Hyperkin released the Smart Boy as an April Fool’s joke, but since it was getting so much positive feedback, they decided to actually manufacture it.
Let’s look at this in two perspectives: people who want to buy this product and people who already use emulators.
Yes, it really does give you the feel of the 90’s and the original touch of a game boy along with the cartridge slot. As stated in the video, the emulators we use are legal but the ROM’s (read-only memory) aren’t. By using the old original Nintendo cartridges, the Hyperkin gives point to the legality of the product.
It works on any 4-6 inch smartphone and I’m guessing everyone has their own smartphone by now. You can also use the cartridges from not just your simple Game Boy but also your Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance (experimental feature).
But as a fellow emulator-user, do you think that people would care about the legality of the ROM’s they are using? Piracy is widespread in the 21st century. This should certainly be addressed by the licence holder and by the manufacturer.
This product costs $59.99, whereas you can get the emulator along with the ROM’s for completely nothing. Another problem I have is: who still has their old cartridges?
It is difficult to find anyone selling these anymore and only about 15% of the Game Boy population thought about keeping their old games. Maybe Hyperkin could also introduce a legal game store to buy digital copies of the old games.
Although, this is just my personal opinion. I think it’s great that Hyperkin thought about making this product. If ever you want to try it out, you can pre-order the product here.
Tell me all about it when you’ve tried it. What do you think about the Smart Boy? What do you prefer?
YouTube: The Smart Boy turns your smartphone into a working Game Boy
Photo credit: The Verge / Hyperkin
