Game Boy Hub

The Game Boy Hub (or GBH for short, alternatively just Hub) is a 9th generation handheld video game console developed by Nintendo and Niobium Moon Studios as a direct successor to the Nintendo 3DS. It is the first console to be designated as part of the Game Boy family since the Game Boy Micro's release in 2005, made as a fully handheld console to stand alongside the hybrid Nintendo Switch (plus its psuedo-successor, the Nintendo Switch Plus) and primarily home-focused Nintendo GameCube 2.
==Overview==
===Development and Reveal===
As the Nintendo 3DS was gradually phased out thanks to the commercial success of the Switch, questions began to arise regarding the future of traditional handheld consoles and whether they could still have a place in the market due to the Switch's hybrid nature and the near-universal appeal of mobile devices.
While Nintendo and Niobium Moon were developing the GameCube 2, a modernized Game Boy console was proposed to run directly alongside it, homaging the coexistence of the Game Boy Advance and the original Nintendo GameCube in the early 2000s. The concept was fleshed out and eventually announced to the public on YouTube and social media with the "Game Boy Hub" name on October 24, 2022. The announcement video explained that while the Switch was built for seamless transition between home and portable gameplay and the GameCube 2 was designed with backwards compatibility and more convenient porting for AAA titles in mind, the Game Boy Hub's top priority is promoting accessibility for developers and players alike with a variety of smaller, simpler games, easy means to port most larger games to the console, and a slew of multimedia features on par with what mobile devices tend to offer - hence the console's name.
The Game Boy Hub was built upon a reminiscence of why the original Game Boy line was as beloved as it was during its run. Many aspects of the original consoles were greatly improved upon to recreate the Game Boy brand as players remember it, not as it actually was. True to the Game Boy line's nature, the GBH is backwards compatible with cartridges for all previous Game Boy consoles, including the original Game Boy, the Game Boy Color, and the Game Boy Advance.
It is not intended as a direct competitor against mobile gaming, but instead as an affordable alternative, with project director citing the consistently rising prices of high-end phones and tablets as a potential barrier for players who want easy access to on-the-go gaming without having to rely on streaming from the cloud.
===Console Layout===
The Game Boy Hub has a capacitive touch screen situated in the middle, measuring 4.88 inches diagonally (about the size of the New Nintendo 3DS XL's top screen). The screen has a maximum resolution of 1080p, with its smaller size giving it a higher PPI (pixel per inch) and thus making images on the screen appear more crisp and vivid compared to the Switch's screen.
A control stick, a D-Pad, and Home and Share buttons can be found to the left of the screen, and a C stick, A/B/X/Y face buttons, and Start (+) and Select (-) buttons are found to the right. The sticks and buttons are removable, and can thus be swapped around; this feature is meant to allow the D-Pad to be placed directly next to the face buttons, as it was on the original Game Boy models, while also allowing the control stick to be kept there for use in modern games if desired. Both sticks are pressure sensitive and can thus act as buttons, and the C stick also serves as an NFC touchpoint for amiibo figures and cards.
A microphone is placed just below the screen, while two cameras can be found above the screen and at the back of the console. These cameras can capture images and video at a notably higher quality compared to the 3DS camera, sitting at 8MP (megapixels) vs. the 3DS's 0.3MP.
At the top of the console, the cartridge slot rests in the middle, with L and R shoulder buttons, ZL and ZR analog triggers, and SL and SR inner triggers on the sides; the SL and SR buttons also serve as scroll wheels for certain in-game functions. The cartridge slot lies just between a circular Power button and the console's charging port.
The bottom is home to a headphone jack and a second cartridge slot. The left side of the console has a volume slider, and there are two micro SD card slots (one on each side) for additional storage. There is an adjustable kickstand at the back of the console, allowing players to place it down and use a Bluetooth controller if desired.
The console also has two adjustable screen shutters, which can be adjusted to make games in older aspect ratios look better on the console's wider screen compared to previous consoles. These shutters also have additional functionality where if you push one all the way to the other side, the console is put into Quick Sleep Mode, and opening it back up allows you to pick up where you left off without the need to re-enter a password or similar credentials as you would if you had pressed the Power button.
