Arduboy is well known for releasing incredibly thin, open-sourced handhelds based on the Arduino platform, and was first launched in 2016.
They're still going strong with small iterations over the years, but the latest announcement reveals an all-new look and upgraded features that may intrigue some of you.
And by some of you, I mean only 500 of you, as this is a limited edition drop, with only 500 being made, and a lot of them have already sold by the time I upload this news post.
So act quickly if you want to snag an Arduboy FX-C here.
Pricing starts at $79.99 for a standard edition (which has already sold out). The standard edition comes with green action buttons, whereas the Founder's Edition comes with purple buttons and a numbered console.
What's different?
The FX-C comes with a USB-C Charging port, 300 pre-installed games from the talented Arduino community, and the ability to connect to another FX-C to access multiplayer games.
"Multiplayer is enabled by enabling i2c communication on additional communication wires of the USB-C connector available on the included Arduboy cable, as well as any Thunderbolt 3 cable. This exciting addition also enables the use of external sensors and other devices", mentioned Arudboy.
The 300 pre-installed games are great to see; it feels very "Playdate", and knowing that they've all been made by a passionate community is a fun way to explore some unique games, in a very thin form factor.
This may be the thinnest handheld games console ever made; it's even thinner than Sinclair's GAMERCARD, which is releasing soon too.
Arduboy FX-C Specifications
- Processor: ATmega32u4 (same as Arduino Leonardo & Micro)
- Memory: 32KB Flash, 2.5KB RAM, 1KB EEPROM, 16MB eXternal Flash
- Inputs: 6 Momentary Tactile Buttons
- Outputs: 128×64 1Bit OLED, 4 Ch. Piezo Speaker & Blinky LED
- Battery: 180 mAh Thin-Film Lithium Polymer
- Connectivity: USB-C 2.0 w/built-in HID profile, i2c Link Cable Support
- Programming: Arduino IDE, Arduboy Game Loader, GCC & AVRDude
I'll be honest, I would have liked them to release more than 500 units. It's too limited, and I believe they could have sold a considerable amount more, seeing as they've gone through half their stock in just a day.
And comparing this pricing-wise to other handhelds on the market it is expensive for "what you get". This is a niche device for those who want to explore the Arduino platform on a deeper level, for sure and will likely not be consumed by typical "retro gamers".
But that said, I think it's going to be a fun device, with unique games, in an incredibly slim design with durable build quality.
I like seeing unique handhelds like this; it freshens up the industry a little, and I wish Arduboy all the best with this device. I think it's a refreshing upgrade.
