Tag Archives: game console

Atari 7800+ is a retro mini console that looks forward and backward

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What is old is new again, or at least that’s the slogan for this wave of nostalgia trips washing over multiple industries today. Vinyl is selling again, Polaroid is now spelled “INSTAX,” and consoles that were famous before you were born are landing on shelves in miniature form. Interestingly enough, these retro designs prove just how powerful and lucrative nostalgia can be, especially if you can spin it in a way that makes sense in the present and for the foreseeable future. This recreation of one of Atari’s lesser-known home consoles, for example, doesn’t just pay homage to the past but actually supports the games of that era while also embracing titles that were made in the present for this decades-old platform.

Designer: Atari

Unlike its successful predecessor, the Atari 2600, the Atari 7800 from 1986 just came at the wrong time, just after the video game crash of 1983 and on the same year that the Nintendo Entertainment System, a.k.a. the Nintendo Famicom, launched. Regardless, the home console, which supported Atari 2600 cartridges to fill up its library, managed to make it into the annals of video game history, a chapter that Atari is now trying to revive in an interesting way.

The Atari 7800+, like many retro recreations, is a smaller version of the original, designed to better fit today’s standard housing situation. It sticks closely to the shape and aesthetics of the 7800, down to the color spectrum strip that was the hallmark of the European version of the machine. It supports HDMI out and displaying games in the original 4:3 aspect ratio or switching to widescreen for modern monitors. Rather than coming with pre-installed games like other retro consoles that simply use emulators, the 7800+ offers an almost exact replica of the original to the point that you can run both 2600 and 7800 cartridges, presuming you have those lying around.

That’s not exactly a large selection of titles, so the Atari 7800+ also supports third-party Atari games as well. The company takes it even further and actually supports the official adaptation of some of these games sold as 7800+ cartridges. That includes Bentley Bear’s Crystal Quest, a homebrew Atari game developed in 2014 as an unofficial successor to the 80s Crystal Quest. This is the only cartridge that comes with the package, and the other nine titles will be sold separately at $29.99 a pop.

The Atari 7800+ also comes with the CX78+ controller, a wireless remake of the radical two-button control that Atari introduced with the 7800. There’s also a CX40+ wireless joystick available for purchase if you prefer to play that way. Both controllers are compatible with the original 2600 and 7800 and can also be hooked up to any PC via the USB receiver. The Atari 7800+ is available for pre-order now for $129.99 but won’t ship until Winter this year.

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Uplight game console concept with an interactive 3D screen changes the way you play

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Handheld gaming consoles are rocking the market again, in no small part thanks to the success of the Nintendo Switch nearly eight years ago. But for all the technological marvels these powerful computers bring today, they’re really just rehashing time-tested formulas, at least when it comes to the way we see and interact with games. Just like with much of computing, we’re simply seeing images rendered on a flat screen rather than the way we naturally see and interact with the world in three dimensions. Mixed reality and spatial computing are trying to challenge the status quote when it comes to typical computing scenarios, while this concept for a unique kind of console proposes a literally different perspective when it comes to the video games we play.

Designers: Tatsuya Kato, Shion Ito, Toshikatsu Nakamura, Toshiki Sato

Uplight definitely looks like no other gaming console, not just because of the different controller configuration but primarily for the lack of a screen. The design concept flips the convention of game design, with the experience being designed to conform to the unique traits of the console rather than the other way around. In this case, the unique characteristic is a projector hidden in the base of the console that displays the game on three-dimensional acrylic screens that can take on different object shapes specific to the nature of the game.

Think about those 3D puzzle games that require you to rotate a cube around to see it from different sides to solve the puzzle, except that cube is a literal and physical cube existing in the real world. This cube, made from translucent acrylic, is mounted on top of the Uplight console and displays the game projected into it. Players can use the console’s unusual controls to move the displayed image around or, better yet, use their own hands to actually turn the cube.

