Few people have heard of it, yet many consider John Blankenbaker's KENBAK-1 to be the first commercial personal computer.
SUPABOY Pocket SNES Console
By James Grahame
I have a love-hate relationship with console emulators. On one hand, my classic consoles tend to end up in storage because they're bulky and somewhat glitchy. On the other, a modern emulator rarely captures the heart and soul of the original machine.
That said, I'm strangely drawn to the Hyperkin SUPABOY. This ungainly handheld mimics the shape of the original SNES controller, except with a 3.5" LCD screen and an SNES cartridge port in the back. The need for a massive cartridge ensures that it'll be heavy and awkward while attracting countless bewildered stares and stifled giggles.
However, a pair of SNES controller ports and a composite video out jack turns it into a teeny, tiny home console that feels like the real thing (if you can scrounge up a pair of genuine SNES controllers). The unit carries a list of $79.99, which hopefully translates into a street price of around $50 by the time it hits Amazon. That's almost reasonable.
The 11.5 oz SUPABOY measures 8.5 x 4 x 1.5 inches and includes stereo AV out, a headphone jack and a bizarrely guesstimated 5.5 hour battery life (tested once, without sound...). The manufacturer tested it with a handful of popular SNES and Japanese Famicom titles, but they jury is still out on real world compatibility. Available sometime late this summer from an online retailer near you.