===Multimedia Cartridges===
In addition to games, Nintendo and Niobium Moon will release movies, TV episode compilations, and music content on GBH cartridges. When asked about this, Nio explained:
"Physical media matters. Look, I get it - they did this before and really botched it. But maybe they were just getting way ahead of themselves and it was just too early to give it a try. Now, technology has advanced, cartridges can hold more data now than ever before, we're in the age of streaming and more and more people are giving up on DVDs and Blu-rays. So we asked ourselves, 'what can we do to make physical media cool again?'"
The developers are aiming for a much larger library with more variety compared to the old Game Boy Advance Video, citing Sony's multimedia efforts with the PlayStation Portable's UMD format as an inspiration. To encourage this and the overall usage of GBH multimedia cartridges, they will collaborate directly with distributors to port their media onto said cartridges, developing activities and minigames that would come with them as bonus content and even coming up with ways for them to enable content in GameCube 2 games when used with the new Link Cable for both consoles. In some cases, multiple related media could be contained on one cartridge - for example, the Batman 1989 cartridge would include the movie, its soundtrack, and the NES video game that was somewhat based off of it. Additionally, these multimedia cartridges can run on the GameCube 2 directly, unlike the original GBA Video cartridges which were barred from usage with the GameCube 1's Game Boy Player due to piracy concerns.
On March 4, 2023, blank, rewritable GBH cartridges and USB adapters for them were released in stores for public use, and PC software to use with them was published on the official website, allowing both consumers and developers to easily burn game, music, and/or video files onto said cartridges and run them on the console. This is meant to avoid one of the primary drawbacks of the PSP's UMD format - its lack of writers and blank media for easy porting - and gives users the power to run their media on GBH in case it hasn't already had a dedicated release for the console. Dedicated releases, however, are designed with bonus material and cross-platform compatibility with GameCube 2 built in from the jump, giving users an incentive to buy such releases alongside the rewritable cartridges. For example, a user can burn a rock band's album onto a blank GBH cartridge if so desired, but a dedicated GBH release of the same album would allow them to port the songs to Super Guitar Hero on GameCube 2 and play them in-game. Dedicated releases are also made with long-term support in mind, gaining updates to support compatibility with more GameCube 2 titles as they come out. However, these dedicated releases can still be messed around with in the GBH cartridge software on PC, allowing users to more easily learn how such functions work and apply their new understanding to modding. Special software for cartridge patching and editing, designed in a similar fashion to the Riivolution program for Wii homebrew, was made available to assist users who wish to mod GBH cartridges.
Another major focus point of GBH multimedia cartridges is to give casual audiences easy access to physical copies of movies and TV series that would otherwise be hard to find outside of places like Amazon, or would simply not receive a physical release at all. Nintendo and Niobium Moon will partner with creators who are seeking physical releases for their projects that have previously been released exclusively on streaming services.
====The Super Mario Bros. Movie promotion====
On April 18, 2023, a Game Boy Hub cartridge copy of The Super Mario Bros. Movie was announced for release on June 6 alongside its release on Blu-ray, 4K, etc., and it will include cross-compatibility with GameCube 2 games such as Mario Kart ReConnect: Grand Circuit and Super Mario Bros.: Chronological Calamity.
===Home Menu===
There are six primary sections you can access on the Home Menu: Apps & Media, Profile, Friends, Nintendo eShop, Online, and Settings. They are shown as tabs at the top of the screen, each with their own unique icon, and pressing the shoulder buttons on the Home Menu allows you to navigate between them at will.
By default, the Game Boy Hub will prioritize running a cartridge right away if there is one inserted when the console is powered on, to replicate the feeling of turning on previous Game Boy line consoles. However, the Home Menu can still be accessed by holding down the Home Button on the Game Boy logo boot screen, and the player can choose whether or not to prioritize a cartridge in the Settings menu.
====Apps & Media====
The Apps & Media section is represented with a blue cartridge icon, and the menu has a similar appearance to that of the Nintendo 3DS Home Menu, with a grid of icons being displayed on the screen to represent different games, apps, movies, TV compilations, and music content that you own. These icons can be organized into Folders or Lockers, the latter of which lets you set passwords or PIN codes that must be entered to unlock them.
====Profile====
The Profile section is represented by your profile icon, shown at the top left of your screen separate from the other five icons, which are arranged on a bar at the bottom. In this section, you'll be able to edit your profile icon, your bio, and your Greeting message that your friends will see whenever you turn on your console. Additionally, you can import music content and images to design a custom theme for your profile and overall Home Menu; music can be imported from GBH multimedia cartridges, the pre-installed Game Music app, or services like Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Deezer, etc. You can choose to have your custom theme visible to friends if they visit your profile.
