Are the cards useless then?  Is there going to be another way of accessing them?  I mean it seems pointless to just print out cards to put up in front of the camera.

If you don't have the Vision Cam, I'm pretty sure the cards are useless. Thankfully though, it's not integral to the game. I'll be investing in a vision cam when I pick up the game Friday.

"You don't have to have a Vision Camera to play VP2 and you still get all the same content," designer Ryan Stevenson told Mundo. "The Vision Camera just adds a new dimension to Piñata and how you can interact with the game."

Exactly what iMiles just said...You don't have to print out the cards; you don't have to use them. It is just a little added feature that you can take advantage of if you own a Vision Cam, but you won't be gimped for not own one.

Apart from not being able to get a specific related achievement.

I'm planning on picking one up just for this game.

Thanks for the replies as I've been very curious about this as well.

Am I correct in assuming that there aren't "card exclusive species"?
That cards are just a way to get pinatas without luring them and/or get customized (clothed) versions?

(edit: guess there are a handful of card related achievements, bummer)

Yeah the cards are only for a few achievements and to make it easier on yourself to get rare pinata, I'm also sure that some cards bring in special pinata wearing special clothing (I'm pretty sure I saw a card with a pinata wearing a hat of somekind.

Cards are essentially just for the kid gamers and the achievement whores. Kids don't have to work hard to get a pinata they want and whore can do what they do best. :)

"Cards are essentially just for the kid gamers and the achievement whores. Kids don't have to work hard to get a pinata they want and whore can do what they do best. :)"

im not going out of my way to buy a vision cam, need to find someone nearby with one and lend it for 5 minutes