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Arduview handheld revives the look of 1990s translucent gadgets
The Arduview is a tiny handheld game console designed as a tribute to the translucent gadgets popular in the 1990s and early 2000s. Its clear screen and see-through components give it a distinctive retro look, though its makers’ claim that it is the world’s first transparent console is qualified by some less transparent parts.
Built around the open-source Arduboy project, it has a 1.51-inch, 128-by-64-pixel display, an 8-bit chip and more than 300 pre-loaded games. The 50-gram device has a 120mAh battery and USB-C charging; a tested pre-production unit had no working sound, and its buttons and joystick felt stiff and loud. Kickstarter pledges start at about $75, but backing the campaign does not guarantee delivery.
In short
- Arduview puts clear components and a transparent screen in a tiny retro handheld.
- It comes with more than 300 simple games.
- Kickstarter pledges start at about $75, with delivery not guaranteed.
Explained simply
The Arduview is based on Arduboy, an open-source project for small handheld games. Open-source designs can be shared and adapted by different makers, and Arduboy-style consoles are intended for simple games rather than the larger titles found on modern systems.
Transparent plastic became a popular look for electronics in the 1990s and early 2000s, making their internal parts visible. The Arduview draws on that style, while its claim to be the first transparent console depends on how “transparent” is defined.
The device is being offered through Kickstarter, where people pledge money to help fund a project in exchange for a possible future product. A pledge is not a normal purchase and does not guarantee that the console will be made or delivered.
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Originally published by Engadget as “The Arduview might be the ultimate tribute to retro translucent gadgets”.