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PQube has teamed up with LA-based hardware development company Hyperkin to bring the SmartBoy mobile phone accessory to European retail through the Samsung Mobile Accessory Partnership Program.
Priced at 59.99, the SmartBoy attaches to Android smartphones to turn them into handheld gaming devices, but it’s also compatible with NTSC and PAL Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges, giving gamers a new way to play their old Game Boy games on the go – provided they still have them, of course. The device is also compatible with other apps and games, including Game Boy Advance apps on the Google Play Store.
However, this is primarily a Samsung-based device, and has been designed with current gen Samsung devices in mind, such as the Samsung Galaxy S8. It can accommodate other phones whose screens measure between 5.2in and 6in and will upscale the games to the phone screen’s resolution, but its USB-C port means older Android handsets won’t be able to work with it.
Still, if you have a modern smartphone that charges with USB-C and have a hankering for some old school retro classics, then the SmartBoy could be a welcome alternative to Nintendo’s much sought-after Classic Mini SNES.
Hyperkin’s product developer Chris Gallizzi commented: "The SmartBoy has been about two years in the making – three if you count the months we were kicking around the idea. From an April Fool’s Joke, to a successful dev kit, and now an officially licensed device, that little guy has come a long way!"
Pre-orders for the SmartBoy are available now from FunstockRetro.co.uk.
