“Page Boy” almost made our Game Boy Color a smartphone light 20 years ago

The Game Boy Color could have become a practical companion.

Over 20 years ago, Nintendo was working on a device that never saw the light of day. A group called “Wizard” is said to have developed an expansion for the Game Boy Color that included some functions that were only suitable for the masses years later.

Game Boy becomes a smartphone

On his YouTube channel „DidYouKnowGaming?” video game historian Liam Robertson presents his discovery. This is an expansion for the Game Boy Color that would have pushed the handheld into a new age:

Link to YouTube content

What is the Page Boy? The “Page Boy” should have served as an attachment for the Game Boy Color, which is inserted into the back of the cartridge slot. The function would have been similar to the wireless connection of a pager: As soon as a message has been received, the “Page Boy” should vibrate. In order to still be able to play your favorite Game Boy games, the “Page Boy” also had a slot for games.

State-of-the-art features for Game Boy Color

The planned device should have included a live stream and a Nintendo magazine. There should also be channels for general news and the weather. With an additionally mountable camera, photos could have been snapped and sent to others. Thought has even been given to adding a live video transmission. All functions as we know them today from modern smartphones. Only the Page Boy would not have worked over the Internet, but with radio waves.

Why was the development of “Page Boy” stopped? Unfortunately the project could not be realized due to the lack of progress in radio technology. The radio networks required were only available in the USA and a few other countries. That is why the project was discontinued after only three years.

Another project that may never see the light of day is the Switch Pro. You can find all the rumors about the Pro version of the Nintendo Switch on GamePro:

In the comments, many users agree that Nintendo was way ahead of its time. Unfortunately, the “Page Boy” did not manage to find its way onto the store shelves. But some of the features of the device could be implemented. With Nintendo 3DS, for example, we were already able to send messages and photos, and with Nintendo Directs, Nintendo now has its own live stream format to present new game announcements.

What do you think of the “Page Boy”? Would you have been happy about such a device around 20 years ago?