Nintendo's chairman, Howard Lincoln, speaks to Forbes about a very interesting future for the Game Boy.

　　In an interview with the online version of stock-watching magazine Forbes, Howard Lincoln cryptically hinted at the future of everyone's favorite handheld. Among the topics were Pokemon, the continued success of the new Game Boy Color, and the machine's future in an increasingly online age.

　　If you thought you'd seen Pokemon fever reach its peak, you're wrong. Even more pieces of Pokemon merchandise, which not even the most hard-core of fans could possibly want, are on the way, just in time to coincide with the Warner Bros.-released Pokemon feature film. Just the kind of thing to help shore up GBC sales, which are predicted to reach an all-time high of seven million in the US alone over the coming fiscal year.

　　As previously announced, the N64GB Pak will be released soon, allowing players to connect Pokemon, Mario Golf, and other upcoming GB games to their Nintendo 64 for 3D-themed fun and laughter. That's not all when it comes to expanding the horizons of the Game Boy world - how would you like to connect your GBC to your mobile phone? It's already happening in Japan, and from the comments Mr. Lincoln made, don't be surprised if an online solution sees the light of day here, too.

　　In the meantime, he assures us that new third-party developers are signing up all the time, so there's a healthy supply of new games coming our way. And in a final teaser, he says that the company is also "looking at ways of making the graphics better on the Game Boy." Whatever could he mean by that? Stay tuned for details.