This tiny DIY console is the size of a coin and uses equally small cartridges

by
url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url

Key findings

  • EMES is the smallest handheld console with a screen, buttons and interchangeable cartridges.
  • Uses a classic LED display IC for the screen, 4 buttons and an ATTiny10 MCU on each cartridge.
  • It's limited to minimal pixel games like Pong and Snake, but pushes the limits of how small a pocket-sized console can be.



We love our Handheld consoles here at XDA, but how small can a console really get? It turns out that with a little DIY ingenuity, you can make a console the size of a coin. Such is the case with the Epic Minimalist Entertainment System (EMES), which features a screen, some mini buttons, and some cute little cartridges for swapping out games.

The Epic Minimalist Entertainment System is the smallest handheld console you've ever seen


This cool project was the brainchild of Michael on Hackaday.io. This cool project is a standalone console; it has a screen, buttons to interact with the game, and cartridges to swap games. Michael described the hardware he used on his project page:

A very minimalist handheld console with interchangeable cartridges. It features a Plessey GPD340 vintage LED display IC for the screen, 4 buttons and a buzzer for the sound. There is no MCU on the motherboard, instead an ATTiny10 MCU is placed on each cartridge, similar to the Microvision console (the first handheld console with interchangeable cartridges).

If you're interested, here are the ATTiny10 specs listed by Michael:

  • Main clock frequency: 8 MHz
  • Program/data flash: 1 KB
  • RAM: 32 bytes
  • 8-bit ADC
  • 4 GPIOs


Sure, these specs won't dethrone the Steam Deck anytime soon, as it's limited to games that are playable with as few pixels as possible (like Pong and Snake), but it's still an amazing project in its own right, pushing the standard features of a pocket-sized console to their absolute limits.

If you fancy something bigger, check out these cool retro projects and Raspberry Pi consoles you can build yourself. Or, if you've got a few broken consoles lying around, why not take a look at how someone revived a PS1 with a Raspberry Pi to get some ideas?

Leave a Comment