Artist-rendered Smart Boy device predicts Nintendo’s mobile future

By Danny Cowan Published July 22, 2015

Artist Pierre Cerveau has outlined a concept for a Nintendo-produced smartphone, tantalizing fans by melding Nintendo’s design aesthetic with a mobile operating system.

While the “Nintendo Smart Boy” is unfortunately a work of fiction, it offers a number of surprisingly viable features, and presents an intriguing what-if scenario involving Nintendo’s recently-announced entry into the mobile marketplace.

Recommended Videos

The Nintendo Smart Boy is apparently built with gaming in mind, as Cerveau designed an accompanying “Game Bat” peripheral. The Game Bat attaches to the bottom of the unit, equipping players with four face buttons, a d-pad, and an analog thumbstick. A mockup features a screenshot of New Super Mario Bros. U, suggesting that the device would boast hardware comparable in power to Nintendo’s Wii U console.

© Pierre Cerveau

Please enable Javascript to view this content

In a nod to Nintendo’s cartridge-based portable past, the Nintendo Smart Boy also supports a series of interchangeable modules that add new features dictated by user preference. One cartridge might contain an external battery, allowing for longer play sessions. Cerveau also envisions a memory expansion that adds 128 gigabytes of external storage and a 13-megapixel camera that takes sterographic photos. The idea is reminiscent of other recent modular phone concepts from the likes of Google and Vsenn.

Another cute touch is an “8-bit mode” that acts as a power saver, reducing system menus to a green-and-black color scheme reminiscent of the original Game Boy.

While Nintendo is unlikely to produce its own smartphone or tablet in the near future, the company recently partnered with mobile publisher DeNA for an upcoming series of apps starring Nintendo-licensed characters. DeNA’s first Nintendo-licensed game is due to launch later this year, with four additional games set to arrive by April 2017. Nintendo is also developing a new gaming platform concept currently called NX, promising a 2016 reveal. The company has been very secretive about the nature of NX, so this is as good a guess as any as to what the device might look like.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…

Computing

This HP Omen gaming laptop is on sale for under $1,000

The HP Omen 17z gaming laptop with Hi-Fi Rush on the screen.

With patience, you can score a nice machine from gaming laptop deals for under $1,000. You don't even have to do the searching yourself, as we've found the perfect offer for you -- the HP Omen 17z gaming laptop for only $950, following a $400 discount from HP on its original price of $1,350. This device isn't going to stay at 29% off for long though, so you should hurry if you want to take advantage of this bargain before it disappears, possibly as soon as tomorrow.

Why you should buy the HP Omen 17z gaming laptop
HP's Omen brand has always been aligned with gaming, and the HP Omen 17z was designed to run the best PC games without any trouble. The gaming laptop is powered by the AMD Ryzen 5 8645HS processor and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card, alongside 16GB of RAM that our guide on how much RAM do you need says is the best place to start for gaming. The device also ships with a 512GB SSD, for ample storage space for multiple AAA titles, and Windows 11 Home pre-loaded so that you can start installing your favorite games right after unboxing the gaming laptop.

Computing

Use this code to get $50 off this 27-inch 2K gaming monitor

The Mobile Pixels 27-inch Mini-LED 2K QHD gaming monitor with a space scene on the screen.

Showcased at CES 2025 earlier this year, the 27-inch Mobile Pixels Mini-LED 2K QHD gaming monitor has a $50 discount at StackSocial. You just need to input the code GAMING50 upon checkout of the item, and the amount you'll have to pay will drop from $400 to $350. We're not sure how long this offer will remain available though, so if you need a new screen to pair with your purchase from gaming PC deals, don't hesitate to take advantage of this bargain.

Why you should buy the 27-inch Mobile Pixels Mini-LED 2K QHD gaming monitor
The 27-inch Mobile Pixels Mini-LED 2K QHD gaming monitor will give you a memorable experience with the best PC games at a relatively affordable price. With 2K QHD resolution, you'll enjoy sharp details and brilliant images, and with HDR1000 support, colors will be brighter and more realistic. The monitor is also equipped with mini-LED technology, which not only further boosts picture quality but also reduces energy consumption.

Gaming

Expelled! will make you feel like a dumb teenager again

Verity poses with her hockey stick in Expelled.

Humor me for a moment while I tell you my most embarrassing childhood story. Back in the AOL Instant Messenger days, my friends and I loved trolling people. We were young and got a kick out of saying totally absurd stuff to people from another town over that we only tangential knew. It was all good fun until someone was smart enough to turn the tables. A person I was poking fun at told me that they'd reported me to the police for harassment, and I was gullible enough to believe them. I started trying to backtrack in the most obvious ways possible, claiming that my account was hacked. The more I lied, the more it ballooned. Long story short, it all ended in my father going to the local police station to talk to them about a report that was never actually filed. As you can probably guess, the whole thing ended with a solid grounding.

The moral of the story? Kids are terrible liars, and that's what Expelled! is all about.