Remember the Super Retro Boy? It was one of the products Retro-Bit was supposed to launch during 2017, and would have accepted Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance carts. Equipped with a TFT HD scratch and shatter-resistant screen, a 2,500mAh battery and bundled with a 10-in-1 game cartridge, it was slated for an August release with a retail price of $79.99. August came and went and the console failed to appear.
We've reached out to Retro-Bit and have been told that following Nintendo's application for a renewed Game Boy trademark, the company has put the project on hold until it can find a way of releasing the system without causing any legal problems with Nintendo.
Instead of launching the console, Retro-Bit has decided to given more attention to its other products, which include the Super Retro-Cade and its series of multi-carts. It's also releasing physical versions of R-Type and Holy Diver.
Nintendo's Game Boy trademark appeared to relate to merchandise rather than a new console, but perhaps Retro-Bit knows something we don't?
Comments 26
a gb mini for xmas maybee
I'd much rather have a Gameboy Mini than a N64 mini. I would't even buy the latter one. I think a Gameboy Mini should include 40-50 something games. Original Gameboy cartridge support in addition to that would be really cool as well, but now I'm just dreaming
It's a bit of a bummer, but if Nintendo released something similar, combining Game Boy and GBA into one device with a modern screen and a great selection of games to choose from, I would actually really want that.
Though I still would rather a comprehensive virtual console on the Switch above all of these clone, remake, plug and play, consoles.
Nintendo already did the gba micro , it don't get more mini than that.
Yes I’d buy a Gameboy mini for sure. One thing I really regret is getting rid of my Gameboy and all the games I had. Although, for some reason, I held on to Donkey Kong but I have nothing to play it on.
To be honest, unless it's the "Boy" part of the name they're worried about specifically, I don't think they have much to fret, at least from what I can see. The design is reminiscent of the Game But it is not a copy of that design--and something being somewhat reminiscent of something else is entirely not illegal as far as I'm aware. So if necessary, just change the name and have at it. Call it Super Retro Dude or something like that--whatever.
Also, a Game Boy Mini would be cool, but at this point I think it wouldn't be more compelling and satisfying if it were more of a GBA Mini that played Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance games, and had a good selection from all of those systems, with the majority of them actually being a bunch of the best GBA games. And they could still make it look like the classic and iconic original Game Boy for nostalgia sake but just smaller and with a really good backlit screen (and try to make the battery life frikin' amazing--like at least ten hours).
@impurekind Unfortunately, international patent and copyright fights are a complex matter. If you are not a big company with the right money resources, you should simply stay out of it.
However, the "boy" part, the design and even the retro-bit logo are just asking for problems..
By the way, I am looking forward to my GameShell. I am hope that will work out
@mattmayatt It is called "Game Boy Micro", but you are right: It only plays GBA-games and this was a big flaw for me.
@Paperboy same, I have no love for the N64, I wasn't gaming then tbh, I went back to mario64 a few years later, good game, but other games really haven't ages well at all.
Mini Gameboy/Color I'd hop on. And then of course, a mini GBA. Money to be made!
Why not just call it the"Gaymboi Mini" Lol!!! The slogan will be"We put the gay back in game!!!"
@Failrunner wut
I doubt it, probably couldn't figure out how to stop the cut off on the sides of the screen lopping off a bit of the GBA games. Retrobit is mostly known for problematic product so it wouldn't surprise me. It sounds more like an excuse. There's nothing offending in their product unless they did something shady in developing it.
...and since when has Gamecube games not aged well? They've aged better than their same generation competition have (especially if you get the GC 2 HDMI v3 external adapter.)
Though it does look similar, none of what was shown would infringe on the new Game Boy trademark. The name should be okay and we all know Nintendo ain't going to put a cartridge slot on a Game Boy Mini anyways also Hyperkin's Smart Boy launch with no problem.
Yeah, even though I have a gbc, and small selection of some of the best gbc games, I’d still much rather have a gameboy mini over an n64 mini. Backlit sceen, long battery, and hopefully every good gb and gbc game. I’d buy it.
Assuming Nintendo is actually going to make a classic edition for the Game Boy as opposed to the N64, wouldn’t it make more sense for it not to be a mini, and just a classic version with some games built-in?
Regardless, the design for the Retro Boy looks a little similar, but it probably would be for the best to hold back on releasing it for now and analyze the situation fully and consider all of their options
I agree with the theory that it was going to be a bit shoddy in terms of display and button placement.
However, I do hope that they go back to the drawing board and fix those issues as I was planning on buying one.
If it turns out to just be ONE Game Boy Generation at a time, it'll be okay, because Pokémon will be on it, no matter what, and it would be bundled with a Game Link Cable. If it's Classic + Color, they'll probably put Shantae on it.
Ah yes, RetroBit, the company who stole open-sourced non-commercial emulator code and "conveniently" forgot how it wound up with their code and then sold it.
@Paperboy agreed, i have a 64 and love it but the best way to play it is with a different controller. I have no desire to pick up an awkward original again. However the Gameboy is amazing and looks now like it will happen.
@BensonUii N64 games have aged badly, but not Gameboy? Ok...
Hey, I just had a thought: What if one of the reasons we still haven't seen an official English translation and release of Mother 3 in the west is because Nintendo is planning to do a similar thing to what it did with the SNES Mini and Star Fox 2, where it releases some kind of GB Mini (capable of playing GB, GBC and GBA games) and includes Mother 3 as the +1 game? It would be a frikin' amazing game to use as a bonus inclusion--a billion times better choice than Star Fox 2 was on the SNES Mini--even though I really want it to just come out for the likes of 3DS and Switch already!
By God that would make the GB Mini an absolute must have for millions of people, especially once they realize just how amazing that game is.
If it were basically something like the Game Boy Pocket in shape and size (with the GBA's shoulder buttons included in a way that makes sense), and with the original Game Boy hardware's grey and purple colour scheme, with a really high quality, full-colour, back-lit screen and over 10 hour battery life, and had say 50+1 of the best GB/GBC/GBA games built in--I say 50 because many of the GB and GBC games are so simple and it would take at least 50 games to really have a decent mix of the best titles from each of those systems--and cost maybe $50-$70, it would be truly amazing!
Boy would I go gaga for that--even though I actually couldn't afford to get one.
@impurekind Good trail of thought - definitely possible. I'm not sure how a GB Mini would look/feel if it needs to incorporate the shoulder buttons from the GBA though - that's the sticking point for me. A release on Switch seems equally possible for Mother 3, either a standalone port, or as part of a long awaited, much anticipated Virtual Console.
@nocdaes Yeah, I think it's probably more likely that Nintendo would do a GB/GBC Mini first and then a GBA Mini after that, but I was just shooting for getting it all in one right out the gate. lol
Nintendo really needs to get an English version of Mother 3 out there though, however it does it, and soon--it's one the most powerful games I've every played, and has, imo, one of the most important message to spread in all of gaming.
@impurekind What do you mean by "most powerful"?
@NinNin It is just very emotionally impacting and extremely socially relevant--even more so than ever in our modern times.
The Nintendo Gameboy classic better have a backlight!!!!!!
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