You will also be able to view your Sticker Book, consisting of Sticker achievements you've earned in games. Stickers are available in five categories based on their value: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Niobium. You can organize them by game, in alphabetical order, or by the date they were earned, all in ascending or descending order. Stickers can be placed on top of folders and lockers, or they can be traded with others or even sold for Gold Points which can be used to save money on your next purchase in the eShop. Additionally, they can be printed out using the GBH Printer peripheral for real-world use.
====Friends====
The Friends section is represented by a green, square "smiley" face icon. You are presented with the Friend List, which shows all users you are currently friends with and their current activity. From here, you have multiple options:
*Invite them to join your current activity;
*Send them a direct message on PictoChat, with your past conversations being available to read through;
*Offer a Sticker for Gold Points or a trade;
*Mute the user to stop receiving activity notifications from them, or remove them from your friend list entirely;
*Change your status, with available options including "Online", "Idle", "Do Not Disturb", or "Invisible". "Do Not Disturb" will prevent you from receiving social notifications until you revert your status to "Online" or "Idle", and "Invisible" prevents other users from seeing your current activity.
====Nintendo eShop====
The eShop section is represented by an orange shopping bag icon. In the eShop, content is organized into different subsections for games, apps, movies, TV shows, and music, in a similar manner to how it is organized in the iTunes store or Google Play Store. Each section shows off recent/popular releases, multiple categories based on genre, difficulty, age rating, etc., and any special sales that are currently active. A search bar at the top allows you to quickly search for specific content you want. Upon purchasing a new game or other media content, you can choose whether you want a digital or physical copy. If you choose digital, the software will begin downloading automatically, with its icon popping up in the Apps & Media menu and a circle graph showing its current download percentage. Physical copies, meanwhile, will be mailed to you from your region's cartridge production center; if there is a problem with delivery, you will receive a notification and you can request a refund if so desired.
Virtual Console titles are available to purchase alongside everything else in the shop. They can be purchased individually and played offline as an alternative to subscribing to Nintendo Online to have access to its retro streaming library.
====Online====
The Online section is represented by a red globe icon. With a Nintendo Online membership, not only will you be able to play your games online and check out a library of legacy games for streaming; you will also get access to the White Hole modding/homebrew app and its community. Additionally, you'll be able to check on your cloud saves for games you own, post content on the Miiverse Plus service (as of the Switch Plus launch update), and receive trials for three different free games a month - plus the option to purchase any of them at a discount if you like them.
====Settings====
The Settings section is represented by a grey gear icon.
*Data Management: In this menu, you have the option to delete software, archive it to save space when you're not using it, or (if applicable) send data from your console to a micro SD card or vice versa.
*Power-On Priority: Choose whether your console should instantly run a cartridge or open the Home Menu when you power it on.
*Time and Date: Set up the clock and calendar on your console, change your current time zone, or set alarms and event notifications.
*Parental Controls: Arrange restrictions for Game Boy Hub profiles for users under a specified age, including which programs they can purchase or use, whether they can make purchases in general, or how long they can play. Custom profile music is uploaded to a database that categorizes tracks depending on their explicity content, allowing you to easily mute music that you may find inappropriate while a child is browsing profiles.
*Journal: View a system log displaying which games and apps have been used over a specified period of time, how long/often certain programs have been used, and which profiles have been using said programs the most.
*Internet: Set up available Wi-Fi networks for your console, or turn Wi-Fi connection off to use 4G/5G.
*Payment: Update your credit/debit card information, check on your subscriptions, or add any gift cards you currently have.
*Location: Set your country and language, or turn location-based services on or off.
*Update: Download the latest console update, if your console has not automatically updated.
*Factory Reset: Reset your GBH system to its factory default settings. You will be asked twice to clarify that you want to do this before the reset proceeds.
===Peripherals===
A new Hub Link Cable allows the Game Boy Hub to connect to the GameCube 2 and enable interoperability between certain games, as the original Link Cable did for the GBA and GameCube 1. As mentioned earlier, this Link Cable can also be used with some movie, TV, and music cartridges to enable access to additional content in some GameCube 2 titles, encouraging players to purchase GBH multimedia cartridges and see what they can do with them.
