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.

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

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.

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"Players can be excited about some remakes, which will allow us to revisit some of the games we've created in the past and modernize them," he says, implying that it could pertain to games made before Odyssey. "There are worlds in some of our older Assassin's Creed games that are still extremely rich."

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Wordle Today: Wordle answer and hints for June 28

Someone playing Wordle on a smartphone.

We have the solution to Wordle on June 28, as well as some helpful hints to help you figure out the answer yourself, right here. We've placed the answer at the bottom of the page, so we don't ruin the surprise before you've had a chance to work through the clues. So let's dive in, starting with a reminder of yesterday's answer.
Yesterday's Wordle answer
Let's start by first reminding ourselves of yesterday's Wordle answer for those new to the game or who don't play it daily, which was "ORDER." So we can say that the Wordle answer today definitely isn't that. Now, with that in mind, perhaps take another stab at it using one of these Wordle starting words and circle back if you have no luck.
Hints for today's Wordle
Still can't figure it out? We have today's Wordle answer right here, below. But first, one more thing: Let's take a look at three hints that could help you find the solution, without giving it away, so there's no need to feel guilty about keeping your streak alive -- you put in some work, after all! Or just keep scrolling for the answer.

Today’s Wordle includes the letter D.
Today’s Wordle uses two vowels.
Today's Wordle can refer to a large number of animals, particularly livestock like cattle or sheep, that are moving together in a group.