We have been featuring iPhone cases around here for years, but perhaps nothing quite like the new GameBaby from Bitmo Lab. Combining a somewhat traditional iPhone case with Game Boy-like controls, the new GameBaby delivers a sort of two-piece cover that brings some physical gaming controls to iPhone 15 Max and iPhone 16 Max, according to the brand. Now available for pre-order ahead of next week’s iPhone 16 reveal, you can score one down at $19.99 from the regular $40 price tag during the pre-sale phase.
GameBaby case brings Game Boy-style controls to iPhone 15 and 16 Pro Max
Bitmo Lab describes the new GameBoy-meets-iPhone case as “phone armor with retro gaming superpowers.” And, as far as we can tell, that is indeed what it appears to do.
The GameBaby, more specifically speaking, is an iPhone case with “built-in physical buttons that transforms your device into a retro gaming handheld.”
It features a two piece design, the top half that is essentially just the top half of any regular iPhone case, and the bottom that carries the physical Game Boy-style controls. You can flip the lower piece off to protect the back of your device when you’re not getting your 2D side-scrolling and retro RPG on, and the flip it back around to the front when you’re ready to boot the games back up.
GameBaby consists of two parts that attach to your phone. As a phone case, both parts attach to the back. As a controller, flip the lower part to the front, and your phone instantly becomes a retro gaming handheld. Enjoy gaming on-the-go with GAMEBABY’s versatile design.
The brand says the GameBaby case supports various button layouts, including GB, GBC, GBA, and NES by way of “custom emulator skins for perfect compatibility across various handheld console layouts.”
The controller does not need to charge up – there’s no Bluetooth or cables here.
The brand says it “is currently in development, final design may vary slightly. BitmoLab and GAMEBABY do not provide any emulators or game ROMs GAMEBABY is designed to work with Delta emulator. Support for over 7000 game button layouts is based on data from video-games-museum.com.”
Pre-sale for the new Bitmo Labs GameBaby begins today with the first 1,000 units available at $19.99 before it jumps up to $24.99 for the remainder of the pre-order phase. “After the launch, the GameBaby will retail for $39.99.”
We are looking to get our hands-on an early unit to see how it actually all works, or if it all works, but there’s no telling how long the early bird pricing might last. There’s does not appear to be any official dates on when it might begin shipping – you’ve been warned.
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