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The 3D acrylic screen can be any shape, in theory, depending on the game experience being designed. It could, for example, be a giant translucent jellyfish for an aquatic adventure game, or even a tree branch for a game related to planting or vegetation. The possibilities are nearly endless, limited only by the angle that the integrated projector can reach and, of course, the size of the console.

That said, such a unique system will require games specifically designed for it, which also means designing new experiences that involve three-dimensional thinking as well as direct tactile interaction. Very few of today’s games have that, which will definitely challenge the creativity and ingenuity of game designers should Uplight ever become an actual commercial product.

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Nintendo Wii mod transforms the iconic console into a cute keychain

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Arguably, the Wii was one of Nintendo’s oddest yet most successful gaming consoles, mostly thanks to the novelty and ingenuity of its “Wiimote” controller, the ancestor of today’s Joy-cons for the Switch. Like any other Nintendo gaming machine, it had a number of titles under its belt, including a few notable exclusives that took advantage of that unique controller design. Of course, its time has long passed, and the Wii is nothing more than a footnote in video gaming history, or so it would seem. It’s unsurprising to hear that it is now the subject of no small amount of mods and DIY projects that try to give the historic console a different flavor, and one of the oddest and most adorable is probably this perfectly named “Kawaii” mod that shrinks the book-sized machine down to portable keychain.

Designers: WeskMods, Mackie Kannard-Smith (Yveltal)

Despite its odd controller, the Wii itself wasn’t exactly that distinctive in terms of its design. It came as a rather plain, compact box that had just enough room for important hardware, which included a cooling fan and an optical disc reader. Remove these two, however, and you can probably cram the console into a tiny box, or at least most of it. That’s exactly what the Kawaii project did, a play on the Japanese word for “cute” and the Wii name, turning the large boxy console into a cute keychain accessory.

Kawaii is only 60mm x 60mm big and 16mm tall, not that much larger than keyfobs. Its body is CNC machined from aluminum and has these wavy fins on one side that do more than make the small box look eye-catching. They also function as a passive cooling system since the Kawaii doesn’t have room for any fan of any size at all. Obviously, there’s no space for an optical disc reader either, but that’s not the only thing missing from this tiny console.

It doesn’t have any direct power source or any ports for that matter, leaving it pretty barebones save for the main board that runs the whole show. To actually make it useful, you have to connect it to a dock via pogo pins, and then you’ll have power, video out, and USB ports for controllers. The dock itself is just a little larger than the keychain console, but it’s still a portable setup, presuming you have a way to power it up or connect it to a display.

Sadly, the adorable Kawaii won’t fulfill your dreams of playing Wii games on the go, at least not the ones that need a disc or use a Wiimote, since there’s no Bluetooth connectivity in there either. That leaves you mostly with downloaded games that work fine with a USB controller, and there’s not much of those going around at this point. Still, it looks like an interesting journey to design a cool-looking console you can hang your keys on, one that preserves the spirit of novelty and playfulness of the Wii, even if it doesn’t exactly have its defining features.

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$88 Sony PlayStation Portal knockoff runs an Emulator with over 3000 built-in games

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Sony’s lawyers better get their ceases and desists in order – a sub-$100 knockoff of the Sony PS Portal is available online with arguably better specs than the original. While Sony announced the PlayStation Portal as purely an accessory to the existing PS5, this carbon copy dubbed the M25 actually runs as a standalone device, running LINUX and EmuELEC but with support for more than 25 other emulators, and space for more than 3000 games so you can play anywhere instead of being relegated to just your PS5. Is it a shameless ripoff? Absolutely. Are we surprised? A little, at the audacity for sure!

When compared face to face, there are distinct differences between Sony’s version and the M25. For starters, the latter has a much smaller 4.3-inch screen that fits into the controller’s form factor instead of being a tablet attached onto the controller like in Sony’s design. This also means the M25 is a little more compact than its inspiration, making it easier to carry with you. That being said, the PS Portal wasn’t designed to be carried anyway, given that it needs to be tethered via WiFi to your PS5 at all times, eliminating any possibility of mobile gaming. The M25, on the other hand, has storage of up to 128Gb, letting you store and play games pretty much anywhere you want. It’s more like a Nintendo Switch Lite than like the PS Portal, in that regard.

