It has been reported that Nintendo is working on a case that can turn a smartphone into a working Game Boy, fulfilling the dreams of nostalgic gamers worldwide.
According to a recently published patent uncovered by Siliconera, the technology will have functioning buttons and a directional pad.
The patent, which was published in late September and filed last March, details that the folio case would fully enclose the phone and use a sheet of conductive material to transmit a finger’s touch to the smartphone screen.
A square window at the top of the case, above the directional pad and two buttons, turns the top of a smartphone’s screen into the screen of the Gameboy.
The casing leaves open a small window for the front camera and device speakerphone. The top and bottom of the phone are not obstructed, so the user can still connect the device to a speaker or USB device. The camera and speakerphone are also unobstructed.
Images from the patent application demonstrate how this would work:
It is possible that Nintendo will be releasing the Game Boy phone case as soon as this holiday season. The new case would allow Nintendo to tap into its vast back catalogue of handheld games, which will likely bring in big bucks for Nintendo given how well tapping into the company’s other retro systems has worked.
