GamePro Closing Up Shop
Scott Pilgrim Vs The Attention To Detail

Workboy Wanted To Change Everything

WorkboyWhile Nintendo's beloved Game Boy redefined handheld gaming, other companies looked to turn Nintendo's entertainment device into a productivity gizmo.  InfoGenius had a line of organizer, spell check, travel guide, and other assorted game paks for the system that turned it into a semi-inconvenient pre-PDA, but it was Fabtek that wanted to go the extra mile and turn the Game Boy into a proper mobile workstation.  Behold the Workboy!  This never-released peripheral added a keyboard and stand to the Game Boy experience in order to allow users to enjoy functions such as a clock, day planner, temperature converter, a calendar, and a currency converter all for a cost of about $80!  How's that for amazement circa 1990?  Here's a scan from Nintendo Power that lauded the upcoming-yet-unrealized product.

AssemblerGames has an additional article that details an even-more-unreleased Workboy 2 that would have included a word processor tool.  Mindboggling!  As intriguing as the idea may be, I can't imagine the Workboy becoming a stellar success.  Despite a breakthrough across age brackets with Tetris, the Game Boy was largely seen as a childrens' toy during the Work Boy's envisioned heyday.  Most kids don't have a need for a currency converter or a day planner.  In a way though, it's kind of a shame.  Workboy was truly ahead of its time considering the ubiquitousness of today's smartphones with their many productivity apps.

Comments