Nintendo files a patent that turns the user’s smartphone into a Game Boy, prompting speculation that it is finally going to release mobile ports of Game Boy games.
Four years ago, video game peripheral maker Hyperkin unveiled a device called the “Smart Boy”, which would turn a user’s smartphone into a Game Boy. While the peripheral turned out to be an April Fools’ Day joke, the demand for it was so high that Hyperkin did eventually make the device.
In 2018, it seems that Nintendo is working on such an accessory of its own. Patents filed by the company back in March, 2017 show a design for a wallet-style phone case that would make a person’s phone look just like the classic handheld. The case, according to the images in the patent filing, uses a portion of the phone’s touchscreen as the Game Boy screen.
As seen below, the case features all of the expected buttons (a D-Pad, A and B buttons, select and start). On the underside of the buttons, there appears to be a layer that would allow the button presses to be registered in the game. Moreover, the case leaves space for players to plug in a pair of wired headphones or their charger, should they play so much their phone starts running out of juice.
It’s important to note that just because Nintendo has filed a patent, it doesn’t mean that it is actively developing that product. For example, the Big N also has a patent for a Switch accessory that looks a lot like a VR headset. But, two years since that patent was filed and the company has still yet to announce its very own Switch VR headset.
However, with that said, this isn’t the only patent that points to Nintendo releasing Game Boy titles on mobile devices. Another patent was discovered four years ago describing a software emulator that would allow Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games to run on mobile devices. So now, Nintendo may finally have all the pieces in order to launch the product officially.
A lot has changed about Nintendo’s business since it filed that emulator patent. It has finally gotten involved in the mobile games business, with titles such as Super Mario Run, Animal Crossing Pocket Camp, and most recently, Dragalia Lost. It hasn’t quite found the success it had hoped to with its mobile games, but by releasing a Game Boy case and mobile ports to go with it, Nintendo may finally hit the mobile big time.
