Nintendo's retro wave shows no sign of stopping. After "bringing back" the NES and SNES as miniature consoles, the company may now launch a phone case that will let us play classic Game Boy games in a way very similar to the original.
A recent patent application shows Nintendo's interest in launching the accessory. The product's main highlight is that we would play using physical buttons detected by the phone's screen, as we can see in the images below. It is believed that the product would not be limited to smartphones, but would also support tablets.
We can see openings in the phone case that leave parts of the devices' screen, camera, and speaker exposed.
Curiously, Nintendo has not yet provided details such as how the cases would adapt to the various sizes of phones and other mobile devices, the possibility of playing Game Boy Color or even NES games, or how the software would be acquired.
Hyperkin recently launched a product similar to what Nintendo is planning. Unlike Nintendo's concept, it uses Game Boy cartridges directly in the device, as shown in the video below.
Even though the patent has been registered, this does not guarantee that the product will launch, but we will probably see it on the market starting in 2019. We will wait for more information.
Cover image: Hyperkin product via Engadget.com
