In the early 90s, Nintendo studied the huge success of the Game Boy and thought, what if you could work on this as well? Enter the WorkBoy, an accessory that turned Nintendo’s handheld system into an early PDA type. But despite much evidence that the WorkBoy existed, it disappeared before it ever went into the hands of productivity-conscious gamers. Now, a prototype has been found, giving us a look at the possible address books.
Over the weekend, Liam Robasdan, video game historian, posted a video reporting on his dive into the history of the WorkBoy and his search for the lost protocol. He found that despite persistent rumors in the old games community claiming that the WorkBoy was sold in limited quantities, it never made it to market.
Originally marked in January 1992, the WorkBoy’s roundabout keyboard was connected to a GameBoy with a standard green screen. Users had access to 12 apps that included a diary, a cash machine, and a calendar.
According to Robertson, a prototype was unveiled at the CES electronic show in May 1992. Following the trade, the device received some media attention with GameZone writing, “Nintendo’s success was reflected in its display at the CES – almost that he had a whole hangman for himself, filled with his own and developers ’products. But there wasn’t much available that was completely different – that is, with the exception of the WorkBoy. The Chicago Tribune was not so kind as to call the idiosyncratic accessory “rusty.”
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During his research, Robertson contacted Eddie Gill, founder of Source Research and Development, the company that created the WorkBoy for Nintendo. Gill was able to address some of the issues that prevented the WorkBoy from making it to the market and said it planned to sell for a space between $ 79 and $ 89. Gill did not own a unit in his possession , but he pointed out Robertson to Frank Ballouz, founder of the device’s producer, Fabtek, and owner of what is believed to be the only WorkBoy not locked in Nintendo’s cellars.
When Robertson got his hands on the last machine, it didn’t work because he needed the accompanying card to get to the software. As luck would have it, there was a huge chunk of obscure Nintendo files this summer that got the name Gigaleak, and surprisingly Robertson was able to find the WorkBoy software in the leak.
While the product margin may have been impressive for its time, limited memory and internet connection does not mean that its convenience is very limited. I have to say, I love the phone book that is designed to allow a Game Boy speaker user to hold up to a landline phone receipt to dial the intended number.
Robertson has been on this WorkBoy question since 2019, and he has done an admirable job recovering the story of this lost machine. Check out the full video below.