Here's something fun for those of us who remember the pastel-coloured 16-bit SNES era of Japanese gaming greatness! The Supaboy is a portable Super Nintendo Entertainment System that plays your classic cartridges on the go. Which, if you're like me, is very appealing indeed.
I remember saving up all summer for the UK release of the Super NES and picked one up at launch - this gave me access to the insanely god Super Mario World and made me simultaneously very popular at school. While I couldn't afford a lot of games - even in the 90's they were £50-£60 a shot - I have fond memories of Zelda, Axelay, Starfox and Twinbee on the console, Mode 7 blowing away the competition for scaling and 3DFX making arcade games a reality at home. It was even my introduction to Ranma 1/2, the fighting games basically introducing me to the manga and leading to this very site. In a way, the SNES birthed UKA and I'm subsequently very fond of it.
Because I had to save every penny I've kept the SNES, its box and leaflets, and more importantly all the games safely stored in my collection. Now, thanks to Hyperkin and I can take those carts with me and play on the go - a feat that was unimaginable back at launch!
The Supaboy is now being released in Europe for the first time ever, in both a brand new Crimson Red and Prime (read: classic SNES grey). Like the Analogue Pocket, this isn't a console that relies on ROMS, downloads or dodgy sites, just throw your games in the slot and get perfect gameplay every time.
You can also connect it to the TV and plug in two controllers for large-screen, 2 player fun.
It's not a new device either, having served the US market for 14 years, but only now is it available for those of us in Europe.
Nathan Perez, Product Developer for Hyperkin commented on the new range of SupaBoy colors:
“In a time where the existence of physical media is under continued threat, we hear gamers loud and clear: they want to preserve the excitement and collectible nature of game cartridges and the SupaBoy is dedicated to serving the rapidly growing retro audience who want ownership of their software and play without breaks, delays or need for wi-fi. The two new SupaBoy colors respect the iconic color schemes of the original hardware many of us grew up with, and we can’t wait to bring our console to even more gamers through releasing across Europe this Fall.”
The limited edition SupaBoy Prime and standard SupaBoy Crimson replace the current SupaBoy models already available, and both consoles are expected to ship this Fall for an estimated MSRP of: $129.99 / €129.99 / £119.99.
From the Press Release:
For 14 years, gamers across the USA have long trusted the SupaBoy as a popular portable retro console, and now Hyperkin is expanding the reach of the pocket-sized wonder with two new colors for SupaBoy: Crimson and Prime, with both variants available everywhere, including Europe for the first time.
Echoing the classic pastel palette of the Japanese and European Super Famicom colors, discerning gamers will feel right at home with the SupaBoy Prime, while the limited edition Crimson color evokes the charm and nostalgia originating from the original Japanese Famicom console, a long-admired style for the console that started a revolution. Both new colors feature a gorgeous translucent shell, sure to turn heads on the move while standing as a premium statement collectible that any gamer would be proud to display on the shelf.
The limited edition SupaBoy Prime, marks the first of a planned yearly update to the SupaBoy range, with further exclusive colors due to hit on a yearly cycle.
