In what is either an desperate attempt to stay relevant or, well, yeah, that’s about it, Upper Deck is set to release the Evolution trading card series next week. The description trading cards is used loosely because the so-called cards are really single-function media players packaged like oversized greeting cards.
Upper Deck of course sees things different with the owner and CEO, Richard McWilliams stating, “From the onset, it was important to us that this new insert was a trading card first, otherwise it would just be a video player. The cards are built like our premium booklet trading cards with a video monitor built into the card. The beauty behind these cards is that they are self-contained. You don’t need any other gadgets or a computer to play them. You simply open the cover and press play. A video screen with 60 seconds’ worth of highlight reel footage of the player immediately starts playing. The card also has a port so it can be recharged as well.”
So to summarize, the pic above show the tiny screens permanently secured in the cardboard box the same height and width as a trading card. Click through for a quick teaser trailer, but I think we can all come to an unspoken conclusion about these things, right? I fully expect to see a similar product from Hallmark soon. [Upper Deck via Switched]