A lost, unreleased Game Boy add-on known as the WorkBoy has been discovered after 28 years and revea
A lost, unreleased Game Boy add-on known as the WorkBoy has been discovered after 28 years and reveals an accessory that could have brought PDA-like functions like an address book, calculator, appointment book, and so much more to Nintendo’s beloved handheld device. […][Video game historian Liam Robertson tracked down the original creators behind the WorkBoy to learn the story behind why it was never released, and] was able to get one of the only prototypes in the world working.[T]he WorkBoy was a keyboard that connected to the Game Boy via Link Cable and would allow you to take advantage of 12 apps, including an address/phone book and appointment book. […]Robertson was able to track down Eddie Gill, the architect of the WorkBoy and the founder of Source Research and Development, and he discussed how the WorkBoy was originally planned on being released in late 1992 or early 1993 for around $79-$89 USD, but various issue prevented it from ever reaching the public.Gill said there were only two WorkBoy prototypes left in the world that he knew of, and he said that one was probably “deep in the vaults of Nintendo,” while the other was in possesion of Frank Ballouz, the founder of Fabtek.Robertson got in touch with Ballouz and he did indeed have a WorkBoy prototype. Ballouz did not, however, have a Game Boy to test it out, so he sent it to Robertson in hopes he would be able to get it working.When Robertson first connected the WorkBoy keyboard to a GameBoy, nothing happened but a short alarm beep. It turns out that the WorkBoy needed a cartridge to fully function, although none could be found.As fate would have it, Robertson was able to find a ROM of the software in one of the big recent leaks that followed the Nintendo Gigaleak earlier this year. After burning the ROM to a blank cartridge, Robertson got it to work.Seeing the WorkBoy in action is a glimpse at what could have been. It’s also very interesting to see this in action in 2020, where many of the functions of the WorkBoy are commonplace. Back in 1992, this was ahead of its time.–via IGN, December 27th 2020 (see source link) -- source link
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