These days, you may find a plethora of sleek, powerful game consoles on store shelves that let you play titles with graphics and animations that are almost indistinguishable from real life. That is… if you can actually get your hands on one.
We understand their appeal, but sometimes, we long for the fun and kicky look of game consoles of the past and feel nostalgic for the simple graphics in games like Pac-Man and Tetris. If you've felt similarly, we have good news: CircuitMess has reimagined the 8-bit educational gaming devices with the ByteBoi.
Successfully funded on Kickstarter, the ByteBoi is an open-source, retro game console you can put together and code yourself. Not only is it incredibly fun to create your own games, but it's also an educational experience as you get to work on your coding skills and see firsthand how video game consoles really work — you don't have to feel guilty about spending so much time glued to your screen.
No worries if the idea of dreaming up your game seems too daunting. The ByteBoi also comes with a set of pre-made games that you can play as soon as it's built. And let's not forget how fun and stylish it looks: It's a total throwback to game devices of yore. Plus, because you construct it yourself, you can really customize it to your specific tastes.
Just keep in mind that when you order the ByteBoi, you'll need tools for assembly. You will get a full-color TFT display, the main circuit board, a Li-Po battery, acrylic casing, and many other small components in your kit, though. Happy creating!
Right now, the ByteBoi is on sale: $109.99 instead of $119, down 8% total. Considering how much video game consoles regularly sell for, it's a great price — you to play games on your own handheld device without breaking the bank.
