Learn Game Design with a Console You Build for $110
Portable gaming isn’t limited to your phone or a Switch. You can build your own retro console with ByteBoi, a DIY game console. Funded on Kickstarter, this programmable handheld is part gaming device, part educational tool, and it’s on sale for $109.99 (Reg. $119).
CircuitMess, the creators of MAKERbuino, has recently released the ByteBoi. This streamlined 8-bit gaming device is open source and totally customizable. You can code for it in Make Code Arcade, build new games, or design whole new functionalities.
The first thing ByteBoi does is teach you or your favorite young engineer how to assemble a gaming device. It comes completely disassembled, so putting the ByteBoi together requires fine attention to detail. It also lets you do a little soldering, and the assembly process leaves lots of room for customization. Don’t like the buttons that come with it? Print yourself some new ones!
The ByteBoi kit comes with a sturdy acrylic casing, all the small components you need to assemble it, a powerful Li-Po battery, and an instruction booklet because this is a learning opportunity, not a puzzle. A USB-C port for charging and a Micro SD slot for storage or file transfers.
After you assemble the device itself, you can start playing pre-made games, connect straight to the internet, or start coding your own games. You can even animate characters and simulate physics in the games you design. The ByteBoi is small but mighty in comparison to its mobile predecessors.
If you like what you created, upload it and brag to the growing community of ByteBoi users, or connect with an extensive network of DIY gamers. You can get a little taste of that by checking out the development process for the ByteBoi itself!
Build the game and the console it’s played on. Get the ByteBoi: DIY Advanced Game Console while it’s on sale for $109.99 (Reg. $119). And if you want a different way to build a game, check out this LEGO set for Horizon: Forbidden West.
ByteBoi: DIY Advanced Game Console – $109.99
Prices subject to change
Feature image: StackCommerce
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