How far can you get on just one button? If you grew up in the golden age of gaming and spent a lot of time in the arcades, then you're probably quite used to just smashing one button in order to jump over something or fire at an enemy. The same goes for anyone who grew up with the Atari 2600 - one joystick and a button. There was no haptic feedback on an R2 button back in the day, you had to have a fast button finger and reflexes quicker than Usain Bolt.
Check out the Dinoboy handheld, a single-button console created by a tech wizard called Paul that you can play while you're having a cup of tea, eating, or playing duck hunt with your other hand. You all know Dinoboy; we've all experienced times when Google hasn't shown us the page we want because our internet has gone down and the little dinosaur game comes up.
Well, now you can play it on a single-button handheld that flips out on a hinge like a Swiss Army Tool. The button sits on he hinge part of the arm where your thumb would naturally rest, and the handle sits in your palm, kind of like a TV remote with a screen sitting at a right angle. You can play in either DMG style or Black and White gameplay for that nostalgic touch.
But there's something even cooler about this handheld, and that's Paul's mission to help us get off our phones. Check out his message below:
When I looked at how much time we spend mindlessly scrolling through infinite feeds, I realized the problem isn't just digital, it's physical. Our hands crave movement, and our brains crave immediate, micro-satisfying feedback. Maybe that is also why fidget toys have been so popular in the last decade or so. Instead of fighting the urge to pick up a device, I wanted to build something that satisfied that urge without dragging you into the algorithmic abyss.I wanted a device that offered immediate joy, grounded in the physical world. A bespoke, ultra-wide 1-bit retro gaming handheld that doubles as a mechanical fidget companion. And it even has some surprises instore.
The device has an NFC tag hidden inside it that turns on your phone's airplane mode when passed over your smartphone. So you can swipe it like a magic wand, grab your cup of tea, and start playing without Siri listening in on you, your partner calling you to buy milk, or Instagram popping up to tell you that your last video didn't get enough likes. And when you're not playing, it can also be used as a desktop clock!
There's no information as to whether Paul will be building this to sell yet or whether it's going to be something that he's going to open up to allow other people to build, but I'm definitely intrigued by the concept and would love to check it out if he does make sample units in the future! In the. meantime, you can check out Paul's other projects on his website!