Just on the design front, the M25 is a total ripoff of the DualSense controller, with a modified form that fits an HD screen (or so they’d have you believe) in between the two halves of the controller. A Quad-core processor on the inside runs the M25’s experience, with 4GB of RAM and up to 128GB of internal storage (expandable with a TF card). A 3000mAh battery powers the entire device, and the display maxes at 480×272 pixels, which does feel like being shortchanged, but then again what did you expect for $88?

The M25 runs Linux and the EmuELEC emulator. You can sideload any other emulator of your choice, and the storage should allow you to play and save a dizzying 3000 games. Sure, it doesn’t compare to playing AAA titles like Assassin’s Creed or GTA 6 (if and when it releases) on a handheld device, but if you want to game on a subway without splurging on a Nintendo Switch, the M25 may just be your best bet. Better still, if you want a budget gift for a spoilt kid who wants the PS Portal, hand them this one and see if they notice! It’s available on Geekbuying, and ships from China, so don’t expect to be able to follow up on any warranty…

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Teenage Engineering-inspired Nintendo Switch feels like the minimalist handheld console we deserve

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Teenage Engineering has created a niche in the music tech market with rule-defiying products that tap into the inquisitive nature of things. No matter if it’s a field system, wireless audio, or synthesizers; if it’s from Teenage Engineering, it’s got to be worth talking about. That’s the sole reason we just love everything from the Stockholm-based audio wizard.

This time around though, it’s not something coming out of their creative factory, but rather a culmination of creative thoughts from a designer to muster up a winning product envisioned for TE. A handheld gaming console that’s fun to play around with and also one that doesn’t deviate from the core ethos of the brand. According to the designer the handheld blends into any environment, “triggering the nostalgic feeling and providing fun to the users.”

Designer: Nidharshan Suresh

The primary motivation behind this concept gaming console carrying the DNA of Teenage Engineering is to break the monotony in the design of current handheld consoles and refresh the market with a product that’s a delight to savor. The initial research identified the reason for playing games as an escape from the daily stresses of life. Another couple of motivators are the ability to boost problem-solving capabilities and live a story in pseudo-reality. One fact that was clear from the data was the end-users who are either on-the-go gamers, tech geeks, softcore gamers, or socializers.

Nidarshan employed parallel prototyping using thermocol models to fine-tune the final handheld design that falls right into place. As a TE fan, I immediately found a connection between two different worlds of audiophile bliss and gaming frenzy in this product. A cohesive form that’s minimal while retaining the ergonomic comfort of playing games for extended sessions. The color theme also piques interest in the form of orange, black and white buttons for the joystick and D-pad buttons.

The slim form factor ensures your fingers never get fatigued from constantly hitting the trigger buttons on the top. From what’s apparent this handheld gaming console is quite compact compared to the current market leaders like Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, or Nintendo Switch. That alone is a win for someone like me with small hands.

The titanium silver grey finish brings a new look to the arena which I absolutely love. Whether or not such a handheld is going to disrupt the market, only time will tell, that is if, Teenage Engineering ever designs a handheld gaming console in the near future!

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Atari 400 Mini retro console is a charming recreation of a quirky design

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Most people today probably only know of the Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch, but there was a time when the market was littered with countless gaming consoles, each with their own distinct designs. Many of them look almost outlandish by today’s standards, but it’s exactly because of these that these old machines have become today’s novelties again. The retro console craze has died down a bit, but it still exists and there are plenty of designs still left untouched. One of those is the rather distinctive Atari 400, which now finally comes in a mini recreation that brings yet another bunch of classic titles from one of gaming history’s biggest giants.

