April Fool's Prank Involving Game Boy Emulator For iPhone 6 Becomes A Reality

Despite all the wealth of control schemes and gameplay potential opened up by the myriad array of sensors on modern smartphones, mobile games have largely failed to capitalise on these aspects to deliver a compelling experience. It is little wonder why emulators of retro consoles such as the NES and Gameboy are extremely popular on smartphones. Nostalgic gamers go through great pains to relive the great gameplay experiences from the past.

That's why a lot of mobile phone gamers went gaga over the April Fool's prank involving the Smart Boy – a hollowed out bottom end of the Nintendo's Gameboy Color handheld console that accepts the iPhone 6 Plus and uses it to play old Game Boy titles. As it turns out, this wasn't an April Fool's prank after all, according to Gamespot. This was Hyperkin's idea of testing out the waters for an actual product. Hyperkin specialises in retro video game accessories and consoles emulators.

"We 'leaked' it with the initial intent of testing the market, seeing whether or not it should be something we'd actually make, under the guise of an April Fools' Joke," wrote Hyperkin in an official Facebook post. "Looks like you awesome folks actually want it, so the Smart Boy is now in development! Thank you all for your enthusiastic responses!"

Following an overwhelmingly positive response to the innovative marketing ploy, Hyperkin has announced that it will go ahead with the production of Smart Boy iPhone 6 Plus accessory. The device acts as a physical interface that allows gamers to run their old Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges on the modern iPhone. The device fits like a glove around the bottom half of the phone's screen, leaving just enough display area to create an authentic reproduction of the Game Boy console, down to the 4:3 aspect ratio screen.

The quest for authenticity continues with the image mock-up for the Smart Boy showcasing the familiar D-pad and button layout of Nintendo's hand-held console. Touch Arcade reports that the accessory draws power from the phone, and it is expected to last five hours when hooked up to the iPhone 6 Plus.

It must be noted that Smart Boy is still in the conceptual stage. All product images are mock-ups with the features and specifications still in the early stages. That means the final specs may be subject to changes. On a positive note, Hyperkin has hinted at support for other phones, which could mean an Android version as well, although making a one-size-fits-all solution would be a challenge, considering the wide variance in physical dimensions found in the vast Android family of smartphones.

However, a much larger concern is the fact that the Smart Boy is based off Nintendo's intellectual property. There seems to be no confirmation by Hyperkin on whether it has obtained the requisite licences from the infamously litigious Japanese console maker. If it indeed hasn't, it won't take long for Nintendo to clamp down upon this idea with a copyright claim. Having said that, Hyperkin has prior experience in successfully selling Nintendo emulator boxes such as the popular RetroN console.

To report problems or leave feedback on this article, email: nachiketpg13@hotmail.com.