Back in April, retro games console manufacturer Hyperkin had a little fun with its customers. In celebration of April Fools' Day, the company, which is responsible for the RetroN series of replica gaming consoles, announced the Smartboy, a device which is designed to plug into a smartphone in order to turn it into a functioning Gameboy.
The prank generated such widespread support and excitement that Hyperkin sheepishly admitted to their ruse, explaining that the entire purpose behind the prank was to test the reception for their device before too much was spent on research and development. Now, the Smartboy has been officially announced – this time it's real, it's progressing towards release, and the company is looking for indie and homebrew developers to get involved with software production.
The Smartboy has generated a fair amount of headlines over the past few months – both during its initial April Fools reveal, and now that it's been officially announced. In spite of this popularity, though, there is at this point no guarantee that the device will actually prove popular enough to generate sales for Hyperkin.
According to its manufacturer, the Smartboy's developer kit will retail at $59.99, arriving in the hands of eager fans in time for Christmas. At this point, the device will still be unfinished, requiring homebrew developers to take advantage of its open source framework to get the most from its potential as a tool.
The problem, though, is finding a niche which the Smartboy can inhabit. In its present state, the Smartboy fills the same role as a free Android Gameboy emulator, but does so with the cumbersome need for a large add-on accessory to read games cartridges. It could be argued that its functioning button layout will recreate the Gameboy experience, but there are plenty of Bluetooth controllers available which provide this experience for much cheaper, including many by a company called 8BitDo which aim to perfectly replicate NES and SNES controllers. For gamers looking for a nostalgic mobile gaming experience, there are plenty of other options available.
For the most part, Hyperkin's RetroN range succeeds with games because of the relative price tag attached to their devices. RetroN consoles emulate a variety of retro games directly from the cartridge, allowing gamers to play their NES, SNES, and other console cartridges all on the same machine – this means saving a lot of money that would otherwise be spent on authentic retro machines. At present, though, the price of an original Gameboy is far less than that of the Smartboy, meaning that there's not much incentive for consumers to flock to the new device for an emulated alternative to a cheaper authentic experience.
Of course, there is one small ace up Hyperkin's sleeve, and it has to do with the company's decision to make a development kit commercially available before the full release for the finished device next year. Hyperkin has announced plans to offer homebrew developers a cut of the Smartboy's revenue in return for their work developing the firmware for the open source device.
This is a very smart move for the company – understanding that most casual gamers won't gain much from the Smartboy that they can't get with other alternatives, Hyperkin is focusing on the homebrew development scene. The popularity of the Raspberry Pi platform has proven that many tech experts will leap at the chance to develop and swap their own homebrew programs, and it's this eagerness that Hyperkin wishes to latch onto. Offering a percentage of the device's profits to those early adopters who contribute to the Smartboy's firmware development means that by the time the accessory reaches its retail release, gamers will not only have a solid device, but will be able to participate in a community that's enthusiastic about being able to do far more than just play Gameboy games on their phone.
All of this, of course, is months away from fruition. For the moment, Hyperkin merely hopes that its royalty program will encourage developers to do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to making the basic firmware for the system. Beyond this, though, once the homebrew development community gets stuck into the device, it's likely that it'll see the same variety of uses that the Raspberry Pi enjoys.
It remains to be seen whether this relatively obscure device will be able to take off to the extent that has occurred with the Raspberry Pi – after all, the Gameboy emulator has far fewer practical uses than the world's most popular minicomputer range.
If Hyperkin wants their Smartboy to succeed, though, the company is smart to appeal directly to more technically experienced users. With any luck, their upcoming accessory will prove to be yet another hit for the company that has given the retro gaming community the RetroN, and their April Fools prank will prove well worth everyone's time.
Source: Hyperkin Announces Accessory to Turn Smartphones Into Gameboys
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