Nintendo Files a Patent to Allow Game Boy Emulation on Mobile Devices

-November 27 2014We’ve known for a while that Nintendo is planning some big things for mobile devices, but we’ve never had much sense of what those plans are. Besides apps that connect users back to Nintendo’s main business and other plans, like a Miiverse app, and their QOL services, we haven’t had much clue of what they’re doing. Until, that is, today.Nintendo has filed a patent for a device or service that would emulate Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games on smartphones, tablets, computers, and even less ordinary places, like the TVs on the back of your airline seats. Here's an excerpt from the patent filing:

A software emulator for emulating a handheld video game platform such as GAME BOY.RTM., GAME BOY COLOR.RTM. and/or GAME BOY ADVANCE.RTM. on a low-capability target platform (e.g., a seat-back display for airline or train use, a personal digital assistant, a cell phone) uses a number of features and optimizations to provide high quality graphics and sound that nearly duplicates the game playing experience on the native platform. Some exemplary features include use of bit BLITing, graphics character reformatting, modeling of a native platform liquid crystal display controller using a sequential state machine, and selective skipping of frame display updates if the game play falls behind what would occur on the native platform.

Whether anything will come of this patent remains to be seen, though I have a hunch that Nintendo offering their classic games on mobile platforms could turn out to be a huge long-term benefit for their brand.

Spoiler

This is BAD NEWS. If true, then they could force existing emulators for its product, such as VGB, GBC.Emu, My Boy, VGBA, Drastic, GBA4Droid, etc. to be removed from App Stores on ground of violation of that patent. They clearly noticed how large a potential market it be by merely selling emulators application via online distribution as APK/IOS Apps instead of manufacturing console/handheld, and top it up with online rom sales instead of as physical carts, and earn extra through DLC. While all at the same time they can manage piracy counter measure, bug fixing, enhancements, etc. via routine emulator updates, without worrying about mass production and distribution. Real cheeky of them. Then again, maybe not so much to worry about, the already existing pioneer of this sort of business; Sony, already had its official PSP for Android apk distributed free, where you must buy its game/downloadable contents via its own apps store, which as far as I know didn't sell well. Their number 1 flop was thanks to it being exclusively for SONY Xperia smartphone/tablet lineup, and that too is very limited to certain Xperia series, and then secondly it failed because of few appealing game titles for it.I just hope they don't just sell official GBA emulator, I want them to distribute official 3DS emulator for Android! Then lets hack it, so that it load unofficial 3DS rom dumps. Now that would be COOL!

Replying to #2

Wrong they CAN NOT do that. anything made prepatent date or after its elapse is completely legal. Besides emulators are safe as long as they do not distribute copyrighted roms with it. Hell you can go make your own console to play their games even sell it, and they cant touch just as long none of the schematics resemble theirs patents. Legal laws are fun aint it.

They can be applicable to any updates made by those unofficial emulators. It is too early to conclusively conclude until we know what that patent covers. Until then we can only assume existing emulators might not be effected. However naturally they can force app stores to take them off their list once their patent is issued.

Replying to #4

Doubtful. Patent can only protect the product that nintendo will make. They can not forced the fan programs to be removed just it does the same thing. thats what monopoly laws in place for. Thats like Nike forcing other shoe companies to stop making shoes. Again legal laws are fun aint they.

Probably so. But we'll see how it goes from there.

would be nice to be able to play classic nintendo games on inflight entertainment systems.

Does this mean that nintendo will release an official emulator for gba and others for pc , android etc ?

Replying to #8

no, it means they reserve the right to if they wish.

It would have been good if they released a free official emulator :)
anyway VBA is good for those gba games :)

I just hope they don't sue all the people who have already made emulators for those platforms.

Replying to #11

I don't think they can, if anything an attempt could invalidate their patent because of prior art.