Lost Game Boy accessories resurfaced after 28 years
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There were a lot of accessories for the Game Boy, some very useful, some not even fancy anymore. Now, after almost 30 years, a never-released add-on has appeared – the Work Boy!
Nintendo’s Game Boy made gamig history
The Game Boy – the well-known and above all successful handheld console from the Japanese manufacturer Nintendo. Today the first model, released in 1989, has almost achieved cult status. The device, often referred to as the Gamey Boy Classic, was not a beauty or even a technical grenade by the standards of the time. 8 KB RAM and graphics memory, a 4.7 x 4.3 cm large and green monochrome display with a resolution of 160 x 144 pixels will not knock anyone off their feet these days. Compared to the competition – Sega Game Gear and Atari Lynx – the console was cheap and the battery lasted forever. The concept worked and founded the continued success of the Nintendo consoles to this day.
For the Game Boy there were a number of accessories and modifications relatively quickly. Some of them made the breakthrough, others never made it to the store. This is what happened to the “Work Boy”.
The Work Boy – way ahead of its time
YouTuber and video game historian (dream job ?!) Liam Roberts from DidYouKnowGaming? has now published a new video in which he tracks down the Work Boy . This is a handy keyboard that can be connected to the console with a link cable. In this way, 12 apps could also be used, including a calendar. A console with app access and a keyboard – that sounds like a promising concept overall, even in retrospect.
The idea came from Source Research and Development. Nintendo USA patented the name “Work Boy” in 1992 and a prototype made it to CES 1992. After that, however, the Work Boy disappeared into oblivion. Roberts has now succeeded in locating the Work Boy’s architect, Eddie Grill. The resourceful YouTuber was even able to find a prototype via detours, one of only two remaining in the whole world.
Template for the Nokia 9000 Communicator
According to Grill, the Wok Boy should have hit the market in 1993 for $ 80 to $ 90. This comparatively high price and an explosion in a factory in Japan that manufactured crucial parts for the accessories ultimately prevented the Work Boy from appearing. However, the Grill model inspired a personal communicator with a keyboard and a giant screen. Does this seem familiar to you? In 1996, based on this, the Nokia 9000 Communicator appeared – with the appropriate license, of course.
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