2/10/2K: First there was the iMac-colored GameBoy. Now, if our
usually unreliable sources are on the mark, Apple is working with
Nintendo to produce MacBoy, a handheld game machine
that 
will play GameBoy and GameBoy Color games - and run some
Mac games as well.
The compact MacBoy will sport a 640 x 480 pixel backlit TFT
display capable of up to 24-bit video. Using the latest LCD
technology from IBM for 123 pixels per inch, the MacBoy
screen will measure 5.2 inches wide by 3.9" tall - or vice versa,
if the machine is switched to portrait mode.
Powered by a 300 MHz and containing a Nintendo ASIC that fully
emulates GameBoy Color, the new device will have a cartridge
slot for GameBoy games. MacBoy also has exactly the same
controls as the GameBoy, so users won't have to relearn a thing -
except for getting used to the larger screen.
The MacBoy is actually two parts - the screen rotates 90°
while the control buttons remain at the bottom. It's a very
impressive, robust, and simply clever design.
The computer itself will contain 64 MB of memory, a 3.2 GB 2.5"
hard drive, and Apples NewWorld ROMs. It will be a full Power Mac,
albeit a small one. And in addition to the GameBoy controls, there
will also be a stylus for onscreen manipulation, IR connectivity,
and a pair of USB ports for addition of a keyboard, mouse, CD-ROM,
printer, or other USB device.
But it doesn't stop there.
MacBoy Meets Palm OS
Although Apple has been rebuffed in its attempts to purchase
Palm and Handspring, 3Com's Palm division has been more than
happy to license the Palm OS to Apple. So it's also
appearing on the MacBoy!
The 300 MHz MacBoy will have no trouble emulating the Palm,
right down to IR beaming of files between it and other Palm OS
hardware. Best of all, Apple and Palm have teamed up to provide
several new screen formats with full color support: 320x240,
240x320, 640 x 480, and 480x640.
However, users should keep in mind that the 123 pixel per inch
resolution of the MacBoy could make use of small text very
difficult. Maybe there will be an after-market for
magnifiers, just as there is for the GameBoy.
Finally, the whole thing will run on four AAA batteries for up
to ten hours (using hard drive sleep).
Windows CE, your days are numbered. Apple has the perfect
product for the gamer, the business executive, and the hardware
geek who just wants something really cool he can pull out of his
(large) pocket.
Sources expect the MacBoy to ship on 1 April 2000 at a price in
the $250-300 range.
- Anne Onymus
