A peripheral for a game console, comprising: a radio frequency identification interface configured for sensing toys proximate the peripheral; a game console interface configured for providing data to and receiving data from the game console; and a controller coupled to the radio frequency identification interface and the game console interface, the controller configured to: command the radio frequency identification interface to sense identifiers of toys proximate the peripheral by requesting that toys send their identifiers, and, in the event that multiple toys respond, iteratively request that only toys with an increasingly narrow ranges of identifiers send their identifiers until identifiers are individually received from each of the multiple toys; supply the identifiers of the sensed toys to the game console via the game console interface; receive a read command from the game console via the game console interface; command the radio frequency identification interface to read initial information from one of the sensed toys, the initial information including a name of the toy; supply the initial information read from the one of the sensed toys to the game console via the game console interface; command subsequently the radio frequency identification interface to read further information from the one of the sensed toys, the further information including information related to status of a character associated with the one of the sensed toys; supply the further information read from the one of the sensed toys to the game console via the game console interface. a radio frequency identification interface configured for sensing toys proximate the peripheral; a game console interface configured for providing data to and receiving data from the game console; and a controller coupled to the radio frequency identification interface and the game console interface, the controller configured to: command the radio frequency identification interface to sense identifiers of toys proximate the peripheral by requesting that toys send their identifiers, and, in the event that multiple toys respond, iteratively request that only toys with an increasingly narrow ranges of identifiers send their identifiers until identifiers are individually received from each of the multiple toys; supply the identifiers of the sensed toys to the game console via the game console interface; receive a read command from the game console via the game console interface; command the radio frequency identification interface to read initial information from one of the sensed toys, the initial information including a name of the toy; supply the initial information read from the one of the sensed toys to the game console via the game console interface; command subsequently the radio frequency identification interface to read further information from the one of the sensed toys, the further information including information related to status of a character associated with the one of the sensed toys; supply the further information read from the one of the sensed toys to the game console via the game console interface. command the radio frequency identification interface to sense identifiers of toys proximate the peripheral by requesting that toys send their identifiers, and, in the event that multiple toys respond, iteratively request that only toys with an increasingly narrow ranges of identifiers send their identifiers until identifiers are individually received from each of the multiple toys; supply the identifiers of the sensed toys to the game console via the game console interface; receive a read command from the game console via the game console interface; command the radio frequency identification interface to read initial information from one of the sensed toys, the initial information including a name of the toy; supply the initial information read from the one of the sensed toys to the game console via the game console interface; command subsequently the radio frequency identification interface to read further information from the one of the sensed toys, the further information including information related to status of a character associated with the one of the sensed toys; supply the further information read from the one of the sensed toys to the game console via the game console interface.