The Game Boy Hub Printer, based off the original Game Boy Printer released in 1998, can print out photos and screenshots the player has captured on the console. This peripheral can also be used to print out any Stickers the player has been awarded, and screenshots captured on a Switch Plus or GameCube 2 can be transferred to the GBH for printing. Unlike the original Game Boy Printer, the Hub Printer is ink-based to enable full color visuals in printed images; GBH printer ink is available in stores at a generally cheaper price compared to the average printer ink used with computers. Printing paper is sold in picture and sticker varieties, with picture paper being about the size of the GBH's screen and sticker paper being about 3x3 inches.
The Screen Shell attachment adds a second screen to the GBH, allowing the player to play Nintendo DS, DSi, 3DS, and New 3DS games on the console with a cartridge slot at the back of the peripheral. The Screen Shell is plugged into the top cartridge slot and comes with an additional camera, primarily because the attachment would block the GBH's built-in front camera. It enables the usage of most, if not all of the DS family's Slot 2 Option Paks when used in combination with the GBH's bottom cartridge slot, allowing the player to play games like the Guitar Hero: On Tour series on official hardware for the first time since the DS Lite. It also allows the player to put the console into Quick Sleep Mode by folding the attachment on top of the console's main screen, like a DS or 3DS model. A stereoscopic 3D slider was originally going to be included for use with 3DS games, but this was scrapped to cut production costs.
The IC Disc Reader attachment allows the GBH to run Nintendo IC minidiscs, and is plugged into the top cartridge slot like the Screen Shell.
The Game Boy Hub is also the first handheld Nintendo console (excluding the Nintendo Switch Lite) to enable the usage of external Bluetooth controllers.
===Compatibility with Switch Plus===
When Nintendo unveiled the Nintendo Switch Plus, questions arose about the relevance of the GameCube 2 and Game Boy Hub in its presence. It was explained that the intent of the two consoles had always been to coexist with the Switch family so players can have multiple different ways to access the content they want, and as such, development of software for both consoles would continue as planned. The Switch Plus was cited as a "perfectly valid" addition to the overall ecosystem that the GameCube 2 and Game Boy Hub had established, and Niobium Moon confirmed that they will be supporting the new platform with multiple new releases in the future.
The primary differences between the three consoles, in terms of their general focus points as platforms, are as follows:
*The Switch Plus was intended to be a seamless transition from the previous Switch models, maintaining the Switch family's familiarity and general appeal at the time while also offering improvements where needed and requested.
*The GameCube 2 was designed as an essentially all-in-one Nintendo console for longtime fans who have held onto their old games, as well as an alternative for more jaded Switch players who don't feel as strong of a connection to the Switch as a platform as they did towards older Nintendo consoles, like the GameCube 1 and Wii in particular.
*The Game Boy Hub, as a concept, was rooted in nostalgia for the pre-Switch days of handheld gaming, especially the simplicity of the Game Boy family; as such, the console was made as a tribute to the overall "vibes" of the family that could also bring more modern offerings to the table, including a vast amount of multimedia content.
It was announced that on the Switch Plus's launch day, the Game Boy Hub would receive an update to allow the new Joy-Con Plus and Pro Controller Plus to be connected via Bluetooth, with their L/R mouse wheels being supported in GBH games that utilize the console's SL/SR scroll wheels. This update would also allow the GBH to be sync'd with a Switch Plus to enable dual-screen functionality or transfer data between the two consoles. Additionally, the GBH's PictoChat feature would get a merger of sorts with Miiverse Plus (also arriving on GameCube 2 that day), allowing players to sync their PictoChat and Miiverse Plus profiles so they can repost content from one app to another.
===Models and Revisions===
On October 5, 2023, the Game Boy Hub XL was announced for release in Q1 2024. True to its name, it has a larger screen measuring about 5.78 inches diagonally. The screen's maximum resolution is also higher at 2160p.
==Software==
To view the full Game Boy Hub library, including video and music content releases, go here.
===Games===
:Any page that has [[Category:Game Boy Hub Games]] on them will be added here automatically (after a purge or edit). If you would like to have your game(s) on this console, add the category to the article(s).
===Pre-Installed Apps===
*Health and Safety Information: Self-explanatory. Don't get yourself hurt.
*Mii Maker: Miis return with all the customization options from the Switch version of Miitopia. Miis you make on the Game Boy Hub can be transferred or copied to the GameCube 2 and vice versa.
