For those who want that authentic “inserting a cartridge” feeling.

Love it or hate it, smartphone mobile gaming is only getting bigger. And with companies like Nintendo starting to test the smartphone gaming waters, it feels like the Mario Karts and Super Smash Bros. of the future may end up being mobile.

But many people feel something is lost in the transition from consoles to smartphones. There’s just something so unsatisfying about tapping an icon rather than booting up a console and snapping in your cartridge or disc.

To help bring back that feeling, one Japanese company will soon be releasing Picocassettes: small cartridges that you can plug into your phone via the headphone jack and play.

▼ And best of all, no blowing required.

Picocassette is a Japanese crowdfunded project to bring retro gaming to modern smartphones. Their first game, Ninja JaJaMaru-kun, originally for the NES, was just recently released, with the promise of more to come.

▼ You just plug it into the headphone jack…

▼ …and then you’re transported to an 8-bit world!

▼ No news yet on a Picocassette carrying case, but you know it’s coming.

▼ Here’s a video showing off how a Picocassette actually works.

One big question that you might have about Picocasssette though is: why would I want to buy something I have to plug into my phone? Wouldn’t it be better to just download the game instead? Here is Picocassette’s response, according to their crowdfunding page:

“We want to bring back games as toys, as something you can hold in your hand. People tend to value them more than way, more than when they download them. We want people to have that feeling they had as kids of going to the shop, buying a game, reading the manual, and then finally plugging it into the console to enjoy. We want to give adults the chance to return to that magical time from their own childhoods.”

Of course, that’s all well and good, but what about the price? They’re currently available for 4,980 yen (US$46) each via the crowdfunding page, but Picocassette says that they hope to get the price down to 3,000 yen ($28) before the official release.

To me, that sounds like a lot for just one 8-bit game, but for those who want the authentic feeling of buying NES games as a kid, I suppose it’s just part of the package.

What will your upcoming smartphone gaming budget consist of? Picocasettes or Pokémon GO? Let us know in the comments section!

Source: ASCII via My Game News Flash

Images: Makukake/Picocassette