Nintendo teases the Game Boy phone shell and prepares the new Switch console – Quartz

Nintendo is perfecting the art of progress by capitalizing on its past, with updates of old and new products.

The company filed a newly discovered patent application earlier this year for a Game Boy phone case, which could be reminiscent of another retro gold mine for the Japanese video game giant. As it was first noticed by Siliconera, the proposed device is more than just a protective shell. The box described in the document incorporates the Game Boy's original design, up to its familiar buttons and window display, and can handle the device's touch screen while the case remains closed.

If Nintendo really accepts the design and makes it work, the company could muster a new wave of money fueled by nostalgia.

This is really the period when Nintendo was increasingly interested in such an obvious product: developers and third-party manufacturers were selling their own apps and connections for Game Boy smartphones, some with embedded software, for some time.

It is not clear which games could work with Nintendo's own configuration (and the application support or emulation it would require). The current Nintendo iOS / Android library is rather light, but a selection of Game Boy titles could easily be reworked to take advantage of the touch features of the case.

Meanwhile, in Switch developments

Nintendo would also be working on the next version of its best-selling Switch console, scheduled for release in late 2019, probably before the holiday season. Not so long ago, the Switch had been an astonishing success, spending most of last year being exhausted and falling victim to soaring price increases from the scalper.

Still, an update of the popular mobile / TV hybrid console seems more practical than necessary. Although the Nintendo console continues to reach a good level of monthly sales, it should be strengthened when the next Pokémon and Super Smash Bros payments are increasing – an upgrade is what is needed to continue to increase sales and turn old switches into personal resellers.

Even Nintendo's main competitors engage in mini-consoles and older games.

One must also take into account the hacking: the Switch is a particularly vulnerable element of the game's technology. Nintendo has worked longer to stay ahead of hackers and emulation fans by using Switch hardware as a one-stop shop for hosting less than legal game libraries. A new console could put a critical distance between Nintendo and its more tech-savvy fans.

Then, Nintendo's main competitors are doing a great job on mini-consoles and old games, probably on sales of the NES Classic Edition and the Super NES Classic. The highly anticipated Sony PlayStation Classic is in preparation, Microsoft maintains a range of Xbox games compatible with earlier versions, and even Sega – long out of the console race – is pushing its Mega Drive Mini, 30th anniversary of the year.

That said, a smartphone-specific Game Boy accessory would be a good choice for Nintendo. He has spent years resisting the era of smartphones before yielding to investor pressure and common sense. The turnaround went extremely well, giving successes such as Super Mario Run and Fire Emblem Heroes, not to mention the massive hype around Pokemon Go.