*CubeCall: Crossing over from the GameCube 2, this app allows the Game Boy Hub to act as a phone. You can sync your phone number and contacts with your GBH as you can with the GameCube 2.
*PictoChat: The classic chat drawing app from the Nintendo DS family makes its return on the Game Boy Hub, now with the ability to send color drawings. The app has also been upgraded into a social network, much like the Miiverse app that was featured on Wii U and 3DS. Players can post their drawings, pictures, etc. in direct messages, group chats, or communities designed in a similar fashion to Discord servers. With the Switch Plus launch update, a PictoChat account can also be sync'd to Miiverse Plus, allowing players to repost content from one app to another if they have a Nintendo Online subscription.
*Download Play: Connect to another GBH console nearby and dive into multiplayer games with only one cartridge needed.
*White Hole: Niobium Moon Studios' community app for modders and homebrew developers. Having a Nintendo Online subscription gives you instant access to a wide variety of homebrew apps for your console, along with mods for your favorite games, which you can install and turn on or off with the White Hole Mod Manager. You can also connect the app to your PC or mobile device to easily access and change textures, models, and music/SFX, or rip them from the games themselves for use to mod other games. The White Hole app is generally inspired by the Wii's homebrew community, the GameBanana website, and the Fallen Cloud app on The V².
*NintendoCast: A live TV service included as part of the Nintendo Online Expansion Pack. It is a refresh of the Wii U's Nintendo TVii app, with a lot of the common TV networks for entertainment, news, and sports being included - alongside the similarly revived Nintendo Channel, which features the return of the Wii's Nintendo Week and broadcasting of Nintendo Direct presentations, plus monthly competitions players can participate in for prizes.
*Camera & Sound: Take pictures or record audio/videos and save them on your console. Your media can also be transferred or copied between your Game Boy Hub, GameCube 2, Switch Plus, PC, and mobile device.
*Back Mii Up: A cloud storage app where you can store copies of multimedia files, Miis, and compatible game saves for future transfer between GameCube 2, Game Boy Hub, and Switch Plus.
*Game Music: When you purchase a Game Boy Hub game, you can listen to its soundtrack in this app.
*Opera Browser: The default web browser, with all the features of the GameCube 2, desktop, and mobile versions. Other web browsers, such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Brave, etc. can be installed from the eShop as alternatives.
*File Explorer: View all the game data and media files you have stored on the console or any connected storage devices.
*Discord: Log in to your Discord account and connect to your favorite servers and communities straight from the Game Boy Hub. You can stream your current console activity and allow the app to display it on your profile status.
*Spotify: Log in to your Spotify profile to listen to your music in the background as you continue your current game or activity.
==Colors and Bundles==
The Game Boy Hub comes in a variety of colors, including:
*Retro White (launch color, based on original Game Boy)
*Dandelion Yellow (launch color, based on Game Boy Color)
*Advance Indigo (launch color, based on Game Boy Advance)
*Atomic Purple (transparent)
*Spice Orange
*Cosmic Black
*Kiwi Green
*Pocket Silver
*Light Gold
*Metallic Rose
All console bundles come with a charging cable. The current available bundles are as follows:
*Standard Bundle
**Game Boy Hub console
**Charging Cable
*Media Power Bundle
**Rose Gold Game Boy Hub console
**10 blank multimedia cartridges
**Multimedia cartridge reader for PCs
**Instant download link for cartridge writing software
**Charging cable
*Ultimate Dual Screen Bundle
**Aqua Blue Game Boy Hub console (inspired by 3DS launch color)
**Aqua Blue Screen Shell
**Charging cable
*Photographer's Bundle
**Pocket Silver Game Boy Hub console
**GBH Printer
**120 printing sheets (60 photo sheets + 60 sticker sheets)
**Charging cable
==Gallery==
To download a boxart template with layers for the game, video, and music icons listed below that you can turn on or off at will, go here. It will be downloaded as an ORA file that you can use with professional art programs like Krita and Paint.net (a plugin will be needed for the latter).
GameBoyHub_Boxart_Template.png|The boxart template.
Simple_game_boy_icon.png|A simple game icon that can be used for GBH boxarts.
Simple_video_icon.png|A simple video icon for boxarts.
Simple_music_icon.png|A simple music icon for boxarts.
Category:Handheld Consoles
Category:Fan Consoles
Category:Nintendo Consoles
Category:Ninth Generation Consoles
Category:Nio's Stuff