The modding community are always working on the weirdest types of handhelds and it's always interesting for us to follow along, mainly due to our handheld addiction but we'll ignore that today.
We've seen a rare PS1 Roulette controller turned into a console, we've seen a Tamagotchi turned into a digital camera, and now we have a handheld emulator rammed into a... ruler.
The creative lunatic behind this invention is known as Raphaël Texier, also known as RaphaTech. This was a project that he launched on Kickstarter and quickly reached his backing goal, and now we're lucky enough to have a sample unit in our hands to test!
You can still order a unit and back the project on Kickstarter if you are interested in acquiring one.
The Retro Ruler features in our video. Give it a watch!
Retro Ruler Specifications
- ESP-32-S3 dual-core microcontroller @240MHz
- 8 MB RAM / 16 MB flash
- 1.69 inch IPS screen 280*240px
- 12 buttons + 2 shoulders
- 0.7W speaker with DAC / Amplifier i²s
- 230mAh LiPo battery (~2H gameplay)
USB-C - Micro SD reader (max 128GB)
The Ruler Itself
The PCB is designed to match a traditional 15cm ruler in many ways and is incredibly thin at just a couple of mm's. This makes it super easy to fit in your pencil case... literally.
The PCB itself shows all of the locations of the internals in a beautiful manner including the 1.69" IPS display, speaker and the 230MAH battery compartment. On the backside Raphaël has added a list of consoles it can emulate, alongside the names of his top backers, which is such a neat addition.
When the device is put together, it adds some weight to the device and completely transforms it, making it 0.8cm in thickness. Again, incredibly small still.
The Quality
This is not a mass produced item, and that's okay, nor is it expected. This is an incredibly niche device that has been made with a great attention to detail. But it's worth noting the obvious taht you won't get the same quality as a handheld made from the likes of GoRetroid or Nintendo so areas of the device aren;t "perfect".
For example, my unit has a slightly dropped on/off button, which sinks in deeper on one side. Do I care? Not really as I know this is a modded project from one single human, and these will be ironed out once produced in the coming months.
Enclosure and buttons are 3D printed in-house. You’ll notice some imperfections that should be solved with the final version using print settings closer to SLA. The buttons are very “clicky” but on the final version they will be softer.
Raphaël Texier
Some of the components features are a Microcontroller: ESP-32 S3 with 16MB flash and 8MB ram alongside a small 230mAh battery that offers up to two hours and 45 minutes of gameplay, depending on which games you choose.
Buttons are clicky but firm and only have a tiny bit of movement to them. Fighting games may push the DPAD it to its limits but everything else feels like it will last a lifetime which is good to see on a limited device like this.
The Retro Ruler even features two tiny shoulder buttons up top, which maybe cumbersome to press but are a nice addition, which opens up amble emulation opportunities all while keeping to the super thin design specs.
Due to the metal PCB, the strong plastic, and clicky buttons it feels like an incredibly sturdy handheld, which I didn't think i'd say as its not even one cm thick.
It's a handheld I trust in my pencil case, which is also something I didn't think i'd ever say!
The Display
One feature that has impressed me is the tiny 1.69" display. It works a treat, and because of the bright IPS nature of the screen it's easily visible when outside, which is where i found myself using this most of the time.
I'd regularly pull it out on my desk too which is in direct sunlight mos of the time and it's still easily visible, so i am happy with the display choice here.
The 280 x 240 resolution works on the consoles that this can emulate. The contrasts are a little dark but not enough for average consumers to notice, in my opinion.
Many will say this screen is too small, but actually it's the perfect size to add onto a ruler, any bigger and the ruler would become unnaturally tall and would lose the charm of being a "ruler".
The rounded edges of the case around the screen may annoy enthusiasts but again, it adds to the cuteness of this device and I don't mind the trimming of the corners at all.
I like the display, there's no denying it.
Measuring The Performance
This may be the thinnest handheld I have ever reviewed, so I had very low expectations with what this could actually emulate, but I am happy to announce that it's far more than expected.
The tiny 8MB of RAM is certainly being pushed to its limit here but I was able to emulate GAME BOY, GAME BOY Color, GAME GEAR, NES, Lynx, PC Engine and Game & Watch games very well.
You can push it even further for sure, but i noticed its limits are SNES and SEGA Mega Drive, which is fair enough as these require a bit more oomph!
Because of the hardware constraints, emulation is not perfect. Especially on SNES and Mega Drive: mainstream games do not run at full speed. Sound is disabled by default on those platforms to improve performance.
Raphaël Texier
According to Raphael the firmware is based on the excellent open-source retro-go project by ducalex. It was originally made for Odroid-Go but ducalex made it ready to work for ESP-32 based devices.
It's super simple to understand and each directional press shows a different console, which can then be opened up to the see the game names and box art. Opening the file offers the ability to start new game, or loads from your save states.
It's super easy to use, can be customised entirely as this device is open sources and looks very clean on this screen size, even if some text is super small to read.
I am glad the OS wasn't over complicated as it adds to the qucik pick and play nature of this device. I didn't come across any errors or glitches either such as corrupt saves, bugs or crashes.
Not that i was expecting it, but sometimes on modded devices that have not launched yet I often come across hiccups, but not today.
Final Thoughts
It's a really fun device that can be taken with ou anywhere and I always respect crazy modders who make devices like these because it's just a lot of fun to use them and add them to my collections.
Do they work and feel as good in comparison to largely manufactured handhelds, absolutey not. But will they ever make a retro gaming ruler? Absolutely not, and that is why I love them, because they're quirky and limited.
If you're after a retro gaming device that can emulate your favourite GAMEBOY, NES and Game Gear games and you want to support an independent modder then it's worth snagging one for your pencil case!
