Hyperkin's April Fools' Day joke was originally fact or fiction. The video game accessory manufacturer has announced that it will indeed release a new add-on called Smart Boy. The device will turn one's iPhone 6 Plus smartphone into a working Nintendo Game Boy Color.
Users simply have to plug their iPhone 6 Plus into the Smart Boy, allowing them to play Game Boy and also Game Boy Colors cartridges, according to Game Spot.
The Smart Boy contains the regular Game Boy set of gamepad buttons. Meanwhile, the game is displayed on the smartphone's screen.
The Smart Boy also has a built-in battery that the phone can charge. Gameplay reportedly will last for five hours on the iPhone 6 Plus.
The launching of the Smart Boy was announced on March 31 as seemingly an April Fools' Day joke, according to The Verge. However, due to the strong positive response it is set to become the real deal.
Hyperkin announced on its Facebook page that the post was "sort of" an April Fools' joke. The company "leaked" the news, in order to test the market for the new device.
Hyperkin learned from the response that consumers "actually want" Smart Boy. So now the company is developing it.
The company has not announced when Smart Boy will be released, or the cost of the product. Another issue is whether Nintendo will oppose the new gadget, as its intellectual property has historically been protected.
However, Hyperkin already offers its popular RetroN 5 to gamers. It gives them the ability to play games from game systems such as Game Boy, NES, and SNES-all from Nintendo.
Nintendo released Game Boy in North America in July 1989, and Game Boy Color in November 1998. The two game systems combined have sold over 118 million units worldwide.