This Android Kit Turns Any Smartphone Into Nintendo ‘Game Boy’

It all started out as a concept by Hyperkin Lab and they’ve somehow managed to make it a reality. That means the Smart Boy won’t work with a lot of phones released this year and probably nearly all phones released next year, so hopefully Hyperkin is at work on a Type-C model, too. Gaming accessory maker Hyperkin teased a Game Boy case that could actually work with old Game Boy cartridges on April Fools’ Day 2015, and sure enough, they announced that the joke was no joke at E3 last week. You know, to strengthen your hype for the upcoming Pokémon Go. Cartridges slot into the back, and the device will run games from both NTSC and PAL regions. Those looking for a somewhat more playful take on the trip down nostalgia lane may be interested in a modified Burger King Toy. The dev kit for the smartphone case is set to ship on December 1 and will include a work-in-progress app and open-source firmware.

Hyperkin is offering a percentage of retail-ready Smart Boy units to anyone who improve its app and firmware so it’s ready for a wide-scale public release.

The gadget from Hyperkin is now in pre-order costing $59.99 with shipments expected to start in December. The serial app and firmware are open source (which is why you get to upload your versions to the forum), and it has a double-sided Micro USB port. However, Hyperkin made it very clear that it would be exclusive to Android phones at the recently concluded Electronic Entertainment Expo.

The company is taking pre-oprders for the Smart Boy Development kit, a enclosure that attaches to the bottom of any Android smartphone and plays cartridges from an actual Game Boy or Game Boy Colour.