Credit: Unsplash
A Nintendo-made Game Boy emulator leaked earlier this week.
Today, April 21, is the birthday of the original handheld game console, Nintendo’s Game Boy, which originally released in Japan in 1989. Many of the original Game Boy’s games are still beloved classics to this day, from the original Pokemon games to the first handheld version of Tetris. Since the 3DS is effectively retired, if Nintendo wanted to honor this legendary handheld, the best place to do so would be on the Switch. According to rumors, they may be planning just that.
Earlier this week, a Twitter user named Trash_Bandatcoot released screenshots of several files allegedly datamined by 4chan users. These files showcase what is believed to be a pair of Game Boy and Game Boy Advance emulators, developed in-house by Nintendo Europe Research and Development for use on the Nintendo Switch. Along with screenshots of the emulators in action, a list of supported software from the Game Boy Advance emulator was included, with notable games like Metroid Fusion and Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga.
There is a point of contention, however: the screenshots contain references to EZFlash, a brand of special cartridges designed for homebrew games. Nintendo has stated its distaste for EZFlash several times in the past, so it’s unknown why their software would contain any kind of reference to it.
Having classic Nintendo games from the Game Boy would definitely make the Nintendo Switch last another decade or so.#GameBoy #NintendoSwitch #Nintendohttps://t.co/zeh1hZQeOJ
— IGN Southeast Asia (@IGNSEA) April 21, 2022
If the emulators are the genuine article, it could mean that we’ll be getting libraries of Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games added to Nintendo Switch Online in the near future, though whether it would be part of the base subscription or the Expansion Pack isn’t known. At time of writing, Nintendo has not commented on the leak.
