When Nintendo announced their intent to move into smartphone gaming earlier this year, the internet was abuzz with gamers pontificating on their pros and cons of the company's decision to branch out beyond their own home consoles for the first time. Many saw the move as minor sacrilege, whilst others were more optimistic about the concept of playing more convenient, pick-up-and-play Zelda and Mario games on the tube. What nobody seemed to be doing, however, was thinking about the more exciting possibility; that if Nintendo were willing to develop games for smartphones, they might also be looking at producing a mobile phone/gaming device of their very own! Enter artist Pierre Cerveau and the “Smart Boy.”
Pierre Cerveau has not only dreamt up what a Nintendo phone might look like, but has gone to the trouble of knocking up some seriously impressive concept art for it
Whilst it's unlikely that Nintendo will actually ever dip its toes into the world of smartphone development (though never say never), the Bangkok-based artist has not only dreamt up what a Nintendo phone might look like, but has gone to the trouble of knocking up some seriously impressive concept art for it. And it looks pretty spectacular!
Cerveau is no stranger to the field of speculative technology, as he also recently revealed what he thought an Apple Phone might have looked like if it had been designed 20 years ago. With that idea, he took an iconic piece of technology (in that case the Apple II computer) and used it as a basis for his design, and he's done likewise here, taking the basic design of the classic Nintendo Game Boy and lending it a subtle modern sheen. The design aesthetic is incredibly faithful to the Game Boy, even down to the line patterns and the battery pack (though one would assume the Smart Boy wouldn't run on 4 AA batteries). It's a svelte and attractive design that should have Nintendo fans salivating.
Cerveau also recently revealed what he thought an Apple Phone might have looked like if it had been designed 20 years ago
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the design, however, is the nifty little connection mechanism on the device's side, which would allow a user to flip the smartphone to landscape mode and plug in a controller accessory with a D-Pad and four buttons. What's so interesting about this idea, is that there would be nothing stopping Nintendo from producing such a device, which could be used with the vast majority of today's existing handsets. It would be a clever way for the company to test the waters without making a full commitment to the market. The “Game Bat,” as Cerveau calls it, would be a real godsend for those of us who enjoy gaming on our smartphones, but loathe touchscreen controls. Add in a virtual console app allowing users to download classic Nintendo games and in my opinion you've got yourself a licence to print money. But then, if Nintendo's business decisions of late are anything to go by, they're not particularly interested in making money.
Meanwhile, if you've been intrigued by Mr Cerveau's designs, I highly recommend popping over to Design By Pierre and checking out some of his other concept designs, which include an Atari smartphone, a modern Sony Walkman phone smartly called a “Talkman,” and the afore-mentioned 80's Apple Phone.
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and struggling musician from Kidderminster in the UK who thinks someone at one of the major tech companies should seriously consider hiring this guy!
