Your Android phone can become a real Game Boy with this gadget

A product that began life as an April Fools joke has graduated to a real thing you can order right now: Hyperkin’s SmartBoy is an accessory for Android smartphones with a USB-C connector, and brings Game Boy-style physical controls and actual Game Boy game cartridge compatibility to the gaming device you carry with you everywhere in your pocket anyways.

The Hyperkin SmartBoy^[1] is up for pre-order now, with shipments beginning on August 21. It features a familiar button configuration and color scheme for original Nintendo Game Boy fans, and even grooves on the back that will prompt some tactile nostalgia. The accessory works with the SmartBoy companion app, and also pairs well with any of the many Android emulators available on the Google Play Store.

The accessory can also play official Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges, as mentioned, though these apparently take a little while to load, since it actually dumps their contents to the device. The device was built specifically for the Samsung Galaxy S8, but supports a long list of other USB C phones including Google Pixel and Pixel XL, Moto Z and Z Force, and more, with a full list of compatible smartphones available at the Hyperkin site.

By most early accounts^[2], it provides a satisfying physical gaming experience that beats soft keys on Android emulator apps. With an abundance of options for mobile games, this may have a niche audience, but it’s definitely going to be attractive for anyone who grew up with a Game Boy in their...

Welcome to this week’s Market Wrap Podcast, I’m Mike Gleason.

Coming up we’ll hear our recent interview with Paul-Martin Foss of The Carl Menger Center for the Study of Money and Banking and former legislative assistant for Congressman Ron Paul. Paul-Martin shares his firsthand account of what those on Capitol Hill truly think of our monetary system, and how most in Congress simply don’t have a clue about the Federal Reserve banking cartel, let alone the importance of sound money. You simply won’t want to miss my interview with Paul-Martin Foss, coming up after this week’s market update.

Gold and silver markets traded in a narrow range this week through Thursday as traders question whether the price recovery seen in July has further to go. For gold, prices will need to break out strongly above the $1,300 level to confirm an uptrend.

But it’s not happening this week and we’re seeing a bit of a selloff today. As of this Friday recording, gold trades at $1,258 per ounce and shows a weekly loss of 0.9%. Silver is off 3.0% for the week to bring spot prices to $16.33 an ounce.

The precious metals mining stocks aren’t leading strongly one way or the other. The price action in the HUI gold miners index has been unusually tepid over the past 6 months. Normally, the mining sector exhibits big week to week swings, but volatility has tamped down as a trendless sideways trading range persists. Eventually, of course, this low volatility environment will give way to a big directional move.

A pick up in investment demand for precious metals could certainly help drive a bull market in prices. On Thursday, the World Gold Council released a report on gold demand