noiseredux vs.

Posted on Nov 17th 2010 at 07:07:15 AM by (noiseredux)
Posted under Game Boy, Konami

Being a collector means that the internet is both your best friend and worst enemy. For every cheap game you're able to find on eBay or great trade through a message-board there's another elusive and expensive rarity out there taunting you. These are the kind of items that we didn't even know existed because we've never seen them mentioned before. So stumbling upon them feels like you're in on a special secret. That's exactly how I felt when I discovered the Konami Hyper Boy a few weeks ago.



The Hyper Boy was a unique accessory that Konami released in Japan for the original Game Boy. The idea is that the Game Boy would slip inside of the Hyper Boy and be turned into a tiny arcade machine. This is certainly novel, and of course appeals to fans of Game Boy shmups such as myself.



The unit itself runs on two D batteries, which as you might imagine add up to a considerable weight when coupled with the Hyper Boy and Game Boy (which already has its own four AA batteries inside). Sadly the Hyper Boy does not offer an AC Adapter option, which means those D batteries are your only option to power it. Luckily the Game Boy's AC port is still reachable though.



Besides the obvious addition of an arcade stick rather than D-pad, the Hyper Boy also incorporates a magnifying screen and front-light as well as an amplified speaker. Interestingly the arcade stick even has separate settings for four or eight directional controls.



Of course the real question is how well does it work? Well first off the magnification and light certainly helps the screen out, but it certainly can't deliver any miracles. The classic Game Boy screen is still going to be a challenge if you don't get the contrast just right. The added speaker on the other hand works quite well. It actually adds a nice bit of clarity and strength to the output. As far as the arcade stick goes, it's by no means arcade quality but it definitely does the job. The eight-way setting feels comfortable and loose enough on shmups like Konami's own Nemesis.



Though this accessory is far from perfect, it's also ridiculously unique. It was obviously made for a very niche audience, of which I'm definitely in attendance. Perhaps it's not the kind of device that every gamer would drool over, but for someone like me with such an affection for Game Boy shmups it's one of the crowning pieces in my collection.




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Comments
 
those are some short shorts
 
That is really cool! Would I dare ask how much you paid for it?
 
awesome find!!! I second thegreatska's question if its not to nosey.
If I had just heard a description I have to admit I would instantly think it was one of the hundreds of cheap and gimmicky GB add-ons but the pictures show it to actually be a pretty well thought out idea!
 
Great article Noise! This is quite the unique item, I'd kill to have it, but I doubt I could afford, or even find it!

One question I have about it though: would it be possible to put a GBC in there, with some sort of riser to make up for the difference in size? That would really increase the awesomeness of this by a massive amount, making it one of the coolest damn things I've ever seen (as if it wasn't already!)
 
Very unique item. I've been waitng to hear about it since I saw your post on Racketboy.

Those Daisy Dukes are freakin distracting though.....
 
soo if any any one cares http://cgi.ebay.com/Konami-Hyperboy-Gameboy-Player-Collectible-/300494387436?pt=Video_Games_Accessories&hash=item45f6dc78ec#ht_500wt_1156
 
Wow, cool unit!
 
I think this was also released in Europe, at least I saw an ad for it in the "Konami Games Guide" released in Germany.
 
@amiganer: really? Interesting. All the (limited) info I could find and handful of auctions was always a Japanese version. Konami did do a lot of cool exclusives in Europe though, like the GBC Konami collections for instance, so I wouldn't be totally shocked either.
 
@noiseredux:
Well, I just looked it up again. It's not exactly an ad... it's a page that mentions two other Konami accessories that you can get, including a wireless infrared SNES controller called "Hyperbeam" and the protective casing "Caseboy". Maybe I can do a scan of that page in the future, even though it's all in German.
Konami did bring out some nice exclusives here, like some of the Parodius or Twinbee games. Never really understood why these never got released in the US.
 
damnit all I can think of saying is that japanese kid has nice legs. Stupid sexy ad!
 
This is a pretty slick and unique peripheral.  Nice addition!
 
Late comment, but if you plan on using this a lot, and don't want to burn through the D-cells, you could use a 3-volt adapter after some adjustments and wire-cutting.
 
I have one of these if anyone is interested in buying .. i am currently saving for a classic vehicle to use for charity purposes so the cash would be a great help .. if anyone is interested then please feel free to email me (adam.flint@btopenworld.com) for any further information..

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