Updates:
Don't forget to take a look a the "Updates" tab to know what's going on!
Why Gamebuino?
About one year ago, I
made a quick and dirty handheld console over a week end. Since then, a lot of
people contacted me to know how to make their own. They had a lot of trouble
connecting every part together, and even displaying a picture on the screen was
a challenge. That’s why I’ve been developing Gamebuino: a turnkey solution to
start making your own 8-bit games right away, even with very little knowledge
about programming. And if you are an advanced user, I have made it open-source, hackable and expandable.
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"That's what I love about Gamebuino, it's easy enough for beginners to start playing with immediately but restrictive enough to provide a decent challenge to those willing to push the hardware to its limit." Myndale
Speaking of Myndale... here is a few things he already did with his Gamebuino:
What is Gamebuino?
Gamebuino is a retro portable game console project based on Arduino. It allows you to make your own games, and even more.
It is designed so you
can easily get started with your game, yet it is capable enough to make
fully-featured 8-bit games and other badass projects. The library allows you to
start programming your game in minutes, and the console is shipped ready to run,
yet customizable thanks to the extension ports which allow you to add modules
(like an accelerometer or wireless communication), or to connect several
Gamebuino consoles to play in multiplayer with your mates.
Gamebuino is also a website and a community, with tutorials on the wiki, and a forum to share your creations or find some some help. Easy to remember, it's named gamebuino.com.
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What we need
After one year of development
and numerous updates, Gamebuino’s design is finally well polished and ready to
be mass-produced, most of the library is finished, and I’m now writing
documentation and tutorials. It took time and money, and I have been doing this
project on my own funding as long as I could.
Now, to make a
Gamebuino affordable for everybody, I need to manufacture large quantities to
bring down the unit price. By supporting Gamebuino, you will allow us to launch
the whole project, and also to create a great community of Arduino
retro-gamers.
All the extra fund raised will be used to further develop the Gamebuino project, for example with the creation of modules like accelerometer or wireless communication.
Goals
What you get
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Gimme coffee
Coffee
keeps me running. Without it, Gamebuino wouldn’t exist. By offering me a coffee
you’ll make me work harder, better, faster… and the best part is that you’ll
get your name on Gamebuino supporters’ page.
Gamebuino & Early bird
A Gamebuino with everything included:
-
An 84*48px
monochrome display with automatic
backlight (fancy!)
- A magnetic speaker to play the 4 channel sounds and music
- A battery to play during 24h hours before recharging it with any standard USB port
- A micro SD socket to store stuff. You can use it to make a datalogger, or even play movies (no kidding!). It may also allow to switch between games without a computer
- 2x I2C extension ports to connect several Gamebuino or add modules (like an accelerometer or wireless communication)
- A standard micro USB port (probably like your phone) to load the battery and upload games
Goodies, because who don’t like goodies?
- A transparent acrylic case to protect your Gamebuino on the go while showing the magnificence of the electronic components (pictures soon!)
- A micro SD card to store all your games and switch between them on the go.
- An USB cable to upload games and load the battery
Multiplayer pack
-
A Gamebuino and its goodies, as detailed above
-
Another Gamebuino and its goodies
- A cable to
connect them together and play with your friends
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A pair of Gamebuino prototypes with their acrylic case. The upper one still have the paper protection. Some will keep it to draw stuff on their Gamebuino, other will peel it off to see the electronic component's beauty.
Shipping ETA
I will assemble, test and ship your Gamebuino over July.
Other ways you can help
Get the word out and
make some noise about the campaign!
Problem?
If you want to change your order or shipping address, please send an email to support (@) gamebuino (.) com.
If you have general questions about Gamebuino, please ask them on the forum.
