The world has made great leaps in miniaturizing electronics, bringing the computer from room-size down to one that will fit into your pocket. But how small is too small? Is there a market for an inch-tall game? Kevin Bates has produced the Arduboy Nano, possibly the smallest video game that you can use with your big old thumbs.
Less than an inch tall, the Arduboy Nano can stand on a quarter without completely covering the coin. Inside the case, which is made from three 3D-printed parts that all slide together, is a 0.49-inch, 2,048-pixel OLED display, a 25 mAh rechargeable battery good for about an hour of gameplay, and an incredibly quiet 15-millimeter speaker, all of which are powered by the same ATmega 32u4 microcontroller you'll find inside the larger Arduboy. The Arduboy Nano is fully playable, assuming your fingers are tiny enough to hit the individual action buttons and your eyes have the focusing capabilities of an electron microscope.
While this is an interesting experiment in miniaturization, Bates has no plans to mass-produce the Arduboy Nano, unless buyers express interest. They might, just for giggles. But how much would you pay for a tiny game that will not only frustrate your eyesight and thumbs, but may well get lost in the couch cushions forever?
