Nintendo Patents an Operational Game Boy Phone Case

Playing Nintendo Game Boy games on your smartphone is by no means a new topic. But soon, there will be a way to do so officially, kinda. A recently published patent by Nintendo indicates a Game Boy-style phone case that's capable of playing games.

Imaged above, the patent describes a cover that is removably attachable to electronic equipment having a touch screen, which is legalese for a phone case. The more interesting aspects of the patent, however, are the technical details further in. The case contains electronically conductive components with operational buttons. Much like those pens with the squishy tips, this would activate a smart phone's touchscreen when depressed.

Using such a smartphone would allow users to emulate Game Boy games on their smartphones, using the case to impersonate that of an actual Game Boy. This is an idea seen before by third party manufacturers, but not by Nintendo.

Since the patent is purely for the phone case, any information as toward their plans for it, games or otherwise, remain entirely unknown. With Nintendo gradually embracing the mobile potential of gaming, while also offering new ways to return to the retro roots of earlier consoles with the NES/SNES Mini and Switch Online, the idea of an "Original Game Boy" game library available for smartphones sounds entirely plausible.

But if Isabelle in Smash Bros had taught me anything, you cannot predict Nintendo.