One of the dope things I got hands-on at #CES2018 is @Hyperkin's Ultra GB! I never knew how gassed up I'd be playing OG Game Boy games in 2018 lol pic.twitter.com/cbZ9T8xxmI
— MICHAEL HIGHAM (@michaelphigham) January 9, 2018
With other reissued classic Nintendo products like the NES Classic, the Famicom Mini, and the SNES Classic becoming bestsellers (prompting another reissue of the NES Classic), it was only a matter of time before some iteration of the Game Boy made its way back to our hearts (and hands).
Hyperkin, who usually make gaming peripherals for systems both new and old, debuted the tentatively-titled “Ultra Game Boy” at CES 2018 in Las Vegas this week. Gizmodo (who have a 360 video of the little nostalgia widget) say it improves on the original Game Boy’s hardware without affecting gameplay on the old cartridges (yes, it plays the original cartridges). It has an aluminum housing and — in addition to the original volume and contrast dials — it has a third dial to adjust the backlit LCD display.
New features for the Ultra Game Boy will include a built-in six-hour battery, a USB-C port for charging, as well as a pair of stereo speakers, and left and right audio-out connections. Why the improvements to the Game Boy’s sound system when all of its classic games only generate mono sound? Aside from appealing to retro gamers, Hyperkin’s Ultra Game Boy is also being customized for chiptune musicians who use the classic console to create modern electronic tunes. Yes, it’s a thing, and a very popular thing.
Hyperkin plans to release the Ultra Game Boy late this summer for less than $100. Hopefully, it’ll prove popular enough for Nintendo to release a Game Boy Classic with the games already built in. Until then, start (or continue) hoarding the old cartridges.
(Via Gizmodo)