The huge image: Handheld video video games like these from Tiger Electronics had been a staple of 80s and 90s tradition. Most featured licensed variations of common franchises like Sonic or Castlevania however notably used low-end parts and really primary gameplay to maintain prices down. That’s the identical components behind Asterisk, a tiny handheld designed particularly for the “falling-block puzzle recreation (a Tetris clone) that comes pre-loaded on it.
The gizmo is powered by an ATtiny85 microchip and incorporates a 0.91-inch OLED display screen. Four soft-click buttons flank the display screen (two per aspect), and it is all powered by a single CR2032 coin battery.
A small energy change is positioned on the underside fringe of the hand-held. The entire factor measures simply 1.58 inches extensive. The handheld’s creator says your excessive rating is saved if you end a recreation however if you happen to energy down earlier than completion, your rating is not going to be saved.
The system’s Arduino supply code has additionally been made obtainable for anybody eager to take a better look.
Asterisk is priced at $20 over on Tindie though it’s presently out of inventory and has been since July 22. Interested events can submit an e-mail tackle to hitch a restock wait listing.
The vendor, Ampersand, has a number of different choices obtainable on Tindie together with a $60 Espresso Kit to construct a handheld that is barely bigger than a deck of taking part in playing cards and a $49 equipment to create a handheld with a 3.2-inch display screen that is appropriate for retro gaming.