Designer: Retro Games x Atari

You might already be quite tired of hearing about all these classic games being made available to a newer, younger audience, but the console that this batch comes in is definitely worth noting. The Atari 400 and 800, after all, made many firsts in the industry, bringing what is practically a personal computer into homes with a focus on gaming. That objective was what informed the machine’s design, giving it a peculiar appearance even among its peers.

In essence, the Atari 400, or the 800 rather, looked more like a giant typewriter than a computer of any sort. Atari eschewed the typical joysticks and gamepads associated with gaming machines (and its own Atari 2600) and gave its first 8-bit family a keyboard for tasks beyond just playing. The Atari 400 itself was quite peculiar because it didn’t use real keys but a membrane keyboard, basically a seemingly flat, pressure-sensitive surface that could be considered the ancestor of touch-sensitive controls today. Suffice it to say, the typing experience was anything but enjoyable.

The Atari 400 Mini brings this one-of-a-kind design down to half the size of the 1979 original, which means you get all the looks but none of the quirks or the functionality. Yes, that miniaturized membrane keyboard is just for show, which is probably for the best. Imagine typing not only on a small space but also on a surface you have to press hard to even register a key. Fortunately, you can connect a USB keyboard if you really need to type something. With five USB ports, you can connect almost any controller, though thankfully the package ships one Atari CX-40 joystick for good measure.

The small machine comes with 25 titles from the original already pre-installed, though can also run other Atari classics provided you know how and where to get them. The Atari 400 Mini isn’t available yet, but you can already put down $119.99 to pre-order this recreation of a piece of gaming history before it hits the shelves on March 28th.

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Analogue Duo console revives TurboGrafx cartridges and CDs with a catch

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The retro gaming craze has given birth to many console revivals, but some of them are walking on legally gray areas. The officially sanctioned devices bear licensed titles but in very small numbers. Third-party recreations that use emulators, on the other hand, offer more freedom and flexibility but you’ll have to be creative in where you source your games. And then there’s the rare middle ground that puts those old games in fresh new hardware, like this curious console that pays tribute to the oft-forgotten NEC TurboGrafx. Unlike other retro consoles, however, it doesn’t come bundled with its own games and you’ll have to bring your own cartridges and discs, presuming you still have some of those around.

Designer: Analogue

With the explosion of home gaming systems in the late 80s to early 90s, it wasn’t much of a surprise that some brands would be pushed to the background. Although it did have a faithful following, the NEC TurboGrafx system eventually faded into history, only to be remembered with retro consoles and devices such as the Analogue Duo. It’s not a simple recreation of the original console, however. In fact, it looks nothing like the TurboGrafx-16 and PC Engine consoles. What this new console brings, instead, is a way to be able to use those original game cartridges and CDs just the way they were meant to.

Retro mini consoles like the NES and SNES Classics practically use emulation software to run digital copies of games that used to exist on physical media. That’s definitely convenient but also removes the gratification of experiencing those classic titles from the cartridges or CDs they came from. Without going into technical details, the Analogue Duo claims to use no emulation at all and uses hardware engineered for thousands of hours to offer compatibility with a wide range of NEC gaming systems and media, including those for the TurboGrafx-16, PC Engine, SuperGrafx, TurboGrafx CD, PC Engine CD-ROM, and Super Arcade CD-ROM.

The design of the Analogue Duo itself is also quite unique, eschewing the trend of copying the appearance of the original consoles. It does lie horizontally like most consoles, but its modern and sleek appearance clearly tells which century it comes from. An odd and rather interesting detail is the wavy rear of the console, something you won’t find on any gaming hardware today. Interestingly, you can place two of these consoles back-to-back with those waves intersecting with each other.

The Analogue Duo is pretty ambitious in its goals, which is probably why it took three years for it to finally become available. Even then, it will be in extremely limited supply, available first to those who pre-ordered back in May. Perhaps it’s for the best so that TurboGrafx fans will be able to bide their time and see whether the console will be able to deliver that faithful classic experience it promised.

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