Build your own retro gaming console with this DIY kit on sale

Basically your very own Nintendo DS.
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Hands on red game console with toy car in background
This may or may not be how the makers of Nintendo started out. Credit: CircuitMess

TL;DR: Get the ByteBoi: DIY Advanced Game Console for $109.99 instead of $119 as of March 5 — that's 8% off.


The DIY enthusiasts at CircuitMess have been cranking out awesome educational DIY kits for years now. If you loved the first product, the MAKERbuino, or any of the others, check out the new ByteBoi — an improved, reimagined version of the 8-bit educational gaming console.

Built for kids (ages 11 and up) and adults, the ByteBoi is a hands-on way to learn about electronics, coding, game graphics, game engines, character animation, and more. Funded on Kickstarter, just like most other CircuitMess DIY kits, it comes with all the parts you’ll need to build the console, minus the tools for assembly — including a full-color TFT display, main circuit board, Li-Po battery, acrylic casing, a bag of small components, and of course, instructions.

The step-by-step guide will walk you through the entire process, but you’ll have the opportunity to pick up some new skills you never knew you were capable of along the way. It generally takes around four hours to put all the parts together and create the console. Then the fun stuff really begins.

Check it out:

The finished product is a working console you can use to play games, make your own video games, connect to the internet, share your creations with a community of game makers on the open-source platform, and even control your other CircuitMess creations, like the Wheelson. It works with the MakeCode Arcade — an intuitive online coding interface with a bunch of examples and tutorials. But, if you're really feeling bold, you can always learn the ins and outs of coding video games from scratch, too.

The ByteBoi DIY Advanced Game Console Kit usually costs $119, but you can slash a few bucks off and snag it for $109.99 for a limited time.

Prices subject to change.

Topics Gaming

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