Never before have we seen so much innovation in the handheld console market. Although Nintendo continues to dominate this sector, if you look a little deeper it’s easy to find a multitude of brands with all sorts of interesting concepts. From classic console-inspired Android consoles to console-shaped gaming PCs, we’ve seen it all.
Today, another interesting concept is added to the list: the gaming watch. And with this we do not mean that it is a watch with RGB lighting and extreme design; no, what does the name mean “Retro Gaming Watch” is that you can play retro games directly on the watch. We even have buttons and a built-in D-pad to control them without having to use the touchscreen, and there’s even a small speaker to listen to classic game tunes.
Best of all, it’s still a watch, thanks to the use of two screens. The exterior performs the basic functions of a watch, like showing the time, but it is also capable of displaying additional information like the weather or battery level; even can show notifications from WhatsApp and other apps thanks to the direct connection with our smartphone. Therefore, it largely fulfills the functions of a smart watch.
Of course, grace comes when We open the watch as if it were a Game Boy Advance SP and we reveal the 1.54-inch screen with a resolution of 320 x 320 pixels and the integrated controls. You can play directly on the wrist, or disconnect the console from the strap and control the console with two hands.
And these are not simple games; The creators of the Retro Gaming Watch claim that this console is capable of performing games from the 8 and 16 bit console era. What seems like an impossible idea has been made possible through the use of an FPGA, a programmable card that allows “hardware” to be adapted to different types of “software”. The use of FPGA has gained popularity in recent years because it is a solution that allows for high-precision, lag-free emulation compared to software emulation. These components help the 160 MHz Cortex M33 processor run games that would normally be out of range. However, this means that this project is probably aimed more at enthusiasts who want to tinker and install new cores for different games.
The Retro Gaming Watch is now available for pre-order via Kickstarter, with a starting price of $179 (163 dollars), with launch planned for November 2024.
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