Raspberry Pi BMO Handheld Plays Games Using RetroPie

Raspberry Pi
(Image credit: Lazuardi Rinaldi)

Come on and grab your friends—this Raspberry Pi project was made for adventure! Lazuardi Rinaldi, an electrical and computer engineering student from the Georgia Institute of Technology, has created a playable handheld shaped like BMO from the cartoon Adventure Time.

This BMO lookalike is a fully functional retro gaming console. Some of the best Raspberry Pi projects are made with portability in mind and this one is battery powered—ready for all of your on-the-go Adventure Time-themed gaming needs.

Raspberry Pi

Check out the animated version of this illustration on the official project page. (Image credit: Lazuardi Rinaldi)

The components used in the design are fairly easy to come by. Rinaldi made it clear the project is intended to be as accessible as possible, using little to no proprietary parts. The major components it features are a 5-inch touchscreen, a Raspberry Pi 3 B, an Anker battery and pushbuttons for controller input.

What stands out to us the most is the laser-cut acrylic shell but Rinaldi advises anyone remaking this project to consider other materials like wood or 3D-printed construction. Rinaldi placed sticker sheets behind the acrylic to make the shell blue and add color to the buttons.

Software-wise, the BMO handheld relies on RetroPie—one of our favorite retrogaming platforms for the Raspberry Pi. Gameplay may be limited by the available buttons but a Bluetooth controller could always be used for games with higher button demand.

If you want to create your own BMO, check out the full project breakdown at Instructables.

Ash Hill
Freelance News and Features Writer

Ash Hill is a Freelance News and Features Writer with a wealth of experience in the hobby electronics, 3D printing and PCs. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting while also finding the best coupons and deals on all tech.