
We’re sure Nintendo is busy creating something new and exciting to release into the world, but we kind of wish this is what they were working on…
Munich-based designer Florian Renner has reimagined Nintendo’s iconic portable console, the Game Boy, as a machine fit for the 21st century, and we desperately wish it were real.
Renner’s “GAME BOY 1up” concept takes the iconic design of Nintendo’s 1989 portable and twists it into a device that any gamer would be proud to pull out of their backpack on a train.
▼ Game Boy becomes GAME BOY 1up
The most notable addition is of course the bigger, wider screen, allowing games to be experienced in—we’re assuming—beautiful 1080p. Renner’s concept also adds a couple of additional face buttons as well as the ‘L’ and ‘R’ shoulder buttons console gamers have come to expect.
It’s not all change, though; as well as mimicking its colour scheme, Renner’s design retains the original Game Boy’s speaker slats and single curved bottom-right corner, which is a really nice touch, although having nursed my left palm back into shape following many an extended session with the original Game Boy, I have a feeling today’s gamers might find themselves wishing the left corner were equally well contoured were this a real piece of gaming hardware.
▼ Same but different: Renner’s concept mixes things up with its buttons
▼ Sleek, stylish, and it uses physical media!
▼ This version appears to be something of a homage to the Famicom with its gold and burgundy colour scheme
While I very much doubt a portable console of its size, least not one from Nintendo—a company with a reputation for putting originality before processing power—could be capable of running such titles as Fallout 4, I can’t deny that I’d love to see Nintendo’s name on a piece of hardware this capable in the future. As much as I enjoy the novelty factor of Nintendo’s more recent consoles, I do occasionally find myself missing the days when Nintendo’s machines were not considered the quirky underdog in the console race. Still, who knows? Maybe Nintendo will surprise us all when it lifts the lid on its mysterious ‘NX’ console next year? I can dream, right?
Be sure to check out the rest of Renner’s work, which spans everything from 80s-style visions of the future to art for video games, over on his website. Fantastic work, sir. Be sure to hassle Nintendo about making this a reality!
Source & images: Florian Renner h/t The Next Web






Feel lame and old by watching kids react to a Nintendo Game Boy for the first time
Datel Japan reveals headphones with Game Boy-themed in-line mic, we reach for our Christmas list
Give your Game Boy a new lease of life with upcoming HDTV adaptor “hdmyboy”
Amazing Game Boy smartphone wallpaper brings out the Nintendo fanboy in us all
Is a Game Boy Classic Edition on the way? Alleged Nintendo trademark application sparks rumors
Solo travel in Japan: Hidden beer garden in Tokyo is a haven for single visitors
One Piece Day 2026 brings new art, music, and new cast announcements
Studio Ghibli unveils new anime calendars and diary planners for 2027
Flock to Tomarigi, the viral app that lets you perch in over 1,000 spots throughout Japan
Japan’s birth rate rose for the first half of the year for the first time in over a decade
Family Mart releases new Human Made Cup Noodle in Japan, with freebies for Nigo fans
Hobonichi unveils new 2027 planners, diaries and stationery with One Piece, Suica Penguin, Hello Kitty and a must-buy Mini Techo
7-Eleven Japan goes viral for chilled soba that’s “too salty to eat”
First Pokémon anime movie since 2020 announced, brings new characters and staff to the series [Video]
Beautiful 785-step Japanese shrine sando stairway walk is one very good reason to visit Kagawa
Japan’s final Penguin Suica train cards have already shipped, and when they’re gone, they’re gone
Japan approves foreign resident visa renewal fee increases of up to 967 percent, starts soon
Japan tripled its departure tax to fund tourism but is using the money on cherry blossoms and bears
Farewell Final Ceremony announced for Tokyo’s life-size Gundam statue, will stream live
Nike x One Piece collection brings Devil Fruits to sneakers and streetwear in Japan
Police in Japan looking for who’s responsible for dumping 80 loaves of bread on side of road [Video]
12-year-old British girl who went missing in Tokyo found safe after visiting anime sites around Yokohama
7-year-old boy left behind on Mt. Fuji by his own dad
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Sushi Bus: Japan’s first conveyor-belt bus lets you eat sushi while sightseeing around Tokyo
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
Study finds hundreds of people in Indonesia legally named after Naruto, Inuyasha, other anime stars
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Is the New Nintendo 3DS worth the purchase? Early adopters in Japan share their thoughts
Sturdy enough to survive a bomb and 9 other facts about the Game Boy【Video】
Nintendo goes retro and patents awesome smartphone case that looks exactly like a Game Boy
Japan’s 10 best-selling video games this century so far
Nintendo announces new “2DS” portable, Wii U deluxe gets a price cut
The original Pokémon games are coming to Nintendo’s 3DS Virtual Console early next year!
Nintendo and Lego team up for an awesomely accurate the Lego Game Boy kit【Photos】
NVIDIA’s Shield portable console – Cool, sleek and technically illegal in Japan
New Nintendo 3DS ad flaunts the incoming console’s spiffy new features 【Video】
Hyperkin’s joke design for a Game Boy emulator for iPhones is now the real deal…maybe
Nintendo brightens the life of a Game Boy-loving 95-year-old Japanese grandmother
Nintendo to Host Game Design Seminar this Summer, Accepting Applications from May 13
Awesome retro faceplate turns your New Nintendo 3DS into an old-school Game & Watch
Retro game dream — A massive collection of 99.36 percent of every Game Boy game ever released
At long last, new Game Boy (yes, Game Boy) game “Airaki” on sale next month