PQube Announces Retail Version of SmartBoy for European Markets

PQube, in partnership with Hyperkin, a video game hardware development company from Los Angeles, has announced it will be releasing the SmartBoy through the Samsung Mobile Accessory Partnership Program (SMAPP) to the European Market.

Originally a development kit in late 2016, the SmartBoy attaches to Android smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S8, turning your smartphone into a handheld gaming device.

The SmartBoy is compatible with actual NTSC/PAL Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges, while sporting a classic-style tactile button set, making the SmartBoy look and feel like a real handheld gaming console. The SmartBoy is compatible with other apps and games, including Game Boy Advance apps from Google Play; configuration for such apps may vary. Out of the box, the SmartBoy was designed for current-gen Samsung devices with USB Type-C ports, like the Samsung Galaxy S8 - other Android device compatibility may vary.

Hyperkin Product Developer, Chris Gallizzi, was ecstatic to learn his team's baby is now a retail-ready device officially licensed by Samsung.

"The SmartBoy has been about two years in the making - three if you count the months we were kicking around the idea," Gallizzi said. "From an April Fool's Joke, to a successful dev kit, and now an officially licensed device, that little guy has come a long way!"

Features:
• Compatible with NTSC/PAL cartridges
• Plays GB and GBC cartridges
• Classic-style tactile button set
• Designed for current-gen Samsung devices
• Phone Size: 5.2 - 6 inches
• Upscales to phone's resolution • USB Type-C port
• Does not require batteries

The SmartBoy is available to pre-order now at just £59.99 at Europe's Number One Retro Gaming Destination, FunstockRetro.co.uk