DS
Genres: Rhythm
Developers: Nintendo
Publishers: Nintendo
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Side view
Languages: Japanese

About

The Play-Yan (trademarked PLAY-YAN) is a media player designed for the Game Boy Advance SP and also compatible with the Game Boy Micro and Nintendo DS. It uses SD flash memory to play MP3 audio files and H.264/MPEG-4 AVC video files. It can also play 13 bonus mini-games, all of which are available freely on the Nintendo website in Japan. Sales of the Play-Yan were discontinued on September 11, 2005.

An updated version, the Play-Yan Micro (trademarked PLAY-YAN micro), known as the Nintendo MP3 Player in Europe, was released two days later alongside the similarly branded Game Boy Micro, with features such as MP4 and ASF support built directly into the hardware. Play-Yan Garage Games are not supported in the Play-Yan Micro. The Nintendo MP3 Player does not support MP4 playback and features a slightly altered user interface.

Keywords

non-game software

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Development

The Play-Yan launched in Japan on February 21, 2005 for approximately 5,000 yen (US$47.47). Nintendo originally planned to release the adapter in the United States by the end of 2005, but ultimately was not released in North America. Nintendo did, however, release the micro version in Europe as the Nintendo MP3 Player, and since the Play-Yan (and its successor the Play-Yan Micro) is region-free, it can be imported to other regions and played on any Game Boy Advance. Play-Yan was released in China by iQue under the name of MP4 Player for GBA.

It is an MP3 and MPEG-4 player add-on for the Game Boy Advance SP, Nintendo DS, DS Lite, and Game Boy Micro. Music and video files stored on an SD memory card can be loaded into a slot on the right side of the Play-Yan, which resembles a Game Boy Advance game cartridge. Due to its power requirement, use with an original Game Boy Advance system is not recommended. The Play-Yan is loaded directly into the Game Boy Advance game slot of a compatible system.