When Nintendo announced that it was bringing select Nintendo properties to the mobile market, millions of fans rejoiced. Finally! An opportunity to play your favorite Nintendo games on the iPhone.
But what if you could actually turn your iPhone into a clone of a Game Boy? This is the idea behind a new iPhone case released by independent game hardware developer Hyperkin. An anonymous Hyperkin employee posted concept art to Imgur of an iPhone case that allowed users to insert their iPhone into a Game Boy-esque case and play on it. While this concept sounds cool, the fact that it was posted on April 1 led many to suspect that it wasn't a real product and that it was just a prank. And for the most part, they were right.
But then Hyperkin decided that the product actually had some potential to sell. Hyperkin posted a press release on April 1 announcing plans to sell the case, which it called the Smart Boy. According to Hyperkin, The Smart Boy "will attach to the iPhone 6 Plus, turning the phone into a handheld gaming device compatible with Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges."
"We wanted to create a retro device that can be easily adapted into any modern gamer's arsenal of devices," Hyperkin's product developer Chris Gallizzi said in the press release.
The device will have an eight-way D-Pad, two action buttons, an attachment that will extend the iPhone's battery life and more. The first Smart Boy will come in what Hyperkin describes as "80s Grey," though the hardware developer did note that it plans to release additional colors in the future. Players who wish to use the Smart Boy will have to download a third-party app, which has the ability to save levels, implement cheats and many other things. Hyperkin did not release any details about a price or release date, though.
