For a certain generation, nothing brings on Proustian recollections of childhood more than Nintendo’s clunky handheld – the Game Boy. The house of Mario may have put its original mobile system out to pasture, but manufacturer Retro Bit has now delivered a great excuse to blow the dust off your old cartridges.
The Super Retro Boy is a Game Boy emulator, but one that looks and feels a lot like the original Nintendo console. Unveiled at CES 2017, the clone handheld works with Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges. The device also comes with a number of upgrades to Nintendo’s older system, including a 2,500mAh rechargeable battery that’s slated to work for ten hours, and a scratch- and shatter-resistant TFT HD screen.
The Super Retro Boy is due to be released in August, with a $79.99 (£65) price tag. If you do have a collection of old Game Boy cartridges, this looks like a good reason to replay some classic titles. One minor detail to note is that, while the Game Boy Advance had shoulder buttons, these have been transferred to the front panel in the Super Retro Boy. This could make some games harder to play. Or it might add an extra layer of challenge. You decide.
It wouldn’t be an enormous surprise if Nintendo eventually released its own official revamped Game Boy. The company is not shy of cashing in on nostalgia, and last year released a shrunken version of its classic 1983 NES console. Until then, the Super Retro Boy will have to be enough to resurrect memories of playing Link’s Awakening in the park behind school.
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