Several months back, patent listings for Nintendo surfaced on the EU IPO website for a number of the company’s controllers, with one being the Nintendo 64 remote, which led many to speculate whether or not the Big N has a potential mini console in mind for the classic 1996 system. While the official re-release of the hardware is nothing more than a rumor at this point, the video game peripheral manufacturer Hyperkin might eventually release a product to fill the void, as it has created a prototype for a portable Nintendo 64 handheld.

As seen in the images below that were leaked by Hyperkin Senior Account Manager Ramon Navos-Moral onto his personal Facebook page, the prototype appears to be designed around the scheme of the N64 controller, with a screen built-in to the top of the handheld for portable play. Interestingly enough, there's a cartridge slot on the back, with the hardware running the seminal platformer Super Mario 64.

Before getting too excited about the possibility of a portable Nintendo 64 console hitting the market soon, it looks as if Hyperkin wasn't too keen on Navos-Moral distributing its internal R&D projects online, as the project was still early in development. As a matter of fact, the company has already issued a statement to say that it has taken action against its Senior Account Manager, and has confirmed that the N64 handheld is real, but may not enter production.

Considering the success and popularity of Nintendo's release of both the NES Classic Edition and SNES Classic Edition, there's no doubt that if Hyperkin could refine its prototype for the portable N64, the company would stand to make buku bucks. Of course, the Big N would surely not allow Hyperkin to cut the legs out from underneath it should the all-but-confirmed Nintendo 64 Classic Edition be in existence behind closed doors.

Hyperkin's portable Nintendo 64 is just a prototype, and may never get an official release.

Source: Ramon Navos-Moral – Facebook (via Nintendo Life)